GAME STORY 2023 Calder Cup Finals Game 1: Hershey - 0 at Coachella Valley - 5

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The Coachella Valley Firebirds and Hershey Bears embarked on their battle for the 2023 Calder Cup Thursday night in Game 1 from Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, California.

In front of a sold-out crowd, the Firebirds gave their home fans quite a show to start of the final series - tallying a goal in the first and second period before opening the game up in the third period on their way to a convincing 5-0 shutout victory to take a 1-0 series lead.

Kole Lind and Ryker Evans were the focal point of Coachella Valley's attack, teaming up to assist on the Firebirds' first three tallies of the game by Tye Kartye, Ville Petman and Andrew Poturalski.

Jesper Froden and Alex True tallied goals 38 seconds apart near the midway mark of the third period to put the game on ice, while Joey Daccord pitched a 25-save shutout.

...

There was a bit of a feeling out process in the opening minutes of play, much as you'd expect between two teams facing each other for the first time - and in the Calder Cup Finals no less.

Hershey got the game's first Grade-A chance after a Coachella Valley turnover at their offensive zone blue line sprung Joe Snively on a breakaway the other way. Daccord came up with a big left pad save on Snively's backhand attempt to keep the game scoreless early in the first frame.

The Firebirds rattled off the game's next five shots, getting some good looks in the offensive zone, but were stymied by Shepard.

It wasn't until Hershey was whistled for a hooking minor that the Firebirds' power play got the home team on the board first.

Ryker Evans got a puck to the left wing wall for Kole Lind, who chopped it to the top of the left wing circle where Tye Kartye whistled a wrist shot through traffic past Shepard to give Coachella Valley the 1-0 lead just prior to the midway mark of the first period.

The fast-moving first period was played in just 29 minutes, with the Firebirds taking the 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

The two teams appeared to settle in against one another, and the pace slowed down a bit until a scrum 4:57 into the middle frame resulted in the first four-on-four action of the contest.

The Firebirds worked the open ice as if they had a power play, generating some solid chances before catching the Bears on the long change at the tail end of the four-on-four to extend their lead to 2-0 with 13:06 left in the period.

Evans got a puck to Lind in transition, who slowed up at the top of the left circle and fed a backhand pass to a wide open Petman between the circles. Petman made no mistake about it, sniping Shepard for his fifth of the postseason to give the Firebirds some breathing room.

Hershey responded and applied pressure in the middle part of the period, but whenever they created a scoring chance Daccord was in position to keep the puck out of his net to preserve his team's 2-0 lead.

The Bears got their first power play of the contest with 3:40 left before the second intermission, but were unable to get one past Daccord and headed to the third period trailing 2-0.

Instead, the Firebirds extended their lead to 3-0 under two minutes into the third period as Evans and Lind assisted on their third goal of the evening with Lind setting up Poturalski for a highlight reel goal as Poturalski wristed one to the top corner past Shepard as he was falling to the ice.

The Bears got a power play just over a minute later, but were unable to get one past Daccord.

From there, the Firebirds opened things up to the tune of a 5-0 blowout.

Coachella Valley began forcing turnovers on the Bears breakout, with Brogan Rafferty stealing one in the neutral zone and flipping it to Poturalski in quick transition. Poturalski then entered the offensive zone down the right wing and sent it right onto the tape of Froden for a quick one-timer from the top of the left-wing circle that Shepard had zero chance to stop.

38 seconds later, Max McCormick got a puck down low from Rafferty and quickly got in front to True, who slammed it home to make it a five-goal lead with 9:52 left to play.

Things got a little heated with just over five minutes left, as Evans put a cross-check on Bears captain and noted enforcer Dylan McIlrath in the high-slot. McIlrath responded by taking Evans to the ice and wrapping up on his legs to prevent the Firebirds' defender from being able to get up off the ice.

Eddie Wittchow later came in to de-escalate the situation, wrapping up McIlrath and preventing any further liberties being taken upon his rookie defense partner.

Cooler heads mostly prevailed, and Coachella Valley skated away with the 5-0 win to kick things off in the finals.

Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday night back in Palm Springs, California.

Hershey Bears Lineup Notes

Hunter Shepard got the start in net for Hershey in Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals. Zach Fucale served as Shepard's backup.

Ethen Frank remains a coaches decision healthy scratch. Mike Sgarbossa remains out due to injury, while Vincent Iorio is still day-to-day.

Bears Scratches: Garin Bjorklund, Clay Stevenson, Vincent Iorio, Alexander Suzdalev, Julian Napravnik, Bogdan Trineyev, Mike Sgarbossa, Ethen Frank, Benton Maass, Michael Kim, Ludwig Persson, Bobby Nardella, Henrik Rybinski and Matt Strome

Lines/Pairings:

Mason Morelli - Henrik Borgstrom - Mike Vecchione Joe Snively - Connor McMichael - Garrett Pilon Aliaksei Protas - Hendrix Lapierre - Sam Anas Beck Malenstyn - Riley Sutter - Shane Gersich

Aaron Ness - Logan Day Gabriel Carlsson - Dylan McIlrath Jake Massie - Lucas Johansen

Hunter Shepard - Zach Fucale

Coachella Valley Lineup Notes

Joey Daccord got the start in net for Coachella Valley with Chris Driedger serving as the team's backup goaltender.

Jeremy McKenna took the warmup skate, but was the final scratch.

Firebirds Scratches: Christopher Gibson, Jake McLaughlin, Peetro Seppala, Nick Pastujov, Luke Henman, Ian McKinnon, Ty Nelson, Ryan Winterton, Ville Ottavainen, Jeremy McKenna and Jacob Melanson

Lines/Pairings:

Cameron Hughes - Andrew Poturalski - Jesper Froden Max McCormick - Alex True - Kole Lind Tye Kartye - Ville Petman - John Hayden Carsen Twarynski - Shane Wright - Austin Poganski

Ryker Evans - Jimmy Schuldt Gustav Olofsson - Matt Tennyson Eddie Wittchow - Brogan Rafferty

Joey Daccord - Chris Driedger

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

8:02: HER - (PP) Borgstrom, minor (hooking) 9:02: CV - PPG Kartye (6) - Lind, Evans 15:45: HER - (PP) Morelli, minor (boarding)

2nd Period

4:57: HER - Sutter, minor (roughing) 4:57: CV - Schuldt, minor (roughing) 6:54: CV - Petman (5) - Lind, Evans

3rd Period

1:59: CV - Poturalski (3) - Lind, Evans 3:14: CV - (PP) Froden, minor (tripping) 9:30: CV - Froden (3) - Poturalski, Rafferty 10:08: CV - True (7) - McCormick, Rafferty 11:43: CV - (PP) Hayden, minor (high-sticking) 14:56: HER - McIlrath, minor (roughing) 14:56: CV: Evans, minor (cross-checking)

BOXSCORE

Hershey Bears 0 - 0 - 0 = 0 Coachella Valley 1 - 1 - 3 = 5

Shots

Hershey Bears 5 - 11 - 9 = 25 Coachella Valley 9 - 9 - 9 = 27

Goalies

HER: Hunter Shepard (22 saves - 27 shots) CV: Joey Daccord (25 saves - 25 shots)

Power Play

HER: 0-for-3 CV: 1-for-2

Penalty Kill

HER: 1-for-2 CV: 3-for-3