The Coachella Valley Firebirds started their four-game road trip Sunday with one of their best performances of the season, a thorough 5-1 victory over an Ontario team that is in second place in the Pacific Division standings.
Lleyton Roed and Jagger Firkus both scored twice for the Firebirds with Mitchell Stephens adding another in the runaway win. The Firebirds outshot their I-10 rivals 31-21 in a game they dominated from the first minute when Firkus scored just 54 seconds into the game. It was Firkus’ fourth multi-goal game of the season.
Goalkeeper Jack LaFontaine (guest on latest Fire & Ice Podcast) saved 20 of the 21 shots he faced for his third win of the season, and the victory ended a three-game losing streak for Coachella Valley.
With the win, the Firebirds record improves to 23-14-5-0 on the season. They are tied for fourth in the Pacific Division standings with San Jose at 51 points. Colorado leads the division with 60 points.
Speaking of San Jose, that is the Firebirds’ next opponent as they visit the Barracuda on Wednesday with a 7 p.m. puck drop for Game 2 of their road trip. The next home game is not until Feb. 13 against Tucson.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Firebirds start road trip with impressive 5-1 thumping of the Reign
Reporting by Shad Powers, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
