For the second straight year, the Coachella Valley Firebirds opened the Calder Cup Finals with a win over the Hershey Bears. A back-and-forth tilt saw the teams trade goals and a late rally from the Bears fall short in a 4-3 final score. John Hayden and Ryan Winterton each had two goals in the win. Game Two is set for Sunday evening.
Capitalizing Early
Hershey got the crowd of over 10,000 on their feet early on courtesy of some puck luck. Joe Snively carried the puck into the zone and threw a pass to the middle of the ice. The puck pinballed off of two defenders and past Chris Driedger to put the home team ahead. The goal is a rare bit of luck for the Bears and got them off on the right foot.
The Bears had a power play and threatened to add to their lead. After a pass across the crease eluded Ethen Frank, the puck bounced over Snively’s stick and went the other way. Hayden broke away shorthanded and beat Hunter Shepard to even the score at one. The Firebirds pulled ahead before the period ended with Winterton’s second goal of the postseason.
Back-and-Forth
Winterton wasn’t done. After tallying just his second goal of the postseason, he added another in the middle stanza. He slid a loose puck past Shepard to put the visiting Firebirds ahead by two goals. The Calder Cup Finals are all about contributions up and down the lineup, and Winterton added his name into the discussion.
Hershey pulled to within one goal courtesy of their own unlikely hero. Jimmy Huntington threw the puck towards the middle of the ice, hitting a defender’s skate. The puck landed right onto the stick of Hardy Haman Aktell driving to the slot, and his shot beat the surprised goaltender.
Despite this, the Firebirds answered right away. Hayden found his second goal of the game and ninth of the postseason. His count brings him even with Frank among active teams and just one behind Zach L’Heureux for the league lead. The two-goal lead seemed to put the game out of reach.
Highs and Lows
It didn’t help Hershey’s cause to run into penalty trouble in the final frame. Hershey would play shorthanded four times in the final frame, losing eight minutes to try and mount a comeback. It hampered the team’s comeback ability, but the Bears still managed to pull to within one goal. With just under two minutes remaining, Hendrix Lapierre ripped a shot home on the power play. The Bears were within a goal with time remaining.
However, despite a late push, the Bears were unable to find the equalizer. The Firebirds took a big win on the road to open the series, a requirement for them to win the Calder Cup. The Firebirds have the opportunity to try and take a 2-0 series lead on the road on Sunday.
Only the Beginning for Bears
“When you look at the four goals, they’re all preventable,” Bears head coach Todd Nelson said. “A team like Coachella (Valley), you have to make them earn their goals. They’re highly talented and can finish, just like we saw last year. We have to make it tougher on them. We had our chances tonight, but we can produce more on the power play.”
“I’m not making any excuses, but let’s face it, it was an emotional series against Cleveland. We looked mentally tired at times, making mistakes. We need to recharge the batteries here because it’s every other day. Going through this game tonight will help us move forward.”
The Bears firmly believe they have more to give in this series. Lapierre, who had a goal and an assist in the first game, believes his team will be fine in this series.
“As players, we’ve played this game our entire lives,” Lapierre said. “It’s pretty easy to adjust, it’s played a little differently, but we’ll be just fine.”
Sunday Fun Day
It sets the stage for a pivotal Game Two at Giant Center for the Bears. Hershey will have some lineup decisions to make after forward Garrett Roe exited the game in the third period. His status, as well as Aaron Ness, will be up in the air for the rematch. Nelson said he hadn’t heard from the medical staff on Roe’s status. Hershey’s Dmitry Osipov played his first game of the postseason as a result of the injuries in Game One.
Hershey will look to bounce back and take a split on home ice. The pressure will be on them to win at least one game away from home as a result of the loss. It’s not unfamiliar territory for the Bears to trail the series, as last year’s Finals started the same way. However, with home ice advantage inverted, the challenge to win on the road is still there.
Both teams will hop on a plane after Sunday’s game bound for California. The short turnaround in the series will be a battle in its own way for both teams, as will the time zone adjustment. It’ll be a battle within a battle for the Bears to manage their rest.
