
Four Unanswered Goals Propel Firebirds Over Reign
January 20, 2024 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Coachella Valley Firebirds News Release
The Firebirds defeated the Ontario Reign on Saturday night by the final score of 4-2. Coachella Valley overcame an early 2-0 deficit with four unanswered goals to move into second place in the Pacific Division. Firebirds' captain Max McCormick had three points in the Firebirds 22nd victory of the season.
Ontario netted two goals in the game's first 6:19. Tyler Madden tallied a powerplay goal that was followed up by Jacob Moverare's first of the season. Coachella Valley responded shortly after a powerplay expired to cut the Reign lead to 2-1. Cameron Hughes lasered a shot over the shoulder of Erik Portillo to extend his point streak to eight games in a row. Connor Carrick and Jimmy Schuldt earned the assists on Hughes' 12th of the season.
The Firebirds tied the game 56 seconds into the second period on a tic-tac-toe passing play from Andrew Poturalski, Kole Lind, and Max McCormick. McCormick tapped in the backdoor pass to make it 2-2 with his team-leading 16th goal of the season.
Coachella Valley went to the powerplay three minutes into the third period and cashed in thanks to Shane Wright. Poturalski put the puck behind the goal line for McCormick, who located Wright at the hashmark to give the Firebirds their first lead of the game. Kole Lind sealed the victory with an empty net goal with 32 seconds left for this eighth of the season. McCormick and Fleury were awarded the assists.
With the win, the Firebirds are now 22-12-3-1 on the season and leapfrog the Ontario Reign in the standings, putting them into sole possession of the Pacific Division's second place spot.
Cale Morris made 27 saves for his second win of the season. The Firebirds finished 2-for-3 on the penalty kill while going 1-for-4 on the powerplay.
NEXT GAME
The Firebirds will resume their road trip on Wednesday night as they battle the Henderson Silver Knights. Puck drop is set for 7pm PT. Coachella Valley returns home to face the Calgary Wranglers on Thursday, January 31st at 7pm PT for Fuego Bobblehead Night! Don't miss out on this great giveaway! Head to Ticketmaster to lock in your seat before it's too late. Don't forget to purchase parking in advance online at ParkWhiz.
Don't miss a moment of Coachella Valley Firebirds' hockey! Group, Flex, and Individual tickets for remainder of the 2023-24 season are on sale now! For more information on ticket options, click HERE or call 760-835-8778.
Stay up to date on the latest Firebirds' news and info by visiting CVFirebirds.com and by following the team on social media @Firebirds.
American Hockey League Stories from January 20, 2024
- Roadrunners Beat Henderson 3-2 to Win 24th - Tucson Roadrunners
- The Canucks Fall 4-3 Against The San Diego Gulls - Abbotsford Canucks
- Four Unanswered Goals Propel Firebirds Over Reign - Coachella Valley Firebirds
- Reign Lose, 4-2 - Ontario Reign
- Eagles Storm Back to Defeat San Jose 6-5 in Overtime - Colorado Eagles
- Silver Knights Drop Second Half of Back-To-Back, 3-2, Against Roadrunners - Henderson Silver Knights
- Manitoba Edged by Rapids Griffins - Manitoba Moose
- Griffins Score Four Goals in Third Period to Sweep Manitoba with 4-3 Comeback Win - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Belleville Falls to Quebec - Belleville Senators
- Kaiser Scores First Pro Goal, Power Play Strikes Twice, & Hogs Tame Wild 4-1 - Rockford IceHogs
- Rockford's Three-Goal Third Sends Iowa to 4-1 Loss - Iowa Wild
- Cleveland Drops 4-3 Battle Against Lehigh Valley - Cleveland Monsters
- Comeback Phantoms Rally Again - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Penguins Lose Bout with Bears, 1-0 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Bears, Stevenson Blank Penguins 1-0 - Hershey Bears
- Admirals Earn Seventh Straight Win - Milwaukee Admirals
- Wolf Pack Blanks Islanders, 3-0 - Bridgeport Islanders
- Amerks Take Down T-Birds for Third Straight Win - Rochester Americans
- Admirals Sweep Stars, Hand Texas Fifth Straight Loss - Texas Stars
- Crunch Blow Past Comets, 5-2 - Syracuse Crunch
- Dylan Garand Makes 34 Saves as Wolf Pack Blank Islanders 3-0 - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Comets Drop Contest to Crunch, 5-2 - Utica Comets
- T-Birds Unable to Keep Pace with Amerks - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Three-Game Win Streak Ends with 5-2 Loss to Toronto - Charlotte Checkers
- Morning Skate Report: January 20, 2024 - Henderson Silver Knights
- Polin Reassigned by Colorado Avalanche - Colorado Eagles
- Rasmus Asplund Returns to Charlotte - Charlotte Checkers
- Syracuse Crunch Loan Goaltender Brandon Halverson to Orlando Solar Bears - Syracuse Crunch
- Reign, CBS Los Angeles Announce Broadcast Partnership - Ontario Reign
- Game Preview: Iowa Wild at Rockford IceHogs - Iowa Wild
- Flames Recall Matt Coronato - Calgary Wranglers
- Back at It in Bakersfield - Calgary Wranglers
- Wolf Pack Open Road Trip with 'Battle of Connecticut' vs. Islanders - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Game Preview: Condors v Wranglers, 7 p.m. - Bakersfield Condors
- Hogs Host Autism Awareness Game vs. Iowa - Rockford IceHogs
- Game Preview: Bears vs. Penguins, 7 p.m. - Hershey Bears
- Bears Recall Tyson Empey and Kevin O'Neil from South Carolina - Hershey Bears
- Game #38: Tucson Roadrunners vs. Henderson Silver Knights - Tucson Roadrunners
- Bridgeport Islanders Host Hartford to Kick off Second Half - Bridgeport Islanders
- Wranglers Come Up Short in CV - Calgary Wranglers
- Firebirds Hold off Wranglers for 4-3 Victory - Coachella Valley Firebirds
- Henderson Takes Series Opener with Roadrunners - Tucson Roadrunners
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
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- Firebirds' Season Ends with Loss to Abbotsford Canucks
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