Sting Finish Out Regular Season With Win Against Firebirds

The Sarnia Sting closed out their regulation season this afternoon with a win against the Flint Firebirds. After sitting many of their better players last night in Flint, they played them this afternoon and it showed in their convincing 6-3 win.

Ty Dellandrea of the Firebirds opened the scoring just over two minutes into the first period with his 22nd goal of the season. Jake Durham drew the lone assist.

The Sting responded four and a half minutes later when Hugo Leufvenius tips a shot by Mitch Eliot and finds the back of the net. Eliot and Franco Sproviero, who were both playing in their final career OHL regular season games as overagers, drew the assists on Leufvenius' 37th goal of the season.

After the first period, the game was tied 1-1 but the Sting had a 16-9 edge in shots.

Just nineteen seconds into the second period, Jacob Perreault one-times his 30th goal of the season to give the Sting a 2-1 lead, with Leufvenius assisted on the goal. Perreault is the first 16-year old to play for the Sarnia Sting and score 30 goals since Nikolay Goldobin in 2012-13, according to hockeydb.com.

Only a few seconds before the ten-minute mark of the second period, Colton Kammerer used his big slap shot to score his fifth goal of the season, assisted by Ryan McGregor.

Sarnia had a 3-1 lead after forty minutes of play, and led in shots 29-12.

Three minutes and forty-three seconds into the third period, Calvin Martin gave the Sting a three-goal cushion with his 14th goal of the season, and second goal in as many games. Nick Grima and Anthony Tabak drew the assists.

At the seven and a half minute mark in the third period, Nolan DeGurse scored his first career OHL goal as he battled his way out to the hashmarks and fired a wrist shot past the Flint goaltender.

Cody Morgan made the game a little closer with his 14th goal of the season. Jack Wismer and Michael Bianconi assisted on Morgan's power play goal.

With just under two minutes to play, Anthony Tabak scored his third goal of the season to make it 6-2 for the Sting. Assisting on the goal was Nick Grima and Calvin Martin.

However, with just thirty-one seconds remaining, Cody Morgan scored his second goal of the game and 15th of the season to cut Sarnia's lead to 6-3. Ethan Keppen and Jake Durham assisted on the goal.

Emanuel Vella started for the Firebirds and stopped 40/46 shots in the loss. Ethan Langevin started for the Sting and saved 18/21 shots.

With this win, the Sting finish the 2018-19 regular season with a record of 28-33-5-2, giving them 63 points and putting them in seventh place in the Western Conference. Flint finished the season at 16-46-6-0 with 38 points and placing tenth in the Western Conference.

The Sting begin their playoff series against the Saginaw Spirit on Thursday, March 21st in Saginaw.