The Coachella Valley Firebirds are gearing up for their final two home games of March this week. On Wednesday, they will kick off the action against the Texas Stars at home. On Friday, they will take a short trip to Bakersfield to face the Condors. On Saturday, they’ll wrap up the week back at home, facing off again against the Texas Stars.
Coachella Valley could clinch a playoff spot by the end of the week, with their magic number currently at five. This will be their second playoff appearance, making it two-for-two since joining the American Hockey League last season.
Firebirds Against Stars
As of late, the Texas Stars have struggled away from home ice, especially in March. Their road struggles showed against the Tuscon Roadrunners this weekend, as they only scored once on Saturday. However, they did show some improvement on Sunday night with a late rally. Despite the challenges the Stars have faced on the road, they have held fourth place in the Central.
The Firebirds have secured three out of four possible points against the Stars throughout this season. Between the two games played so far, the Firebirds have scored eight times. The Valley’s John Hayden scored three goals between these two matchups and earned an assist, earning the third star during his return to the Firebirds after being sent down from Seattle. Hayden was not the only one to capitalize against the Stars; Kole Lind also scored and earned two assists.
Firebirds Against Condors
On Friday night, the Firebirds will hit the road to take on the fifth-placed Pacific Division Condors in Bakersfield. The Condors will be playing back-to-back games, facing the Calgary Wranglers on the road. Bakersfield has experience doing something similar this month. They faced off against the Abbotsford Canucks on the 12th and 13th, where they ended up splitting the weekend, and then returned home on Saturday to win against the Ontario Reign.
This will be the final regular-season meeting between the two teams, and the Firebirds hold a 4-2 series lead. Coachella leads the series because of their road play in Bakersfield.
When these two teams last met earlier this month, the Firebirds held the Condors to just one tally and 14 shots on goal. During this meeting, Coachella scored four times, with Logan Morrison finding the back of the net twice. Marian Studenic and Shane Wright would score once.
Player to Watch: Marian Studenic
Studenic was back on the score sheet Friday night against the Ontario Reign. He read a Reign defensive error and regained control of the puck. The goal late in the third period gave the Firebirds a much-needed lead. This was Coachella’s second lead in the game.
In 51 games played this season, Studenic has proven to be a crucial part of Coachella Valley’s offensive group. He can come up big in much-needed situations. Studenic was named the game’s number-one star against Tuscon on the 9th.
Catch the Action
Coachella will start play this week at home on Wednesday at 7 PM PST. They will be at Bakersfield Friday night, and the puck will drop at 7 PM PST. The Firebirds will return to the Valley on Saturday night to finish the regular season match-up against the Stars at 6 PM PST.
