High decibels and morale after the match

In a jubilant Firebirds locker room, amid high fives, loud music and behavior very different from that of the first intermission with CVF trailing 3-1, head coach Derek Laxdal handed a game puck to Roed for the game winner, and Meyers received what appeared to be it. being the prettiest hat thrown on the ice during the traditional fan celebration. His teammates urged him to try on the hat, which of course he did, accompanied by boos and screams.

“I think we had contribution from almost everyone (in fact, 12 different Firebirds got a point in the final point), especially the young guys who have really stepped up this year, especially early in the season,” said Meyers. “They help us win games.”

The aforementioned Laxdal coached the Texas Stars for five seasons from 2014 to 2019, taking the team to the Calder Cup Finals as 2017 Western Conference champions. He actually coached some of the Stars’ current coaches and ensured that they were happy to beat his team CVF in a shootout last Saturday here at the Acrisure Arena. Laxdal is rightly proud of those days and equally pleased with the way his team bounced back from a first half in which Texas scored in the first 31 seconds. The game was eventful with some scuffles, late game fouls and plenty of chirping among former teammates, with ex-Firebirds Kole Lind and Cameron Hughes now wearing Texas green.

A heated rivalry in the making

“Obviously there was a lot of talk on the ice,” said Laxdal, who is both expansive and concise in his postgame critiques. “A lot of play, I guess you could call it that. But I think there’s a pretty good rivalry there, a good hatred, they don’t like the Firebirds and we don’t like the Stars. This will make a good series when we go to Texas (January 31, February 1)”

After spotting the visiting Texas Stars with a 3-1 lead and seeing rookie goaltender Nikke Kokko leave after being injured during a scrum in front of the net, the Firebirds rallied to knot the game at three goals each on their second power play score of this noisy evening. . Third-year CVF forward Luke Henman made a close, realistic pass to Ben Meyer, who then scored his fifth goal of the season.

But Texas regained the lead a minute and 17 seconds later, scoring on Ales Stezka, who made a Grade A point-blank save on the opening shift after replacing Kokko in the Firebirds’ net. Later in the second period, Czech Stezka kept the score at one goal, turning a mini-breakaway into a Texas penalty kill.

McCormick, consistent leader of the franchise

Overall, although veteran Firebirds forward Ian McKinnon scored the first goal of the game on the team’s first shot on goal, the first period tilted in favor of the Stars, who outscored the CVF 14 to 2 and scored three goals in the process. The second period was much better (euphemism alert), with two power play goals. Captain Max McCormick, just two hours earlier, reviewing video and power play strategy with assistant coach Brennan Sonne, took the first-year Coachella Valley assistant up the ice and into the back of the net.

This is another example of McCormick’s leadership as a franchise leader and two-time AHL Western Conference champion, relying on the guidance of the fast-rising Sonne, who reached the AHL this season after consistent success at the junior level as head coach in the Western Hockey League. . Behind the bench of the Saskatoon (SK) Blades for three seasons (2021-22 to 2023-24), Sonne, 37, compiled a record of 136-54-14 as his team reached three consecutive playoffs in the WHL and two Eastern Conference finals. appearances.