It was a weekend to forget for the Owen Sound Attack.
Jimmy Lombardi and Xavier Tessier each scored a pair of goals as the Flint Firebirds downed the Attack 6-2 in Ontario Hockey League action Sunday afternoon at Dort Financial Center.
The Attack (9-5-0-1) dropped their fourth in a row, and managed only a single point over their three-game West Division trip through Windsor, Saginaw and Flint over the weekend.
“It’s obviously not the way we wanted this road trip to go. There’s a lot of internal searching that’s going to have to go on in the dressing room and in the coaches’ room right now,” says Attack Head Coach Scott Wray. “When we get down or behind games, guys seem to want to quit or fold up, and that’s not our identity. It’s one of those games you wanted to play hard for (goaltender Matthew Koprowski). Unfortunately, bounces here and there weren’t on his side.”
Alex Kostov and Chase Hull also scored for the Firebirds (7-4-1), which won its second straight game and fifth in the past six.
Cole Zurawski had both goals for the Attack. The second-year forward was playing his first game back in Flint against the team that drafted him sixth overall in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection, before he was moved to the Attack at the trade deadline during the 2024-25 season.
“It’s pretty cool playing in the building you started off in … I’m pretty fired up to say the least,” Zurawski says in an interview prior to the game.
He opened the scoring for Owen Sound just past the midway mark of the first period. The Attack were on a power play and Jake Crawford got him the puck near the net – and Zurawski flung a shot past Mason Vaccari as he tried to slide back to his left. 1-0 Attack.
Flint would answer with a pair of goals in the final minute of the first. Kostov tied the game 1-1 with 55 seconds remaining, depositing a cross-crease pass from Chris Thibodeau.
Twenty seconds later it was Lombardi, who took a shot from the high slot that hit Matthew Koprowski’s blocker but bounced past the Attack goaltender to make it 2-1 Flint.
Tessier and Hull scored in the second period to extend Flint’s lead. And then Lombardi scored Flint’s fifth unanswered 2:58 into the third, making it 5-1.
The Attack answered just under three minutes later. Zurawski quickly whipped a wrist shot off a faceoff over the glove of Vaccari to cut the lead to 5-2.
And then with just over five minutes left, it looked like Owen Sound may have cut the lead to two. Wray put a wrist shot high that rang off the post, and Vaccari looked to squeeze his shoulder against the net to try to keep the puck out. The Firebirds’ goaltender ended up back in the net, and one of his defenceman came barrelling in and partially moved the net. The Attack went up the line and high-fived to indicate they’d scored. But there was no goal signal on the ice, and the play was reviewed.
It was deemed no goal.
Tessier would add another one late to make it 6-2 Flint.
Vaccari made 39 saves in the win, while Koprowski stopped 24 taking the loss. The Attack outshot the Firebirds 41-31 while going 1 for 6 on the power play; Flint didn’t have a power play in the game.
Next up for the Attack is a school day game at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre Wednesday morning against Sarnia Sting. It’s a 10:30 a.m start.
SHORT FOR A BIT
The Attack were down to 14 skaters at one point near the end of the second period. Owen Sound defenceman David Bedkowski was given five minutes for fighting after he dropped the gloves with Rylan Fellinger. Attack defenceman Noah Roberts was previously given a 10-minute misconduct which took him out. And then Attack forward Jake Crawford and defenceman Lenny Greenberg left the bench after taking hits. Everyone was back for the third period.
DELISLE DEPARTING
Owen Sound Attack forward Max Delisle will be departing this week for the U17 World Hockey Challenge in Truro, Nova Scotia. The Attack rookie forward will be playing for Team Canada Red, which plays its first pre-tournament game on Friday, Oct. 31 against Czechia.
POINT STREAK CONTINUES
Attack forward Tristan Delisle had an assist on Zurawski’s second goal, extending his season-long point streak to 15 games.