GAME STORY 2023 Calder Cup Finals Game 6: Hershey - 2 at Coachella Valley - 5

The Coachella Valley Firebirds needed their best facing elimination in Game 6 of the 2023 Calder Cup Finals.

It certainly didn't start out how they hoped, surrendering the game's first goal just 1:33 into the contest, but like so many times this season - and for the fifth time in these playoffs - the Firebirds responded and their high-powered offense took over the game.

The Firebirds tallied three straight in the first period to overcome the early goal against, and when Hershey made it a one-goal game in the middle frame they responded with two more goals - both from Kole Lind - to seal the deal to force a winner-take-all Game 7 for the Calder Cup championship on Wednesday night.

Lind led the way with two goals, but the offensive attack was spread out for the home team as they also got goals from captain Max McCormick, John Hayden and Cameron Hughes. Andrew Poturalski, Ville Petman and Ryker Evans all tallied two assists each.

Joey Daccord had a relatively quiet night in net, stopping of the shots he faced to pick up the win.

For Hershey, Connor McMichael opened the scoring and Beck Malenstyn got the Bears back within a goal in the middle frame but it was not to be for chocolate and white Monday night.

The Bears had the early jump, coming off three straight wins in Hershey, and jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after early pressure turned into extended offensive zone time and resulted in a goal for the road team.

Lucas Johansen kept a puck in a the left point to keep a play alive and got it to the right-wing wall for Joe Snively, who spotted McMichael a half-step ahead of his man heading to the net. Snively sent a hard pass on the money and McMichael shoveled it into the net with a quick snap shot for his fifth of the postseason.

Hershey had Coachella Valley on their heels, out-shooting the Firebirds by as much as a 7-1 count in the opening minutes of play.

It wasn't until a Gabriel Carlsson hooking minor gave the Firebirds a power play that they were able to flip the script and grab momentum.

Andrew Poturalski gained control of the face-off to begin the power play, and Coachella Valley made quick work of the man advantage as Poturalski and McCormick passed it back and forth ending with McCormick re-directing one into the net from atop Shepard's crease.

The Firebirds grabbed the lead less than two minutes later as Hayden rebounded in a left point shot from Ryker Evans past Shepard for his first of the postseason having joined Seattle's AHL affiliate during the team's Western Conference Finals series against Milwaukee.

The second half of the period, it was Hershey on their heels as Coachella Valley fed off the energy from their home fans at a sold out Acrisure Arena.

The Bears had a chance to tie the game on a power play after the Firebirds were whistled for delay of game with 5:18 left before the first intermission, but Hershey's special teams let them down in a big way. Not only did Coachella Valley have the better chances on the Bears' power play, they extended their lead to 3-1 shortly after killing off Hershey's 2-minutes.

Petman, who just left the box from serving the delay of game penalty, took a clear-out pass from Gustav Olofsson and lifted a high bouncing puck into the offensive zone where Hughes made a great effort to track the puck and bat it into the net with 3:08 left in the first frame.

The Firebirds carried over the momentum into the opening shifts of the middle frame, but it was Hershey striking to get back within one when Malenstyn's bad angle shot from down low in the left wing following an odd-man rush was able to dribble in through Daccord 3:28 into the period.

Coachella Valley was able to get back to the attack in the second half of the period, with Daccord getting a primary assist after shooting it up the left wing to Lind at the far blue line to catch Hershey in the midst of a line change. Lind skated in and let go a quick shot that beat Shepard to extend the Firebirds' lead to 4-2.

Despite entering the third period with the two-goal lead, the Firebirds kept their foot on the gas in the third period - spending most of the opening four minutes of the period on the attack before making it a 5-2 game on Lind's second of the game. That goal spelled the end of the night for Shepard as Zach Fucale entered the game with 16:03 left in regulation.

The Firebirds had a chance to extend the lead on a 5-on-3 power play later in the period, but the Bears' penalty kill held.

Hershey just didn't have enough offense to mount a comeback, and will have to do it in Game 7 on Wednesday night if they hope to hoist the franchise's 12 league title.

Hershey Bears Lineup Notes

Hunter Shepard remained the starter in net for Game 6 coming off a 21 save shutout in Saturday's Game 5 1-0 overtime win. Zach Fucale, who already has a contract overseas secured for next season, served as the team's backup.

Same 12 forwards, and the same six defenseman for Hershey as they had in Game 5.

Bears Scratches: Garin Bjorklund, Clay Stevenson, Jake Massie, Shane Gersich, Alexander Suzdalev, Julian Napravnik, Bogdan Trineyev, Mike Sgarbossa, Benton Maass, Michael Kim, Ludwig Persson, Bobby Nardella, Henrik Rybinski and Matt Strome

Lines/Pairings:

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

Aaron Ness - Logan Day Gabriel Carlsson - Dylan McIlrath Lucas Johansen - Vincent Iorio

Hunter Shepard - Zach Fucale

Coachella Valley Firebirds

Joey Daccord remained the starter in net for Game 6. Chris Driedger served as the Firebirds' backup goaltender.

Same lineup for Coachella Valley as they had in Saturday's Game 5, which is no surprise at this point in the year. Firebirds Scratches:

Lines/Pairings:

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

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

Joey Daccord - Chris Driedger

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

1:33: HER - McMichael (5) - Snively, Johansen 9:53: HER - (PP) Carlsson, minor (hooking) 10:10: CV - PPG McCormick (13) - Poturalski 12:01: CV - Hayden (1) - Evans, Petman 14:42: CV - (PP) Petman, minor (delay of game) 16:52: CV - Hughes (4) - Petman, Olofsson

2nd Period

3:28: HER - Malenstyn (4) - Sutter, Borgstrom 4:31: CV - (PP) Hughes, minor (hooking) 10:56: HER - (PP) McMichael, minor (hooking) 11:50: CV - PPG Lind (8) - Daccord

3rd Period

3:57: CV - Lind (9) - True, Rafferty 10:22: HER - (PP) Malenstyn, minor (tripping) 11:31: HER - (PP) Johansen, minor (interference) 12:13: HER - Carlsson, minor (unsportsmanlike) 12:13: CV - McCormick, minor (unsportsmanlike)

BOXSCORE

Hershey Bears 1 - 1 - 0 = 2 Coachella Valley 3 - 1 - 1 = 5

Shots

Hershey Bears 10 - 3 - 9 = 22 Coachella Valley 9 - 7 - 12 = 28

Goalies

HER: Hunter Shepard (17 saves - 22 shots in 43:57) and Zach Fucale (6 saves - 6 shots in 10:44) CV: Joey Daccord (20 saves - 22 shots)

Power Play

HER: 0-for-2 CV: 2-for-4

Penalty Kill

HER: 2-for-4 CV: 2-for-2