Birds Cruise in Game 4, 6-1, Sweep into Second Round
OHL Flint Firebirds

Birds Cruise in Game 4, 6-1, Sweep into Second Round

Published on April 1, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


OWEN SOUND, Ont. - The Flint Firebirds scored five power play goals and rolled past the Owen Sound Attack, 6-1, in Game 4 on Wednesday night at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. The Firebirds completed the sweep of the Attack and set a new OHL record for the largest goal differential in a playoff series as they outscored Owen Sound a combined 35-3 in the series.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Flint struck first in the first period with a power play goal. Nathan Aspinall carried the puck into the attacking zone, loaded up and zipped a shot past Matthew Koprowski to make it 1-0. Later, with Flint on another power play, Alex Kostov fed Jacob Battaglia in front of the net. Battaglia deked to his backhand and slid the puck home to give the Birds a 2-0 advantage.

The Attack responded with a power play goal of their own in the second. Nicholas Sykora teed up Pierce Mbuyi for a one-timer from the top of the right circle that got through Mason Vaccari to make the score 2-1.

But the Firebirds quickly responded with another power play goal. Aspinall's one-timer was blocked but Battaglia gathered the puck and hit Jimmy Lombardi at the back side. He guided the puck into the net to extend the lead back to two. Then, just over a minute later, Chris Thibodeau won a draw to Battaglia who put a shot on net. Koprowski made the save but the rebound bounce to Ihnat Pazii who slammed it home and put the Birds up, 4-1.

Flint kept it rolling in the third period as Battaglia sent a wrist shot through Koprowski's legs on another power play. Aspinall later darted a wrist shot through traffic and past Koprowski's glove for the fifth power play goal of the game, which pushed the score to 6-1.

The Firebirds completed their first postseason sweep in franchise history and became the first team to advance to the second round of the 2026 OHL Playoffs.

POSTGAME NOTES:

The Firebirds outscored the Attack, 35-3 in the series, which is now the most lopsided series in OHL history. It surpassed the 1998 series that saw the Belleville Bulls sweep the Peterborough Petes and outscore them 30-5...Jacob Battaglia finished with five points on two goals and three assists. He leads the OHL Playoffs with 15 points...Nathan Aspinall had two goals and two assists and is second in the league with 13 points.

UP NEXT:

The Firebirds will await their opponent and schedule for the second round. Once set, the matchup will be announced via flintfirebirds.com and the team's social media channels.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from April 1, 2026


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