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OHL Flint Firebirds

Late Comeback Bid Falls Just Short as Firebirds Drop 5-4 Contest in Guelph

February 10, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Guelph, Ont. - The Firebirds fought from behind all night but were unable to catch the home Storm on Friday night. Amadeus Lombardi extended his points streak to nine games with a four-point performance (1 G, 3 A) for Flint, and defender Tristan Bertucci scored twice in a hard-fought battle in Guelph. Will Cranley started in goal and posted 24 saves on 29 shots in the effort. The eventual win went to Patrick Leaver who saved 30 of the 34 shots faced.

The pressure was hot from the Storm throughout the opening frame. Shortly after killing off their first penalty successfully, the Firebirds found themselves trailing 1-0 after a back-door one-timer got behind Cranley at 10:39. Ben McFarlane took the initial shot from the right faceoff dot, which deflected off the equipment of a defender right back to him. From the right side of the low slot, he slipped a pass to Cooper Walker on the far side who swept it in for his 12th of the season. Jake Murray picked up the second assist.

After some chippy play resulted in four-on-four play late in the frame, Mcfarlane netted his tenth of the campaign at 18:32. Cooper Walker fed Michael Buchinger who carried to the top of the right-wing circle, then rifled a pass to McFarlane on the inner edge of the left circle just above the hash marks. He caught the pass, skated above the hash marks toward the right-wing side, then shot back across his body. The puck found the top corner far-side.

Guelph led 2-0 after 20 minutes and held the advantage in shots 10-7. Both teams went scoreless on two power-play opportunities. The Storm won 12 of 19 faceoff chances in the first period.

The Birds cut into the deficit early in the middle frame, needing only 1:04 to find twine. Amadeus Lombardi escaped a battle in the right corner and quickly found wide-open Braeden Kressler centered in the near circle. Kressler leaned in for a heavy one-timer that beat Leaver high on the glove side for his 24th of the season.

Guelph reclaimed the two-goal edge on a power play at 5:44. Max Namestnikov made the cross-ice pass to Braeden Bowman low in the left circle. From just above the goal line, Bowman fired a wide-angle shot that Cranley got a piece of. The rebound fell to the top of the blue paint, where Jake Karabela lifted it bar-down for his 16th of the season.

The Firebirds went on a 5-on-3 power play moments later and generated several quality shots on Leaver. He made several clutch saves to keep his club on top by a pair. The balance of the second period was played relatively even until inside the final minute. Ryan McGuire emerged up the left side of the offensive zone as a two-on-one developed. He held until the bottom of the left circle before saucering a pass by the defender to Charlie Paquette on the right side of the hash marks. Paquette's one-timer found twine just inside the right post for his sixth at 19:44. The second helper was credited to Valentin Zhugin.

The Birds trailed 4-1 after 40 minutes despite outshooting the Storm 24-19. Flint also outdrew Guelph 13-12 in the second. The Storm scored on their lone power play in the frame, while the Firebirds went 0-for-3.

While the Storm switched to a more defensive style of play, the Firebirds had plenty of time with possession. Guelph's defense clogged the shooting lanes well to keep the pressure away from Leaver. That lasted until beyond the midway point when defender Tristan Bertucci skated up the left side alone and lifted a wrister over Leaver's left pad for his eight of the year at 10:47. Dmitry Kuzmin and Lombardi picked up the helpers on the goal.

Penalties on both clubs piled up in the balance of regulation. Guelph initially had a 5-on-3 power play starting shy of the 12-minute mark. Then it was 4-on-3 after they took another minor. The Birds managed to create a two-on-one break twice while shorthanded, but Leaver was building a wall in the crease. After the power-play timer expired for the Storm, Flint immediately went up a man. Bertucci fired from the left point and the puck deflected off a defender and past Leaver at 15:28, assisted by Lombardi and Gavin Hayes.

After Bertucci's second of the night, the Birds turned up the pressure on Guelph, putting bodies in front of their netminder to create screens every chance they had. Cranley was pulled for the extra body late, but the home team seemingly sealed the victory with an empty-netter at 18:35 from Chandler Romeo, his fourth. Assists went to Matthew Poitras and Ben McFarlane.

Cranley returned to his crease for the next center-ice faceoff but quickly skated to the bench. Before the sixth man jumped over the boards, Lombardi potted his 33rd of the campaign from short range at 18:46 assisted by Tyler Deline. Cranley again returned for the faceoff, then skated off. Flint put some serious pressure on Leaver and the defense, but they stood tall and thwarted the comeback attempt as time expired.

Final shots ended with Flint on top 34-29. Faceoffs went Guelph's way by a margin of 36-29. On special teams, Guelph ended with one goal on seven power-play chances while the Birds went 1-for-8.

Up Next: The Firebirds play two more home games before returning to the Dort Financial Center. Tomorrow they'll face the Attack in Owen Sound and they visit Windsor Thursday. Flint's next home game is Saturday, February 18 when the Kitchener Rangers are in town for a 7:00 p.m. (ET) start time. It will be Health Care Heroes Night presented by Sovita Credit Union. All medical professionals are eligible to receive a FREE ticket to the game with a valid ID only at the Dort Financial Center Box Office.

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