Firebirds Weekly Roundup, December 30 – January 5
FLINT — The Firebirds had a four-game week around the New Year holiday, playing a rare three matinee games in the stretch. In the midst of nine games in the span of 15 days, Flint hit the ice four times in the span of six days, finishing with a stretch of three games in three days, taking place in three different cities.
The busy week started Tuesday afternoon with a New Year’s Eve battle versus the Windsor Spitfires. Flint quickly fell into a 5-0 deficit in the first period but rallied back to score four unanswered and make a game of it. Nathan Day would eventually get called to the bench late in the third period with the score still 5-4, but an empty netter resulted in a 6-4 win for the Spits. The Firebirds scored twice on the power play and killed off all four penalties taken successfully for one of their best games on special teams this season. Day went a perfect 6-for-6 in a relief effort as the Firebirds outshot Windsor 32-16.
Momentum shifted in a big way when the Birds returned to the friendly confines of the Dort Financial Center Friday evening to host the Ottawa 67’s. Flint tied their record for most goals this season, hanging eight on the visitors en route to a commanding 8-1 triumph. Josh Colosimo scored his first OHL goal to kick things off and then added three assists through the balance of the contest to become the third Firebird to record a four-point game this season. Connor Clattenburg scored to claim the team lead in goals (13) and extend his point streak to seven games, the longest by a Firebird this season. Rookie center Karlis Flugins lit the lamp twice to earn his second and third OHL goals. Matthew Wang (2 G, 1 A), Evan Konyen (1 G, 2 A), and rookie forward Cole Zurawski (2 A) joined the multi-point club, as well. Day made nine saves as the Firebirds outshot Ottawa 47-10, the widest margin they’d outshot an opponent this season.
On Saturday afternoon, the team traveled to the CAA Centre in Brampton for the first time to face the Steelheads. Kaden Pitre scored to tie for the team lead in goals at 13, while Clattenburg picked up an assist to extend his club-leading point streak to eight games. Wang also found twine again for his 12th of the campaign and fourth point in the previous 24 hours. Flint led in the third period, first 3-2 and then 4-3, but the Fish tied the game at four with 22 seconds remaining in regulation. Finn Harding then potted the overtime winner for the Steelheads just 27 seconds into the extra frame. Day finished with 31 saves on 36 shots between the pipes.
Finally, the Firebirds suffered their third shutout of the season at the hands of the Oshawa Generals by a final score of 7-0. The Gens lit the lamp just 66 seconds in and maintained control for the remainder of the contest. Netminder Jacob Oster recorded 29 saves in his first shutout of the season and seventh of his OHL career. Noah Bender and Day shared time in goal for Flint, with Bender making five saves before Day made 20 in a relief effort. In October, the Firebirds defeated the Generals 4-1 at the Dort Financial Center in the only other meeting this season.
The Firebirds outshot their opponents 136-94 through the four games this week. They were outdrawn at the faceoff dots by a margin of 128-111. They scored three power play tallies on 14 chances (21.4%) and successfully killed off ten of 12 (83.3%) penalties. With 37 standings points, the team sits third in the West Division and sixth in the Western Conference, just one game behind Saginaw for second and fifth, respectively.
LEADERBOARD
Chris Thibodeau’s 11 goals and 17 assists give him the lead in total points with 28. Pitre and Clattenburg share the top spot for goals with 13 apiece. Pitre also has 13 assists, ranking second in point-total with 26. Clattenburg has 11 helpers and is tied with Nathan Aspinall (9 G, 15 A) for third with 24 points. Blake Smith’s eight goals are the seventh-most among all OHL defenders. Zurawski has a +6 differential for the season, which has him tied for third-best among all rookies in the league.
COMING UP
The Firebirds will play three games this week, beginning with the lone road game in Brantford on Wednesday. This will be the first of only two meetings with the Bulldogs this season.
Flint returns home to the Dort Financial Center for a pair of home games on Friday and Saturday, with puck drop for both set for 7:00 p.m. On Friday, they’ll host the Guelph Storm for the second of two Firebirds Fight Hunger contests to benefit the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan. Sponsored by Dort Financial Credit Union, Kroger, and Sysco and supported by Big Johns Steak & Onion, fans can donate at least five non-perishable food items and receive a free ticket to the game courtesy of the sponsors and supporters. Saturday’s home contest is against the Windsor Spitfires and is the club’s annual United Way & UAW Night. A UAW vs. United Way game will be played from 4:30-5:30 pm before the Firebirds game, and fans only need a ticket for that evening’s Firebirds game to gain entry to both. Tickets for Friday and Saturday evening’s games are available online from ETIX HERE.
Story: Brandon Mills, flintfirebirds.com
