The Henderson Silver Knights lost in the shootout to the Coachella Valley Firebirds, 3-2, on Saturday evening at The Dollar Loan Center. Jonas Rondbjerg scored the titular Lucky Launch goal, while Byron Froese recorded two points. 

The first period remained scoreless, with both goaltenders making strong saves. 

The Firebirds opened the scoring midway through the second. Rafferty put Coachella up by one with an unassisted goal from the blue line.  

Rondbjerg tied it up at 11:34 in the second period. He left the penalty box and grabbed the puck on a breakaway to score the Lucky Launch goal. 

Coachella regained the lead late in the third. Alexander True, assisted by Jesper Froden and Tye Kartye, made it a 2-1 game. 

Pavel Dorofeyev tied it back up late in the third period. He tipped Froese’s rebound past the Coachella goaltender to send the game to overtime. 

The game then proceeded to the shootout. The first two skaters for each team scored, but Henderson was denied on their third attempt. Andrew Poturalski succeeded on the Firebirds’ third attempt, securing them the win. 

Michael Hutchinson stopped 26 of 28 shots for a .928 save percentage on the night. 

The Silver Knights will continue their season away tomorrow on Wednesday, Dec. 7, in Ontario. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m., and fans can tune in on 1230 The Game or on AHL TV with subscription.