This is how the other half lives, as the saying goes.
For two years, Coachella Valley Firebirds fans watched lines packed with veterans filling up the goal. This year they watched lines full of young 20-somethings struggling to score.
For two years, it was a team that mostly avoided injury, or was deep enough to win even without a key player. This year's team got stung by the injury bug multiple times, including key players at the worst possible time.
For two years, every time the Firebirds took the ice, the feeling in Acrisure Arena oozed "I know we're going to win, no matter what.