Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
A lot has happened since the Coachella Valley Firebirds last took to the ice at Acrisure Arena.
Eighteen days ago, on May 31, the Firebirds took a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals with a 3-1 win over Milwaukee.
From there they flew to Wisconsin and took two of three from the Admirals to close out the series and their second conference championship in as many seasons.
Then they waited.
On June 9, they headed to central Pennsylvania to wait for the Eastern Conference Finals between Hershey and Cleveland. While the head coach Dan Bylsma and his staff had a chance to check out both of their potential opponents in person, the Firebirds headed into the wilderness for a regrouping break.
On June 12, the Firebirds finally learned their opponent when the Bears pulled off the monster in overtime of Game 7.
And after the teams split the first two games in the finals in Hershey, it was time for a cross-country flight back to California.
“I’m going to need my GPS to get home,” Bylsma joked after Game 2. “That’s just hockey.”
Game 3 is tonight at Acrisure Arena (10 ET/7 PT, AHLTV), and the Firebirds are eager to have their fans behind them after five consecutive road games in tough buildings against Milwaukee and Hershey.
“It would be good to come home to our fans,” said the striker Luke Henman, who picked up his first goal of the postseason in Game 2 at Hershey. “I think they will be ready to receive us. They are really loud, and we are happy.
Firebirds should be happy. Home has been good for them since they opened the Acrisure Arena in December 2022. They are 62-19-4-5 at home in Palm Desert, including a 6-0 mark this past season when they shut out Calgary, Ontario and Milwaukee combined. 23-12. They have lost just twice in regulation in their last 24 home days (19-2-1-2).
Although the Bears play outside of the Eastern Conference, they are well-acquainted with what awaits them in the next three games after four emotional games on the Coachella Valley ice in last year’s Calder Cup final. The Firebirds shut out the Bears in Games 1 (5-0) and 2 (4-0), and cruised to a 5-2 victory in Game 6 before jumping to a 2-0 lead in Game 7 .But Hershey got the last three goals of the series, shut out Mike Vecchione‘s overtime Cup-clincher.
Firebirds fans turned out last year as well, with 10,087 in attendance for all four games in the finals. It was loud, emotional, frenzied hockey, and the Firebirds played an up-tempo, heavy style that grew those fans further.
Despite the loss on Sunday, Bylsma is happy for his team. They dominated key phases of the game to come up against Hershey’s Hunter Shepard, the winner of the Bastien Award this season in the AHL and the MVP of the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs. He is someone the Firebirds know well.
“Sixty minutes of hockey,” Bylsma said. “I thought we played very well and had chances. Shepard came up with three or four big gloves and that was the difference in the second half when we really pushed each other.”
At this time of year, things are clear, and Bylsma doesn’t need to explain it to his players. If all goes well this week, the Firebirds could take home the Calder Cup after Game 5 on Saturday. The action continues tonight, the first time the Firebirds have had the chance to be welcomed on the ice by their fans this month.
“Now we get three in our barn,” said Bylsma, “and we have to make hay.”
TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams has covered the American Hockey League for nearly two decades at outlets including NHL.com, Sportsnet, TSN, Hockey News, SiriusXM NHL Network Radio and SLAM ! Sports, and most recently was the host of The Hockey News On The ‘A’ podcast. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for the league’s top scorer in 2016.
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