LOVELAND, Colo. — Coming into Friday night, the Colorado Eagles had lost two straight games. In their last 10 games, they were 5–3–2–0 while the Coachella Valley Firebirds (SEA) were 4–5–1–0. The return of fan favorite Jacob MacDonald, or JMac, on Saturday night helped fuel the Eagles towards a win and will strengthen the blue line from now on.

Friday night: 2–0 loss

The first started with some low-energy hockey from both sides of the bench. The Firebirds drew a tripping penalty by Ronnie Attard, but they didn’t convert. Colorado even had a power-play opportunity, but they failed to capitalize on it. While a roughing penalty was being served by Taylor Makar and Lukas Dragicevic, Alex Gagne attempted a fancy wraparound shot that almost poked through. Bryan Yoon even had a significant chance down low, but the Firebirds outshot the Eagles in the period 10–7.

With significantly increased energy, both the Eagles and the Firebirds began the second period. Tye Felhaber flipped the puck over the glass just under five minutes into the frame. It led to the best chance so far from Chase Bradley and Ivan Ivan as they ran the puck down the ice shorthanded and nearly tipped it in. Each team tightened the game up in the period, only allowing shots to be 5–4 in the Firebirds’ favor.

 “It was nice to get through the kill without giving one up,” said head coach Mark Letestu. “And I thought in big moments, they rose the occasion again, two opportunities in the third period for them. There were, I thought we we managed it well. Trent was really strong tonight. You know, feels like we wasted one of his good efforts not getting enough. And single digit shots all three periods. So it’s good for the kill, but we need a little bit more.”

It all came down to the third period. The Eagles held to their system in order to score. Unfortunately, so did the Firebirds. It would boil down to who made the first mistake. And the Eagles were the ones to do it. Coachella rushed into the zone on an odd-man rush and sent the puck across the slot, catching Trent Miner on his rear during the shot. Carson Rehkopf took the lead for the Firebirds, and on the ensuing faceoff, TJ Tynan took friendly fire to the face. He rushed off the ice, gushing blood. Coachella nailed an empty-net goal and won 2–0.

“I think tonight felt like a playoff game, said Miner. “You know, it was tight, checking both sides were good. It had moments of offense, but also times of shutdowns. I think it’s a good game to be a part of, and getting ready for playoffs, it’s good to get more of those games.”

Mark Letestu interview February 20, 2026

Trent Miner interview February 20, 2026

Saturday night 6–3 win

Things got going a lot quicker on Saturday than the previous night. After having former USA goaltender Jim Craig drop the puck, the first five minutes flew by in the period. With 15 minutes left in the period, Jagger Firkus received a pass as he slid down the left side of the zone. He faked a shot to get Isak Posch to drop and threw the opening goal right under his glove for the lead. Ten minutes later, a scrum in front of the net sent the game to 4-on-4 play. Colorado saw a chance with all the open ice and spread out. Alex Barré-Boulet sent a beautiful pass down the center of the ice to Jack Ahcan, where he threw it through Nikke Kokko’s five-hole to tie the game.

To start the second, there was a little back and forth, but Ty Nelson went to the box for cross-checking. After missing 47 games, Jacob MacDonald charged his way into the zone on the power play and wristed his first goal of the year. Posch added the secondary assist on the play, making it his first professional point in the AHL. As the period progressed, it became more physical, sending Jason Polin and Ian McKinnon to the box for roughing. With more open ice, Jake Wise rushed down for a one-timer and missed, opening a chance for the Firebirds. Jani Nyman ran down the ice and buried a backhand shot and tied it at two apiece.

“It’s just the time that it takes to do that (coming back) I think is the hardest part,” said MacDonald. You skate, you watch games, you don’t get to play, and it’s, it’s tough, and, it, it’s tougher mentally than it is physically, honestly. So, obviously the guys have done a great job, and it’s been a lot of fun to watch, but obviously it’s a lot more fun to play. So I think that’s kind of the hardest part, is, is sitting there watching, wishing you could be out there.”

Colorado wanted to keep the momentum going coming into the third. Just 45 seconds into the period, Colorado won a faceoff in the Coachella zone, allowing for a shot on goal by Wyatt Aamodt. Polin was there for the rebound and netted a goal for the 3–2 lead. Three minutes later, the Eagles struck again. Barré-Boulet passed up to Ivan, who nailed the top corner for a two-goal lead. With 12 minutes left, they dumped the puck and skated behind the Eagles’ net. Gustav Olofsson passed to an open Jakov Novak  for the easy tap it in to make it 4–3 game. Both Polin and Barré-Boulet later added empty net goals to make the final 6–3.

 “Early you could tell we were finishing more checks, going to the dirty areas, just a more committed group tonight,” said Letestu. “So honestly, we just talked about, kind of playing to our identity, what we have been, not getting away from it, and kind of not taking or giving any excuses for it. So I thought the guys responded appropriately. I just hope we don’t have to respond too many more times.”

Takeaways

It was a battle of who could stick to their structure and not make any mistakes. On Friday, that was the Eagles late in the game. On Saturday, the Eagles punched holes in the Firebirds’ structure and fell into a rhythm. Activating their defense in the offensive game helped tremendously in Saturday’s win. The defense racked up six of the 11 total points on the roster. The goal by MacDonald, or JMac around the locker room, got the monkey off his back and got it out of the way first thing. It will be one less thing that he has to worry about when he plays in his second game. Now the Eagles are only two points out of first place in the Pacific Division behind the Ontario Reign (LAK) with three games still in hand.

Mark Letestu interview February 21, 2026

Jacob MacDonald interview February 21, 2026

Up Next

The Eagles will take on the Bakersfield Condors (EDM) for a two-game set on Tuesday and Wednesday in Loveland. AHLTV on FloHockey.com will stream the game.