Dominant Victory for the Firebirds
In Game 3 of the Calder Cup Final, the Coachella Valley Firebirds secured a dominant 6-2 victory over the Hershey Bears at home on Tuesday night in California. With this win, the Firebirds took a 2-1 lead in the series over the Bears. The Firebirds scored 6 goals, with Max McCormick (3), Ryan Winterton (1), Lleyton Roed (1), and Shane Wright (1) each finding the back of the net. Henrik Rybinski and Alex Limoges scored the two goals for the Hershey Bears, who struggled to generate offense and only managed 24 shots compared to the Firebirds’ 42 shots. Hershey’s goalie, Hunter Shepard, had a tough night and was pulled from the game in the third period after stopping 31 out of 36 shots. He will need to bounce back in Game 4. The Firebirds will need to maintain their strong defensive performance from Game 3 and keep pressuring Shepard with shots, as he can be vulnerable at times.
Three Stars of the Game:
1) Max McCormick – 3 Goals
2) Shane Wright – 1 Goal, 2 Assists
3) Lleyton Roed – 1 Goal
Pivotal Game 4 Thursday
The fourth game of the Calder Cup Final is scheduled to take place on Thursday night in Coachella Valley, California, and it will be a crucial matchup for the Firebirds and Bears. A victory for the Firebirds would give them a commanding 3-1 series lead, while the Bears cannot afford to fall behind 3-1 with a loss. However, recent events have shown that a significant series lead may not be as secure, as the Cleveland Monsters forced a Game 7 against the Bears in the ECF. A similar situation is occurring in the Stanley Cup Finals between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers, with Edmonton narrowing their series deficit to 3-2. The Firebirds will need to maintain their strong defensive performance from Game 3 and continue pressuring Shepard with shots, as he can be vulnerable when faced with high shot volumes. Hershey must revert to playing a defensively sound game, which will allow them more time in the offensive zone and help them to test Chris Driedger with shots. Game 4 is shaping up to be an event that fans won’t want to miss. Will the Firebirds secure a commanding 3-1 series lead, or will the Hershey Bears even the series at 2-2?
Players to Watch (Coachella Valley)
Chris Driedger: 12-3 Record, 37 GA, 2.46 GAA, 0.917 Save % – 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs
Max McCormick: 8 Goals, 3 Assists – 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs
John Hayden: 9 Goals, 4 Assists – 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs
Players to Watch (Hershey)
Hunter Shepard: 11-6 Record, 42 GA, 2.46 GAA, 0.913 Save % – 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs
Hendrix Lapierre: 5 Goals, 12 Assists – 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs
Joe Snively: 3 Goals, 12 Assists – 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs
Where to Listen/Watch
Coachella Valley Audio: 106.9 The Eagle | Listen | AlphaMediaPlayer.com
Hershey Audio: ♫ Fox Sports 1460 | Harrisburg – All Sports. All the Time. (iheart.com)
NHL Network (Games 4-5, 7)
FOX 43 (Games 3-4 Locally – Hershey, PA)
FOX43.2 Antenna TV (Games 5-7, locally – Hershey, PA)
Monumental Sports Network (Washington, D.C. market)
AHL TV
Coachella Valley TV Schedule:
