Firebirds Weekly Roundup, March 17-23

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OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Weekly Roundup, March 17-23

March 24, 2025 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


FLINT - The Firebirds concluded the regular season with four games in the final week, including three games in the final three days. First, they hosted Guelph for a make-up game on Tuesday. Then, they played in Sarnia on Friday, at home versus Saginaw on Saturday, and the final game of the regular season was Sunday in Saginaw.

On Tuesday at the Dort Financial Center, The Firebirds outshot the Storm 39-27, including a surplus of 12-4 in the final 20 minutes. Sam McCue was the only Bird able to solve Storm netminder Zachary Jovanovski, however, as Flint came up short with a 2-1 final score. The penalty kill went 3-for-3, extending their streak to 25 consecutive successful kills. For the season, the Firebirds finished their series with Guelph with a split record of 2-2-0-0. Nathan Day made 25 saves on 27 shots in the effort.

On Friday, the team traveled across the Blue Water Bridge to face the Sting. Sarnia found twine first, but Artem Frolov and the Birds answered four minutes later. The Bees scored twice more in the first plus another pair in the third to claim a 5-2 win on home ice. Josh Colosimo scored the third goal of his freshman campaign, assisted by Frolov, who had a two-point night. Noah Bender recorded 33 saves on 38 shots in his 13th appearance of the year. The Sting scored on their lone power-play chance, ending the Birds' successful penalty-kill streak at 25. Flint won the season series with Sarnia with a mark of 5-2-0-1.

Saturday night was Game 7 of the Coors Light I-75 Divide Cup, with Saginaw in the lead four games to two. The Dort Financial Center was completely sold out as the final regular-season home game was also Overager Night, where the club and fans honored and thanked Blake Smith, Nolan Collins, and Evan Konyen for their career and tenure with the club. Collins and Konyen were scratches for the game, but Blake Smith went out with style, scoring a shorthanded goal in a 6-3 commanding performance against their rivals. McCue potted two power-play goals and Chris Thibodeau lit the lamp once at even strength and once shorthanded. Nathan Aspinall and Jimmy Lombardi each pitched in three assists, matching their career-high in a single game. Matthew Mania had two helpers, extending his active points streak to five games (7 A).

The rivalry shifted to Saginaw on Sunday, this time in front of a sold-out Dow Event Center. Saginaw held a 4-3 advantage in the Coors Light I-75 Divide Cup entering the final day. Alex Kostov scored a shorthanded tally early, his 16th of the campaign, but the Spirit answered with a pair of their own before the first intermission. Podrekar potted his tenth of the season and second in the past 24 hours to tie things, but then it was all Spirit through a 9-2 win to conclude the regular season. Saginaw claimed the I-75 Divide Cup for a sixth time with the win. Noah Bender stopped 38 of 47 shots faced.

The Birds were outscored across the four-game stretch by a margin of 19-11. They were outshot 139-113. They won more faceoffs than the opposition, however, claiming 132 draws to their opponent's 117. Flint scored three power-play markers on 19 chances (15.8%) while killing 13 of 18 penalties (72.2%). The team finished the regular season with a record of 29-34-2-3, ranking sixth in the Western Conference. They'll face the number three-seeded Kitchener Rangers for Round 1 of the OHL Playoffs.

LEADERBOARD

Sam McCue finished with the most goals (36) and total points (55) for Flint. Kaden Pitre ended in second with 53 points (22 G, 31 A). Chris Thibodeau wound up third with 22 tallies and 28 helpers for 50 total points. Mania topped the defensive unit with 45 points, including a club-leading 38 assists. He also concluded the regular season on a five-game point streak (7 A).

COMING UP

The Firebirds are set to begin their postseason with a pair of road games at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium this weekend. Game 1 is set for a 7:00 p.m. puck drop on Friday. Game 2 is a matinee game scheduled for puck drop at 2:00 p.m. Sunday. Fans can follow all the action for both playoff games this week on 103.1 FM through Flint and mid-Michigan or online via the US 103.1 app.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 24, 2025


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