Nelson's Overtime Winner Gives Firebirds Weekend Sweep Over Silver Knights

Ty Nelson’s power-play one-timer 1:49 into overtime broke open a wild finish and gave the Coachella Valley Firebirds a 4-3 victory over the Henderson Silver Knights at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nev., completing a weekend sweep and sending the Firebirds into the All-Star break with a 25-15-5-0 record.

Coachella Valley struck first when Jani Nyman finished off a feed from Logan Morrison at 15:58 of the first period for his 11th goal of the season. Nyman has now scored in three straight games and has four goals in his last five. Henderson answered early in the second when Ben Hemmerling buried a chance in front of the net after a sequence he credited to Tanner Laczynski and Jackson Hallum. “Just another great play by [Tanner Laczynski],” Hemmerling said. “[Jackson] Hallum, nice pass through the slot there, just kind of laid it in there for [Laczynski] to do his thing…and [Laczynski] was able to find me.”

The momentum swung back toward Coachella Valley as Logan Morrison finished a power-play strike to regain the lead. Morrison then added another goal just over two minutes later, finishing the night with a four-point outburst (2 goals, 2 assists) that keyed the Firebirds’ middle-period push.

Regulation drama arrived in the third. With under a minute to play, Raphael Lavoie willed the Silver Knights back into the game, scoring with 36 seconds left and then again 20 seconds later to knot the game at 3-3 and force overtime. Henderson coach Craig praised Lavoie’s effort and the team’s resilience. “I thought [Lavoie] was good at the end there. I think he’s working his way back still,” Craig said. “It’s tough to come back after sitting out and playing three in four but, to his credit, he dug in at the end there and got us two big goals.” Craig added that the break will be welcome: “We’ll catch our breath, for sure. We played a lot of hockey in three days, some even more because of the penalties tonight…we’ll get away from it for a few days. Obviously, we’re excited about [Laczynski] representing us at the All-Star Game, but we got a push to make here in the final 29 games.”

Overtime lasted less than two minutes before special teams decided the outcome. Ben Hemmerling was whistled for tripping 45 seconds into OT, and Jagger Firkus and Morrison teamed up to feed Nelson at the left point. Nelson blasted a one-timer through traffic at 1:49 of overtime for his sixth goal of the season, securing the extra standings point for Coachella Valley.

The Firebirds finished 2-for-3 on the power play and were perfect on the penalty kill, while Jack LaFontaine turned aside 33 of 36 shots for his fourth win of the season. Henderson outshot Coachella Valley 36-29, and Lavoie’s late heroics earned him one of the game’s three stars for the Silver Knights.

Beyond the box score, the game underscored familiar AHL themes: special teams execution and late-game composure often swing outcomes, and individual performances like Morrison’s four-point night can elevate a club’s short-term trajectory. For the Firebirds, the sweep is as much a business and cultural win as a sporting one, momentum heading into the All-Star break helps ticket sales, marketing narratives, and player development stories as the club looks to sustain a push over the final 29 games. Fans planning a return to Lee’s Family Forum can note the team posted box office hours for the coming days, with windows open Friday, Monday, and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

What comes next is a pause and a recalibration. Coachella Valley rides the emotional lift of a dramatic sweep into the break, while Henderson hopes Raphael Lavoie’s late surge and Tanner Laczynski’s All-Star nod can translate into a stronger stretch run after the layoff.