Flint, Mich. – Firebirds’ team Captain Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) scored his 44th goal and 91st point of the season, officially breaking the all-time record for points in a season previously set by Ryan Moore at 90 in the 2016-17 campaign. Defenseman Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) scored his 18th goal of the season, tying him with former Firebirds’ rearguard Riley McCourt for the most goals by a blue-liner in club history. Both Othmann and Kuzmin also picked up assists in the contest to lead the troops for Flint, earning ‘First Star’ and ‘Second Star’ accolades respectively. Rookie Coulson Pitre and overager Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks) also found the back of the net for the Firebirds. For Sarnia, Nolan Burke and Marco Sikic were the goal scorers. Benjamin Gaudreau (San Jose Sharks) had the busier night in the net, making 32 saves on 35 shots. Flint’s overage netminder Luke Cavallin turned aside 21 shots en route to his OHL-leading 34th victory.
The first period started with momentum seeming to lean toward the Sting. Their top scorer Ty Voit (Toronto Maple Leafs) had two breakaways on Cavallin in the first five minutes of play. The first was shot low and kicked aside, the second was lifted and waffle-boarded to the corner. Then the Firebirds tilted the ice back in their favor with a power-play opportunity near the eight-minute mark. Although they maintained possession and generated some quality chances in through the first 90 seconds, San Jose Sharks’ prospect Benjamin Gaudreau answered the call.
The score remained knotted at zeros until the 12:53 mark when the momentum shift paid off for Flint. Tyler Deline made a cross-ice pass in the neutral zone to Amadeus Lombardi. The first-year centerman crossed the center of the blue line, then made a hard turn to his right. He left the puck inside the right circle for the tailing Coulson Pitre, who picked it up and snapped it far side below the blocker for his 22nd of the season.
Near the 17-minute mark, Bertuzzi emerged all alone on a breakaway, only to see the puck hop over his stick and eliminate the scoring opportunity. Shortly thereafter, however, Dmitry Kuzmin emerged on a two-on-one rush with Pitre to his right. Kuzmin slap-passed early from the top of the left circle and hit Pitre near the right dot. Pitre returned the favor, faking a shot and returning to the feed to Kuzmin for a one-timer on a wide-open cage. Kuzmin’s was the 18th of the season, logged at 18:43.
Flint held a large advantage in shots after 20 minutes, on top 18-7. They edged out the Sting in faceoffs by a single draw 8-7. Flint was scoreless with the lone power-play opportunity of the frame.
The Firebirds’ second power play came early in the middle stanza and looked much like the first. They maintained possession in the Sarnia zone for the lions’ share of the two-minute minor, but once Gaudreau proved unbeatable, with his defense sacrificing the body to make a few saves of their own.
The lone goal of the middle frame came within the final minute. Nolan Dillingham launched a wrister from just inside the blue line, and Flint’s captain Othmann dropped to a knee to block the shot. The deflection caromed off Othmann to Cavallin’s left, but Nolan Burke was there to one-time it over the netminder’s left pad for his 34th of the season. Dillingham and Ethan Ritchie picked up the helpers on the tally, recorded with 56 remaining in the second.
The middle frame ended with the Birds on top 2-1. Shots on goal were much closer, with Flint holding a 10-8 edge. The Firebirds outdrew the Sting 9-5, and once again Flint went scoreless with the only chance with the man-advantage.
The Birds only needed 49 seconds to get one past the Bees in the third period. Zacharie Giroux carried up the right-wing wall and hit the brakes at the half-boards, but a defender forced the puck free. It slid up the fresh ice to Sahil Panwar at the right point, and Panwar quickly sent it toward the right corner. It slid just out of the reach of two defenders before connecting with Othmann on the goal line. The captain skated directly toward Gaudreau and faked near-side before tucking it past the goalie’s right skate for his 44th of the campaign.
The Sting were awarded a lengthy five-on-three opportunity near the midway point of the frame, still trailing by a pair. They used their lone timeout to establish a game plan. Moments later, the Flint fans celebrated a shorthanded goal as the light and siren went on. The officials waved it off, and play continued the other direction, with Sarnia still skating with a 5-on-4 power play. The result was Marco Sikic scoring his 14th of the campaign at 11:17, assisted by Nolan DeGurse and Ty Voit. After review, Flint’s first shot went off the post, and the second shot sat in the blue paint behind Gaudreau but never crossed the goal line. The game stood at 3-2.
The Firebirds appeared to answer less than four minutes later. Othmann slid the puck from the corner to Kuzmin at the left point. The Belarusian defender blasted a howitzer on goal, and the initial save was made. Bertuzzi, however, was patrolling the slot and made the short-range backhander under the sprawling netminder at 15:05. The play was reviewed for offsides and was disallowed, returning the score to 3-2.
The Firebirds kept the foot on the pedal, not allowing Sarnia to pull Gaudreau until around 19:30. Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks) secured a loose puck and scored from the blue line for his 22nd of the season, assisted by Panwar and Simon Slavicek with 18 seconds remaining in the game to seal the victory.
In the end, Flint outshot Sarnia 36-23. They also outdrew the Bees 31-20. The Sting ended 1-for-3 on the power play, and the Birds finished scoreless after three tries. For Flint, the victory was number 40 of the regular season, tying yet another all-time record from the 2019-20 season.
Story: Brandon Mills / flintfirebirds.com
Photography: Todd Boone / Flint Firebirds
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