The Coachella Valley Firebirds found themselves on both sides of thrilling, razor-thin contests this week. First, they traveled to Bakersfield and escaped with a hard-fought 4–3 triumph over the Condors. Then, they returned home for Teddy Bear Toss Night against the Ontario Reign, where a sea of stuffed animals rained onto the ice in celebration of the Firebirds’ opening goal—though Ontario ultimately prevailed in a dramatic 4–3 shootout. Despite going 1–0–0–1 over these two games, Coachella Valley remains focused on improving as the season progresses.
December 27, 2024: Firebirds get back in the win column on the road
The Firebirds kicked off the week with a trip to Bakersfield, taking on the Condors in front of a boisterous crowd. Matthew Savoie gave the home side an early lead, but Coachella Valley responded with a highlight-reel goal from Lleyton Roed just past the halfway mark of the first period. After exchanging tallies, the game stood at 2–2 late in the opening frame—until Ben Meyers struck at 19:00 to give the Firebirds the momentum heading into the intermission.
During the second period, the Firebirds took charge behind Nikolas Brouillard’s well-timed rush goal and a power-play blast from Brandon Biro. Though Connor Carrick scored in the waning moments of the third to pull Bakersfield within one, the Firebirds held on for the 4–3 victory. Goaltender Nikke Kokko stood strong as the Condors pressed for an equalizer, preserving the win in hostile territory.
December 28, 2024: The teddy bear's flew, but the Firebirds fell just short
Returning to the desert, the Firebirds hosted the Ontario Reign on a special Teddy Bear Toss Night. Fans only had to wait until the 3:09 mark of the first period to unleash over 15,000 plush toys onto the ice after Luke Henman’s opening goal. The celebration highlighted the Firebirds’ commitment to community, as all stuffed animals would be donated to local charities.
TOSS THOSE TEDDY BEARS!! pic.twitter.com/6tNQyUsWcY
— Coachella Valley Firebirds (@Firebirds) December 29, 2024
Ontario’s resilience became evident in the second period. After Luke Henman’s Teddy Bear Toss goal staked an early 1–0 lead for Coachella Valley, the Reign responded at 5:26 with a quick strike from Francesco Pinelli. The Firebirds regained momentum on a power-play blast by John Hayden at 13:22, but Ontario countered a minute later through Jeff Malott, and then added a late second-period tally from Samuel Fagemo to head into intermission up 3–2.
Refusing to quit, Coachella Valley tied it again at 5:00 of the third, courtesy of Ryan Winterton’s opportunistic rebound goal. With neither side finding a winner in overtime, the contest went to a shootout, where Ontario converted three straight attempts. Despite successful tries from Brandon Biro and Logan Morrison, the Firebirds ultimately fell 4–3, in a roller-coaster showdown that highlighted both their fighting spirit and the electrifying support from their home crowd.
Key performances
- Luke Henman: Scored the Teddy Bear Toss goal against the Reign, igniting the crowd’s stuffed-animal frenzy and putting Coachella Valley up 1–0.
- Ryan Winterton: Delivered a clutch third-period equalizer versus Ontario, demonstrating his knack for timely offense.
- Ben Meyers: Buried a pivotal goal in Bakersfield, reinforcing his role as a key contributor for the Firebirds.
State of the Firebirds
With these two results, the Firebirds currently sit at 14-11-1-4, having gone 3-5-0-2 over their last 10 games. The recent skid has them slipping to sixth in a competitive Pacific Division, though they remain firmly in the playoff picture given that the top seven teams advance. As the season progresses, Coachella Valley’s mix of high-end prospects and gritty veterans will look to seize key divisional matchups, aiming to climb the standings and solidify their position for a playoff run.
Despite a tough loss in the shootout, these two games showcased the Firebirds’ resilience, excitement, and commitment to both the community and on-ice success. Fans can expect Coachella Valley to continue battling every night as they look to turn close contests into a surge of wins heading into the new year.