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Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Battle Sting Next Two Nights in Home-And-Away Series

December 9, 2022 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Sarnia, Ont. - Flint's four-game road trip through Ontario concludes tonight in Sarnia. Four critical points are on the line in back-to-back tilts with the Sting, as these clubs are only separated by one point in the West Division standings. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. (ET) at the Progressive Auto Sales Arena.

The last time these teams met was November 26 in Flint, and the Firebirds set a new franchise record by scoring ten goals and set another milestone with four power-play tallies. Will Cranley (St. Louis Blues) earned his first shutout as a member of the Firebirds, blanking all 20 shots faced. Tyler Deline topped the stats with four points (1 G, 3 A), while both Simon Slavicek and Amadeus Lombardi (Detroit Red Wings) lit the lamp twice and chipped in an assist. Braeden Kressler (Toronto Maple Leafs) also helped set up three Flint goals, making him a third player with three points in the contest.

Tonight's meeting is the fifth of eight between these clubs this season and is the third of four to be played in Sarnia. The Birds have posted a mark of 3-0-1-0 in the season series so far, with a record of 1-0-1-0 at the Progressive Auto Sales Arena. Both away games were settled in overtime, with the teams splitting the two wins in the extra frame. All time, Flint has gone 30-20-2-0 against Sarnia, with 12 games being settled by a single goal. On the road, Flint's record is 12-13-1-0.

The Birds enter tonight's game in third place in the West Division and fifth in the ten-team Western Conference with a record of 15-9-2-1. The Sting is one point back in fourth in the West Division and sixth in the Conference with a 13-8-4-2 record in the campaign. Both clubs carry points in eight of their past ten tilts, and while Flint has only three regulation losses on the road this year, the Bees have only dropped three in regulation at home. In games versus opponents from the West Division, this season the Birds have gone 8-1-2-0.

On special teams, the Firebirds have converted on 21.8% of their power-play chances, ranking them 11th in the league. The Sting have found success 19.7% of the time, which is the 17th-best in the OHL. Flint has killed off 78.4% of their penalties, which is the 12th-best rate in the league. The Birds are all alone in first for the most shorthanded goals with seven. Sarnia is right behind with the 13th-best penalty kill, operating at a 75.5% efficiency.

Players to Watch

Flint Firebirds (15-9-2-1, 3rd West Division):

Amadeus Lombardi (Detroit Red Wings) leads the Firebirds in goals (14), assists (22), and points (36) through 27 games played. He's tied for third in total points and ninth for assists across the OHL. In his last four contests, Lombardi has logged ten points (5 G, 5 A). Westland, Mich. native Gavin Hayes (Chicago Blackhawks) and defender Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) are tied for second with 26 points a piece. Hayes is tied with Lombardi with 14 tallies, and he has 12 assists. Kuzmin has found twine six times and has 20 helpers, which are tied for fourth-most among OHL defenders. He's also the only rearguard in the league with two shorthanded markers this year.

In goal, Flint's netminders are led by overage veteran Will Cranley (St. Louis Blues), who's now played in 21 games with the club. He's posted a 3.08 goals-against average (GAA), and his .908 save percentage (SV%) is third-best in the league. Cranley is credited with ten victories, including one shutout. Nathan Day now has five wins across nine appearances and carries a GAA of 4.65 with a .835 SV%. He's tied for most wins by a rookie this season.

NHL: The Firebirds have six players with NHL ties consisting of Will Cranley (St. Louis Blues), Amadeus Lombardi (Detroit Red Wings), Gavin Hayes (Chicago Blackhawks), Braeden Kressler (Toronto Maple Leafs), Dmitri Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets), and Artem Guryev (San Jose Sharks). Additionally, Coulson Pitre, Tristan Bertucci, Ethan Hay, and goaltender Nathan Day were listed on the NHL Central Scouting's 2023 Players to Watch List for October.

Despite Flint playing in just seven OHL seasons thus far, Alex Nedeljkovic (Detroit), Kole Sherwood (Columbus), Ty Dellandrea (Dallas), Tyler Tucker (St. Louis), and Will Bitten (St. Louis) are five former Firebirds to play in the NHL. Riley Piercey (Detroit) and Gavin Hayes (Chicago) played in NHL preseason contests this year, joining Firebirds' alumni Ethan Keppen (Vancouver), Vili Saarijarvi (Detroit), and Jalen Smereck (Arizona). In total, the team has produced 24 signed or drafted players into the NHL.

Sarnia Sting (13-8-4-2, 4th West Division):

Ty Voit (Toronto Maple Leafs) continues to pace the field for the OHL in points (48) and assists (39). His 1.78 points-per-game average is the best in the league. Sasha Pastujov (Anaheim Ducks) sits second with 36 points (18 G, 18 A). His 18 tallies are fifth in the category among all OHL'ers this season, and his nine power-play markers are tied for second. Nolan Burke (Nashville Predators) ranks third in points for the Bees with 15 goals and 11 assists to date. He has eight power-play goals, which is the fifth-most in the league. Ethan Ritchie tops the blue-line crew with six goals and 11 assists on the season.

Sarnia's starting goaltender is Benjamin Gaudreau (San Jose Sharks), who has appeared in 22 contests but received an invite to Team Canada at the World Juniors and will be unavailable this weekend. He has nine wins, a 3.61 goals-against average (GAA), and a .876 save percentage (SV%). Backup Nicholas Surzycia has four victories in ten appearances, posting a 3.61 GAA and an SV% of .876.

NHL: The Sting carry seven players with NHL ties, including forwards Sandis Vilmanis (Florida), Sasha Pastujov (Anaheim), Nolan Burke (Nashville), and Ty Voit (Toronto), defensemen Ryan Mast (Boston Bruins) and Chandler Romeo (Ottawa), and netminder Benjamin Gaudreau (San Jose). Additionally, Alexis Daviault and Angus MacDonell were named to the NHL Central Scouting's 2023 Players to Watch List for October.

Notable Sting alumni to play in the NHL include Steven Stamkos, Daniel Carcillo, Jakob Chychrun, Alex Galchenyuk, Matt Martin, Brett Ritchie, Ryan Spooner, Nail Yakupov and Pavel Zacha.

Broadcast Coverage:

This evening's contest against the Sarnia Sting can be heard live on the radio throughout Flint & Mid-Michigan on US 103.1 FM, online at www.us103.com or by downloading the US 103 app here. Jack Sznewajs will call the play-by-play action on the Firebirds Hockey Network (FHN), starting with the pre-game show at 6:45 p.m. (ET).

The game will be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 467. OHL fans with cable television in Ontario can add the OHL Action Pak to their television plan to catch the Firebirds in action, home or away all season long.

All Flint Firebirds' home and away games throughout the 2022-23 regular season can be watched anywhere in the world online on https://watch.chl.ca/ohl. CHL TV is the league's new and improved video streaming platform that delivers high-quality live and on-demand coverage of all regular season and playoff games annually. The cost is $7.99 for 24-hour access, $29.99 for monthly access, $119.99 for all-access to the 2022-23 Firebirds and OHL season, or $179.99 for all-access to the entire 2022-23 CHL season.

Next Up: Flint returns home to host Sarnia tomorrow. Saturday's home game versus the Sting is a Toy Drive benefitting the Old Newsboys of Flint, sponsored by Dort Financial Credit Union. Fans can bring a new toy (minimum $10 value) to the game and receive a FREE ticket. The Firebirds will also be wearing specialty-themed Christmas jerseys, which will be auctioned off immediately following the conclusion of the game. Tickets for next Saturday's contest are available from ETIX.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from December 9, 2022


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