Birds Hold off Knights, 5-4
OHL Flint Firebirds

Birds Hold off Knights, 5-4

Published on March 21, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Flint Firebirds on game night
Flint Firebirds on game night
(Flint Firebirds, Credit: Todd Boone)

FLINT - A high octane affair took place Saturday night at the Dort Financial Center between the Flint Firebirds and London Knights with Flint taking the win 5-4 in this pivotal matchup for the West Division. Thanks to Flint's win, it can take the West Division and second place in the Western Conference if the Soo Greyhounds beat the Windsor Spitfires in regulation on Sunday afternoon in Sault Ste. Marie.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Ihnat Pazii opened the scoring after corralling the puck behind the net in the offensive zone. He skated up the boards, spun, and slipped a shot between the post and goaltender Sebastian Gatto. Just two minutes later, Nathan Aspinall drove down the left wing on the power play and fed Jimmy Lombardi, who buried the puck to give Flint a 2-0 lead.

The Firebirds continued their first-period surge when Urban Podrekar found Kevin He alone in the slot. He chipped a shot past Gatto's blocker to extend the lead to three.

Flint pushed its advantage to 4-0 in the second period as Lombardi worked the puck below the goal line. He sent a backhanded pass to Aspinall who slung home a one-timer. That would be it for Gatto, who was pulled after allowing four goals on 13 shots.

London responded on the power play with a goal from Henry Brzustewicz, whose wrist shot beat Mason Vaccari under the crossbar to make it 4-1.

In the third period, William Nicholl capitalized on a rebound with Vaccari out of position, cutting the deficit to 4-2. Moments later, following a Firebirds turnover, Braidy Wassilyn broke in alone and finished a forehand-to-backhand move high short side to bring London within one.

Flint regained momentum late in the period when Jacob Battaglia and Kevin He connected on a breakout pass. He sped in with a breakaway and slipped the puck between the legs of goaltender Aleksei Medvedev to restore a two-goal cushion at 5-3.

London continued to press, and Andoni Fimus fired a shot from the blue line that was deflected through traffic and into the net, narrowing the score to 5-4. That would be all the Knights would get though as the Firebirds hung on for the win in their regular season finale.

The Firebirds improved to 44-17-4-3 with the victory while London dropped to 40-23-4-1.

POSTGAME NOTES: Mason Vaccari earned his 36th win of the season, equaling Luke Cavallin's franchise record...Kevin He had two goals and an assist...Nathan Aspinall and Jimmy Lombardi both charted a goal and an assist...Aspinall finished the season with 33 goals and a franchise record 61 assists. He is currently second in the OHL with 94 points.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics

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Images from this story

Flint Firebirds on game night
Flint Firebirds on game night
(Todd Boone)		   



Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 21, 2026


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