Birds Fall to Spirit, 9-2

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OHL Flint Firebirds

Birds Fall to Spirit, 9-2

March 23, 2025 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Flint Firebirds goaltender Noah Bender vs. the Saginaw Spirit
Flint Firebirds goaltender Noah Bender vs. the Saginaw Spirit
(Flint Firebirds, Credit: Natalie Shaver, OHL Images)

SAGINAW, Mich. - The Flint Firebirds kept it close early but couldn't stop the Saginaw Spirit's offense as they fell to their rivals, 9-2 on Sunday night at the Dow Event Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Flint started things off halfway through the first period. After a penalty on the Firebirds, Jimmy Lombardi came away from the faceoff with the puck and sent it to Alex Kostov. Kostov raced down the right wing and took a shot from the faceoff circle that sailed into the corner of the net to put the Firebirds up 1-0.

The Spirit struck five minutes later when Calem Mangone skated the puck from the blue line around the edge of the right faceoff circle and took a shot that slipped through Noah Bender's pads and into the net. Soon after, Igor Chernyshov drove the puck into the right faceoff circle, pulling Bender's attention. Chernyshov sent the puck to an open James Guo whose wrist shot sailed into the net, giving Saginaw a 2-1 lead.

Less than a minute into the second period, Flint's Hayden Reid skated the puck down the center and into the zone, turning around at the last second to pass it to Urban Podrekar. Podrekar took a shot that snuck under the crossbar and into the net, tying things up, 2-2.

Dimian Zhilkin put the Spirit back on top when he drove the puck into the zone and deked the defender, creating a gap to send a backhand shot flying into the side of the net and giving Saginaw a 3-2 lead.

On a Saginaw power play, Zane Parekh sent in a shot that Bender blocked but in the scramble for the puck, Calem Mangone tapped it in. Saginaw scored again when Chernyshov sent in a shot that Bender stopped. Michael Misa picked up the rebound though and sent it over Bender's shoulder to give the Spirit a 5-2 lead.

Saginaw potted four more goals in the third period, as Chernyshov, Zhilkin, Epperson, and Mangone all scored, to make the score 9-2.

Flint finished the regular season at 29-34-2-3 while Saginaw ended with a record of 37-27-2-1.

POSTGAME NOTES:

Urban Podrekar scored his tenth goal of the season...Saginaw won the Coors Lite I-75 Divide Cup 5-3-0-0...Alex Kostov's goal was his third shorthanded goal of the season.

UP NEXT:

The six-seed Firebirds take on the three-seed Rangers in Kitchener on Friday, March 28 in Game 1 of the OHL Playoffs. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics




Images from this story

Flint Firebirds goaltender Noah Bender vs. the Saginaw Spirit
Flint Firebirds goaltender Noah Bender vs. the Saginaw Spirit
(Natalie Shaver, OHL Images)		   

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 23, 2025


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