Firebirds Surge in Standings with Weekend Sweep of Barracuda

A Strong Month for the Coachella Valley Firebirds

March proved to be a standout month for the Coachella Valley Firebirds, as the team continued to show impressive form and resilience. As one of the youngest teams in the American Hockey League (AHL), the Firebirds have been on a roll, proving their strength against some of the league’s top contenders.

On Sunday, the Firebirds took a significant step forward in the Pacific Division by securing a 4-1 victory over the San Jose Barracuda. This win marked the second consecutive game against San Jose within a 24-hour span, helping the Firebirds move past Henderson and Bakersfield in the standings. Now, they are just one point behind San Jose for third place in the division, with nine games remaining in the regular season.

The Firebirds (37-21-5) have now won five straight games and nine of their last 10, showcasing a consistent performance that has caught the attention of fans and analysts alike. The team’s success this month has been nothing short of remarkable.

“The message for us is that we will put up our team against anybody in the league,” said Firebirds head coach Derek Laxdal. “I’m confident of that. We feel that we have enough character in the room, enough skill, just enough of that type of player that’s going to show up. We may not win the game, we may not win the series but we’ll be confident with our team, going forward, no matter who we play against.”

A Tough Game with Key Moments

Sunday’s game wasn’t as smooth as some of the previous victories, especially after the team had just played a game the day before. However, the Firebirds managed to tighten up defensively and scored a goal in each period to secure the win.

Victor Ostman was instrumental in the net, making 36 of 37 saves. While the team went 0-for-1 on the power play, they were perfect on the penalty kill, including a short-handed goal by Mitchell Stephens to break a scoreless tie in the first period.

“Things are kind of falling into right place for us,” Ostman said. “It’s a credit to a lot of hard work of the coaching staff and us and to just sticking with it. It just comes down to a lot of hard work and belief in our system and our players and that what we have is really good. We’ve proven it the last couple weeks against some really good teams and it’s exciting because the playoffs are just around the corner.”

Momentum and Team Spirit

Seconds before Stephens’ goal, Firebirds captain John Hayden found himself in a fight defending leading-scorer Logan Morrison, who had been hit aggressively. The fight sparked an energy that hadn’t been present in the building previously.

That early momentum helped when San Jose’s Colin White tied the score in the second period. The Firebirds never had to play from behind, and J.R. Avon scored his ninth goal of the season to give Coachella Valley its second lead of the game.

Then, in the third period, Jakov Novak scored his fourth goal of the season to give the Firebirds a two-goal cushion.

With three minutes remaining, San Jose’s Egor Afanasyev had a chance to make the final moments incredibly interesting but missed a penalty shot that would have cut the deficit to a single goal. Lleyton Roed scored an empty net goal just before the final buzzer sounded.

In a game that was not easy, with forward Ian McKinnon injured and with defenseman Ty Nelson missing the third period with an injury, Coachella Valley showed the kind of fight that Laxdal believes matters this time of year.

“These momentum and these games are playoff atmosphere games,” Laxdal said. “They are the moments where they not only take a step but get better. When you win these games, it almost accelerates their development.

“This is what it’s all about. These are the moments that make you proud as a coach.”

Big Wins This Month

Every win this late into the season could be important, but it’s worth noting that the Firebirds beat the first-place Ontario Reign twice, the second-place Colorado Eagles twice, and now the third-place Barracuda twice.

Coachella Valley is 6-1 against those three teams this month, and has outscored those three by a combined total of 24-18 in those seven games.

Standings and Future Games

After Sunday’s game, the Firebirds now have 79 points in the standings. San Jose has 80. Colorado has 86 points and Ontario has 87. Bakersfield has 78 and Henderson has 77.

So, it appears likely that the division finish will come down to the final games. Coachella Valley plays Ontario three times in the final nine games, and Abbotsford three times. The Firebirds also play San Diego, San Jose and Henderson once more before the end of the regular season.