^ Posted by Patrick Williams
Game 1 – Coachella Valley 5, Hershey 0 |
Palm Desert, California. … The Coachella Valley Firebirds wasted no time introducing themselves to their opponents during the Calder Cup Playoffs.
“Seeing this team for the first time and knowing we play a good team, we just wanted to come out and show them what Firebird hockey is all about,” head coach Dan Bielsma he said after last night’s Game 1 victory over the Hershey Bears to open the Calder Cup Finals.
Bielsma FC has been accustomed to coming off a dominant start in every Calder Cup Playoff series. They won all of their first five matches, outscoring their opponents by an aggregate of 28-10.
“Playing fast, playing aggressive, playing in the attacking area, that’s when we’re good,” Bielsma continued. “That’s what we’ve been able to do in every series we’ve started. [Hershey] She can reduce your time and space with her size and skills and we try to reduce her size and skill with our speed and disc play this will be a battle that will take place during [rest of the series]. “
Conversely, the Firebirds must now protect themselves from the disappointment of Game 2 on Saturday night. They are 1-3 in Game 2 so far, and face up to three games in Hershey when the series continues next week. Bielsma is fully aware of this.
Moreover, after losing 5-1 at home in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Rochester, the Bears won four of the next five games.
“We can’t let the scoreboard and the success we had in Game One dictate how we come out of Game Two,” Bielsma said.
Firebirds forward Andrew Poturalsky He has already won the Calder Cup twice. Both times, his team lost Game 1 of the Finals, then rallied to win four straight games. He knows Coachella Valley can expect a strong response from the Bears on Saturday.
“A 2-0 series is very different from a 1-1,” Poturalski said.
said the goalkeeper Joey Dacord After recording his second shutout this postseason, “I think we’re happy with the way we played and we’re going to have fun [it]. But it’s right back into action, and I think we all expect they’ll have a better game in the next game. They’re frustrated, so they’ll be desperate, and we need to match that desperation.”
Hershey trainer Todd Nelson He reacted sarcastically at his post-game press conference for Game 1.
“Positive thing is they haven’t seen the Hershey Bears yet,” Nelson quipped. “I think they played a good game but our team has to be much better, and we can be.”
Bears have fallen before. But they showed a knack for learning from mistakes and correcting them quickly. The Bears struggled mightily with Rochester’s speed and transmission in Game 1 of the Conference Finals, only to shut out the Amerks in the next game. They had some of the same problems with the Firebirds last night.
After Coachella Valley broke the game open by 38 seconds midway through the third period, Nelson said he considered the idea of pulling the start. Hunter Shepard. He’s gone to back up Zack Focale In a similar situation in Game 1 against Rochester, but Nelson doesn’t have a particularly fast hook, and when the game quickly settled down, he caught Sheppard.
“I could have gone either way with this call,” Nelson explained.
The Bears know what Game 2 means. They are 3-0 this postseason in games after losing, including two shutouts from Shepherd. Between Nelson’s tactical experience and a group that’s quick to spot his mods, they have every reason to be optimistic. However, coming home two games to none would leave them in an uncomfortable tight corner.
“They’re a good hockey team,” said Nelson, “and so if we play dirty like we did [in Game 1]It won’t work.”
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.