Mitten State hockey, from the NHL to the NTDP.

Mitten Hockey story card: Flint Firebirds, OHL

Firebirds Game Recap: vs. Spirit (Oct. 24) — Darian Anderson’s two-goal night in Flint

Darian Anderson scored twice and Jimmy Lombardi set up three goals as the Firebirds hosted the Spirit to finish the I-75 home-and-home at the Dort Financial Center.

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The Flint Firebirds scored three times in the first period, two of them on the power play, and pulled away from the Saginaw Spirit for a 6-2 win on Saturday night at the Dort Financial Center. Darian Anderson scored twice and Jimmy Lombardi had three assists as Flint improved to 8-2-1-0, good for 17 points and second place in the OHL’s West Division. Saginaw (6-4-2-1) dropped its third straight game.

Scoring summary

  • 1st, 8:59 — SAG: Braidy Wassilyn, power play (Tyler Martyniuk, Dima Zhilkin). 1-0 Saginaw.
  • 1st, 9:55 — FLNT: Ryland Cunningham (Cole Guizzetti, James Paul). 1-1.
  • 1st, 12:26 — FLNT: Luka Graziano, power play (Cooper Williams, Brady Smith). 2-1 Flint.
  • 1st, 18:49 — FLNT: Martins Klaucans, power play (Darian Anderson, Jimmy Lombardi). 3-1 Flint.
  • 2nd, 4:19 — FLNT: Xavier Tessier (unassisted). 4-1 Flint.
  • 2nd, 14:17 — SAG: Brody Pepoy. 4-2 Flint.
  • 3rd, 4:22 — FLNT: Darian Anderson (Cooper Williams, Jimmy Lombardi). 5-2 Flint.
  • 3rd, 15:43 — FLNT: Darian Anderson, empty net (James Paul, Jimmy Lombardi). 6-2 Flint.

How it happened

Saginaw struck first on Wassilyn’s power-play goal, and Dima Zhilkin’s assist stretched his season-opening point streak to 13 games. Flint answered 56 seconds later and then cashed in twice with the man advantage to take control before the first intermission. Tessier’s solo effort early in the second made it 4-1. The Spirit carried the play for much of the middle period, outshooting Flint 13-5, and Pepoy scored off a broken play to make it a two-goal game, but Anderson restored the margin after a turnover at the Saginaw blue line and later hit the empty net.

Goalies and special teams

Mason Courville made 27 saves for Flint. Stepan Shurygin allowed three goals on nine shots in the first period for Saginaw and was replaced by Brady Knowling, who made 11 saves on 13 shots the rest of the way. Saginaw outshot Flint 29-23. Flint went 2-for-4 on the power play, and Saginaw went 1-for-6.

What’s next

The Spirit visit the Soo Greyhounds at GFL Memorial Gardens on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 7:07 p.m.

Watch

Watch: OHL highlights from Saginaw at Flint, Oct. 24 (CHL.ca)

Sources

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