The Calgary Wranglers are stuck in a bit of a rut. After dropping two back-to-back overtime games on their most recent homestand, they hit the road to visit Coachella Valley on Saturday night, where the visitors were outshot and outscored, falling 4-1 to the Firebirds.
Although Calgary managed to go ahead 1-0 just 55 seconds into the contest, that was all the offense they could mustard up on just 13 shots. After outshooting the Firebirds 9-8 in the opening period, the Wranglers collected two in the second and two in the third, while the home team fired 15 and 10, respectively.
Calgary's top line was clicking in the opening period, as Rory Kerins set up Martin Frk's 21st goal of the season, which is now the second most behind Kerins. Moreover, it was Frk's 45th point, now two more than Dryden Hunt, who missed the contest due to the expected birth of a child.
The Firebirds tied the contest at 13:41 when John Hayden scored on the power play. They extended their lead at 14:56 of the second when Lleyton Roed scored, followed by Hayden's second power-play of the night at 19:54. Ben Meyers had the contest's final goal at 11:36 of the third.
Special teams played a significant role in the game's outcome as Coachella Valley went 2-for-4 on the man advantage, and the Wranglers didn't capitalize on their three opportunities.
2/22/25 | Pink in the Rink Night | Coachella Valley Firebirds
Game Day Recap February 22, 2025. Pink in the Rink Night presented by El Paseo Jewelers.
Devin Cooley remains winless since returning from the AHL All-Star Classic, making 29 saves for a .879 SV%, the second-lowest SV% in the past six games. Meanwhile, the Firebirds' Niklas Kokko gave up only one goal and made 12 saves (.923 SV%) for his 15th win.
Ultimately, there's no time to dwell on the latest setback as the Wranglers return to action on Sunday with another contest against the Ontario Reign, who recently swept Calgary on their last home stand.