Flint, Mich. – The Firebirds continued their red-hot play Wednesday, defeating Kitchener 8-7 in overtime. Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks) scored and had an assist to extend his point streak to nine games, now having scored eight goals and added nine assists in that span. Zack Terry recorded his second two-goal game of the season and broke former Firebirds’ forward Jack Wismer’s record for the fastest two goals scored by the same player at 17 seconds apart. Coulson Pitre also found the back of the net twice and is now just one tally behind Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) for the most goals scored by any Flint player in their rookie season. The Rangers were led by Mike Petizian’s two goals and one assist in his 200th career OHL game. Joseph Serpa and Justin Nolet each finished with a goal and an assist, and Reid Valade had three helpers on the night. Between the pipes, Luke Cavallin made 25 saves for his 19th victory of the season in his 118th OHL game. Across the rink, rookie Marcus Vandenberg, playing in his fourth OHL game, made 36 saves on 44 shots in a very busy night in goal.
The first period was fairly even in regards to time of possession and scoring chances. Both teams had a pair of two-on-one opportunities in the opening frame, and both teams capitalized on one of the two. First, Amadeus Lombardi carried into the offensive zone with Ethan Keppen pacing to his right. The play started as a two-on-three, but both Flint skaters showed a burst of speed to create a two-on-one. From below the left faceoff dot, Lombardi passed across the blue paint to Keppen for the one-timer at 7:32. Luca D’Amato was credited with the second assist on Keppen’s ninth marker in just 14 games played since rejoining the team mid-season.
Then, a broken play by the Firebirds in the neutral zone resulted in a two-on-one the opposite direction. Mitchell Martin carried up the left-wing side and opted to shoot from the top of the circle. Cavallin kicked the puck aside, but the rebound went between the circles to Navrin Mutter, who slapped it just inside the right post for his seventh of the campaign at 12:54.
With only six seconds remaining in the first period, Mike Petizian won an offensive zone faceoff back to Justin Nolet at the point. Nolet walked the line and waited for traffic to build in front of Cavallin before lifting a wrister into the top corner, blocker side, for his seventh of the season with 0.7 seconds remaining in the opening 20 minutes.
The Rangers carried the 2-1 lead into the first intermission. They led in shots 15-14, and Flint led in faceoff wins 15-11. Neither team took a penalty in period one.
Defenseman Zack Terry scored back-to-back goals to start the second period, shattering the previous record by a Flint player for fastest two tallies by the same player. First, at 1:13 he netted a wide-angle shot from the bottom of the right circle off a setup pass from Riley Piercey behind the Rangers’ net. Zacharie Giroux picked up the second assist on Terry’s fifth of the season. Then, only 17 seconds later, Terry launched a heavy shot from just inside his blue line that found twine through traffic for his sixth, assisted by Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) and Piercey again.
But Kitchener fought back and tied the game at three just over five minutes later, while shorthanded. An errant shot attempt by the Birds just inside their blue line left a loose puck for the speedy Petizian, who took off on a 2-on-0 break the other way. Reid Valade and Petizian were able to complete three passes back and forth before Petizian one-timed one past Cavallin’s outstretched right pad at 6:54. It was Petizian’s 17th of the season, and third shorthanded.
The pace picked up and tempers grew short following the shorthanded marker. A heavy hit in the Rangers zone led to a spirited skirmish. The combatants each received five-minute majors, with Kitchener taking the extra minor for the initial hit. The Firebirds didn’t convert on the man-advantage but instead scored seconds later. Luca D’Amato wound up for a slapper from the right point as the power play expired. The Rangers’ netminder made the initial save, but the rebound went to Pitre for a short-range shot from Vandenberg’s right that found paydirt for his 15th of the season, assisted by D’Amato and Tag Bertuzzi.
Less than 30 seconds later, Samuel Assinewai picked the pocket of a Kitchener forward in the neutral zone and fed Simon Slavicek as he hit the blue line in stride. With two defenders draped all over him, Slavicek managed to maintain possession and carry the puck into the crease before slipping it under Vandenberg’s right pad. After the goal, Slavicek, Vandenberg, and one of the Rangers’ defenders were all laying in the Kitchener goal. The play was reviewed, and Slavicek’s second OHL goal was confirmed at 12:23. The Birds had a 5-3 lead.
Slavicek put the puck in the net again a minute later, but the play was reviewed and this time disallowed due to incidental contact with the netminder.
Less than one minute after the disallowed goal, Kitchener lit the lamp again to pull within one. Carson Rehkopf weaved between defenders across the top of the circles before sniping a high wrist shot glove side at 14:19. The goal was reviewed but allowed. It was Rehkopf’s tenth of the season, assisted by Adrian Misaljevic and Simon Motew. The Firebirds led by one.
Once again, the score changed quickly. This time, Tag Bertuzzi hit Sahil Panwar as he streaked between two defenders to gain zone entry. With about a half a stride advantage on the rearguards, Panwar lifted a seeing-eye shot for his 11th of the season at 15:04. Bertuzzi and Gavin Hayes picked up the helpers as the Birds extended their lead to a pair.
Mike Petizian made it a one-goal game again, depositing his second of the night and 18th of the season at 16:15. He emerged on his second 2-on-0 breakaway of the contest, and this time opted to maintain possession and take the shot himself. He hit the brakes in the slot and lifted the puck high to the glove side to pull his troops within one.
Second-period shots ended 14-11 in Flint’s favor. Faceoffs favored the Firebirds 30-17 through 40 minutes. Kitchener killed both penalties taken in the frame successfully.
Kitchener came out and scored two goals 33 seconds apart early in the third to tie, and then take the 7-6 lead. With a two-man advantage for more than a minute, the Rangers were able to set up and maintain possession while looking for the open shot. Defenseman Roman Schmidt (Tampa Bay Lightning) one-timed a pass from Joseph Serpa from above the left circle to knot the score at 6:36. Valade picked up the second assist. That freed one man from Flint’s penalty box. However, with over a minute of 5-on-4 power-play time remaining, Serpa lit the lamp with his eighth of the campaign at 7:09. Justin Nolet and Valade assisted on goal number seven for the visitors.
Flint wasn’t taking their foot off the gas, though. Tristan Bertucci made a tape-to-tape cross-ice pass to Keppen on the right side of the neutral zone. The Vancouver Canucks’ prospect skated in and took a short-range shot from Vandenberg’s left. The young netminder kicked the shot aside, just out of reach for the next winger on the scene. The Rangers’ defense didn’t account for the late man in on the play, top-scoring rookie Coulson Pitre, who gathered the puck and hesitated just long enough to wrap it around the goaltenders’ right skate and inside the far post for his seconds of the night 16th of the season at 13:20.
The intensity really picked up after the game was tied at seven, and the Firebirds skated the final three-plus minutes of regulation with a power play. The Birds were unable to convert before the horn sounded, so the balance of the man-advantage carried over into overtime. The Rangers again killed the penalty, but with 3:36 to play in the extra frame Kitchener went down a man again. Flint opted to use their timeout to plan for another four-on-three opportunity. The planning worked, as Team Captain Brennan Othmann scored his 31st of the season with 2:04 to go on a one-timer from the far circle. Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) and Zacharie Giroux assisted on the game-winning tally.
Shots in overtime were 4-0 in Flint’s favor, giving the home team a 44-32 surplus overall. The Birds outdrew the Rangers 41-31 across the 62:56 played. In total, Kitchener scored twice on three power-play chances and the Firebirds scored once on five opportunities.
Story:Â Brandon Mills /Â flintfirebirds.com
Photography:Â Todd Boone / Flint Firebirds