Friday night in Coachella Valley can be described by a lot of different words — from thrilling to wild, to downright improbable.
Trailing 3-1, 4-2, and 5-3 at different points of the night, coach Andrew Lord saw his team scratch and claw their way back into things throughout the contest. And then, with less than five minutes remaining in regulation, Taylor Ward scored his second goal of the night to tie things up 5-5.
What happened next? Just watch the video…
Erik Portillo, a somewhat surprising choice to start in net, finished the game with 25 saves. Ward had five shots on goal while Franky Pinelli had four. Kenny Connors and Angus Booth assisted on Jared Wright’s game-winning goal.
Koehn Ziemmer had a fight too, his first against a Coachella Valley player after three scraps last year against Bakersfield, Henderson, and Tucson.
Overall, 10 different skaters found the scoresheet, led by Ward, who finished with three points (2G, 1A). Beyond the offensive production, he looked sharp in his return to Ontario, making an impact throughout the night. Ward’s performance also earned him first star honors, a well-deserved recognition for his standout season debut.
Kings prospect Jared Wright capped the comeback in overtime, scoring the game-winning goal to claim Third Star honors. Like Ward, Wright spent a significant portion of last season with the Kings in Los Angeles. He also added an assist, finishing the night with two points in the season opener.
Forwards Martin Chromiak and Francesco Pinelli recorded goals in last night’s victory, with both skaters looking to build off the strong start and make an impact in what are pivotal seasons for their respective pro careers.
A look at the full lineup and some pregame notes can be found in the article linked below.
Lead photo by Delaney Donahue
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