Birds, Courville, Halt Otters, 3-1
Published on February 7, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release
Flint Firebirds' Mason Courville in action
(Flint Firebirds, Credit: Todd Boone)
FLINT- Nathan Aspinall had a goal and an assist, Kevin He and Jimmy Lombardi both tallied goals and Mason Courville recorded 28 saves on 29 shots as the Flint Firebirds beat the Erie Otters, 3-1, on Saturday night at the Dort Financial Center.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Flint opened up the scoring less than two minutes into the first period as He received a beautiful cross-ice pass from Chris Thibodeau. He rifled the puck past a sliding Erie goaltender, Noah Erliden to give the Firebirds an early 1-0 lead.
They added onto their lead with a powerplay goal from Lombardi at the outset of the second period. Aspinall was teed up for a slap pass that he rocketed to Lombardi on the back side. He steered the puck past Erliden's pad and beat him to extend Flint's lead to 2-0.
Midway through the second period, Aspinall expanded the Firebird's lead. He picked up the puck off of the boards, skated in and took a shot. Erliden stopped the first shot, but Aspinall picked up his own rebound and sniped the puck past the Erie goaltender's shoulder to make the game 3-0.
The Otters responded late in the third period, with a goal from Julius Saari. He got a pass from Luc Plante, Saari found an open lane where he ripped a shot past Courville, ruining his shutout chances by making the score 3-1.
The Firebirds improved to 35-12-3-2 with their win while the Otters dropped to 15-31-2-2.
POSTGAME NOTES:
Nathan Aspinall now has ten points in his last five games. He continues to lead the OHL with 73 points...The Firebirds have picked up points in their past five games...Kevin He extended his goal streak to five games. He has totaled eight goals to go with four assists in his past five games.
UP NEXT:
The Firebirds are back at home on Wednesday night for a rivalry matchup against Saginaw Spirit. Puck drop at the Dort Financial Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Images from this story
 Flint Firebirds' Mason Courville in action (Todd Boone) |
Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 7, 2026
- Birds, Courville, Halt Otters, 3-1 - Flint Firebirds
- Saari Scores Third of the Year as Otters Fall in Flint - Erie Otters
- Late Niagara Power Play Goal Snaps Kitchener Rangers Point Streak at 14 Games - Kitchener Rangers
- Fetterolf Frustrates Bulldogs in Ottawa - Brantford Bulldogs
- Sarnia Sting Sign Defenceman Olivier Romain - Sarnia Sting
- The Road Ahead: February 7th & 8th - Brantford Bulldogs
- Barrie Colts Defeat Brampton Steelheads 4-1 on the Road - Barrie Colts
- Game Preview: Kitchener Rangers at Niagara IceDogs - February 7th, 2026 - Kitchener Rangers
- Game Preview: Saginaw Spirit vs London Knights - Saginaw Spirit
- Game Day, Game 52, Firebirds vs Otters - 7 p.m. - Flint Firebirds
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