PALM DESERT, Calif. (theahl.com) … The Coachella Valley Firebirds scored four times in the second period and Joey Daccord made a bit of Calder Cup history in a 4-0 win over the Hershey Bears in Game 2 of the Finals at a sold-out Acrisure Arena on Saturday night.
The best-of-seven series heads east to Giant Center, where the Bears host Game 3 on Tuesday (7 ET, AHLTV) facing an 0-2 deficit.
Daccord finished the night with 33 saves and became the first goaltender in 84 years to open a Calder Cup Finals series with back-to-back shutouts.
Hershey played its best period of the young series in the opening 20 minutes of Game 2, but the contest remained scoreless despite a 15-5 Bears advantage in shots.
Hunter Shepard denied Carsen Twarynski on a penalty shot at 3:46 of the second period, but Jesper Froden broke through for Coachella Valley at the 5:08 mark and Austin Poganski gave the Firebirds a 2-0 lead just 1:14 later.
Ryker Evans and Cameron Hughes tacked on goals before the end of the middle period.
Shepard made 19 saves in net for Hershey.
NOTES: Daccord joins Moe Roberts of the 1939 Cleveland Barons as the only goaltenders to post shutouts in Games 1 and 2 of a Calder Cup Finals series… Daccord is also the first goalie with two shutouts in a single Finals since J.F. Labbe for Hartford in 2000… The Bears have been held without a goal for their last 222:18 of Finals play, going back to Game 3 of the 2016 series against Lake Erie… Coachella Valley has won six straight home games, scoring a total of 30 goals…The Calder Cup Finals have been 2-0 on 47 occasions previously; only three teams have come back to win: the Nova Scotia Voyageurs in 1972, the Springfield Indians in 1991 and Hershey in 2010.
P2-Coachella Valley Firebirds vs. A2-Hershey Bears
Game 1 – Thu., June 8 – COACHELLA VALLEY 5, Hershey 0
Game 2 – Sat., June 10 – COACHELLA VALLEY 4, Hershey 0
Game 3 – Tue., June 13 – Coachella Valley at Hershey, 7:00
Game 4 – Thu., June 15 – Coachella Valley at Hershey, 7:00
*Game 5 – Sat., June 17 – Coachella Valley at Hershey, 7:00
*Game 6 – Mon., June 19 – Hershey at Coachella Valley, 10:00
*Game 7 – Wed., June 21 – Hershey at Coachella Valley, 10:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern
