Firebirds Thump Spirit for Fourth Straight Win, 6-3
December 20, 2024 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release
Flint Firebirds' Connor Clattenburg
(Flint Firebirds, Credit: Natalie Shaver, OHL Images)
SAGINAW, Mich. - Chris Thibodeau scored twice, five Firebirds had multiple points and Nathan Day made 28 saves as the Birds handled the Saginaw Spirit, 6-3, on Friday night at the Dow Event Center. Flint will enter the OHL's holiday break on a season-high four-game winning streak.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Flint started the scoring in the first period. Artem Frolov fed Jack D'Arcy who fired a wrist shot through traffic. It beat Andrew Oke high on the glove side for his first OHL goal and the Firebirds took a 1-0 lead. They added to it three minutes later when Alex Kostov left a drop pass for Matthew Wang at the right circle. He sent a snap shot on net and past Oke to make it 2-0.
The Spirit answered one minute later when Calem Mangone gained the zone and beat Day high on the glove side to get on the board and cut the lead to 2-1.
Flint started fast in the second though as Hayden Reid hit Thibodeau between the faceoff circles. He darted a shot bar down and past Oke to push the lead back to two. After Saginaw answered with a James Guo goal, Cole Zurawski hit Connor Clattenburg at the blue line and sprung him for a breakaway. Clattenburg sped in, deked and slid the puck five hole to make the score 4-2.
Later, with the teams skating four-on-four, Thibodeau knifed into the attacking zone and split the Saginaw defense. He put a move on and flipped the puck past Kaleb Papineau's glove to extend the lead to three.
Kostov struck for a goal in the first minute of the third period. Carson Harmer cashed in for a power play goal later in the third which cut the Flint lead to 6-3 but that would be all as the Bird hung on for the win, their second in the last three days against the Spirit.
Flint improved to 15-15-1-1 with the win while Saginaw fell to 16-16-1-0.
POSTGAME NOTES:
Alex Kostov has scored a goal in each of his last three games...Hayden Reid had two assists, his first multi-point game in the OHL...Connor Clattenburg and Chris Thibodeau each now have 10 goals and are tied for second on the team...Thibodeau now has three two-goal games this season.
UP NEXT:
The Firebirds and the rest of the OHL have hit the holiday break. Flint will next be on the ice in eight days on Saturday, December 28 against the Niagara IceDogs. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. at the Dort Financial Center.
Images from this story
 Flint Firebirds' Connor Clattenburg (Natalie Shaver, OHL Images) |
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