LOVELAND, CO. – Colorado put the brakes on a three-game slide with a 6-3 win over the Coachella Valley Firebirds on Saturday. Forward Alex Barre-Boulet led the attack with a goal and three assists, while fellow forwards Ivan Ivan and Jason Polin also recorded multi-point performances. Goaltender Isak Posch earned the win in net, making 21 saves on 24 shots. The Eagles registered a season-high 46 shots in the victory.
Coachella Valley would notch the game’s first goal when forward Jagger Firkus skated through the left-wing circle before burying a wrister, putting the Firebirds on top 1-0 just 5:05 into the contest.
The Eagles would find an equalizer when defenseman Jack Ahcan capped off a breakaway from the neutral zone with a shot from the slot that lit the lamp and tied the game 1-1 at the 16:32 mark of the first period. Colorado would outshoot Coachella Valley 15-6 in the opening frame and the two teams left for the first intermission with game still deadlocked at 1-1.
A power play early in the second period would see Eagles defenseman Jacob MacDonald race into the zone between the circles before tucking home a wrist shot, giving Colorado a 2-1 edge at the 4:08 mark.
As time ticked down in the second period, Firebirds forward Jani Nyman would cruise through the left-wing circle before cutting to the net and lifting a backhander past Posch. The goal was Nyman’s 15th of the season and tied the game at 2-2 with 3:42 remaining in the middle frame.
The Eagles would jump back in the driver’s seat when Polin smashed a rebound in the low slot past goalie Nikke Kokko, giving Colorado a 3-2 advantage only 47 seconds into the third period.
Ivan would push the lead to 4-2 when he buried a wrister from the right-wing circle just 3:22 later.
Coachella Valley would answer back when forward Jakov Novak muscled a shot from the top of the crease into the back of the net, trimming the deficit to 4-3 with 11:49 remaining in the game.
The Firebirds would pull Kokko in favor of the extra attacker with 2:30 left to play, but the Eagles would counter with empty-netters from Polin at the 18:20 mark and Barre-Boulet 35 seconds later, rounding out the 6-3 score.
Colorado finished the night going 1-for-4 on the power play and a perfect 1-for-1 on the penalty kill. Kokko suffered the loss in net, allowing four goals on 44 shots.
