Coachella Valley clinches playoff berth despite shootout loss
Even before their own game was finished, the Coachella Valley Firebirds managed to clinch a playoff berth in the AHL’s Calder Cup playoffs for a second consecutive year Friday. A shootout loss to the Bakersfield Condors couldn’t change that.
The Firebirds were forced into overtime by a fluke goal by Bakersfield in the third period, then were unable to score in any of five attempts in the shootout in a 4-3 loss to the Condors. While the loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Coachella Valley, the shootout loss extended the team’s run of at least a single point to 12 straight games and 22 of the team’s last 23 games.
The Firebirds entered the night with two clinching scenarios, either scoring at least one point themselves against the Condors or having the San Diego Gulls lose in any manner against the
Texas Stars. The Gulls were tied with Texas 2-2 in the third period, but the Stars scored the final two goals for a 4-2 win, boosting the Firebirds to a playoff berth while the team was still playing its own game.
The top seven teams in the Pacific Division make the playoffs and the Firebirds, who are comfortably in first place, officially guaranteed they will be in the top seven.
The Firebirds grabbed a 3-2 lead in the third period when Luke Henman took a poke pass from Logan Morrison to score at 10:23 of the period. But just 17 seconds later, the game was tied on a strange goal. On a delayed penalty call, Firebirds goalie Ales Stezka headed to the bench to allow the Firebirds an extra attacker. But as the Firebirds shot the puck around the boards, the puck took an unexpected hop and headed into the empty net, with Stezka unable to reach the puck in time.
After a scoreless five-minute overtime, the fifth time in the last seven games the Firebirds went to overtime, the teams went into the shootout. Neither team scored in the first four rounds, but Bakersfield’s Seth Griffith scored in the fifth round to end the game.
The Firebirds fell behind 2-0 in the first period, but rallied with two goals in the second period, the first by Tucker Robertson on assists by Andrew Poturalski and Jacob Melanson at the 9:13 mark of the period. In the final minute of the period, Cameron Hughes scored his 20th goal on assists from John Hayden and Mitch Reinke.
Stezka played well for the Firebirds, saving 32 shots and making several strong saves in the third period to keep the Firebirds in the game.
The Firebirds hosted Texas in a late Saturday game at Acrisure Arena.