Wednesday Highlights: Firebirds outdo Otters

Wins have been hard to come by for the Flint Firebirds this season, but Wednesday was one of their finest moments yet as draft eligible winger Will Bitten had a goal and two assists in a 5-3 road win over the Western Conference leading Erie Otters.

Flint took out a 3-0 lead on goals from Ryan Moore, Dane Johnstone and Vili Saarijarvi before the Otters fought back to knot the score at three.

Bitten netted the winner with five minutes to go in the second before Moore put things out of reach with his second of the night into an empty net.

Rookie goaltender Kyle Keyser made 41 saves in the Flint crease as the Firebirds won their third straight road game in one of three games around the league on Wednesday.

FLINT 5 ERIE 3 – The Flint Firebirds had a goal and two assists from Will Bitten while rookie netminder Kyle Keyser made 41 saves in a 5-3 road win over the Western Conference leading Erie Otters. Ryan Moore scored twice as the Firebirds handed the Otters their third loss in the last four games despite being outshot 44-23 on the night. Erie fought back to tie the score at three after falling behind 3-0 in the first period. The Otters had goals from Alex DeBrincat, Kyle Pettit and Brett Neumann in the loss as they sit tied with the London Knights at 97 points apiece atop the Midwest Division. The Flint victory is their 20th of the season, with 12 of those 20 wins coming on the road.
GAME CENTRE • HIGHLIGHTS

KINGSTON 5 OSHAWA 3 – The Hamilton Bulldogs can breathe a sigh of relief after the Kingston Frontenacs fought back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Oshawa Generals 5-3 for their ninth straight win. Third period goals from Michael Dal Colle, Juho Lammiko and Spencer Watson brought them all the way back as sophomore goaltender Jeremy Helvig recorded the win in relief. Kingston outshot Oshawa 37-23 enroute to their sixth win in seven meetings with the Generals this season. Former Generals Michael Dal Colle (1-2–3) and Stephen Desrocher (0-4–4) frequented the scoresheet while Spencer Watson’s four points (2-2–4) saw him become the first Fronts player since 2007 (Bobby Hughes) to reach the 40-goal mark. The Generals miss out on a chance to tighten their grip on eighth place, leading the Hamilton Bulldogs by two points with a game in hand headed into Friday’s home date with North Bay.
GAME CENTRE • HIGHLIGHTS

BARRIE 8 OWEN SOUND 1 – The Barrie Colts have had the Owen Sound Attack’s number all year and that didn’t change on Wednesday. The Colts raced to an 8-1 win on the road, a victory that saw them improve to 6-0 against the Attack this season. Andrew Mangiapane earned first star honours with a goal and three assists as he inches ever closer to the 50-goal mark. Fellow Calgary Flames prospect Rasmus Andersson surpassed Jan Platil (2000-03) for second in Colts franchise scoring among defencemen with a goal and an assist in the victory, giving him 123 career regular season points. With the ink still drying, newly signed San Jose Sharks prospect Kevin Labanc recorded two assists to equal Sheldon Keefe’s 1999-00 single-season franchise record of 121 points. Fellow Sharks prospect Dylan Sadowy scored to reach the 40-goal mark for a second straight season while the Colts’ fifth straight victory gives them consecutive seasons with at least 40 wins.
GAME CENTRE • HIGHLIGHTS