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 late but fall 4-2 to Firebirds in 40-shot effort
The Calgary Wranglers pushed the pace all night and outshot the Coachella Valley Firebirds 40-21, but a second-period surge led by Lucas Ciona and Dryden Hunt was not enough in a 4-2 setback in Palm Desert. Calgary controlled possession and generated chances throughout, yet Firebirds goaltender Nikke Kokko delivered a standout performance at Acrisure Arena.
Photo by David Moll / Calgary Wranglers
PALM DESERT, Calif. — After falling behind 3-0 midway through the second period, the Calgary Wranglers responded with back-to-back goals from Lucas Ciona and Dryden Hunt to cut the deficit to one, but ultimately fell 4-2 to the Coachella Valley Firebirds on Saturday night at Acrisure Arena.
Calgary controlled stretches of play and finished with a 40-21 advantage in shots but could not solve Firebirds goaltender Nikke Kokko, who stopped 38 attempts to help secure the win.
Coachella Valley opened the scoring at 7:19 of the first period when Logan Morrison recorded his 25th goal of the season, finishing a play set up by Jani Nyman and Gustav Olofsson.
The Firebirds extended the lead early in the second period. Nyman made it 2-0 just 56 seconds into the frame with assists from Morrison and Jagger Firkus, and Firkus added another at 8:48 off a feed from Nyman and Morrison to push the advantage to three.
The Wranglers answered late in the period with a surge. Ciona put Calgary on the board at 18:29 after a pass from Clark Bishop, and Hunt followed just 27 seconds later with his 15th of the season, finishing a play from Bishop and Hunter Brzustewicz to pull Calgary within one heading into the third.
Gustav Olofsson restored a two-goal cushion for Coachella Valley at 8:38 of the third period with assists credited to Oscar Fisker Molgaard.
Arsenii Sergeev made the start for Calgary and stopped 17 of 21 shots for an .810 save percentage.
Kokko finished with 37 saves on 40 shots for a .949 save percentage and was named the game’s third star. Morrison, who recorded a goal and two assists, earned first-star honours, while Nyman was named the second star.
The Wranglers return to action Sunday afternoon for a rematch with the Firebirds in Palm Desert. Puck drop is scheduled for 4 p.m. MT.
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