Firebirds Weekly Roundup, March 2 - 8
Published on March 10, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release
FLINT - The Firebirds started the final month of the OHL's regular season with a mark of 39-15-4-2 in the campaign. Their 84 standings points ranked them second in the West Division and third in the Western Conference. Kitchener sat atop the Conference standings with 90 points and a record of 44-12-4-2, while the Spitfires were just one point in front of Flint with a 39-14-5-2 record.
On Wednesday, the Birds dropped a 4-3 decision in a shootout on home ice to the Soo Greyhounds. The opening frame featured 22 combined saves between two of the OHL's top-rated goaltenders, resulting in a scoreless tie entering period two. The Hounds finally found the scoreboard two minutes in, but Flint answered 1:12 later with Bryson Morgan's third of the campaign, tying things up at 1-1. Inside the final 30 seconds of the second, a power-play marker for the Soo gave them a 2-1 advantage through 40 minutes. Darian Anderson potted his 18th on the man advantage to kick off a three-goal third period. Next was Jacob Battaglia's 26th of the year, lifting the Birds to a 3-2 edge with seven minutes remaining in regulation. Former Firebird Jeremy Martin tied the game with a tick over five minutes to play, concluding scoring in regulation for the evening with the score tied again, 3-3. Soo overage forward Justin Cloutier netted the eventual game-winner in the fourth round of the shootout to give the Hounds a road victory, leaving Flint with one point toward the standings race. With one final regular-season meeting remaining between these clubs, Flint's record now stands at 4-0-0-1 versus the Soo. Carter George made 40 saves on 43 shots in a busy outing between the pipes. Mason Vaccari finished with 18 stops on 21 shots faced.
Kitchener defeated the Sting 6-3 on Wednesday to extend their lead in the Western Conference to seven points. Windsor remained idle until Saturday.
Friday night featured a road battle versus the team the Birds have the most all-time wins (43) against, the Sarnia Sting. Flint came out strong, striking for three-straight goals to start the contest and earning the eventual 3-1 victory. Rylan Fellinger (3), Nathan Aspinall (30), and Ihnat Pazii (14) were Flint's lamp-lighters in the affair. Aspinall's tally extended his points streak to seven games (2 G, 6 A). Sarnia's lone goal stood as the final marker of the game, scored at 15:00 of the second period. Kevin He chipped in two assists, bringing his point total as a Firebird to 39 (21 G, 18 A) through 27 games. Mason Courville turned aside 22 of 23 shots faced, earning his eighth win of the season. This was his fourth game allowing one or fewer goals. The win was also the Birds' 150th road win in franchise history. Flint's record versus the Bees this season ended at 4-2-1-1.
With the win, the Firebirds moved two points ahead of Windsor for second-place. Kitchener, however, earned two more points with a home-ice win over Sault Ste. Marie on Friday to maintain the same seven-point cushion.
The Birds fell into an early 2-0 hole to start their third game of the week, as they welcomed division foe Windsor to the Dort Financial Center. The Spits scored in the final minute of the first period and the initial minute of the second. Then, Xavier Tessier answered at 1:55 of the middle frame to pull the game back within reach. Flint would score three more unanswered en route to a huge 4-2 victory. Kevin He tallied his team-high 35th of the season, followed closely by Jimmy Lombardi who scored goals 32 and 33, the latter into the empty net to seal the victory. It was the Birds' 20th home win of the season, tying a franchise best set in the shortened 2019-20 season. Vaccari made 32 saves on 34 shots for win number 33 on the year. He also picked up an assist on the final score of the night and was named the game's first star. The win was the 100th for Head Coach Paul Flache.
Windsor hosted Kitchener on Sunday for a matchup between the Western Conference's first and third-ranked clubs. The Spitfires claimed the 5-2 win on home ice. The Western Conference standings are now Kitchener in first with 94 points, the Firebirds in second with 89 points, and the Spitfires holding down third place with 87 points. Windsor has played one fewer game than both the Rangers and the Firebirds, and the Birds will visit the Rangers one more time before the postseason.
Flint outscored this week's challengers 10-7 and outshot them by a margin of 101-78. On the draw, the advantage went to their opponents by a combined total of 98-80. The power play clicked for two goals on seven chances (28.6%) and now ranks seventh in the OHL at a 23.3% rate of success for the season. When shorthanded, the Birds allowed only two goals against though 12 penalty-kill situations (83.0%) and rank eighth for the year at an 80.3% clip.
LEADERBOARD
Aspinall remains second in the league with 86 points and third in assists (56), leading the Firebirds in both categories. Kevin He leads Flint in goals-scored (35) and sits second in total points with 70. Lombardi has a balanced 33 goals and 33 helpers to rank third with 66 total points. Urban Podrekar leads the rearguards in scoring with 11 tallies and 37 assists. Vaccari has four shutouts, tied for second-most in the OHL, and his 33 wins rank second.
COMING UP
With five games remaining in the 2025-26 regular season, the Birds will play twice in the upcoming week. First, they'll face the Greyhounds again on Friday, this time on home ice with puck drop set for 7 p.m. Then, they'll travel 35 minutes north on I-75 to the Dow Event Center to face the Spirit for the eighth and final time on Saturday.
Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 10, 2026
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- Firebirds Weekly Roundup, March 2 - 8 - Flint Firebirds
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