Firebirds Drop Overtime Heartbreaker to Sudbury
February 5, 2016 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release
Flint, Mich. - After being down 3-0 in the second period, the Firebirds rallied back to tie the game 4-4 before falling with 51 seconds left in overtime the Dort Federal Event Center on Friday night.
Sudbury's Michael Pezzetta scored his fifth of the season on the first shot of the game. While shorthanded, Maculey Carson headmanned the puck to Pezzetta for a breakaway before he scored over Moran's right shoulder for the early lead.
With 3:27 remaining in the opening frame, Dimitry Sokolov converted on a give-and-go play with Ryan Valentini. From the left circle, Sokolov found Valentini below the Firebirds' goal line. Valentini one-touched the puck back to Sokolov who scored shortside increasing Sudbury's lead to two goals heading into the locker room.
Sudbury would score their third goal of the evening when the first pick overall in the 2015 OHL draft David Levin, stripped a Firebirds defenseman behind the Flint net and found Alan Lyszczarczyk in slot who found the back of the net at 7:24 of the middle period.
Flint would get on the board 1:26 seconds later when Connor Sills picked up a bouncing puck in the slot and scored on a spin-o-rama shot past former Flint Firebirds' goaltender Zach Bowman's blocker.
The Firebirds then brought the game within one with 1:21 remaining in the middle period when Zack Pittman scored on a seeing-eye shot from the point before Sudbury's Brady Pataki scored the Wolves' fourth goal 15 seconds later on a breakaway.
With Sudbury in the lead 4-2 in the third period, Nicholas Caamano found a crashing Ryan Moore on a two-on-one play who buried for his 15^th of the season from the left circle. Then, Luke Kirwan scored his fifth of the season from the left wing wall, tying the game 4-4 with 2:34 left in regulation.
With 51 seconds left in overtime, Sudbury's Ryan Valentini was able to escape a Firebirds' defender and get two shots off before Mikkel Aagaard scored on the second rebound, earning the Wolves the 5-4 victory.
Despite falling in overtime, the Firebirds outshot the Wolves 55-26 and were dominant in the face off circle, winning 48 of 76 draws.
The Firebirds will host the Kitchener Rangers tomorrow for the first time at the Dort Federal Event Center for Military Appreciation night. Puck drop is slated for 7:30 p.m. and all active and retired military personnel will receive a complimentary Silver level ticket with valid ID. The Rangers are ranked fourth out of 60 teams in the CHL in the BMO CHL Top-10 Rankings which are selected by a panel of National Hockey League scouts.
Kitchener has five players drafted in the NHL consisting of Jeremy Bracco (Toronto), Miles Liberati (Vancouver), Ryan MacInnis (Arizona), Nick Magyar (Colorado) and Luke Opilka (St. Louis). Adam Macherin is ranked #57 and Connor Bunnaman is listed as #81 among North American skaters for the NHL Draft.
Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 5, 2016
- Steelheads Rally in the Third, Fall Just Short - Brampton Steelheads
- Mascherin Tallies Twice as Rangers Drop IceDogs 4-1 - Kitchener Rangers
- Early-Lead Sets up Hounds for Second Straight on the Road - Soo Greyhounds
- Spirit Struck by Storm in Shootout 4-3 - Saginaw Spirit
- Firebirds Drop Overtime Heartbreaker to Sudbury - Flint Firebirds
- Sicoly, Giugovaz Lead Storm to Shootout Win over Spirit - Guelph Storm
- Bulldogs Rally to Beat 67's - Brantford Bulldogs
- Erie Beats Sarnia 3-2 in a Shootout - Sarnia Sting
- 67's Explosive Start Not Enough in Loss to Bulldogs - Ottawa 67's
- Otters Stay Perfect in the Shootout - Erie Otters
- Rangers Anything But a Walk in the Park for Niagara - Niagara IceDogs
- Attack Fall to Knights in London - Owen Sound Attack
- Battalion Faces 'Dogs with Plenty on Line - North Bay Battalion
- Wolves Fall Under Fire - Sudbury Wolves
- Commemorative Petes Pink in the Rink Sweaters Unveiled - Peterborough Petes
- Stewart Leaves Spirit to Pursue Other Opportunities - Saginaw Spirit
- Preview: Spirit Look to Weather the Storm Friday - Saginaw Spirit
- Firebirds Host Sudbury Friday, Kitchener Saturday in Flint - Flint Firebirds
- Game Preview: Storm, Spirit Meet for Final Match-Up - Guelph Storm
- Greyhounds Rebound for 5-2 Decision - North Bay Battalion
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