Birds Clip Spirit, 5-2
FLINT – Alex Kostov buried the game-winner early in the third period to propel the Flint Firebirds to a 5-2 win over Saginaw at the Dort Financial Center on Wednesday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Flint started the rivalry matchup hot, as captain Connor Clattenburg scored his eighth goal of the year to open the scoring in the game’s second minute. Defenseman Nolan Collins connected on a long pass to Clattenburg, who worked past a Saginaw defender and backhanded the puck past Andrew Oke to open the scoring.
Flint kept the pressure on throughout the period and made it 2-0 thanks to Kaden Pitre. Chris Thibodeau carried the puck into the Spirit zone and made the feed across to Pitre for a one-time chance. Oke made the first save, but Pitre followed up on the rebound for his 12th goal of the season.
Momentum shifted in favor of Saginaw in the second period. Calem Mangone got the Spirit on the board five minutes into the period. Saginaw would then tie the game halfway through the period as Zayne Parekh scored off an assist from Sebastien Gervais.
The Firebirds regained the lead early in the third period as Alex Kostov snapped home his third goal of the campaign. Kostov entered the Spirit zone moving down the left wing, and fired the puck past the glove of Oke for the game-winning goal.
Saginaw had numerous opportunities to tie, but Nathan Day denied all 13 shots sent his way in the final frame. Nathan Aspinall and Clattenburg would deposit empty-net goals to seal the 5-2 victory for the Firebirds. Flint improved to 14-15-1-1 with the win, while the Spirit slid to 16-15-1-0.
POSTGAME NOTES:
Connor Clattenburg recorded his first multi-goal game of the season…Flint has now won three consecutive games for the first time this season…Nolan Collins had two assists, his first multi-point game since he recorded four points on two goals and two assists in the season opener in London on September 27. He now leads Firebirds defensemen with 13 assists on the season.
UP NEXT:
The Firebirds will return to the ice on Friday night in Saginaw for a rematch with the Spirit. It’s another edition of the Coors Light I-75 Divide Cup and the final game before the holiday break for Flint. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m at the Dow Event Center.
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