The Firebirds defeated the Henderson Silver Knights on Wednesday night by the final score of 4-3. Coachella Valley overcame a first period 3-0 deficit with four unanswered goals to move into a tie for first place in the Pacific Division.

Henderson scored three times in the opening period, all powerplay goals. Daniil Miromanov broke the ice with a penalty shot goal at 9:29 followed quickly by an Adam Cracknell goal at 9:48. Both goals stemming from a five-minute major and game misconduct called against Firebirds’ forward Cameron Hughes. Daniel D’Amato netted another powerplay goal for the Silver Knights with 1:32 left in the period. 

Coachella Valley responded with 35 seconds left in the opening frame as Luke Henman was pushed into the Henderson net. Initially called no goal for goaltender interference, the referees converged and overturned the call, giving Henman his third goal of the season to cut the Silver Knights lead to 3-1. 

The Firebirds dominated the second period, tying their franchise record in shots on goal with 21 and scoring to pull themselves within one. Shane Wright deposited a Logan Morrison feed off the post and into the back of the net for his 16^th of the season. The secondary assist belonged to Ville Ottavainen at 6:06. 

Andrew Poturalski tied the game with a powerplay goal 57 seconds into the third period, his seventh goal on the man-advantage this season and eighth total. Kole Lind and Ville Ottavainen combined on the helpers on the tying tally. The Firebirds took the lead at 4:51 as Logan Morrison went down the left wing and put a backhander off the side of the net. Morrison picked up the puck and put it in the crease where Ryan Winterton crashed the net to make it 4-3. The goal was Winterton’s 10^th of the season, and the secondary helper was awarded to Ottavainen. 

Coachella Valley held Henderson to nine shots on goal in the final 40 minutes of the game to secure the victory.

Chris Driedger made 20 saves in the victory, moving his record to 10-5-1. With the win, the Firebirds are now 23-12-3-1 on the season. Coachella Valley outshot the Henderson 39-22 and finished 1-for-1 on the powerplay and 1-for-4 on the penalty kill.

See the game’s full box score HERE.

NEXT GAME

The Firebirds will resume their road trip on Friday night as they battle the Texas Stars for a pair of games. Puck drop is set for 5pm PT. Coachella Valley returns home to face the Calgary Wranglers on Thursday, January 31^st at 7pm PT for Fuego Bobblehead Night! Don’t 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.