Firebirds Weekly Roundup, March 16-22
OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Weekly Roundup, March 16-22

Published on March 23, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


FLINT - The Firebirds entered the final week of the regular season with a mark of 43-15-4-3, making this the winningest year in franchise history. The Kitchener Rangers remained in first place in the Western Conference with 98 points to Flint's 93. The Windsor Spitfires were only a half-game behind the Birds in third.

All three teams were active on Tuesday, as Flint travelled to first-place Kitchener and Windsor hosted the 10th-ranked Erie Otters. It was Kevin He's 250th OHL game, but he was held off the scoresheet for just the third time in his last 19 contests. Brady Smith (10) and Ihnat Pazii (15) scored for the Firebirds, but Kitchener combined for four special-teams tallies and won 6-2. Mason Vaccari finished with 18 saves on 24 shots. Flint finished the season series versus the Rangers with a record of 2-2-0-0. The home team won every game between the two clubs in the campaign. With the victory, the Rangers locked down first place in the Western Conference. Windsor also defeated Erie on Tuesday to leapfrog the Firebirds and assume the second spot in the conference rankings.

Flint played its final road game of the regular season on Wednesday in Owen Sound. Darian Anderson, who hails from nearby Brighton, MI, continued his impressive first season in the OHL with his 19th and 20th goals. Xavier Tessier netted his seventh, but the Bears broke a late tie for the eventual 4-3 home win. Nathan Aspinall chipped in a pair of helpers to increase the all-time record for assists in a season to 60. Mason Courville recorded 32 saves in a busy night between the pipes. The season series with Owen Sound, a potential first-round opponent as of Wednesday, ended at 3-1-0-0.

While Flint remained idle Thursday and Friday, Windsor extended its lead to two points with an overtime defeat in London. Then, the Knights invaded the Dort Financial Center on Saturday for a critical game with playoff implications for both sides. Kevin He scored twice and picked up an assist to lead the offense, as the Birds held off a resilient London squad, 5-4. Aspinall and Jimmy Lombardi each finished with two points from a goal and an assist. Pazii (16) also scored, breaking the scoreless tie in the seventh minute. Between the pipes, Vaccari made 17 saves on 21 shots for his 36th win, tying Luke Cavallin's franchise record set in the 2021-22 season. Overager Urban Podrekar chipped in a helper in the contest, finishing his OHL career with 99 regular-season points. Across the four-game season series with London, the Firebirds finished with a record of 3-0-1-0. The Birds finished with a commanding record of 15-4-1-0 versus the Midwest Division.

With the win over London, Flint tied Windsor at 95 points in the standings. The Spits still had one game in hand, traveling to Sault Ste. Marie on Sunday with playoff rankings for four teams in the balance. The Spitfires won, 5-3, earning them the West Division title and the second seed for the postseason. As such, the Firebirds fell to the third spot and will face the sixth-ranked Owen Sound Attack in the first round.

Flint's 95 points stand as the new franchise milestone, as do its 44 wins and 22 home wins. On the road, this season's 22 wins fell just two shy of the record set in the 2021-22 season. While the Firebirds' total goals scored (261) were only fourth-most in team history, their 199 goals allowed set a new season low, beating the previous record from 2021-22 by 39. The power play finished with the highest rate of conversion since the club's inception, ending at 23.5%. The penalty kill success rate wound up at 78.9%, good for third-best.

The Firebirds were outscored by this week's opponents 14-10. Flint outshot the competition 84-81 despite surrendering 105 of 170 total draws. The power play struck twice on eight chances, and the penalty kill allowed three goals-against through just six opportunities.

LEADERBOARD

Aspinall finished the regular season with 61 helpers, the most assists ever by a Firebird and the third-most in the OHL this year. He also led the Birds in total points with 94, the second-most in the league. Kevin He's 77 points are second-best, but he leads the team with 39 goals. Of his 39 tallies, 25 were scored during his 32 games as a Firebird. He also finished tied for fourth in the league in goals scored. Lombardi ended the season with 72 points, combining an even 36 goals and 36 helpers. Vaccari's 2.70 goals-against average for the season beat the previous record of 3.07 set by Nathan Day in the 2024/25 season.

COMING UP

This is the second time in their history that the Birds will face the Attack in the postseason. In the 2022 OHL Playoffs, Flint defeated the Bears in seven games in Round 1. They eventually fell to Windsor in the Western Conference Finals. This season, the Firebirds hold a record of 3-1-0-0 against Owen Sound. The first two playoff games are scheduled for Thursday and Saturday at the Dort Financial Center. Puck drop for both contests is set for 7:00 p.m, and tickets are available.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics

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