Firebirds Hold Off Wranglers in 7–4 Win at the Dome

The Calgary Wranglers’ comeback bid came up short Thursday night as the Coachella Valley Firebirds earned a 7–4 win at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Coachella Valley opened the scoring 1:30 into the first period, but rookie Matvei Gridin responded quickly, scoring his ninth goal of the season to tie the game 1–1. The Firebirds then took control with four unanswered goals, building a 5–1 lead before the period ended.

Calgary showed signs of life late in the opening frame. Aydar Suniev scored to make it 5–2, setting the stage for a push in the second period. Coachella extended the lead to 6–2 early in the middle frame, but the Wranglers responded again. Rory Kerins cut the deficit to 6–3, and Justin Kirkland followed with a power-play goal less than two minutes later to pull Calgary within two at 6–4.

Both teams made goaltending changes during a wide-open game. Owen Say started for Calgary and allowed five goals on 11 shots before Connor Murphy took over, stopping 11 of 12 shots the rest of the way. Coachella Valley countered with Nikke Kokko in relief of Victor Ostman, and Kokko closed the door in the third period.

Calgary generated sustained pressure late, firing 19 shots in the final frame and finishing with 36 shots on goal, but could not solve Kokko. Coachella added an insurance goal to secure the 7–4 result.

With the win, the Firebirds improve to 29 points, moving ahead of Calgary in the Pacific Division standings. The Wranglers remain at 28 points after the regulation loss.

Calgary now turns its attention to another divisional matchup, hosting the Abbotsford Canucks on Saturday, December 13, at the Saddledome.