Firebirds Surrender Lead Late, Fall to Guelph, 2-1
FLINT, Mich. – Gavin Hayes scored his second goal in as many nights and Nathan Day made 18 saves on 20 shots faced but the Flint Firebirds allowed a power play goal in the final seconds of regulation and were beaten by the Guelph Storm, 2-1, on Saturday night at the Dort Financial Center.
Following a scoreless opening period, the Firebirds were first to strike paydirt near the halfway point of the second frame. Zacharie Giroux gathered a loose puck in his defensive end. He sprinted up ice with Gavin Hayes to his right and the pair gained the zone with an odd-man break. Giroux’s first pass attempt to Hayes deflected off the skate of the lone defender but a second effort put the puck in perfect position for a quick snapper that beat Damian Slavik high on the glove side to make it 1-0.
Three minutes later a defensive-zone turnover led to a two-on-one for the Storm. Vilmer Alriksson made the late saucer pass over a diving defender to set up Charlie Paquette for a one-timer low to the blocker side. He blasted it past the lunging Day to even the score at one.
The score remained knotted at one until the waning seconds of regulation. Flint committed a penalty with just 18 seconds remaining, sending the Storm to a late power play. Paquette found himself loose at the back door and Jett Luchanko hit him for a one-timer that hit the back of the net for the game-winning goal.
Paquette scored both of Guelph’s goals and Slavik made 26 saves on 27 shots in his OHL debut for the Storm, who improved to 4-2-0-0 in the win. Flint fell to 1-5-0-0 with the loss.
COMING UP: The Firbirds head out for a four-game road trip with games in Barrie, Sudbury, North Bay, and Sault Ste. Marie. They’ll return to home ice for a pair of home games on Saturday, October 28 versus the Greyhounds and Sunday, October 29 when they host the Saginaw Spirit for the second game of the I-75 Divide Cup series. Additionally, the game versus the Soo on the 28th will be Flint’s First Responder’s Night, and the next afternoon’s in-state rivalry game will also be the Trick or Treat at the Rink event.
Story: Brandon Mills // flintfirebirds.com
