PALM DESERT, CA. – Five different Eagles skaters found the back of the net, while goaltender Ivan Prosvetov made 38 saves on 40 shots, as Colorado defeated the Coachella Valley Firebirds 5-2 on Saturday. Forwards Cedric Pare, Riley Tufte, Spencer Smallman, Matt Stienburg and Cal Burke all lit the lamp, as the Eagles handed the Firebirds their first regulation loss in 11 games.
Pare would generate an early tally, as he tucked home a loose puck at the side of the crease, giving Colorado a 1-0 edge just 1:05 into the contest.
A power play for the Firebirds would even the score, as forward Devin Shore lit the lamp with a wrister from the left-wing circle, tying the game 1-1 at the 11:05 mark of the first period.
The Eagles would answer on a power play of their own, as Tufte tracked down his own rebound between the circles and snapped a shot past Coachella Valley goalie Chris Driedger. The goal was Tufte’s team-leading 14th of the season and gave Colorado a 2-1 advantage with 8:00 remaining in the opening 20 minutes. The Eagles would go on to outshoot the Firebirds 18-8 in the period and carried their 2-1 lead into the first intermission.
Coachella Valley would turn things around in the middle frame, as they outshot Colorado, 18-10. Despite the lopsided numbers, the Eagles would claim the only goal of the middle frame. Smallman swept home a one-timer from the high slot to extend Colorado’s advantage to 3-1 just 4:54 into the second stanza.
Still trailing 3-1 as the puck dropped on the third period, the Firebirds would capitalize again on the man-advantage, as forward Max McCormick camped out in the slot before tipping a shot from the point past Prosvetov. The goal was McCormick’s 21st of the season and trimmed the Eagles lead to 3-2 at the 6:23 mark of the period.
Colorado would answer back 47 seconds later, as Stienburg deflected a shot from the blue line into the back of the net, giving the Eagles a 4-2 advantage.
The Eagles would add a little more insurance when Burke sliced through the right-wing circle before burying a wrister, driving Colorado’s lead to 5-2 with 3:03 left in the contest.
Driedger suffered the loss in net, allowing five goals on 41 shots, as the Eagles finished the night 1-for-4 on the power play and 2-for-4 on the penalty kill.
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