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Firebirds come up short of Calder Cup championship, fall to Hershey Bears in overtime of Game 7

By ,
June 22, 2023 2:51 AM
Published 1:39 PM

The Hershey Bears defeated the Coachella Valley Firebirds 3-2 in overtime to win the Calder Cup.

Bears forward Mike Vecchione scored the game-winning goal. It's the first-ever sudden-death overtime goal in a Game 7 of the Calder Cup Finals in AHL history.

Bears Goaltender Hunter Shepard was named Finals MVP. Shepard had 45 saves in the game, keeping the Bears alive just enough to get the game-winning goal.

The next season begins in early to mid-October for training camp and preseason. They'll look to be back in Calder Cup Finals next season.

Check Out Our Firebirds Section for Full Coverage

Overtime

Three periods weren't enough. Game 7 went into overtime with the game tied 2-2.

The Firebirds were against the ropes in the third period but came firing back in overtime. It was a tense period for fans of both teams, but the Bears were able to score and win the game 3-2.

3RD PERIOD

The third period was basically all Bears, but Firebirds Goaltender Joey Daccord kept them in the game with some amazing saves. He had 26 saves in regular time.

2ND PERIOD

Max McCormick scored less than 30 seconds into the second period to put the Firebirds up 2-0.

The Hershey Bears got one on the scoreboard in the middle of the second period. The Firebirds lead 2-1.

The Bears came back and tied up the game 2-2 as the second period was coming up to a close.

1ST PERIOD

Defenseman Ryker Evans scored within the first five minutes of the first period to put the Firebirds up 1-0.

The game would stay 1-0 through the end of the 1st period.

It all comes down to this! The two best words in sports - GAME 7. The Coachella Valley Firebirds host the Hershey Bears in a winner-take-all game for the Calder Cup.

Acrisure Arena is sold out for the big game, but you can watch it live on Fox 11, coverage starts at 6:30 p.m.

We'll also have live updates on KESQ.com and our app.

News Channel 3's Blake Arthur and Bailey Arredondo will have highlights and post-game reaction live at 10 p.m. on Fox 11 and 11 p.m. on News Channel 3.

Be the first to know when news breaks in Coachella Valley. Download the News Channel 3 app here.

Get the News Channel 3 app here.

It's just the 12th Game 7 in Calder Cup Finals history and the first since 2018. The Coachella Valley will be absolutely fired up to cheer on the Firebirds to victory.

"You dream as a kid of playing in a Game 7 In the backyard," Firebirds head coach Dan Bylsma said. "So we all have played them. These are just the pinnacle games. The games you hope to play for, you dream to play for, you work to play for." 

It's been a tense series, with both teams feeding off of the home crowd. According to the AHL, this is eighth series in Calder Cup Playoffs history in which the home team has won each of the first six games.

The league noted that home teams are 4-3 in the previous Game 7’s.

The Firebirds have been nearly unstoppable at home in this series, outscoring the Bears 14-2 in the three games played at Acrisure Arena.

In Game 6, with their backs against the wall, the Firebirds exploded with 5 goals, including two from Kole Lind.

The Firebirds struggled a bit more on the road, which included a 1-0 overtime loss in Game 5.

News Channel 3 Sports Director Blake Arthur traveled to Hershey, Pennslyvania to cover Game 3, Game 4, and Game 5 of the series.

Check Out Our Firebirds Section for Full Coverage

The pressure is on for both teams, but that's been the story of these playoffs for the Firebirds. The team is playing in its fourth winner-take-all game this postseason. They also come into the game with a seven-game winning streak at home, carried on by the record-setting playoff home crowd attendance numbers.

News Channel 3's Crystal Jimenez took a look back at the incredible journey the Firebirds have been on since they were first announced nearly two years ago.

This will be the Firebirds' 26th playoff game of the season, setting yet another AHL record in this historic run.

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Blake Arthur

Sports Director Blake Arthur joined the KESQ/CBS Local 2 team in August of 2015. Learn more about Blake here.

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