In response to The Desert Sun’s prediction that the Ontario Reign will win the playoff series over the Firebirds:
While I understand and respect not wanting to blatantly vouch for the home team every time, I am dumbfounded that a reporter could follow the Firebirds all season and not be inspired by the passion, grit and perseverance demonstrated in the first series of the playoffs. Take into account the ups and downs of this season in totality and you will see why so many of us believe the Firebirds are capable of going the distance.
Oscar Fisker Mølgaard and Jacob Melanson are no doubt huge difference makers, and we benefit from their return, of course. Just saying that alone is ignoring the huge leaps and bounds their personal performance has made since their return from Seattle. The growth is apparent and their leadership is shining through. These two are not the same as they were in October.
Comparing the team to the Reign by measure of their performance in April seems like a particularly bad metric, seeing as the lineup was missing many key players with injuries. Logan Morrison, Ty Nelson and Jagger Firkus all spring to mind as top examples (and people who have scored in the playoffs), although there were even more key players out of the lineup. We were relying largely on our ECHL counterparts, and they kept us in the race.
I also think it’s unfair to put the majority of the blame for the series one game one performance on Nikke Kokko. After key players were largely rested in the last regular season game against Abbotsford, it is understandable that the team would need a game or two to completely fall back into a natural rhythm — it was essentially a brand new team becoming reacquainted. If the offense had been producing, the result for that game could have been entirely different. As head coach Derek Laxdal said in the postgame conference: Game One wasn’t truly a 6-1 game.
Ultimately, fans think that the key challenge for the Firebirds might end up being their secret advantage: Being the younger team gave them the stamina and fight to overpower an obviously exhausted Bakersfield in Game Three. Veteran status isn’t always the end-all, be-all, although we have lots of firepower in that way with Gustav Olofsson, John Hayden and Mitchell Stephens.
Long story short — believe in our home team, and cheer on another amazing season. I certainly believe that we have the necessary means to win round two, and I find The Desert Sun’s predication to be wishy washy, disappointing, and largely missing the point of what it means to compete in a development league.
Nichelle Dunn lives in Palm Desert.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Why prediction that Firebirds will lose to Reign misses the mark
Reporting by Nichelle Dunn, Special to The Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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