Coachella Valley Extends Point Streak to Five with 5-1 Win Over Texas
The Firebirds defeated the Texas Stars on Saturday night by the final score of 5-1. Max McCormick and John Hayden each netted two goals while Andrew Poturalski and Kole Lind each enjoyed three-point nights.
The Firebirds opened the scoring on the first shot of the game. Max McCormick wristed a shot past Matt Murray for his first goal of the game with his linemates Kole Lind and Andrew Poturalski each adding an assist. McCormick’s 17th of the season came just 1:38 into the opening period. Texas tied the game at 9:55 on a Riley Damiani goal.
Coachella Valley extended their lead to 2-1 with John Hayden’s second shorthanded goal in as many games. Ville Petman dropped the puck to Hayden in the slot and ripped it through Murray for his sixth of the season. Jimmy Schuldt earned the secondary assist at 11:09.
Max McCormick netted his second goal of the game 1:02 into the second period. Poturalski located Lind who worked down the slot and found a wide-open McCormick to make it 3-1 Coachella Valley.
In the third period, John Hayden slid the puck five-hole on Murray to make it 4-1 Firebirds. Gustav Olofsson moved the puck to Hayden after a saucer pass by Marian Studenic sprung him into the offensive zone. Kole Lind picked up his third point of the game by netting his ninth goal of the season at 12:40. Andrew Poturalski earned his third assist of the game that made it a 5-1 Coachella Valley lead.
Ales Stezka made 25 saves in the victory, earning the Firebirds their fifth straight game with a point and points in all four games on the road trip. The win moves Coachella Valley’s record to 24-12-4-1 on the season and extends their first-place lead in the Pacific Division with 53 points.
See the game’s full box score HERE
NEXT GAME
Coachella Valley returns home to face the Calgary Wranglers on Thursday, January 31st at 7pm PT for Fuego Bobblehead Night! Don’t miss out on this great giveaway! Head to Ticketmaster to lock in your seat before it’s too late. Don’t forget to purchase parking in advance online at ParkWhiz.
Don’t miss a moment of Coachella Valley Firebirds’ hockey! Group, Flex, and Individual tickets for remainder of the 2023-24 season are on sale now! For more information on ticket options, click HERE or call 760-835-8778.
Stay up to date on the latest Firebirds’ news and info by visiting CVFirebirds.com and by following the team on social media @Firebirds.