Firebirds Overpower Generals in 4-1 Victory
FLINT – The Flint Firebirds took the lead in the first minute of the game and didn’t look back as they cruised to a 4-1 win over the Oshawa Generals on Saturday night at the Dort Financial Center. Jimmy Lombardi put up three points and Matthew Mania had a pair of assists to pace the Firebirds attack.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Firebirds gave the Generals no time to settle in as just 29 seconds into the game, Flint got started with a highlight-reel-worthy goal from Evan Konyen. Konyen knocked the puck out of mid-air, gathered it, and sent it flying past Jacob Oster’s outstretched glove to give the Birds an early, 1-0 lead.
The Firebirds weren’t slowing down; just four minutes later Cole Zurawski connected with Matthew Wang for the second score of the night. After narrowly escaping a tangle of players while working the puck out of the defensive zone, Wang passed the puck to Zurawski, who sent it right back to Wang. Wang steered the puck into the back of the net for the Birds’ second goal of the night, and his second goal of the season, which extended the lead to 2-0.
Two back-to-back Oshawa tripping penalties gave the Firebirds a five-on-three advantage early in the second period. With the power play clock ticking down and Nathan Day’s stick pounding the ice, Lombardi slipped a shot under Oster’s legs to cash in for his second score this season. The Firebirds’ third unanswered goal pushed the lead to 3-0.
The Generals responded to Flint’s scoring rampage on a power play about 12 minutes into the second period. After a pass from Ben Danford, Owen Griffin whipped the puck just under the arm of Day for the Generals’ first score of the evening, making it 3-1.
Seven minutes into the third period, Nathan Aspinall snatched the puck in front of the net after a Blake Smith shot was blocked. While Oster was sprawled on the right side of the goal, Aspinall wrapped around the back of the net and scored, slamming the door on the Generals and putting the final score at 4-1.
Flint’s win improved its record to 4-2-0-0 while Oshawa dropped to 2-4-1-0 in the loss. The Firebirds outshot the Generals, 35-20, and Day made 19 saves on 20 shots during his sixth consecutive start in net.
POSTGAME NOTES:
Jimmy Lombardi matched a career-high of three points with a goal and two assists… Evan Konyen scored his fourth goal of the season, his 60th career OHL goal and his 150th career OHL point… Matthew Mania came away with two assists, his first multi-point game as a Firebird… Urban Podrekar put up his first point of the season with an assist on Konyen’s goal.
UP NEXT:
The Firebirds will be back on the ice Sunday afternoon, taking on the Sarnia Sting. Puck drop is scheduled for 2:05 pm at Progressive Auto Sales Arena in Sarnia.
Photo: Todd Boone
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