Firebirds Ride Five Unanswered Goals to 6-3 Win in the Soo
Published on October 26, 2023 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release
SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. - Zacharie Giroux scored twice, four different Firebirds had multi-point games and Flint finished the game with five unanswered goals, en route to a 6-3 win over the Soo Greyhounds on Wednesday night at the GFL Memorial Gardens. Nathan Day posted 36 saves on 39 shots for the Firebirds who finished a four-game road swing with six of a possible eight points.
With the Firebirds trailing, 3-1, in the second period Coulson Pitre and Giroux were sprung by a stretch pass and gained the zone with an odd-man rush. The two went give and go and Giroux snapped a wrist shot home, cutting the lead to 3-2.
Flint then tied the game early in the third when Pitre won an offensive zone draw back to Giroux. The Firebirds captain wired a shot from the inner edge of the left circle over goaltender Landon Miller's right shoulder for his second of the night, tying the game at three.
The Birds then reclaimed the lead with under seven minutes to play in regulation. First-year defender Rylan Fellinger sent a tape-to-tape feed from the right half wall to Nathan Aspinall who was alone at the back circle. Aspinall chipped the puck past a lunging Miller, putting the Firebirds on top, 4-3.
The Greyhounds pulled Miller inside the final two minutes and put a flurry of shots on Flint's netminder, but Day stood tall and kept them at bay. Flint then grabbed an insurance marker when Dallas Stars prospect Tristan Bertucci found the empty net with under a minute to play. Soo pulled Miller a second time but it was again an unsuccessful gamble as Braeden Kressler sailed a puck from his own goal line that went the full length of the ice and into the yawning cage, pushing the score to its 6-3 final.
Flint opened the scoring in the first when Gavin Hayes flipped a puck from below the goal line to Jeremy Martin atop the crease. Martin stuffed it past Miller to make it 1-0. Soo later tied it on a Brenden Sirizzotti rebound goal. The Birds weathered an early storm that saw them outshot, 15-3, thanks in large part to the stellar play of Day, who shone with 14 saves in the opening period.
Early in the second, Justin Cloutier sniped a wrister from atop the right circle to give the Hounds their first lead of the night, logging his sixth of the campaign and fourth scored on the Firebirds. Connor Clattenberg potted his first of the season in the middle frame as well, giving the Greyhounds a 3-1 lead.
Giroux (2 G) and Hayes (1 A) each extended their points streaks to six games, Bertucci and Kressler finished the night with a goal and an assist each, and Pitre had two helpers in the win.
The Firebirds improved to 4-6-0-0 in the victory while the Hounds dropped to 7-5-0-0. Flint and Soo will meet again on Saturday night in Flint for the first of two Firebirds home games this weekend. It's First Responders Appreciation Night, sponsored by Dort Financial Credit Union, and first responders can get a free ticket by showing proof of employment at the box office. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the Dort Financial Center.
Story: Brandon Mills // flintfirebirds.com
Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 26, 2023
- Fimis Nets 100th Point, Terrance Extends Streak in 4-2 Win at Barrie - Erie Otters
- 67's Agree to Multi-Year Extensions with James Boyd and Dave Cameron - Ottawa 67's
- Firebirds Ride Five Unanswered Goals to 6-3 Win in the Soo - Flint Firebirds
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