Firebirds’ season ends in heartbreak

It felt like deja vu inside Acrisure Arena Monday night following the Firebirds 5-4 OT loss to the Hershey Bears.

Nearly 1,000 fans sat on the edge of their seats at the Firebirds watch party as the team was back east in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

For the second consecutive season, the Coachella Valley Firebirds had to watch the Hershey Bears lift the Calder Cup.

A back-and-forth game for most of the night, game 7 looked possible when Cale Fleury found the back of the net with three minutes to go.

Fleury, who took advantage of redeeming himself following a bad turnover leading to a Hershey goal, sat patient with the puck on his stick and tied the game at 4 with the season on the line.

The relentless Bears team wasted no time in overtime, needing just 1:07 into the extra period to send the sold out Giant Center crowd into a frenzy.

Following another unsuccessful attempt to clear the puck at the blue line, Matt Strome reacted quickly and sniped it past Chris Driedger.

It’s the Bears 13th Calder Cup in franchise history and second in as many seasons.

What’s next for the Firebirds?

We know Dan Bylsma will head to the Pacific Northwest and get to work with the Seattle Kraken. Who will be on his coaching staff remains to be seen.

The core group of players that the Valley fell in love with could also be with new teams and organizations next year.

If this is in fact the end of the core group that brought hockey to the desert, it will be something we all look back on in ten years and smile.

A 2023-2024 division title, back-to-back Pacific Division Champs and back-to-back Western Conference titles.