OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Take Out Rangers In Kitchener, 5-3

Published on December 29, 2023 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


KITCHENER, Ont. - Nolan Dann recorded his first two-goal game of the season and Coulson Pitre had a goal and two assists as the Flint Firebirds defeated the OHL-leading Kitchener Rangers, 5-3 on Friday night at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.

With the game tied at two after two periods, Flint took control in the middle frame. Two and a half minutes into the second, the Rangers coughed the puck up in their defensive zone and it was poked to Dann at the left circle. He pounced on it and wired the puck on the short side through Jackson Parsons, giving the Firebirds their first lead of the game.

Then, past the midway point of period two, Nathan Aspinall slipped a pass by a Rangers defenseman to rookie forward Jeremy Martin in the right circle. Martin blasted a shot over Parsons' shoulder and the Firebirds lead grew to 4-2.

Kitchener brought itself back within one early in the third period. Kyle Morey fired a shot from the left faceoff dot that Day stopped but the rebound sat loose in the crease. Cameron Arquette knocked it through the five hole of Day with a backhander for his first career OHL goal to cut the Firebirds lead to 4-3.

The Rangers kept the pressure up for the remainder of the third period but could not crack Day again. He made several key stops down the stretch as the Firebirds killed off four penalties throughout the third period.

Parsons was pulled inside the final two minutes of play with the Rangers on a power play. With Kitchener skating with an empty net and an extra attacker, the Firebirds were able to clear the zone and find Zacharie Giroux in the neutral zone. He put the icing on the cake with a shorthanded empty-netter 46 seconds shy of the final buzzer.

Kitchener struck twice in the first period with goals from Luke Ellinas and Trent Swick. Flint got a pair of goals in the opening frame from Pitre and Dann.

Flint's penalty killers shut down the league's fourth-best power play on all seven of their opportunities, Dann registered his first two-goal game of the season and Pitre matched a season-high with three points. The Firebirds improved to 14-16-2-1 in the win while the Rangers dropped to 24-9-2-0.

The Firebirds will return to action on Saturday night on home ice against the Guelph Storm. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Dort Financial Center.

Story: Brandon Mills // flintfirebirds.com

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from December 29, 2023


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