Firebirds Drop Game 7 to the Spirit 6-3
Published on April 10, 2023 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release
Saginaw, Mich. - The Firebirds concluded Round 1 of the OHL Playoffs with a Game 7 defeat at the hands of their in-state rivals at the Dow Event Center on Monday. Amadeus Lombardi netted his fourth and fifth goals of the playoffs and Coulson Pitre found twine for the Birds. Saginaw was led by a two-goal and four-point night by Matyas Sapovaliv. Rookie netminder Nathan Day backstopped the Firebirds again and made 24 saves on 28 shots. Overage veteran Tristan Lennox won his fourth game of the series with 20 saves.
Flint found twine first when Tristan Bertucci stopped at the blue line in front of the Spirit bench and tapped a short pass to the oncoming Amadeus Lombardi. From there, Lombardi turned on the afterburners and used a toe drag to get around his defender in the left circle. With the defenseman draped all over him, Lombardi muscled his way to the slot and showed patience while waiting for Lennox to commit. Then he tucked the puck under the blocker for his team-leading fifth of the playoffs at 3:17 of the opening frame.
The Spirit came back and tied the contest off a bad bounce in the neutral zone resulted in Joey Willis emerging between two defenders for a breakaway on Day. When he got between the hash marks he wristed the puck low to the glove side and it rang off the post and in. The marker was Willis' fourth of the postseason, assisted by Hunter Haight and Calem Mangone at 10:51.
Then Saginaw went up by a goal at 12:23 when Michael Misa deflected a shot from Zayne Parekh over Day's right pad and below the blocker for his third. Dean Loukus was credited with the second assist.
Flint trailed 2-1 after 20 minutes of play. Shots favored the Spirit 13-9 and they outdrew the Birds 11-8. The Firebirds had the lone power-play chance of the frame but were unable to convert.
The clubs went back and forth for more than 11 minutes of the middle period before a goal lamp was lit. What appeared to be a routine pass behind Day's net by two Flint defenders ended up in a bouncing puck in the blue paint to Day's left without him knowing it was there. Matyas Sapovaliv skated in and tapped it across the goal line for his sixth from about six inches away at 11:25, unassisted.
The Firebirds trailed by a pair heading into the second intermission, while also trailing 20-17 on the shot counter and trailing at the faceoff dots 11-4. Neither team took a penalty to test special teams in the frame.
Saginaw was called for a minor penalty early in the third period. Although the Firebirds didn't score during the two minutes with the extra man, they started a scoring play as the penalized man stepped out of the box. Dmitry Kuzmin won a battle along the right-side half boards and backhanded a pass into traffic in the slot. Owen Pitters got a stick on it, deflecting it to Coulson Pitre at the back door for the one-timer behind Lennox at 4:45.
Nearly two minutes later, Lombardi carried around a defender in the left circle again. He won the foot race and again showed patience in the slot, as he faked a low shot to the blocker side before roofing a backhander to the glove side for his second of the night and fifth of the playoffs at 6:43. Pitre and Kuzmin drew the assists.
With the game tied and under four minutes remaining in regulation, Saginaw native Mitchell Smith carried up the right-wing wall and spun at the top of the circle, snapping the puck on goal. Sapovaliv was in position to tip the shot past Day for his second of the game at 16:12. Loukus picked up the second assist on the Spirit's fourth goal.
Day hustled to the bench for an extra attacker with under two minutes to play in the third. Flint got set up in the zone but the Saginaw defense did a good job keeping them on the perimeter. After a lengthy puck battle in the left corner, Mitchell Smith was the recipient of a loose puck behind his own net. He skated just to the side of Lennox and launched a 200-foot shot that hit the right post and deflected in for his second of the game at 18:46, assisted by Sapovaliv.
Day remained on the bench, and Saginaw would score another empty-netter to seal the victory for the home team. This time it was Joey Willis carrying up ice before setting up Dean Loukus for the short-range shot into the empty net at 19:21.
Ontario Hockey League Stories from April 10, 2023
- Bulldogs' Season Comes to a Close in Game 6 - Brantford Bulldogs
- Spirit Take First-Ever Game 7 Win, 6-3 Over Flint - Saginaw Spirit
- Firebirds Drop Game 7 to the Spirit 6-3 - Flint Firebirds
- Pinelli and Brochu Named OHL Top Performers of the Week - OHL
- Schedule Announced for Round 2 vs London - Kitchener Rangers
- Firebirds Face Spirit in Monumental Game 7 Tonight in Saginaw - Flint Firebirds
- Saginaw Hosts Flint for Game 7 Monday - Saginaw Spirit
- OHL Announces 2022-23 Coaches Poll Winners - OHL
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