LOVELAND, Colo. — The Colorado Eagles headed home against the Coachella Valley Firebirds (SEA) with the series tied at one game each. Sunday, Alex Gagne practiced with the Colorado Avalanche, marking his initial NHL exposure. Goaltender Trent Miner leads the AHL with his impressive four shutouts and 1.20 GAA. But the Eagles had to play Game Three (in a best-of-five) with a couple of players short. Captain Jayson Megna missed his third straight game after taking a shot to the face. Defenseman Jack Ahcan remains with the Avalanche as they prepare to take on the Vegas Golden Knights starting Wednesday.

First period

The Firebirds aggressively controlled the puck throughout the initial five minutes. Colorado only managed two shots on net in eight minutes, gaining no momentum. Ten minutes passed with penalties exchanged by both sides; the game lacked any rhythm. Mitchell Stephens headed to the box for a slash at 13:22, so it was a chance for the Eagles to gain a footing. But a bad turnover in their own zone led to a shot on Miner, who fumbled the puck and Lleyton Roed finished the job for the 1–0 lead. By the end of the first period, Colorado was outshooting the Firbirds 17–9, so it was not for lack of effort.

Second period

Play progressed rapidly during the first half of the second period; only two stoppages occurred. Colorado had another opportunity on the power-play, but failed to convert. At 8:43 into the period, the Eagles stole the puck while on the forecheck in the Firebirds’ zone. Ivan Ivan took the bad-angle shot, but Chase Bradley redirected it over the shoulders of Nikke Kokko to make it a tie game. Coachella pushed its offense hard throughout the period, outshooting Colorado 9–6. Miner held strong despite the push, leaving the Firebirds stumped with what to do in the third.

Third period

Colorado came out into the third period with their engines roaring. It took only 33 seconds for Bradley to steal the puck and walk to the front of the net for the backhand shot and the Eagles’ first lead of the evening. Four minutes later, Gavin Brindley joined the fun with an outstanding deke in front of the crease to drop the goaltender and an easy finish. Brindley’s former Michigan teammate, T.J. Hughes, tapped a shot in through the five-hole after Brindley sent him a great pass from the half boards. Colorado played shutdown hockey for the rest of the game while continuing to push the offensive game themselves.

“Beeb’s made a really nice play to the middle and had a lot of time and space,” said Brindley. “And just try to fake him, fake him once, and try to go around him, and sure enough, it works, got him to bite.”

They’re an urgent, desperate team,” said head coach Mark Letestu. “They’ve been in this situation now every round they’ve been in, and they haven’t lost a game. So we are going to get Coachella’s best. They’ve won four elimination games now with their back against the wall. They’re probably comfortable in that situation. We’re going to have to be at our very, very best to be successful.”

Takeaways

Colorado has now gone two games in a row without scoring any power-play goals. In those two games, they have had eight opportunities. But on the bright side, it has forced some depth scoring to step up. Bradley’s line (also Ivan and Jason Polin) has been a force to be reckoned with. That line had five points alone (Bradley 2g/1a, Ivan 2a). Miner continues to be a thorn in every team’s side, averaging nearly one goal allowed per game. Colorado could eliminate the Firebirds on Wednesday and move on to their first Western Conference Final since joining the AHL in 2018.

Up next

The Eagles will attempt to wrap the series up on Wednesday night in Game Four against the Firebirds and move onto the Western Conference Finals at 7 p.m. MT. AHLTV on FloHockey.com will stream the game.

Gavin Brindley interview May 17, 2025

Mark Letestu interview May 17, 2026