Flint Firebirds defeat London Knights 7-4 in regular season opener for both teams

Two goals and an assistance from William Nicholl’s were not capable for the London Knights arsenic they fell 7-4 to the Flint Firebirds connected Sept. 27 astatine Budweiser Gardens.

Henry Brzustewicz besides had 3 points successful the crippled arsenic helium assisted connected 3 of the 4 London goals.

Evan Van Gorp had a extremity and an assistance connected the night.

The Firebirds jumped retired to a 3-0 pb acknowledgment to 2 goals from erstwhile Sudbury Wolves guardant Evan Konyen and a wrap-around by large Nathan Aspinall.

Evan Van Gorp scored London’s archetypal extremity of 2024-25 earlier the extremity of the opening play connected a heads-up play by Edmonton Oilers imaginable William Nicholl who got the puck connected the near broadside of the Flint extremity and sizzled a walk to Van Gorp astatine the close station and the Watford, Ont., autochthonal enactment it home.

The Firebirds took a two-goal pb into the 2nd play and added to it connected goals by Artem Frolov and Nolan Collins whose constituent changeable deflected disconnected a limb and into the Knight net.

A London two-man vantage produced the Knights 2nd extremity of the game. Henry Brzustewicz fed a walk to Nicholl and helium one-timed a changeable past Nathan Day and the teams entered the last play with the Firebirds starring 5-2.

Nicholl’s 2nd of the crippled connected a 5-on-5 powerfulness play astatine 2:50 of the 3rd brought the Knights backmost to wrong a brace but Nolan Collins wristed successful his 2nd of the crippled and it was 6-3 Flint.

After the Firebirds killed disconnected a double-minor Kaden Pitre scored connected a hard changeable from the slot astatine the 14:29 people of the 3rd play to springiness Flint a four-goal edge.

London’s powerfulness play was precise effectual connected the nighttime arsenic it went 4-for-7.

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It deed the scoresheet 1 last clip arsenic Nicholl got a puck to Jesse Nurmi down the Firebirds nett and Nurmi recorded his archetypal OHL constituent erstwhile helium recovered Jacob Julien successful beforehand for Julien’s archetypal extremity of the year.

Flint was 2-for-3 connected the antheral advantage.

Gazizov volition beryllium a Gull

Ruslan Gazizov near London, Ont., successful aboriginal September not knowing what his aboriginal would hold. After 3 years with the London Knights Gazizov yet got a changeable astatine a National Hockey League grooming campy with the Anaheim Ducks. As an undrafted escaped cause helium arrived successful Anaheim with nary guarantees but played his mode into his archetypal nonrecreational declaration erstwhile the Ducks signed Gazizov to a one-year woody to play successful the American Hockey League with the San Diego Gulls.

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London and Flint volition play the 2nd of a home-and-home to commencement the play connected Saturday, Sept. 28 astatine 7 p.m., astatine the Dort Financial Center successful mid-Michigan.

Coverage volition statesman astatine 6:30 p.m., connected 980 CFPL, astatine http://www.980cfpl.ca and connected the Radioplayer Canada and iHeart Radio apps.