Saginaw, Mich. – More than 4,200 fans were in attendance at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw to witness the tenth meeting of the season and 50th meeting all-time between the in-state rivals. In the end, game ten of the 12-game I-75 Divide Cup rivalry series, presented by Coors Light, went to the Flint Firebirds 1-0. Simon Slavicek scored his first OHL goal in his seventh game with the Firebirds, and it ended up being the lone tally in the contest. The goaltenders stole the show, combining for 52 saves. Flint’s Luke Cavallin earned his second shutout of the season, stopping all 25 shots faced. Across the ice, Tristan Lennox (New York Islanders) made 27 saves on 28 shots faced.
The first period showed plenty of scoring chances, with both teams getting two power-play opportunities. However, when you have the OHL’s top-two penalty-kill units and two of the best goaltenders facing one another, goals come at a premium. The lone goal of the frame was the result of a slap shot from Zack Terry at the right point deflecting off a player in the slot and slipping past Lennox. Simon Slavicek was credited with his first OHL goal, assisted by Terry and Gavin Hayes at 18:08.
First-period shots ended 13-11 in Flint’s favor. Saginaw won more faceoffs by a margin of 11-8. The teams both finished the opening 20 minutes 0-for-2 with the man-advantage.
The second period had a different complexion, with fewer scoring opportunities despite an uptick in physical play. There were ten fewer shots on net in the middle frame and only one power-play per side. The penalty killers remained unbeaten on both sides of the ice, and the score remained 1-0 to Flint’s advantage. Shots ended 8-6 with the Birds on top, and faceoffs were very close with Saginaw outdrawing Flint 7-6.
The third period featured lots of back-and-forth play with even more physicality, once again highlighted by the spectacular play of both netminders. Saginaw ended with a one-shot advantage in the period 8-7, and won the surplus of faceoffs 8-5. Flint took two penalties in the third, including a five-minute major with just 5:29 left to play. Saginaw ended up taking a too-many-men penalty with just 1:55 left in the five-minute major to even things up at 4-on-4. The Spirit eventually pulled Lennox and both teams used their timeouts within the final 90 seconds, but neither team converted on their attempts.
Next Up: The Firebirds’ road trip rolls along as they continue to navigate around the Ontario government’s regulations. They will head south of the border tomorrow afternoon to take on the division rival Windsor Spitfires tomorrow at the WFCU Centre at 5:05 p.m. (ET). They then head to the Sleeman Centre Tuesday, January 18th to battle the Guelph Storm at 7:00 p.m. (ET).
Story:Â Brandon Mills /Â flintfirebirds.com
Photography:Â Natalie Shaver / OHL
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