“Pot of Gold Night” Raises $130,000 for Jimenez Family, Eagles Fall, 5-2
Mar 21, 2026
LOVELAND, CO. – The Colorado Eagles annual “Pot of Gold Night” raised $130,130 for 16-year-old Jayden Jimenez of Greeley, as the Eagles came up short on the evening, falling 5-2 to the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Jimenez suffers from a rare heart condition that has caused his heart to enlarge dramatically, forcing the implantation of a Left Ventricular Assist Device. Since its inception in 2012, the “Pot of Gold Night” has now raised over one-million dollars for Northern Colorado families.
The Firebirds would kick off the scoring when defenseman Ville Ottavainen took advantage of traffic in front of the net, as he buried a wrister from the blue line, putting Coachella Valley on top 1-0 at the 6:07 mark of the first period.
Just 55 seconds later, Firebirds forward Carson Rehkopf lit the lamp with a shot from the left-wing circle, extending the lead to 2-0.
The onslaught would continue when forward J.R. Avon flew into the zone before cutting to the low slot and flipping a shot into the back of the net, giving Coachella Valley a 3-0 lead with 8:52 left to play in the opening frame.
The Firebirds would strike again just 3:38 later when a wrister from defenseman Kaden Hammell lit the lamp and pushed Coachella Valley’s advantage to 4-0. The goal would also lead to a change in net for Colorado, as Keyser gave way to Trent Miner for the duration.
The second period would see the Eagles fail to connect on two opportunities on the power play, as the two teams left for the second intermission with the Firebirds still on top, 4-0.
A power play would give Colorado some life, as forward Taylor Makar tucked home a shot from the low slot, trimming the deficit to 4-1 at the 3:13 mark of the third period.
Only 3:32 later, Eagles defenseman Sean Behrens would wrap around the net before feeding the puck past goalie Nikke Kokko, slicing Coachella Valley’s lead to 4-2.
A Firebirds power play would then swing the momentum back, as forward Jagger Firkus belted home a shot from the left-wing circle, rounding out the 5-2 score with 6:48 remaining in the contest.
Miner finished with 13 saves in 14 shots, while Keyser suffered the loss, allowing four goals on seven shots. Kokko stopped 25 of the 27 shots he saw, giving him his 12th win of the season in net.
Colorado finished the game going 1-for-6 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill.
The Eagles will be back in action when they take on the Coachella Valley Firebirds on Sunday, March 22nd at 3:05pm MT at Blue Arena. Single-game tickets for the 2025-26 season are on sale now. To purchase tickets or for more information, go to ColoradoEagles.com or call or text (970) 686-SHOT (7468).
