Firebirds prove to be the tougher bird in 4-2 victory over Gulls
By Charles Hamaker
Riverside County, CA – Good teams, in any sport, are able to handle adversity in whatever way it may hit them. Just a few hours before puck drop for tonight’s game at Acrisure Arena against the San Diego Gulls, the Coachella Valley Firebirds lost two impact forwards as their NHL affiliate Seattle Kraken recalled them. Shane Wright and Ryan Winterton are set to join the Kraken, currently struggling to play a complete hockey game and sitting in fifth place in the Pacific Division, in Colorado as they battle the Avalanche to wrap up a brief two-game road trip. Coachella Valley didn’t seem to lose any firepower when it came to tonight’s final score, defeating the Gulls by a score of 4-2 after they initially jumped out to a three-goal advantage early on. Though it wasn’t technically “pretty,” the Firebirds will be able to learn and grow off tough games such as this where they’ll need to grind things out.
Stomping on San Diego early
How would Coachella Valley answer the fact that they had lost two of their most talented forwards and players overall? By getting a player to open the game with his first goal of the season and for another to get his second and third goals of the season, of course. The forward line of Cameron Hughes-Kole Lind-Logan Morrison was responsible for all three of the Firebirds goals scored in the first period and every point that came out of those goals. That first goal came to fruition as forward Kole Lind, left all alone in the right faceoff circle, slammed a shot off the pads of Gulls goaltender Calle Clang, only for it to land right in front of Cameron Hughes to tap it in for his first goal of the season.
The Coachella Valley Firebirds celebrate their first two goals of the game, as Cameron Hughes and Logan Morrison lit the lamp against the San Diego Gulls. (Photos by Mike Zitek)
After Hughes and his excellent hockey smile got on the board to open this game up, Logan Morrison decided to insert himself into this game firmly. The first of his two goals in the game and on the period itself came off some excellent passing from that Hughes-Lind-Morrison line, as Logan drifted back door towards the left faceoff circle as Kole Lind and Cameron Hughes dropped lower into the offensive zone. Morrison, who had continued to draft back door and away from Gulls skater, was left all alone for a one-timer to beat Clang and double the Coachella Valley lead. His second goal of the night and the Firebirds third of the game (and period, of course) came in unique fashion, only unique because Morrison ended up on his backside once the play was over. Ville Ottavainen had spotted that Kole Lind and Logan Morrison had outnumbered a lone San Diego skater down in the high danger area and got the puck down to Morrison who was able to deke before beating Clang five hole. He scored the goal but fell on his backside and nearly took Clang out with him in the process.
Coachella Valley Firebirds forward Logan Morrison celebrates his second goal of the game, falling on his backside after scoring it. (Photos by Mike Zitek)
Hold your breath
The second period of this game was all San Diego, albeit at a slower pace than being strictly dominant. After Coachella Valley had stormed out to that three-goal lead in the first frame, the Gulls got a bit of wind under them and scored two goals in the middle period to cut into that and make this a real contest. The first of those two goals came as San Diego had a rush but were actually outnumbered as opposed to finding the Firebirds in an odd-man rush. Despite being outnumbered, Gulls forward Brayden Tracy took advantage of a puck off the boards behind the goal and slammed home a shot past a sprawling Chris Driedger to get San Diego on the board. It took eleven minutes, but the Gulls were able to get a second goal and pull themselves within just one score. Former Everett Silvertip forward Olen Zellweger scored a power play goal, as Firebirds forward Jacob Melanson had been booked for hooking, slamming a one-timer home from the blueline as he had a screen in front of Coachella Valley goaltender Chris Driedger.
San Diego Gulls forward Brayden Tracey celebrates his goal, the teams first of the night. (Photo by Mike Zitek)
Getting away from the Gulls
The two-goal second period from San Diego made this a tight game, as Coachella Valley was now clinging to that one-score advantage. In addition to the losses of Wright and Winterton, the Firebirds faced the adversity of blowing a three-goal load and being in danger of the Gulls equalizing. Despite their lead shrinking to just the one goal, Coachella Valley didn’t panic and was actually in strong shape as they headed to the power play thanks to a faceoff violation penalty from San Diego’s Nathan Gaucher. The Firebirds capitalized, albeit on a funky play, as defenseman Ryker Evans tallied his second goal of the game as he played some pin ball. A puck that Evans had sent down low into the row danger area had bounced off Gulls defenseman Drew Helleson and into the goal, past Clang to give Coachella Valley a two-goal lead. The Firebirds held on, collecting their sixth win of the season and fifth in a row.
The Coachella Valley Firebirds celebrate their fourth and final goal of the game, as defenseman Ryker Evans got his second goal of the game. (Photos by Mike Zitek)
Forward depth tested, passes so far
With Shane Wright and Ryan Winterton both being recalled by the Seattle Kraken due to the injury to forward and alternate captain Jordan Eberle plus a mystery other forward, the Firebirds lose two big impact players that had just begun to heat up. While that could’ve derailed Coachella Valley to an extent or even just seen their offense take a hit, which it still very well could against other teams that aren’t San Diego, the Firebirds seem to still be rolling forward with their season considering the amount of talent that they had up and down the roster. After all, this is a Coachella Valley team that had to send Tucker Robertson down to ECHL affiliate Kansas City Mavericks because they simply didn’t have room for him to be able to get minutes at this AHL level. There’s still very much room for the current group to grow and improve, and while it certainly could’ve seen better numbers with Wright and Winterton still on this roster, there’s still plenty of talent on this Firebirds roster.
Coachella Valley Firebirds forwards Cameron Hughes and Kole Lind douse teammate Logan Morrison with water as they celebrate as the “Three stars of the night” following the teams win over the San Diego Gulls. (Photos by Mike Zitek)
Quick notes
Attendance for tonight’s Coachella Valley Firebirds win against the San Diego Gulls at Acrisure Arena was 8,257
Three Firebirds players tallied three points in tonight’s win
Logan Morrison: 2 goals, 1 assist
Cameron Hughes: 1 goal, 2 assists
Kole Lind: 3 assists
Firebirds netminder Chris Driedger made 25 saves in the win, picking up his fifth victory of the year.
What’s next?
Following their win over the San Diego Gulls, the Coachella Valley Firebirds get a few days before their next battle, remaining at home as they host the Calgary Wranglers. It’s the first time this season that the Firebirds will play the Wranglers, and the first time since their intense Pacific Division Finals battle in last year's Calder Cup playoffs where Coachella Valley took the series in the deciding game five with an overtime goal. This contest, on Saturday, November 11th with a puck drop of 6PM PST at Acrisure Arena, is the second of three straight games at home for the Firebirds as they look to continue their momentum and their current five-game winning streak. This will be Coachella Valley’s “Veterans Day” game, as they “Honor all those who served” as presented by Spotlight 29 and Tortoise Rock Casino. Fans attending will have an opportunity to sign a banner honoring all those who served at the outdoor plaza, live music and more!
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Cover photo and other photos in article by Mike Zitek
Check out our previous articles with writing by Charles Hamaker here