Caamano Scores Two, Firebirds Best Hamilton 4-3 Saturday
Published on January 28, 2017 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release
Flint, Mich. - Nicholas Caamano scored twice against his hometown team, including the game-winning-goal, in a 4-3 victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs on Saturday night before more than 3,900 fans at the Dort Federal Event Center in Flint.
Ryan Moore opened the scoring for the Firebirds 60 seconds into the first period after he gloved-down an attempted clearing attempt in the slot and fired a shot blocker-side for his 26th goal of the season. Moore's goal was his seventh in the last nine games.
Flint doubled their lead when Caamano (Dallas Stars), a native of Ancaster, Ont., just outside of Hamilton, scored his 22nd goal of the season on the power-play. Jalen Smereck (Arizona Coyotes) fired a shot from the point that Caamano redirected in-front of the net, beating Kaden Fulcher high-glove side with 4:26 remaining in the first frame. Mathieu Henderson also picked up an assist on the play after Everett Clark won the draw cleanly, earning the Firebirds a 2-0 lead after the first period.
Niki Petti cut the deficit to one goal for the Bulldogs when he scored his 11th goal of the season at the 16:09 mark after he received a pass from Will Bitten (Montreal Canadiens) at the right-circle. Bitten intercepted a clearing play from Garrett Forrest, cented it to Petti who slid the puck under a diving Forrest to bring the game within one goal.
The Firebirds led 2-1 after two periods of play. Heading into the game, Flint was 14-0-0-1 when leading after two periods of play. Hamilton was 2-9-0-0 when trailing after two.
Hamilton evened the score when Connor Roberts scored his fourth goal of the season 3:58 into the third period after he tossed a puck on net that deflected off Smereck's skate and into the goal to tie the contest 2-2.
Former Hamilton Bulldog, Maurizio Colella, regained the Firebirds lead after he cleaned-up a rebound on the left-side of the goal for his ninth tally of the season, earning Flint a 3-2 lead. Moore's assist on the play gives him 15 points (7G, 8A) in the last nine games.
The Firebirds extended their lead to two goals when Caamano scored his 23rd goal of the season and second of the night after he walked around a defender on the right-wing wall and deked to his backhand, beating Fulcher blocker-side, for the eventual game-winning goal. After scoring on the play, Caamano has 13 points (8G, 5A) in his last 11 contests.
14 seconds later, Justin Lemcke made it a one-goal game after he danced around a defender and fired a shot over the right-shoulder of Forrest for his eighth goal of the season to make the score 4-3 with 4:41 remaining in the final period but could not tie the contest.
The Firebirds won 4-3 in Hamilton's lone visit to Flint this season.
Hamilton outshot Flint 43-31. The Firebirds scored once on four power-play opportunities. Caamano earned first star honors after scoring twice, including the game-winning goal. Moore collected the second star after he scored once and tallied an assist. Colella received the third star after he scored once. Forrest made a career-high 40 saves on 43 shots.
Next Home Game:
The Firebirds return back to the Dort Federal Event Center in Flint next Saturday, Feb. 4. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. against the Kitchener Rangers. Single game tickets for the Flint Firebirds 2016-17 season are $12 for Bronze, $15 for Silver, $19 for Gold and $25 for VIP seating. Prices are unchanged from last season and all seats are reserved / assigned seating. Parking has been reduced to $5 dollars which is new this season. Fans can purchase tickets at the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office or online by clicking ticketmaster.com.
Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 28, 2017
- Caamano Scores Two, Firebirds Best Hamilton 4-3 Saturday - Flint Firebirds
- Bulldogs Lose 4-3 in Flint - Brantford Bulldogs
- Otters 9, Storm 1 - Erie Otters
- IceDogs Fall to 67s 5-4 in Shootout - Niagara IceDogs
- 67's Win Throwback Thriller in OT - Ottawa 67's
- Cale Fleury Added to 2017 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game - OHL
- Preview: Firebirds Host Hamilton Tonight in Flint - Flint Firebirds
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
