The Need To Knows
- The Time: 7pm PT
- The Place: Acrisure Arena, Palm Desert, CA
- Place to Watch: AHLtv.com, KESQ News Channel 3 in Coachella Valley proper
- Place to Listen: KDGL 106.9 The Eagle
Know Your Enemy
- After being one of the best goaltenders in the Calder Cup Playoffs…Erik Portillo has a .800 SV% after one game against Coachella Valley. Sure, it’s just one game, but they’ve only got 5 games to prove something.
- Andre Lee and Sam Fagemo scored in Game 1 for the Reign.
- Ontario went 1-for-3 on the Power Play in Game 1
Game Preview
The Reign have been shown capable of bleeding! They can be beaten!
…The Firebirds just have to do it again. That’s the hard part.
Ontario hasn’t been in the position of having to get even in a series all playoffs, and as such their response will be very telling; will they bury the Firebirds in an avalanche of pucks to start the game? Will they sit back on their heels given how well trying to do the first thing went for them in Game 1? Do they try to get more analytical and attack Driedger’s net from different angles?
Do they ask Portillo why he went flying to try and stop a shot from the point? All of these are great questions to ask.
For the Firebirds, their big question is how they plan on responding to what happened in Game 1; where they effectively played pure prevent defense for 20 minutes, and let the Reign have nearly 13 uncontested shots. While you can have a game stolen by your goalie, that’s always a possibility, the reality is that can’t be your strategy going forward. The Firebirds need to come out swinging to take a lead in this series. After all, this is the last time they’re in the Valley until they beat the Reign. It would behoove them to take advantage of the crowd.
Should be a fun one! Go Firebirds!