Flint, Mich. – The first game of the I-75 Divide Cup, presented by Coors Light, went to the visiting Saginaw Spirit by a final score of 5-3 in front of a packed Dort Financial Center Wednesday night. Coulson Pitre scored the first two goals of the game, giving Flint the early lead over the visitors. The Firebirds’ Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) scored his first OHL goal in the contest, as did Saginaw’s Evan Klein, Luke McNamara, and Matyas Sopovaliv. Grand Blanc, Mich. native Dalton Duhart helped set up three of Saginaw’s five markers to top the Spirit’s scoresheet. Between the pipes, Flint goaltender Luke Cavallin made 26 saves on 31 shots. Across the ice, Saginaw’s Tristan Lennox (New York Islanders) stopped 33 of 36 to backstop the Spirit in the win.
The Firebirds opened the scoring less than five minutes into the first frame. Coulson Pitre took an initial shot from the right-wing circle that was kicked aside by Saginaw netminder Tristan Lennox. Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) dug the rebound out of the left-wing corner and made a centering pass to Braeden Kressler (Toronto Maple Leafs). Kressler shot far-pad, which was kicked to a wide-open Pitre for the one-timer back door. The goal was Pitre’s second of the season, logged at 4:03. Pitre would find twine again less than three minutes later. This time, Othmann made a cross-ice pass above the circles to first-year defenseman Luca D’Amato on the left. D’Amato sent a rising wrister that Pitre deflected out of mid-air, past Lennox for his second of the night and third of the season. The time of the goal was 7:00 of the first, and the assist was D’Amato’s first point in the OHL.
Saginaw pulled within one on a play set up by Dalton Duhart. His pass found Luke McNamara down low, where he sent a wide-angle shot from the bottom of the right offensive circle. Luke Cavallin made a sprawling save, but the rebound was poked home by Evan Klein for his first of the campaign at 14:39.
The Spirit tied the game at two on the power play at 15:53. McNamara launched a wrister that struck the top corner of the cage, glove side on Cavallin. The assists on McNamara’s first OHL goal were credited to Davis Codd and rearguard Pavel Mintyukov.
Period one ended tied at two. First-period shots favored the ‘Birds 15-13. Flint also won 12 of 19 face-offs in the first 20 minutes of play.
Flint reclaimed the lead just 91 seconds into the middle stanza. Dmitry Kuzmin wasted no time getting his first OHL goal in his first OHL game. He intercepted a Saginaw pass at his defensive blue line and carried the puck up the left-wing boards. From the outer edge of the left circle, he sniped a wrister that found paydirt near-side, mid-height behind Lennox, unassisted.
Saginaw battled back to tie the contest at three with less than one minute remaining in the second period, again on the man advantage. Duhart made the low pass in his offensive zone to Josh Bloom (Buffalo Sabres) in the left corner. Bloom found Matyas Sapovaliv centered in the high slot for a blistering one-timer. The goal was Sapovaliv’s first, scored with 40 seconds to play until the second intermission.
Shots were even at nine per side in the middle frame. The Spirit led in the faceoff circles with a 12-6 edge.
Saginaw claimed their first lead of the contest in the first minute of the third period. Camaryn Baber sprung Duhart free with a defensive-zone breakout pass. Bloom paced Duhart up the left side to create a two-on-one opportunity for the visitors. When the two forwards were mid-circle on their respective sides of the ice, Duhart rifled a pass to his left and Bloom one-timed it home for his first of the season 51 seconds into the final stanza.
After Flint saw several scoring opportunities through the balance of the third period, the Spirit sealed the victory on a short-range backhander from the stick of Calem Mangone, his second of the season. Dean Loukus picked up the lone assist for a lengthy airborne pass from his defensive blue line to the stick of Mangone at the offensive blue line. Mangone slipped around a Flint defender in the right circle before skating through the slot and lifted the backhander far-side at 17:05.
The Firebirds called Cavallin to the bench for the extra attacker, but a late penalty forced the netminder to return for the final minute of play. Final shots were 36 for Flint to 31 for Saginaw. On special teams, the Spirit scored twice on five power-play opportunities holding the Firebirds scoreless on three chances with the man advantage.
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