Recap: Firebirds earn Saturday night victory over Rangers
Flint, Mich. – After posting a 10-2 road victory in Sault Ste. Marie Friday night, the Rangers travelled Saturday to Flint where the Blueshirts were defeated 6-1 at the Dort Financial Center. Flint jumped out to a 6-0 lead through 40 minutes of play keeping the Rangers offense off the board. Francesco Pinelli scored late to break up the shutout for Flint, but it was not enough to overcome the heavy deficit.
Flint got things started early in the game capitalizing on their first power-play. Amadeus Lombardi (Detroit Red Wings) scored 2:30 into the contest on a one-timer from the top of the left circle.
Kitchener appeared to have an equalizer through Francesco Arcuri’s (Dallas Stars) 38th goal of the season, but it was quickly called back for being offside.
Flint doubled-down on their power-play success as they scored their second of the game at 16:34 of the opening frame. Riley Piercy beat Marcus Vandenberg from the bottom of the left circle as Vandenberg did not have enough time to get set.
Flint held a 2-0 lead as the teams headed to the locker room for the first intermission. Shots favoured the Firebirds 19-13.
The Firebirds kept coming in the second period as Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) scored 1:22 into the period to give Flint a 3-0 advantage. They finished the second period with three more goals for six unanswered goals in the game. Through 40 minutes of play Flint was up 6-0 and shot favoured the Firebirds 34-21.
Kitchener refused to lay over in the third period taking the play to Flint. Francesco Pinelli (Los Angeles Kings) scored a power-play goal for Kitchener, but that was all they would be able to muster up in the period. The final score ended 6-1 for Flint and shots favoured the Firebirds 41-31.
Kitchener finished the game 1-for-6 on the power-play and 2-for-4 on the penalty kill. All three stars in the game were awarded to members of the Flint Firebirds.
Next Up: Kitchener will play their third consecutive road game when the club heads to Hamilton this Monday afternoon on Family Day. Puck drop is set for 2 p.m. against the Bulldogs in the holiday meet up.
Photo Credit: Natalie Shaver
For inquiries, contact:
Dominic Hennig
Senior Director, Broadcasting, Communications & Hockey Operations
Kitchener Rangers Hockey Club
519-497-9342
[email protected]
