40 saves for Garrett Forrest
Former Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League goalie Garrett Forrest had an Ontario Hockey League career game of sorts to help the Flint Firebirds halt a three-game losing streak on Saturday night.
The 19-year old rookie made a career-high 40 saves as Flint maintained its two-point lead on the Saginaw Spirit for the eighth-and-final playoff spot in the Western Conference with a 4-3 win over the visiting Hamilton Bulldogs.
Forrest was an all-star goalie with the Powassan Voodoos of the NOJHL in 2015-2016 before moving up to the OHL with Flint for the 2016-2017 campaign.
As the backup goalie behind seasoned starter Connor Hicks — who has given up 10 goals on 40 shots over his last two starts — Forrest now has a record of 7-10-1 with an .883 save percentage and 3.45 goals against average for the Firebirds.
As Saturday’s win for Flint snapped its three-game losing skid, it also brought an end to a victory drought for Forrest, who had lost his last six decisions.