Previewing the Firebirds' First Round Playoff Series with the Owen Sound Attack
Published on March 25, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release
FLINT FIREBIRDS: 44-17-4-3, 95 points, 2nd West Division, 3rd Western Conference
Leading scorer: Nathan Aspinall, 94 points (33 G, 61 A)
Top goaltender: Mason Vaccari, 51 GP, 36-9-3-2, 2.70 GAA, .907 SV%
GPG: 3.84 (T-4th)
GAPG: 2.93 (6th)
PP%: 23.5% (7th)
PK%: 78.9% (9th)
Head Coach: Paul Flache (3rd season)
OWEN SOUND ATTACK: 27-32-4-5, 63 points, 3rd Midwest Division, 6th Western Conference
Leading scorer: Pierce Mbuyi, 75 points (32 G, 43 A)
Top goaltender: Matthew Koprowski, 29 GP, 8-13-3-2, 4.26 GAA, .872 SV%
GPG: 3.57 (8th)
GAPG: 4.10 (17th)
PP%: 24.4% (6th)
PK%: 76.2% (15th)
Head Coach: Scott Wray (2nd season)
SEASON SERIES: Firebirds won season series, 3-1-0-0.
Sunday, October 26 - Flint 6, Owen Sound 2
Game Summary: The Firebirds welcomed a 9-4-0-1 Owen Sound squad as the first game of the season series. Former Firebird Cole Zurawski scored the opening goal in his return to Flint. The Birds closed the opening frame with two goals in the final minute from Alex Kostov and Jimmy Lombardi to take a 2-1 lead. Flint kept the pressure on and stretched the lead to 5-1 with Lombardi's second goal of the day. Zurawski finished his second goal of the game to stop the Firebirds' run. Xavier Tessier capped off the win for Flint with his second marker of the contest, for his first career multi-goal game. Mason Vaccari made 39 saves on 41 shots, and Chris Thibodeau tallied three assists in the win.
Saturday, November 15 - Flint 6, Owen Sound 2
Game Summary: The Attack jumped out to an early lead in their final trip to Flint of the regular season. Noah Nelson had the opening power-play goal in the first, and Tristan Delisle made it 2-0 Owen Sound early in the second period. Flint captain Nathan Aspinall led the comeback effort for the Birds, scoring two goals in the second period to tie the game, including a game-tying goal on a penalty shot. Flint wasted no time taking over the third period. Chris Thibodeau scored the eventual game-winning goal and added an insurance marker less than three minutes into the frame. Xavier Tessier and Kaden Pitre each scored later in the third period as the Birds closed out a 6-2 win at home.
Sunday, November 23 - Flint 6, Owen Sound 3
Game Summary: Flint carried an eight-game win streak into the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. Lenny Greenberg scored for Owen Sound one minute into the contest to make it 1-0 Attack. The Firebirds responded with four unanswered goals, including three power-play markers, to take a 4-1 lead into the third period. Noah Nelson and Tristan Delisle each scored to make it a one-goal game with 10 minutes remaining. The Birds responded with a goal from Nathan Aspinall less than a minute later, and an empty-netter from Lombardi gave Flint its third win in three tries over Owen Sound.
Wednesday, March 18 - Owen Sound 4, Flint 3
Game Summary: In the final meeting between Flint and Owen Sound, the Birds held a 1-0 lead after the first, thanks to a power play goal from Darian Anderson. After exchanging goals early in the second period, Caden Taylor and Max Delisle scored 20 seconds apart for the Attack to tie the game and take a 3-2 lead after two frames. Anderson buried his second goal of the night for Flint to even the score at 3-3. Pierce Mbuyi's goal with seven minutes remaining was the decider, as Owen Sound went on to win 4-3 and avoid the regular-season sweep.
FIREBIRDS TO WATCH:
Nathan Aspinall: Aspinall exploded in his fourth season in the OHL. He finished second in the league in points with 33 goals and a franchise record 61 assists. Aspinall recorded at least a point in all four meetings against the Attack this season. He also tallied multi-point performances in three of the four contests, finishing with three goals and six assists against Owen Sound this year. The Markham, Ontario native missed the first three games of the season while at training camp with the New York Rangers, and was in the lineup every night after returning. Aspinall signed his NHL entry-level contract with the Rangers in October and was the first OHL player to sign this season.
