It all comes down to this: Firebirds force Game 7 in Calder Cup Finals!

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Coming back from Pennsylvania, the Firebirds had themselves a real pickle: They lost three games in a row, completely negating their series lead. They tried! Oh how they tried. But it wasn’t enough, and they came home with their backs against the wall.

The Firebirds responded with what they always bring: Speed, Grit, and FIRE.

Here’s How they did it:

Game 6 Notes!:

• Things didn’t start ideal with Hershey getting on the board first, but the Firebirds showed that Acrisure seems to be their special sauce; they played an absolute clinic out there after giving up the opening tally. Kept the forecheck strong, forced Hunter Shepard to work for pretty much everything…and man did they make their reads on what would work on him well. Exceptional work all around by those Birds in Blue to get straight to the front of the net.
• That Cam Hughes goal should be in highlight reels for the rest of time. Absolutely phenomenal play by him on that rush, and vital in bringing the Firebirds the kind of leverage they needed to beat the Bears.
• Two point night for Kole Lind! I think the young man enjoys this playoff environment very much!
• Speaking of playoff environment; CV showed up for this game. 10,000 people stuffed themselves into Acrisure Arena in Thousand Palms to watch their Firebirds play, and were loud, loud, loud. Take a bow, Coachella Valley. You’re powering this team to success.
• Joey Daccord had a pretty leisurely night for what was a do-or-die playoff game; the Firebirds did their best to keep his night nice and easy, and he finished with a tidy .909 SV%!

Game. Seven. Preview.

The Need To Knows:

• The Date and Time: Wednesday, 7pm PT
• The Place: Acrisure Arena, Thousand Palms, California
• Place to Watch: AHL.tv, NHL Network, FOX 11 locally in Coachella Valley area
• Place to Listen: 106.9 The Eagle in Coachella Valley. NHL Network Radio. It cannot be overstated that this is still a local station so broadcasts begin bare minimum a half hour before game time.

How We Got Here:

The Firebirds’ trip out east didn’t go nearly as planned, as the ‘Birds dropped three games in a row to Hershey, leaving significant doubt on whether or not Coachella Valley’s dream was still alive. Game 6 changed all of that, and even better, the Firebirds will get to stay home to face the Hershey Bears in front of a large crowd as they’ve seen all post-season long. After the final horn sounds, someone will be Calder Cup Champions, come hell or high water.

Figuring out Hunter Shepard early will be paramount to winning Frank Calder’s silver; he’s been unreal throughout this entire playoffs and has appeared as advertised even through blowout wins for the ‘Birds. The Bears have proven they can absolutely command a game when given the opportunity, so putting them on the backfoot early as they have throughout this series will be critical to finishing this thing out.

It’ll also be a series to either confirm or bust some narratives, for the Firebirds are undefeated in series clinching games that go the distance and in their home nest…while the Bears in the Finals have been 0-3 on the road and have been massively outscored by the Firebirds at Acrisure so far.

Of course, whatever happens next, is entirely up to the Firebirds. Do they burn eternal in glory? Or fizzle out at the worst possible time?

There’s only one way to find out. It’s on Wednesday.