On To Tomorrow
Flint, MI- The Brampton Steelheads fall 5-3 to the Flint Firebirds after Christopher Thibodeau scored two late goals to even the two-game series.
While the Steelheads attempted the comeback, the Firebirds were not one to back down easy and worked to resecure their lead throughout the 60 minutes of play. In the last five minutes of the game, there was an opportunity for overtime as the Trout remained down by one. Yet, after Christopher Thibodeau got the insurance goal and followed it with the empty netter, the unfortunate Steelhead loss was sealed.
After both coming off losses in the last few days, the Steelheads and Firebirds looked to return to the winning column. While the Trout took game one of the two-game series, the Firebirds aimed to even the playing field as they took an early first-period lead.
The opening minutes were quiet as the teams went back and forth, but it was the calm before the storm as tensions blew over and Flint opened the scoring. Kaden Pitre got the icebreaker off a miscommunicated clearing that left the puck open in the Steelheads’ zone.
As the Trout went to clear to begin the offensive rush, the puck got tangled up upon exit, leading Alex Kostov to pick up the loose puck and set up for a 2-on-1 play. With Pitre coming up the left side, Kostov drove towards the net before passing it over to Pitre, who snuck it past Brayden Gillespie on the blocker side.
Shortly after the first goal, Kostov got himself another point for the score sheet as he got the Firebirds the insurance goal. After driving the Steelheads zone, the puck was sent up to Connor Clattenburg at the blue line, who sent it across to Matthew Mania. Seeing the traffic out front, Mania fired one onto the net, which was tipped in by Kostov to extend the Firebirds’ lead to two.
Luck did not seem to be on the Steelhead’s side in the first as they took back-to-back penalties, giving the Firebirds a two-man advantage. Yet, the power of the Trout’s defence came into full force as they successfully killed the penalties to keep the score at 2-0. Alongside special teams and an early Flint lead, the first period was also home to an overflow of tensions as things got heated between Stevie Leskovar and Blake Smith, as well as Gabriel Chiarot and Nathan Aspinall.
While the first period was Firebird-led, the second was a different story, as the Steelheads began their battle back. Luke Misa got the scoring started for the Trout early on in the second, showing how quickly the game can change.
Picking up the puck in the Steelheads’ zone, Misa went coast-to-coast as he rushed up the right side into the offensive zone. Bypassing the Flint defenders, Misa drove to the net and slipped it off the pad of Nathan Day and in.
Kieran Witkowski followed his teammate not even a minute later to tie things up. Macgregor Richmond broke into the zone and bounced the puck off the boards, which Porter Martone picked up. Bringing the puck in deep, Martone covered off the Flint defence before finding Witkowski out front. With the open lane, Witkowski fired it off the bar and in to even the score.
With it tied at two, it was anyone’s game, and the Steelheads came close to taking the lead on the power play after Angus MacDonell’s through-the-legs rebound was sent above for Martone to tap in the past Day. However, upon review, the goal was overturned for a high stick.
Unfortunately for the Trout, Smith would get the tiebreaker to give the Firebirds their lead back. After Sam McCue caught his rebound off a one-timer, he brought the puck around the net before sending it to Mania at the point. Instead of taking the shot himself, Mania passed it over to Smith, who fired it through traffic into the back of the net.
The Firebirds would extend their lead on the powerplay after Finn Harding was called for cross-checking. Picking up the puck at the right faceoff dot, Christopher Thibodeau tried to shoot it out front for McCue, but it deflected off his skate. As McCue was tied up by the Steelheads defender, Thibodeau, who had followed his shot, picked up the loose puck and sent it past Gillespie on the backhand.
While the Firebirds took a two-goal lead into the third, the Steelheads did not back down and attempted to tie the game.
The third started with a 4-on-4, as things heated up again between the teams in the remaining seconds of the second. The 4-on-4 also marked the beginning of back-and-forth special teams, which resulted in the eventual Brampton powerplay goal.
After Kostov was called for boarding, the Trout immediately took advantage of the extra attacker. Spencer Sova led the charge on the play as he drove into the Flint zone before dropping it back to Parker Von Richter. Looking to keep the play in the offensive end, Von Richter sent it down to MacDonell, who put it around the boards for Carson Rehkopf. With traffic in his original shooting lane, Rehkopf bypassed the defenders to set up in the high slot before firing it past Day.
Now, within one, the Steelheads used their momentum to keep things in the Flint zone. Combined with some big saves from Gillespie, including stopping a breakaway goal and a 3-on-1 attempt, the Trout saw a comeback within reach.
With less than a minute to go, the Steelheads pulled Gillespie for the extra attacker. While there were scoring attempts from the Trout, the Firebirds intercepted the puck, allowing Thibodeau to get the empty net goal and secure the Flint victory.
The Steelheads continue on the road tomorrow as they take on the Windsor Spitfires. The Trout will return home on January 31st as they take on the Peterborough Petes for their Flashback Friday game. For tickets, click here.