Hershey played the part of the defending Calder Cup champions, with the visitors outshooting the home squad Firebirds, 11 to 4, in the first 20 minutes and took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. It’s the third of four Cup final games in which Hershey has scored the first goal. The early goal proved a pace-setter in a 3-2 road win for Hershey in the 2024 Cup Final that is now effectively down to a best-of-three series with one more contest in the Southern California desert before Game 6 and potentially Game 7 are played across the country in central Pennsylvania.
Coachella Valley found some ballast in the second period, closing the shots on goal gap in the middle period with both teams recording nine SOG. The Western Conference champs tied matters on another highlight-reel goal from Kraken prospect and 2022 first-round draft choice Shane Wright. During a 4-on-4 sequence with matching minor penalties, veteran D-man Cale Fleury made an eye-popping sprawling interception of a Hershey transition pass in the neutral zone.
Then Fleury found a way to blade the puck to Marian Studenic, who quick-passed to Wright, who again took the scoring play to another level. Skating cross-ice, Wright deked Hershey goaltender Hunter Shepard for a tying goal. Wright now has two goals and three assists in his last three games of this Cup Final.