Max McCormick’s goal with 3:17 left in the second period held up as the difference as the Coachella Valley Firebirds moved to within one victory of the Calder Cup Finals with a 2-1 win over the Milwaukee Admirals on Saturday night.
With a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals, the Firebirds return home with two chances to wrap up the series. Game 6 is set for Monday night at Acrisure Arena.
A native of De Pere, Wis., McCormick scored his fifth goal of the conference finals and his league-leading 12th of the postseason to send Coachella Valley to the first win by a road team in the series. McCormick has also netted the game-winning goal in all three Firebirds victories over Milwaukee.
Brogan Rafferty, from the nearby Chicago suburb of West Dundee, Ill., scored his first playoff goal for the Firebirds, and Joey Daccord (11-7) stopped 25 shots in the victory.
Kiefer Sherwood scored for Milwaukee, a power-play goal at 12:03 of the first period. Devin Cooley (2-1) finished with 23 saves.
(Coachella Valley leads series, 3-2)
Game 1 – Thu., May 25 – COACHELLA VALLEY 6, Milwaukee 4 | Recap/Highlights
Game 2 – Sat., May 27 – COACHELLA VALLEY 5, Milwaukee 3 | Recap/Highlights
Game 3 – Mon., May 29 – MILWAUKEE 3, Coachella Valley 1 | Recap/Highlights
Game 4 – Thu., June 1 – MILWAUKEE 5, Coachella Valley 2 | Recap/Highlights
Game 5 – Sat., June 3 – Coachella Valley 2, MILWAUKEE 1
Game 6 – Mon., June 5 – Milwaukee at Coachella Valley, 10:00
*Game 7 – Wed., June 7 – Milwaukee at Coachella Valley, 10:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern