Henman, Hughes, and Petman Each Score in Coachella Valley’s Regular Season Home Finale
The Firebirds defeated the Ontario Reign on Wednesday night at Acrisure Arena by the final score of 3-2. The win puts the Firebirds one point behind the Calgary Wranglers for the top spot in the Pacific Division.
The Firebirds scored three goals in a span of 2:45 to get out to an advantage after the first period. Luke Henman stole the puck away from the Reign and fired a quick shot past Cal Petersen to give Coachella Valley a 1-0 lead. The goal was Henman’s 7th of the season and was unassisted.
Coachella Valley extended their lead just 55 seconds later as the puck pinballed around the offensive zone. Shane Wright and Tye Kartye each touched the puck before Cameron Hughes spun it on goal past Petersen to make it 2-0. The tally for Hughes was his 19th of the year.
Ville Petman’s 12th goal of the season capped off the scoring in the opening frame as he netted his third goal in as many games. Carsen Twarynski moved the puck into the corner where he found Jeremy McKenna. McKenna passed it right onto the stick of Petman in front of the net to extend the Firebirds’ lead to 3-0.
In the second period, the Reign cashed in on the powerplay to pull them within two. Samuel Fagemo struck on the man-advantage to make it 3-1 Firebirds. Ontario added a second goal in the third period on a strike by Tobie Bisson but Coachella Valley hung on to win 3-2.
9,332 were in attendance at Acrisure Arena as Chris Driedger made 19 saves in the victory that moves Coachella Valley to 48-15-5-2. The Firebirds’ powerplay went 0-for-2 and the penalty kill finished 1-for-2.
Read the game’s full box score HERE.
NEXT GAME: The Firebirds head to Bakersfield to face the Condors for a pair of games this Friday and Saturday. Puck drop for both games scheduled for 7pm PT.
Tickets for the first round of the 2023 Postseason, powered by Walter Clark Legal Group, are on sale now and can be purchased as an entire strip (all three games) or individually. Strips start at just $20 while individual tickets begin at $19. Groups of 10 or more begin at only $18.
The best-of-three series will take place at Acrisure Arena on Wednesday, April 19th at 7pm, Friday, April 21st at 7pm, and Sunday, April 23rd at 3pm. The first round will only take place if the Firebirds do not finish at the top of the Pacific Division. To purchase tickets and learn more information, visit cvfirebirds.com.
Season tickets for the Firebirds’ 2023-24 campaign are on sale now! For a full list of benefits and more information on Season Ticket Memberships for the 2023-24 season, click HERE or call 760-835-8778. For more information and to purchase, please visit www.cvfirebirds.com or call 760-835-8778. View the team’s full game and promotional schedule, including theme night events at www.cvfirebirds.com/schedule.