First Overtime in Franchise History Ends in Victory for Firebirds
The Firebirds sweep the Roadrunners with a 4-3 overtime win on Saturday night in Tucson.
A high-scoring first period resulted in the Roadrunners taking a 3-2 to the dressing room. Tucson netted two goals in the first three minutes of the game before John Hayden (Ryker Evans, Andrew Poturalski) forced the puck through Roadrunners’ netminder Jon Gillies for his fourth goal of the season. Michael Carcone extended Tucson’s lead with a powerplay goal which was quickly followed by another Coachella Valley strike, this time by Max McCormick (Austin Poganski, Eddie Wittchow), to make it a one-goal game.
Coachella Valley were forced to kill five separate penalties in the second period and held Tucson off the scoreboard through the middle frame.
The Firebirds found a way to tie the game at 8:11 of the third period as Jesper Froden snuck a shot on the short side of Gillies. The assists were awarded to John Hayden and Ryker Evans. With just a tenth of a second left in the third period, Roadrunners defenseman Conor Timmins was called for slashing, sending the Firebirds to the powerplay to begin overtime.
It took 26 seconds for the Firebirds to strike on the man-advantage as Andrew Poturalski ripped a wrist shot over the left shoulder of Gillies to seal the win for Coachella Valley. Brogan Rafferty and John Hayden earned the helpers on the game-winner.
Joey Daccord made 33 saves on 36 shots in the Firebirds victory, moving the team to 7-3-0-0 on the season. The team went 1-for-3 on the powerplay and 6-for-7 on the penalty kill.
THREE STARS:
3.) CV – Joey Daccord (36 saves)
2.) CV – John Hayden (1G, 2A)
1.) CV – Andrew Poturalski (1G, 1A)
Read the game’s box score HERE.
NEXT GAME: Coachella Valley heads to Colorado for a pair of games against the Eagles on Friday, November 18th and Saturday, November 19th. Puck drop for both games is scheduled for 6:05pm PT.
The Firebirds home opener will take place at Acrisure Arena, the newest world-class concert and sports venue designed specifically for the Coachella Valley, on Sunday, December 18, 2022, against the Tucson Roadrunners. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:00pm PT.