Firebirds fall 6-1 to Battalion in Showcase finale.

The Flint Firebirds limped home from the OHL Preseason Showcase event at the Harbor Center in Buffalo, following a 6-1 loss at the hands of the North Bay Battalion on Monday (Sept. 4, 2017).

The loss wrapped up an 0-3 start to the exhibition campaign, the other losses both 4-3 against both teams from this past season’s Memorial Cup Championship – the Windsor Spitfires and Erie Otters.

Once again, the Firebirds stayed with its opposition statistically, Battalion with a slim 37-34 edge in shots on goal. But the pair of Julian Sime, 19, from Ontario and Mat Woroniuk, 18, from Ontario was nearly unbeatable in goal for North Bay, stopping 33 of 34 shots while Luke Cavallin, 16, from Ontario was beaten six times on 37 shots.

Justin Brazeau, 19, from Ontario fired the lone goal of the first period for the Battalion and unanswered goals by Cam Dineen, 19, from New Jersey and Brett McKenzie, 20, from Ontario had the Battalion up 3-0 entering the final 20 minutes.

Alex Robert, 18, from Ontario added one more 2:07 into the third before Hakon Nilsen, a 19-year-old defenseman from Florida finally got the Firebirds on the board with a powerplay tally with help from Fedor Gordeev, 18, from Ontario and Ethan Keppen, 16, from Ontario just past the period’s halfway mark.

Daniel Walker, 18, from Ontario and Luke Burghardt, 19, from Ontario added goals for the Battalion a minute apart to wrap it up with a little more than five minutes to spare.

The Firebirds will go back to work before heading into its next preseason match at the Dow Center in Saginaw against the Spirit on Sept. 15.