Coachella Valley Firebirds lose 3-1 in Tucson

TUCSON, Ariz. (KESQ) – The Coachella Valley Firebirds (5-5-2-1) fell to the Tucson Roadrunners on Friday night at Tucson Arena by the final score of 3-1.

Eduard Sale scored the lone goal for Coachella Valley, while Nikke Kokko made 28 saves in the opening game of the team's two-game road series.

Tucson opened the scoring just 1:17 into the first period on a goal from Tij Iginla. The Roadrunners doubled their lead late in the second period when Joshua Roy scored at 18:01, giving Tucson a 2-0 advantage heading into the final frame.

Coachella Valley continued to battle in the third period, but Brandon Tanev's empty-net goal at 17:25 extended Tucson's lead to three. Sale broke the shutout with a powerplay goal with just six seconds left in the third period, assisted by Carson Rehkopf and Gustav Olofsson, to make the final score 3-1.

The Firebirds' penalty kill went a perfect 5-for-5 and finished 1-for-4 on the powerplay, while Kokko stopped 28 of 30 shots faced.

The Firebirds return to action on Saturday for the second game of their back-to-back series against the Roadrunners. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. PT at Tucson Arena.