Firebirds Fall to Windsor in Lone Preseason Home Game, 7-2
FLINT – Nathan Aspinall had a goal and an assist and Jimmy Lombardi dished out a pair of assists but the Flint Firebirds could not overcome an early deficit and were beaten by the Windsor Spitfires, 7-2 on Sunday afternoon at Flint Iceland Arena.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Windsor opened the scoring in the first minute of the first period. Jack Nesbitt carried the puck down the right wing and fired a shot that glanced off of Jacob Brown’s pads but snuck through to make the score 1-0.
Later in the first, with the Spitfires working on a five-minute power play, Noah Morneau snapped the puck to Ethan Garden who was camped in front of the net. Garden redirected the puck past Brown’s right skate and Windsor’s lead grew to 2-0.
The Spitfires added to their lead with an Ethan Martin goal in the second minute of the second period. They got another four minutes later when Owen Outwater was sprung for a shorthanded breakaway and beat Brown high on the blocker side to make it 4-0.
Flint got on the board just shy of the halfway point of the second period with a power play goal. Lombardi fed Aspinall at the point for a bomb that beat Carter Froggett high and cut the deficit to 4-1.
Windsor’s struck for two more later in the second though as first Morneau was sprung for an odd-man rush and cashed in on a wrist shot. Morneau then added another tally two minutes later, extending the lead to 6-1.
The Firebirds answered with a power play goal in the final minute of the second. With Flint working on a two-man advantage, Brendan Cooke gathered a rebound in front of the net and shoved it through Froggett, making the score 6-2.
Ethan Belchetz converted on a shorthanded breakaway in the third period, pushing the score to its 7-2 final. Flint fell to 0-1-0-1 in the preseason with the loss while Windsor improved to 2-0-0-0.
POSTGAME NOTES:
Cole Zurawski assisted on the Nathan Aspinall goal, registering his first point in his second career OHL preseason game. The Firebirds drafted Zurawski with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection…Brendan Cooke’s power play goal was his first of the preseason. He now has two points in two career OHL preseason games…Jacob Brown made 33 saves on 40 shots in the Firebirds net.
UP NEXT:
Flint will have an 11-day gap between preseason games and will take the ice again on Thursday, September 19 in Windsor against the Spitfires. Puck drop at the WFCU Centre is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
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