Doubles from John Hayden and Ryan Winterton propelled the Firebirds to a 4-3 victory over the Hershey Bears in Game 1 of the Calder Cup final Friday night. Coachella Valley takes a 1-0 lead in the series.
Hendrix Lapierre had a good game despite the defeat with a goal and an assist. Joe Snively and Hardy Häman Aktell were the other scorers for Hershey. Bears goalie Hunter Shepard had a difficult game with 19 saves on 23 shots. As for Chris Driedger, he turned away 16 of the 19 pucks directed in his direction.
For a second consecutive year, the Calder Cup final pits the Firebirds against the Bears. Hershey had the upper hand in seven games last year.
The Bears started the game strong with Joe Snively, who took advantage of a lucky jump on defender Ryker Evans at the mouth of the net to open the scoring in the second minute of play.
The Firebirds responded quickly. Five minutes later, shorthanded, Hayden leveled the score on a breakaway with his eighth goal of the playoffs. Winterton then cooled the Hershey crowd with his second goal in 13 playoff games
Winterton doubled the Firebirds’ lead midway through the second period, after finding himself alone in the crease.
The Firebirds’ two-goal lead didn’t last long, however. Three minutes after Winterton’s goal, Hardy Haïman Aktell took advantage of a return to the slot to bring the match back to one goal.
Dan Bylsma’s men regained a two-goal lead thanks to Hayden’s second before retreating to the locker room. The Firebirds never looked back.
The second game of the series will take place on Sunday.
