Kitchener, Ont. – The Flint Firebirds squared off with the Kitchener Rangers for the sixth and final time during the regular season on Sunday afternoon. The game saw the visiting Firebirds snap their four-game losing streak with a 3-1 win behind two goals from Gavin Hayes (First Star) and a goal from Sahil Panwar (Second Star). Luke Cavallin got the start in net for Flint and stopped 24 of 25 shots. He picked up his 30th win of the year, the new franchise single-season record. It was Pavel Cajan (3rd Star) in net for the Rangers stopping 40 of 43.
The 1st Period was played at a rapid pace but saw neither team find the back of the net. The Firebirds killed off three penalties, including a full 2:00 5-on-3 late in the frame, successfully keeping the game locked at zeros. Shots read 11-10 Flint after one and the Birds outdrew the Rangers 11-7 as well.
The 2nd Period started with 4-on-4 play before Mike Petizian took a slashing penalty. On the powerplay, Gavin Hayes set up at the top of the far circle, took the pass from Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) and ripped home his 17th of the year high to the glove of Cajan to make it 1-0 Flint 1:43 into the 2nd.
The back-and-forth play continued throughout the 2nd until the Firebirds added another. Ethan Hay sent an outlet pass up for Simon Slavicek who crashed the net and threw the puck off Cajan. The rebound was corralled by Sahil Panwar who wasted no time to put home his 14th of the year with just 36 seconds left in the 2nd.
It seemed that the Firebirds were about to take a 2-0 lead into the break until a bouncing puck was mishandled in the Firebirds zone. Reid Valade came out of nowhere, stole the puck and backhanded one upstairs behind Cavallin. The goal was unassisted and came at the 19:51 mark of the 2nd.
The Firebirds dominated the middle frame, outshooting Kitchener 17-8. They outdrew the Blue Shirts 12-11 as well.
Flint kept the pressure up in the 3rd Period and it paid off once again. James Petrovski let a shot fly from the point that Sahil Panwar deflected right to the tape of Gavin Hayes who put home his second of the game 8:38 into the 3rd.
That would be all the Firebirds would need as they fended off the Rangers, winning all three meetings in the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium this year. Flint outshot Kitchener 43-25, and outdrew them 37-29. The Birds went 1-for-5 on the powerplay and the Blue Shirts finished the night 0-for-6.
Photography: Todd Boone / Flint Firebirds
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