Jalen Smereck's first goal of the season turned out to be the game-winner as the Flint Firebirds beat the Windsor Spitfires 4-3 in overtime Saturday afternoon at Dort Federal Event Center.
The loss keeps the Spits in second place in the OHL West Division with 24 points. The Firebirds are fourth in the same division with 21.
It did not take long for Flint to strike, scoring its first goal of the game just 18 seconds into the contest. It came off the stick of former Spit Luke Kirwan, his 13th goal of the season. The equalizer did not come until later in the first period, but it did happen as a result of Logan Stanley's power-play goal with 1:12 left in the frame.
The second period had barely begun when Windsor took the lead, at 1:20 into the stanza on a Julius Nattinen. There would be no additional scoring in the game until the third period when Flint's Kole Sherwood scored his seventh of the year at the 6:49 mark. Just 28 seconds later, Windsor's Gabriel Vilardi would help push the Spitfires ahead again with his eighth goal of the year to make it 3-2 Windsor. The Firebirds would knot it yet again at 13:51 in the third with Ryan Moore's 15th score of the season. The game would head into overtime, and Smereck's goal came at just 1:11 left in the extra frame.
The Spitfires return home for a game Sunday afternoon against the Peterborough Petes at the WFCU Centre. The Firebirds are off till Thursday when they host the Sarnia Sting.
