PALM DESERT, Calif. — The fifth season of Coachella Valley Firebirds hockey kicked off with a crushing 6-5 loss in overtime against the Ontario Reign.
Just 39 seconds into overtime, Jared Wright scored the game-winning goal. Ontario managed to come back from a 3-1 deficit after the first period and a 5-3 deficit late in the second period.
Ontario and Coachella Valley each picked up a point in the standings.
Coachella Valley was a victim of penalties, a problem that plagued the team last year.
“It’s early in the season and the referees are trying to clamp down on the retaliation calls. I think J.R. had two and there was no need for those calls,” Firebirds head coach Derek Laxdal said when asked about the penalties that hampered the offense. “They did get a lucky break; we were up 4-2, they ended up scoring one. That’s an area we could clean up a bit.”
The Firebirds did not score in the third period or overtime.
However, the Firebirds have reason to feel excited about the new season. The offense was rolling through the first two periods, scoring three goals in the first and two in the second. Two of those goals came seconds after the Reign scored their first two goals.
“There were some things tonight that last year took us 20-30 games to figure out. We did a lot of good things tonight. They worked hard to get a point from us. We made a mistake on our coverage in overtime, and it cost us,” Laxdal said.
The first period of the 2026 season started off with a bang. Five minutes into the period, Ontario spoiled the home opener with a goal from Martin Chromiak, assisted by Kirill Kirsanov and Angus Booth.
However, the lead for the Reign didn’t last long — just 22 seconds, as J.R. Avon quickly evened the score with assists from Jagger Firkus and Oscar Fisker Molgaard.
Eduard Sale put the Firebirds up 2-1 on his first goal of the season, with Gustav Olofsson and Ty Nelson each credited with an assist.
Ontario couldn’t capitalize on two penalties from the Firebirds, helping Coachella Valley maintain the lead.
In the final moments of the first period, newly named captain John Hayden scored the Firebirds' third goal of the period. Firkus and Tyson Jugnauth were credited with their first assists of the season.
The Firebirds outshot the Reign 11-8 in shots on goal.
The second period saw more offensive output from Ontario. Seventy seconds in, Taylor Ward scored to pull Ontario within one at 3-2.
In a repeat of the first period, the Firebirds answered seconds later. Jani Nyman put Coachella Valley back up by two.
Ontario scored twice more in the second frame. Lane Pederson scored on a power play in the middle of the period, and Francesco Pinelli scored his first goal of the season in the final minute to cut the deficit to 5-4 entering the second intermission.
Nyman added his second goal of the game in the second period, while Hayden added an assist to his earlier goal. Cole Guttman and Pederson assisted on Ward’s goal, Ward assisted on Pederson’s goal, and Wright and Scott Perunovich assisted on Pinelli’s goal.
Caden Price, Jugnauth, and Hayden recorded assists on Nyman’s two goals in the second period.
Neither team scored through the first 15 minutes of the third period. Ontario then evened the score at 5 on Ward’s second goal of the game, assisted by Pederson and Perunovich.
The third period saw the Firebirds plagued by penalties. More than 13 combined penalty minutes in the second and third periods shut down the Firebird offense.
Following the 5-5 tie at the end of regulation, Wright’s goal 39 seconds into overtime sealed the victory for Ontario.
Opening weekend continues as the Firebirds travel to Ontario for a rematch with the Reign. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. at Toyota Arena.
The Firebirds return home to Acrisure Arena on Friday, Oct. 9, against the San Diego Gulls at 7 p.m.