Wranglers drop 5-2 decision as Firebirds take over in the second
Calgary built two separate leads but couldn’t withstand a late push, as Coachella Valley took over in the second and never gave it back.
Photo by Candice Ward/Calgary Wranglers
PALM DESERT — The Calgary Wranglers grabbed the opening goal and later rebuilt a one-goal lead in the second period, but Coachella Valley answered with four straight from there to take a 5-2 win Wednesday night at Acrisure Arena.
Dryden Hunt opened the scoring at 9:05 of the first period, finishing a play set up by Daniil Miromanov and Turner Ottenbreit to give Calgary a 1-0 lead.
The Firebirds answered early in the second when Jani Nyman tied the game at 1:54 off assists from Cooper Marody and Tyson Jugnauth.
Calgary pushed back at 4:14 of the second as Nick Cicek scored his sixth of the season from Aydar Suniev and Gavin White, restoring a 2-1 Wranglers lead.
That was the last Calgary goal of the night.
Coachella Valley pulled even at 14:30 of the second on Ty Nelson’s ninth of the year, with Cooper Marody and Gustav Olofsson drawing the assists. The Firebirds then took the lead for good at 18:43 when Eduard Šalé scored his 11th, assisted by Mitchell Stephens, sending the home side into the third period up 3-2.
In the final frame, Logan Morrison extended the lead on the power play at 2:15 with assists from Jagger Firkus and Nikke Kokko. Nyman added his second of the night at 19:26 to close the scoring.
Coachella Valley finished with a 39-24 edge in shots, including a 30-15 advantage over the final two periods. Arsenii Sergeev made 34 saves on 39 shots for Calgary, good for an .872 save percentage. Nikke Kokko stopped 22 of 24 for the Firebirds.
The Wranglers went 0-for-4 on the power play, while Coachella Valley finished 1-for-5.
Calgary now returns home for a Friday afternoon meeting with the Colorado Eagles at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Wranglers rally falls short in San Diego
Calgary rallies from two down, but late goal seals it in San Diego.
Photo by Candice Ward/Calgary Wranglers
SAN DIEGO — The push was there. The response was real. But the result slipped away.
The Calgary Wranglers erased an early deficit with a four-goal surge through the second and third periods, but a hat trick from Nathan Gaucher lifted the San Diego Gulls to a 5-4 win Sunday night.
Calgary fell behind 2-0 in the opening period, with Gaucher opening the scoring and Ryan Carpenter adding another before the Wranglers could settle into the game.
What followed was Calgary’s best stretch.
The Wranglers answered with three goals in the second period, flipping the game in their favor through a balanced offensive push. Carter King got Calgary on the board at 14:41, finishing a play set up by Dryden Hunt and Alex Gallant. Just 29 seconds later, Clark Bishop tied the game, converting off feeds from David Silye and Nick Cicek.
Calgary kept coming.
Dryden Hunt capped the surge at 16:04, finishing from Aydar Suniev and Daniil Miromanov to give the Wranglers a 3-2 lead, turning momentum fully in Calgary’s direction.
But the margin didn’t hold.
San Diego responded late in the second, with Gaucher striking again, while Cal Burke added a power-play goal as the Gulls regained control heading into the third.
From there, it came down to one moment.
Gaucher completed the hat trick at 19:14 of the third period, breaking the deadlock late and putting San Diego ahead for good. Calgary found a final push, with Sam Morton scoring at 19:59 to bring it within one, but time ran out before the equalizer could come.
The numbers told part of the story.
San Diego outshot Calgary 30-23, including an 11-7 edge in the first period that set the tone early. Calgary’s power play went 0-for-3, while the Gulls capitalized once on five opportunities.
In goal, Arsenii Sergeev stopped 25 of 30 shots for an .833 save percentage, giving Calgary a chance despite the early deficit and sustained pressure from San Diego.
For Calgary, the response mattered.
After falling behind, the Wranglers showed push, pace, and finish through the middle frame, generating offense from multiple lines and forcing San Diego to adjust.
But against a team that converted its chances, it wasn’t quite enough.
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