Flint Holds on for 7-4 Win Over Sarnia
By Carl Chimenti
The Sarnia Sting (11-23-4-1) made it close, but the Flint Firebirds (27-9-2-2) woke up in the latter part of the third period and they went on to beat the Sting 7-4, Wednesday night at the Dort Financial Center. Sarnia entered the third period trailing 5-2.
Easton Walos with his team tying 14th goal of the year inched the Sting closer after he knocked in a rebound past Firebird’s goaltender Mason Vaccari at 2:53, with Sarnia’s second power-play goal. At 11:31 the Sting pulled to within one after Alessandro Di Iorio scored his ninth of the year, when his shot banked off the mask of Vaccari and into the net. Liam Beamish and Matthew Manza had the helper’s on the Walos goal. Hughston Hurt drew the lone assist on Di Iorio’s goal.
Forty seven seconds after the Di Iorio goal, Flint scored at 12:18 off the stick of newly acquired Keven He (Winnipeg Jets). He was one of five Flint players with a goal and an assist, which included Alex Kostov (first star), Darels Uljanskis (Anaheim Ducks – second star), Jimmy Lombardi (Los Angeles Kings) and Ihnat Pazii. Nathan Aspinall (New York Rangers) had three assists and was the third star.
For the Sting Brenner Lammens (4th) and Jordan Bax (10th) also scored. Patrick Quinlan stopped 7 of 8 shots in a relief appearance for the Sting. Sarnia went two for four on the power-play, their first goals with the man-advantage in five games, as they had combined to go 0/13 in their previous four games. Flint went 2/2 on the power-play.
Sarnia out-shot Flint 35-26, and were better in the face-offs 38-27. It was the Sting’s first loss to the Firebirds in five games this season, winning twice at the Hive, and twice in Flint.
The Firebirds exploded for five goals in the opening period. It was the second time this season that the Sting allowed five goals in one period. The Soo Greyhounds scored five in the second period on December 7th. Lombardi, Uljanskis, newly acquired via the trade Jacob Battaglia (Calgary Flames), Pazii, and Charlie Muratta scored for the Firebirds with Aspinall figuring in on three of those goals with three assists.
Lammens tied the game at 1-1, before Flint exploded with four unanswered goals. Chase Gaughan jumped on a turnover and sent a short pass to Lammens and he beat Vaccari on the short side at 4:04. Flint out-shot Sarnia 17-7.
The Sting turned things around in the second period as they tightened up defensively. Quinlan came in relief in net for Maillet (12 saves on 17 shots) to start the middle frame and was not very busy as Sarnia out-shot Flint 15-2. The only goal came at 16:02, as Van Volsen sent a shot on net and Bax from the doorstep tapped it in with Sarnia on the power-play. Young was credited with the second assist.
