Milestone win for Firebirds
Flint Firebirds have matched their win total from the entire 2015-2016 season and they did so in convincing fashion on Tuesday night.
Sparked by the five-goal, two-assist performance of veteran forward Kole Sherwood, Flint ran roughshod over its mid-Michigan rival Saginaw Spirit by a resounding 11-2 score. Sherwood, obtained earlier in the season from the London Knights, now has 20 goals, 26 assists, 46 points.
Newcomer Maurizio Colella also had a big outing for Flint. The 19-year old forward, recently acquired by Firebirds general manager George Burnett in a shrewd trade with the North Bay Battalion, had 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points with a plus-minus rating of +6 on the night.
The victory was the 20th of the 2016-2017 season for Flint and improved its record to 20-17-23, good for 43 points and seventh-place in the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League.
A year ago, in their first season in Flint, the Firebirds finished ninth and missed the playoffs in the 10-team Western Conference with a record of 20-42-6.
Tuesday’s road win over the Spirit not only vaulted the Firebirds past the Sarnia Sting into seventh place but increased Flint’s lead over Saginaw for the eighth-and-final playoff spot to six points.
PHOTO: Flint Firebirds forward Kole Sherwood now has 20 goals on the season.