Wright’s Two Goals and Hughes’ Buzzer Beater Defeat Wranglers, 4-3
The Firebirds defeated the Wranglers tonight in Calgary by the final score of 4-3. Shane Wright netted two tallies and Cameron Hughes’ last second strike helped the Firebirds score three unanswered goals to snap their three-game winless streak.
For the second straight night, the Wranglers hit the back of the net first. A powerplay goal from Emilio Pettersen put Calgary up 1-0 just 9:51 into the first period. Less than two minutes later, the Firebirds found themselves on a powerplay of their own. Brogan Rafferty found Wright at the circle and his wrist shot beat Calgary netminder Dustin Wolf to tie the game.
Calgary took the lead at 9:57 of the second period thanks to Jakob Pelletier and then extended their lead to 3-1 on Pettersen’s second goal of the game. Coachella Valley pulled within one after John Hayden forced the puck past Wolf, earning Tye Kartye the lone assist at 16:06.
In the third period, a Gustav Olofsson outlet pass hit Shane Wright on the tape, springing him into the offensive zone. Wright struck for the second time and tied the game for the Firebirds. With the game even at 3 late in the third, Brogan Rafferty threw the puck towards the net, hitting the stick of Cameron Hughes with just 6.3 seconds left to make it 4-3.
Joey Daccord made 23 saves on 26 shots in the Firebirds victory, moving the team to 8-4-2-0 on the season. The team went 1-for-4 on the powerplay and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill.
THREE STARS:
3.) CV – Cameron Hughes (1G)
2.) CGY – Emilio Pettersen (2G)
1.) CV – Shane Wright (2G)
Read the game’s box score HERE.
NEXT GAME: Coachella Valley heads to San Diego on Saturday for a battle with the Gulls. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00pm 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.