Firebird bounced back from a 4-3 loss to OK Tire last week to knock off league leaders Re/Max 5-3 in a classic barn burner in Trail Commercial Hockey League action.
Firebird notched its second win of the season after Eric Hill converted a pass from Adam McNeil to net the winning goal and give the Bird a lead it would not relinquish.
The Birds jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on goals from Craig Clare and Dan Lind, but Re/Max replied at 19:35 of the second period when Devyn Hill finished a nice passing play from Graham Proulx and Dallas Stanton to cut the lead to 2-1. The teams traded goals in the second when the prolific Proulx netted two of his own around a Matt Langille goal for Firebird.
Clare counted his second of the night and the insurance marker on a penalty shot with 2:36 remaining in regulation, after being tripped up on a break away.
In OK Tire’s 4-3 victory, Peter Sheets was the unlikely hero collecting his first goal of the season as he fired what proved to be the winning marker past Firebird’s stalwart goaltender Mike Kooznetsoff.
The Tire jumped out to a 3-0 lead on goals from Shawn Venturini, Fudge, and Darrin Kissock. However, a pair of goals from Travis Drake and a single by Mike Turner narrowed the margin to one, as Rocky Dickson nailed the door shut the rest of the way for the Tire.
In other action Thursday, the Arlington and Rex Allstars fought tooth-and-ale before the Big A squeezed out a 7-6 victory.
Matt Larmour picked up a hat trick and the winner at 1:33 of the second period, to give the Arlington a 7-4 lead heading into the third period. The indomitable Jim Maniago would rally the Allstars, scoring twice in 20 seconds to make it a one-goal game but the rally would come up short.
The next TCHL action goes Thursday when Arlington takes on OK Tire at 7:15 p.m. and the Firebird meet the Allstars at 8:30 p.m.