Birds Fall in Saginaw, 8-1
SAGINAW, Mich. – The Saginaw Spirit hung five goals in the first period and never trailed as they went on to beat the Flint Firebirds, 8-1, on Friday night at the Dow Event Center.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Saginaw started the scoring just over five minutes into the first period. Carson Harmer hit Dimian Zhilkin at the bottom of the left circle for a snap shot that beat Nathan Day. One minute later, James Guo swept home a loose puck off a rebound and the Spirit grabbed a 2-0 lead.
The Spirit then struck for three more in the first period as Graydon Jones corralled his own rebound and stuffed it past Day. Zayne Parekh then fired a shot that got through traffic and past Day. Finally, Liam Storch flicked a backhander from the slot that hit the back of the net and the score was 5-0.
Saginaw grabbed another insurance goal in the second period when Zhilkin cashed in with his second goal of the game. Kristian Epperson then finished off a feed from Joey Willis early in the third. Willis later fired a shot through Noah Bender’s five hole to make it 8-0
Flint got on the board in late in the third when Jimmy Lombardi charged into the attacking zone. Lombardi drove the net and left the puck for Jeremy Martin on the right side. Martin darted a wrist shot past Andrew Oke and the Firebirds cut the lead to 8-1. That was all for the Birds, however, as they fell to 9-12-0-1 in the loss. Saginaw improved to 13-8-1-0 with its win.
POSTGAME NOTES:
Noah Bender entered the game in relief of Nathan Day at the start of the second period. He made 20 saves on 23 shots…Jeremy Martin’s goal was his second of the season…the Firebirds are now 0-3-0-0 against the Spirit this season. There are five games remaining in the 2024-25 Coors Light I-75 Divide Cup
UP NEXT:
The Firebirds return home to take on the Barrie Colts on Saturday night. It’s Harry Potter Night and puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Dort Financial Center.
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