Kevin He: He has been one of the best producers in the league since being acquired by Flint and led the Birds in scoring after joining the lineup on Dec. 31. In 32 games with Flint, He has 25 goals and 21 assists. No one in the OHL scored more goals in that stretch than He, and He was sixth in points. From Jan. 30 through Feb. 21, He scored in 10 consecutive games for Flint, which set a new franchise record, and was the longest goal streak in the league this season. He was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Draft, and signed his entry-level contract with the Jets in December of 2024.
Jimmy Lombardi: Lombardi finished the season top-10 in the OHL in goals with a career-high 36, and added 36 assists as well in 65 games. Eight of his 36 goals this season were game-winning goals, which is a new single-season franchise record. In four games against Owen Sound this year, Lombardi had four goals and an assist, including two multi-goal games against the Attack. He earned an NHL entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings, who drafted him in the fifth round of the 2025 NHL Draft.
ATTACK TO WATCH:
Pierce Mbuyi: Mbuyi finished the season as Owen Sound's leading scorer with career highs of 32 goals and 43 assists. He led the OHL in power play goals, scoring 19 times on the man advantage this season. In two seasons in the OHL, 30 of Mbuyi's 61 career goals have been on the power play. He finished the regular season on a five-game point streak, with two goals and assists in that span. Mbuyi averaged a point per game against Flint this year with one goal and three assists in four meetings. He turns 18 years old in April and is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft. Mbuyi is currently ranked as the 44th skater in North America according to NHL Central Scouting.
Tristan Delisle: Delisle opened the season with an 18-game point streak, which tied for the longest streak of the OHL season with Flint's Alex Kostov. He scored more points this season than in his first two OHL seasons combined, with career highs of 31 goals and 33 assists. Delisle had the most shots on goal in the OHL this season with 166. He scored two goals and two assists against the Firebirds this season and had a point in all four meetings. He started his OHL career with the Oshawa Generals and was traded to Owen Sound in October, 2024.
Cole Zurawski: Zurawski closed his first full season in Owen Sound with 24 goals and 22 assists in 63 games, placing fifth on the team in scoring. He was traded from Flint to the Attack for Sam McCue at the trade deadline last season. Zurawski had two goals and an assist against the Birds this season, with both goals coming in the first meeting on Oct. 26. He was quiet to conclude the regular season, scoring one goal in his final 11 games. Zurawski is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft and is ranked as the 47th skater in North America according to NHL Central Scouting.
ODDS & ENDS:
The team that scored first went 0-4-0-0 in the regular-season series between Flint and Owen Sound...Owen Sound spent more time in the penalty box than any other team in the OHL this season, with 944 penalty minutes (13.9 per game). The Firebirds were 19th out of 20 in penalty minutes with 659 (9.7 per game) on the year...Flint's Mason Vaccari finished second among OHL goaltenders in wins (36) and tied the single-season franchise record with Luke Cavallin in the 2021-22 season...Owen Sound's Tristan Delisle led the league in face-off wins this season with 866. Flint's Jimmy Lombardi finished second in the OHL with 729 face-off wins...This is the second time Flint and Owen Sound have faced off in a playoff series. The Birds defeated the Attack in seven games in the first round of the 2022 OHL Playoffs... Owen Sound has been swept out of the playoffs in three straight seasons. Its last playoff win was in 2022, and its last series win was in 2018...The winner of this series will advance to play the winner of the series between the Windsor Spitfires and Guelph Storm.
SERIES SCHEDULE:
GAME 1: Thursday, March 26 - Owen Sound at Flint, 7 p.m. (TICKETS)
GAME 2: Saturday, March 28 - Owen Sound at Flint, 7 p.m. (TICKETS)
GAME 3: Monday, March 30 - Flint at Owen Sound, 7 p.m.
GAME 4: Wednesday, April 1 - Flint at Owen Sound, 7 p.m.
GAME 5: Saturday, April 4 - Owen Sound at Flint, 7 p.m.* (TICKETS)
GAME 6: Monday, April 6 - Flint at Owen Sound, 7 p.m. *
GAME 7: Tuesday, April 7 - Owen Sound at Flint, 7 p.m.*
* - if necessary
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- Previewing the Firebirds' First Round Playoff Series with the Owen Sound Attack - Flint Firebirds
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