Firebirds Dominate Start-To-Finish for 8-1 Win
October 14, 2022 – Ontario Hockey League (OHL) – Flint Firebirds News Release
Erie, Penn. – The Flint Firebirds kicked off a 3-in-3 road trip in Erie tonight to take on the Otters. After a 10-2 advantage in the 12-game series, the Firebirds picked up where they left off with an 8-1 win tonight. It was the most goals the Firebirds have scored in a game since February 17, 2020. Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) picked up two goals and an assist for First Star honors. Tristan Bertucci added a goal and assist for Second Star and Ethan Hay picked up his first career multi-goal game earning Third Star honors. Will Cranley (St. Louis Blues) got the start in net for Flint and it was Marshall Nicholls for Erie.
The game started with the Otters quickly peppering Cranley in net, but the overage netminder stood tall. After the Firebirds caught up in the shot department, they were awarded the first powerplay of the game. Seconds after the penalty expired, Alex Bradshaw picked up a pass in front of the net from Tristan Bertucci and quickly wheeled around to slide one in past the left pad of Nicholls for his first career OHL goal. Coulson Pitre added the secondary assist on the goal at the 11:02 mark of the first.
Bradshaw’s tally stood tall as the lone goal of the first period. Shots read 12-8 Otters and they led in the faceoff department 9-5 as well.
Not even two minutes into the 2nd and the Firebirds struck again. A giveaway by Erie at the Flint blueline led to a 2-on-0 the other way with Amadeus Lombardi (Detroit Red Wings) and Coulson Pitre. Lombardi kept it, deked Nicholls, pulled it to the backhand and stuck it between the pad and the post to give Flint the 2-0 lead at the 1:45 mark.
A few moments later, great passing between Pitre and Lombardi again led to another breakaway for the Red Wings draft pick. He was taken down and awarded a penalty shot. He delayed long enough and had Nicholls down on the ice, but the Otters’ netminder just got a piece of it with the glove as Lombardi tried backhanding one upstairs to keep it 2-0.
Erie finally had an answer on the powerplay. Malcolm Spence came racing into the offensive end on a rush and split the defense. The puck was poked free but ended up right on the stick of Carey Terrance who turned and fired one behind a screened Cranley to make it 2-1 at the 14:23 mark.
The Firebirds quickly took back the two-goal lead. As Spencer Sova carried out from behind his own net, Othmann came charging in and stole the puck. The Birds captain walked in all alone from the hash marks in and buried it five-hole on the backhand to make it 3-1 with just over three minutes remaining in the 2nd.
Flint added another before the middle frame ended as well. While 4-on-4, Tyler Deline streaked up the ice from behind his own net. He went the full 200 feet, evaded two Erie players, and worked himself into the corner before sending it back to the point where Tristan Bertucci let go a cannon from atop the circle that beat Nicholls high to the blocker side for his first of the year. Othmann added the secondary assist on the 4-1 goal at the 19:38 mark of the 2nd.
Shots read 10-7 Flint in the middle stanza and faceoffs came out to 11-8 Erie.
The Firebird dominance continued in the 3rd Period. 3:09 into the frame, Coulson Pitre worked his way below the Otters’ goal line. His patience paid off as he found Ethan Hay in the slot who quickly one-timed it five-hole for the first of the year.
Less than two minutes later, while on the attack, Gavin Hayes (Chicago Blackhawks) slid one to the point for Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets). He purposely let a shot go wide that kicked off from behind the net to the opposite post where Brennan Othmann was there to put home his second of the game and make it 6-1 4:45 into the 3rd.
Just under three minutes after that, Simon Slavicek cut his way through the neutral and sauced a nice pass ahead to Ethan Hay who came down and let one go five-hole from the nearside circle for his second of the game at the 7:26 mark. Marshall Nicholls was pulled and replaced with Jacob Gibbons who made his OHL debut.
Riley Piercey capped things off for the Firebirds on the powerplay. Petrovski found Hayes at the near circle who slap passed one cross-ice to the far post where Piercey found an easy empty net for his fourth of the year at the 16:34 mark.
Final shots read 38-27 Flint while faceoffs tallied 27-24 Erie. The Firebirds went 1-for-3 with the man advantage and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill.
Next Up: The Firebirds continue the three-games-in-three-nights road trip in Niagara Saturday evening, and then in Kitchener Sunday afternoon. They’ll return to Flint for their next home game on Wednesday, October 19, as they host the Sarnia Sting. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) in Flint and tickets are available now from Etix HERE. Members of Dort Financial Credit Union can get up to four tickets for free to Wednesday’s game.
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