A late third period goal by Jagger Firkus sent the Coachella Valley Firebirds (5-5-0-0) past the Ontario Reign (4-5-0-0) by a final score of 4-3 on Friday night at Toyota Arena.
Taylor Ward led Ontario offensively with a goal and an assist in a losing effort, while Glenn Gawdin and Jacob Doty each netted their second tallies of the season for the Reign.
The Firebirds took the initial lead at 4:36 of the first when Eduard Sale found the back of the net with a one-timer during a 5-on-3 power play for Coachella Valley.
Ontario evened the game up at 1-1 when Jeff Malott stole the puck in the offensive end while goaltender Nikke Kokko was out of the net and fed it to Gawdin in front. Gawdin’s equalizer came at 8:55 of the opening frame.
Ward gave the Reign their first lead of the night at 3:17 of the second, taking a drop pass from Francesco Pinelli and wristed the puck under the blocker of Kokko to put Ontario on top 2-1. Jacob Moverare earned the second assist on the play, his second helper of the season.
But the Firebirds answered right back three minutes later, tying the game at 2-2 on a shot from the point by Ville Ottavainen that got through traffic and past goaltender Erik Portillo at 6:17.
The Reign went ahead 3-2 when Doty netted his second goal of the season on a rebound in front of the CV net that was loose after an initial shot on goal by Luke Rowe. Doty flipped the biscuit home with a backhand shot to put Ontario back in front at 6:32 of the third. The goal had a second assist that was also credited to Ward.
Coachella Valley tied things back up at 3-3 on a goal off a wraparound by Jani Nyman at 11:11 of the third. The Firebirds then went in front for good with less than three minutes remaining in regulation on a shot that was deflected in by Firkus at 17:36.
Kokko stopped 13 shots to earn the win in goal for the visitors, while Portillo denied 18 attempts at the other end of the ice in a losing effort.
The Firebirds went 1-for-3 on the power play, while holding Ontario to an 0-for-3 mark on the man-advantage.
Below, hear from Ward and head coach Marco Sturm after the game –
Taylor Ward
On the way the team lost the game
Disappointing. You know, we had to lead a couple times, obviously not the outcome we wanted. But to be honest, I don’t know if we were good enough to win the night anyway. So disappointing outcome and you know how we played for lots of that game.
On the struggles against Coachella
They’re a good team. They’ve always a good team. They play fast, they transition quick, and they capitalize on mistakes that you make in the d-zone. So it’s not too complicated it’s just they capitalize. So just making sure that we’re on our details and playing smart can alleviate a lot of that pressure, but not enough tonight.
On having offensive success with his line
Yeah, I’m feeling more and more comfortable with those guys. They play so fast. Those young guys are so fast and skilled, so it’s fun to play with them, and we’re getting some more chemistry every day. So I’m excited for. What got going on in the future.
On his second period goal
Well he’s fast through the middle there and I just try to keep up with him. So I try to get my feet moving and keep up with his speed. He’s got the skills to make plays like that. So when we enter into the o-zone, I’m just trying to stay ready to get open. If I do that, then I know Frankie’s able to put it on my tape.
Marco Sturm
On the team’s second loss to Coachella this season
The first 10 minutes was probably our worst. But then after that, I thought it was an even game. There was not much going on. In the third period we knew that mistakes are going to matter with this kind of team you know why they made it to the finals last two years. They stay calm and we made the mistakes unfortunately cost us the game.
On the way the team’s special teams fared
We wanted to stay out of box, and we didn’t. That’s what cost us a goal. Powerplay, we had no speed, we had no momentum, we didn’t create anything. So that cost us a little bit, but again it comes down to little mistakes and unfortunately it cost us the game.
On his team’s defensive breakdowns
We talked about it. We did the pre scout about it. We mentioned that between periods, some guys just don’t get it. Especially the young guys, they got to learn how to play the right way. You know those good teams, they take advantage. Again, I can say it’s just unfortunate because we deserve to have a point I think. Today guys battled hard.
The Reign complete a weekend set against Coachella Valley with a trip to Acrisure Arena on Sunday afternoon for a 3 p.m. game.
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