OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Rout Storm to Earn Fourth Straight Win

Published on March 4, 2023 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Flint, Mich. - The Firebirds sweep their second-consecutive weekend and now have four straight wins plus points in seven of their last eight contests after defeating the visiting Storm 10-3 on Saturday. Plenty of new milestones were reached, starting with Nathan Aspinall's first career OHL goal. Simon Slavicek scored twice and added an assist in his 100th OHL game. Zacharie Giroux reached 100 career points with a goal, and defender Dmitry Kuzmin reached 100 points and tied the record for the most assists (44) by a rearguard in a single season in franchise history. Gavin Hayes also extended the OHL's longest active points streak to 13 games (7 G, 13 A) and reached OHL career goal 50 with a three-point performance (2 G, 1 A).

Nathan Day got the nod in goal again, and he now has six-consecutive victories between the pipes after posting 21 saves on 24 shots. Brayden Gillespie donned the pads for the visiting Storm to start, posting 15 saves on 21 shots before Patrick Leaver came in on a relief effort. Leaver made 19 saves on 23 shots in the balance of the contest. With the ten goals scored in the tilt, the Birds also tied their all-time record for most goals scored in a home game.

The Firebirds got off to a slow start, getting outshot 5-0 in the first 1:09 and not mustering their first shot on goal until 7:39 into the contest. As the period went on, the momentum flipped in Flint's favor. In the ninth minute of play, Tristan Bertucci crossed the blue line on the left side and made a short drop-pass to Alex Bradshaw along the near boards. Bradshaw sent a rapid cross-ice pass to Simon Slavicek atop the right circle, and his one-timer found twine low to the glove side for his tenth of the year at 9:47.

Just over a minute later, Coulson Pitre delivered a huge hit along the right-wing half boards that resulted in a turnover. He grabbed the loose puck and set up Zacharie Giroux centered above the hash marks for a quick snapshot low to the blocker side, which lit the lamp for his 19th of the campaign and 100th career point at 11:13.

The Storm fought back and cut the deficit two minutes later when Matthew Poitras launched the puck into traffic from the left point. It deflected off a player's equipment in the slot and went to Chandler Romeo below the left circle. Romeo quickly fed it across the slot to Braeden Bowman perched to Day's left for the back-door play. The goal was Bowman's team-leading 28th of the season, recorded at 13:21.

Inside the last minute of the opening frame, Amadeus Lombardi pulled an offensive-zone faceoff back to teammate Riley Piercey while on a power play. Piercey turned and sent the puck back to Lombardi below the right circle, where he sniped a wide-angle wrister behind Gillespie into the top corner far side for his club-leading 41st at 19:27.

First-period shots ended at 15-8 in Flint's favor. The Birds also won 13 of 20 faceoffs in the frame. There were three power-play chances in the first for the Firebirds, and they were able to convert on one of them. The Storm didn't get a chance with the man advantage.

The Birds found twine again less than three minutes into the middle frame. Slavicek peeled away from a defender in the right offensive corner and sent a long-range pass to Marko Stojkov at the left point. Stojkov wound and fired a seeing-eye shot into the top corner glove-side for his fourth of the season and second of the weekend at 2:47.

Next, the Firebirds would score three quick goals in the span of 1:30. Artem Guryev ripped a slapper from the right point that was deflected over the left shoulder of Gillespie by Owen Pitters for his third of the season at 8:26. Kaden Pitre was credited with the second assist. Then Riley Piercy snagged a bouncing puck off the kick plate to the right of Gillespie and immediately sent it across the slot to Gavin Hayes. The Westland, Mich. native one-timed it behind the Guelph goaltender for his 30th of the season at 8:41, prompting the Storm to switch goaltenders.

With veteran Patrick Leaver in net and the visiting Storm on a power play, what seemed a harmless two-on-two rush for Flint turned into their third tally of the quick timeframe. Dmitry Kuzmin carried up the left-wing side with Slavicek to his right. Kuzmin shot and Leaver made the save in the butterfly position, but as the goalie slid to the far right side of the blue paint, Slavicek was able to tap the rebound home for his second goal and third point of the night at 9:56. Hayes had the second assist on the shorthanded strike.

Guelph came back with their second marker of the night at 12:49. Poitras passed across the top of the circles from the left side to Max Namestnikov on the right. From the middle of the right circle, Namestnikov lifted a wrister far-side, beating the blocker for his 28th of the year.

After 40 minutes, Flint led 7-2 and had outshot the Storm 28-15. The Birds also had the advantage in the faceoff circles 22-19. Guelph was scoreless in only one power-play opportunity, while the Firebirds had one goal on four tries with the extra man.

From between the left hash marks, Gavin Hayes wristed the puck off the far post and in for his second of the night and 50th of his OHL career to start the third period. Lombardi had the assist on the goal, netted at even strength at 5:41.

The teams traded a pair of late goals. The Storm posted their third of the night at 14:12, when a wrister from Poitras snuck through a traffic jam in the crease for his 15th, assisted by Romeo and Bowman. Then at 15:30, Artem Guryev slapped one through traffic in front of Leaver for his fifth of the campaign, assisted by Coulson Pitre and Giroux.

With under 30 seconds remaining, Nathan Aspinall scored the first goal of his OHL career with a wrist shot under the left pad from the right faceoff dot at 19:31. Tyler Deline picked up the lone assist on the game's final counter.

The final shot counter read 44 for Flint to 24 for Guelph. Faceoffs were 38-34, also in favor of the Firebirds. On special teams, the Birds scored once on five power-play situations while holding Guelph scoreless in their lone opportunity with the man advantage.

Next Up: Game four of the current five-game homestand for the Firebirds will be Wednesday evening when the Erie Otters return for the first time since January 22. The game is another Buy One, Get One Free promotion, available only at the Dort Financial Center Box Office. Puck drop for Wednesday's home game is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) at the Dort Financial Center, and all other individual tickets are available from ETIX.COM.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 4, 2023


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