Flint, Mich. – The Flint Firebirds and Saginaw Spirit reunited the long-standing rivalry between the two cities on the ice at the Dort Financial Center Wednesday evening. Saginaw went up 3-0 before the Firebirds fought back to score three unanswered to force overtime, and the eventual shootout. Braeden Kressler (Toronto Maple Leafs) led the way for Flint, scoring and gaining an assist en-route to earning ‘Third Star’ honors. Dean Loukus (2 G) and Matyas Sapovaliv (1 G, 1 A) led the way for the visitors and were named ‘Second Star’ and ‘First Star’ respectively. In goal, Luke Cavallin made 23 saves on 26 shots while Saginaw’s rookie netminder Andrew Oke, who hails from Shelby Township, Mich, stopped 36 of 39 shots to pick up his sixth victory of the season. On special teams, both teams scored once with the man-advantage.
The first period produced a lot of back-and-forth action with big hits and multiple scoring chances on both ends of the ice. Cavallin and Oke both made spectacular saves when called upon to keep the zero’s on the scoreboard. With under 30 seconds remaining in the opening frame, and with Saginaw on the game’s first power play, Matyas Sapovaliv buried his ninth of the season and fifth in seven games versus the Firebirds. Pavel Mintyukov thwarted Flint’s clearing attempt at his blue line and sent the puck back into the crowded shot. Cavallin kicked it aside, but it was gathered by Josh Bloom (Buffalo Sabres) and sent to Grand Blanc, Mich. native Dalton Duhart in the left-wing circle. Duhart set up Sapovaliv for a quick one-timer at the inner edge of the left circle, logged at 19:34.
First-period shots ended 11-8, advantage Flint. The Birds won 13 faceoffs to Saginaw’s eight. The Spirit scored on the lone power play of the opening frame.
The visitors doubled their lead 32 seconds into period number two. PJ Forgione received a pass from Sapovaliv at the right point and walked the line to the center, high above the circles. He wound up and fired a slap shot on net that was deflected past Cavallin by Dean Loukus in the crease. The goal was Loukus’ eighth of the campaign.
Loukus created havoc in the crease again minutes later, and it resulted in his second of the game. Again it was a slap shot from the point, this time off the stick of Sapovaliv above the right circle. Loukus was tied up with a defender in front of Cavallin but still managed to get wood on the shot, which trickled through the five-hole at 6:05. Duhart picked up the second helper.
Flint finally found paydirt just past the midway point of the game. Owen Pitters chipped the puck around a defender and into Flint’s offensive zone. It was collected by Amadeus Lombardi, who carried through the left circle before attempting a cross-ice pass that was blocked by a defender. Lombardi gathered the loose puck and lifted it over Oke’s right shoulder for his tenth of the season at 11:50.
The Birds pulled within a single tally minutes later when Braeden Kressler carried up the right-wing wall and sent a soft pass ahead to Gavin Hayes in the right corner. Hayes made a tape-to-tape backhand pass from the corner to Ty Petrou directly in front of Oke. Petrou’s first shot was saved by Oke’s right pad, but the young centerman gathered his own rebound and slid it past Oke just inside the blocker-side post. It was Petrou’s second of the season, recorded at 16:05.
Saginaw held onto a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes of play. Flint outshot the Spirit 13-12 in the middle frame and won 14 draws out of 22. Neither team took a penalty in the second period, so special teams went untested.
The third period went scoreless until the final minute. With 1:38 remaining in regulation, and a Saginaw player on the way to the penalty box, the Birds used their timeout. Ten seconds after the ensuing faceoff, Cavallin headed to the bench for the extra attacker. With just under a minute to play in the third period, Riley Piercey made a pass from between the circles to Zacharie Giroux in the left-wing corner. Giroux circled back toward the slot and sent a quick snapshot into traffic. His shot deflected off Braeden Kressler and into the net to tie the game at 19:07. Kressler was credited with his fifth of the season, and regulation ended with the teams tied at three.
The Firebirds outshot Saginaw 14-5 in the third period. Flint scored one power-play goal on five opportunities in the frame.
Neither team was able to find twine in the five-minute over time, with each club only generating one shot on goal each. The game would be decided by a shootout, the first in Flint this season. Sapovaliv and Coulson Pitre each scored for their clubs in the initial three-round shootout, but it was Dalton Duhart in the fourth round that secured the victory for the Spirit, also giving them a 4-3 series lead in the 12-game I-75 Divide Cup, presented by Coors Light. The teams will meet again in Saginaw this Saturday, with puck drop slated for 7:05 p.m. (ET).
Story: Brandon Mills/flintfirebirds.com
Photography: Todd Boone / Flint Firebirds
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