^ Posted by Patrick Williams
Do-or-die hockey isn’t just familiar to the Coachella Valley Firebirds, goaltender Joey Dacord He says it’s convenient.
“It was great to feel our backs against the wall and then come out on top,” said Dacor, who has a 3-0 record in playoff games this postseason. “I think when you go through those experiences, that’s when you really see what made your team.”
Well, Daccord and the Firebirds will be back on the brink tonight when they clinch the best-of-five Pacific Division Finals with the Calgary Wranglers. And like the previous three win-or-go home tests, Coachella Valley will be in front of their fans at Acrisure Arena, where they are 29-8-1-2 since the building opened in December.
The Firebirds have responded well to high pressure hockey this season. They stared at elimination in a best-of-three first-round series with Tucson and buried the Road Runners with four goals in the opening 7:22 en route to a 5-1 victory. In the Division Semifinals against Colorado, they had a 4-3 decision in Game 4 before Daccord led them to a 5-0 victory in Game 5.
The AHL’s two newest clubs have quickly built a rivalry this season, splitting their eight regular season meetings and fighting until the final game of the regular season for first place overall in the league.
“We’ve done an amazing job so far of being flexible and playing well at the right times, and I think that shows through our success so far,” Dacor said.
Daccord, who ranked fifth in the AHL in both GAA (2.38) and save percentage (. 918) in posting a record of 26-8-3 during the regular season, fared better in the playoffs. Starting in all 12 Firebirds games to date, Daccord has a 1.88 GAA and 0.942 save percentage and in this series, he has given Coachella Valley a goaltender capable of matching his Calgary counterpart Dustin Wolfwho was the AHL’s Most Valuable Player and named the league’s Most Valuable Goalkeeper for the second consecutive season.
But Dacor says he could care less about who is in Calgary’s network.
“Honestly, I don’t really think about it,” Dacor said. “I’m just trying to focus on myself and our team. I’m just trying to do my part to help the team win.”
Drafted in 2015 by Ottawa, Daccord came to the Seattle Kraken via the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft after starting his career in the Senators organization. The Boston native spent last season with the Charlotte Checkers, where he is the current Firebirds head coach Dan Bielsma He worked as an assistant in a joint affiliation with the Florida Panthers.
“He’s an interesting guy,” said Dacourt of the former Jack Adams Award winner and Stanley Cup champion. “He’s very real. He’s honest. He’s up front with us. He also expects a lot from us, he demands a lot, and he holds us accountable. I think the important thing with him is that he puts us in the right mindset to get the best out of us every night, and that’s a big part of being a coach.”
“He instilled a lot of faith in ourselves and our group. We have great confidence in our ability to play with anyone. He cares deeply about all of us, our team, our success and our individual success. He is one of my favorite coaches, and I am really grateful to have him on our team.”
Bylsma and the Firebirds developed a close bond between themselves, as well as with the club’s ardent fan base who had their first professional hockey game in the area. Tonight’s game is an opportunity to cement that bond, and the club will need some of Daccord’s best work yet to keep their inaugural season moving forward in their pursuit of the Calder Cup.
“This year has been a lot of fun,” Dacor said. “It was so much fun competing day and night with this group.”
Patrick Williams has been in the American Hockey League for nearly two decades for outlets including NHL.com, Sportsnet, TSN, The Hockey News, SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, and SLAM! Sports, and she is currently the co-host of Hockey news on the “A” podcast. He was awarded the James H. Ellery Memorial Award from the AHL for his excellent coverage of the league in 2016.