Firebirds Beaten in Kitchener, 6-2
OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Beaten in Kitchener, 6-2

Published on March 18, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Flint Firebirds defenseman Darels Uljanskis
Flint Firebirds defenseman Darels Uljanskis
(Flint Firebirds, Credit: Kitchener Rangers)

KITCHENER, Ont. - Brady Smith and Ihnat Pazii both scored but the Firebirds fell in a 2-0 hole in the first and never led as they were beaten by the Kitchener Rangers, 6-2, on Tuesday night at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Rangers started the scoring in the first period with a shorthanded goal. Sam O'Reilly tracked down a cleared puck and found a trailing Jack Pridham on the back side. He sent a shot through Mason Vaccari's legs and Kitchener took a 1-0 lead.

That lead grew later in the first with a power play goal. Christian Humphreys shot a puck wide that bounced off the boards towards Cameron Reid pinching in. He one-timed the loose puck high past Vaccari's glove and the score was 2-0.

Flint responded and got on the board late in the first as Dryden Allen exited his zone and sped into the attacking end with the puck. He hit Smith on the back post who chipped the puck past Christian Kirsch and the Firebirds cut the lead to one. But Kitchener got another shorthanded goal early in the second. O'Reilly pounced on a loose puck off a dump-in and fired it off the pads of Vaccari and into the net.

The Firebirds struck once more in the second when Charlie Murata flipped the puck ahead for Pazii to chase it down in the attacking zone. Pazii got behind the defense, carried the puck to the net, deked to his backhand and beat Kirsch to make the score 3-2.

That would be as close as the Firebirds would get though as the Rangers responded with a goal from Dylan Edwards on an odd man rush late in the second. Pridham then added a power play goal in the third and Kitchener got one more from Cameron Arquette with less than two minutes to play in the game which put them ahead, 6-2.

The Firebirds fell to 43-16-4-3 in the loss while the Rangers improved to 47-13-4-2. Kitchener clinched the top seed in the Western Conference with the win.

POSTGAME NOTES:

The Firebirds fell to third place in the Western Conference as the Windsor Spitfires beat the Erie Otters, 5-1. Windsor now leads Flint by one point with each team having two games left to play...Brady Smith's goal was his 10th of the season, the first time in his OHL career he has reached double digit goals...Flint finished the season series with Kitchener, 2-2-0-0. The home team won in each game.

UP NEXT:

Flint will visit Owen Sound to take on the Attack on Wednesday Night. Puck drop at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics

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Images from this story

Flint Firebirds defenseman Darels Uljanskis
Flint Firebirds defenseman Darels Uljanskis
(Kitchener Rangers)		   



Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 18, 2026


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