Firebirds Eye Road Trip Sweep on Saturday in Erie
January 13, 2024 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release
ERIE, Pa. - Flint rolls into Erie on Saturday night on the heels of back-to-back wins following a busy trade deadline. The Firebirds took out the Owen Sound Attack at home on Wednesday, dropped the Niagara IceDogs on the road on Friday and now turn their attention to the Otters, hunting their third straight victory. Puck drop between these American franchises this evening is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Erie Insurance Arena.
LAST TIME OUT: Kaden Pitre scored twice and Oliver Peer logged three assists as the Firebirds struck three times in the third period and toppled the Niagara IceDogs, 5-2, on Friday night at the Meridian Centre. The Birds finished with a 37-32 edge in shots and a commanding 40-23 advantage at the faceoff dots. Nathan Day recorded 30 saves on 32 shots in the win, Simon Slavicek scored his second goal of the week, Connor Clattenburg had two points in his second game as a Firebird, and Nathan Aspinall lit the lamp for the fourth time in his past five games.
SERIES HISTORY: Saturday marks the third of four meetings between these clubs this season and is the second of two to be played in Erie. Both prior meetings were settled by a single goal in extra time and won by the visitors. The Otters defeated the Birds 4-3 in a shootout on November 3 at the Dort Financial Center before Flint emerged victorious in overtime 4-3 eight days later in Erie. The Firebirds are 20-10-2-3 all-time in the series and hold an 11-4-0-2 mark in road games versus the Otters.
SCOUTING THE OTTERS: (17-16-4-0, 5th Midwest Division) -
Veteran center Pano Fimis tops the Otters lineup with 40 total points, stemming from 12 goals and 28 assists. Sophomore winger Malcolm Spence also has 28 assists and sits three points back in third with 37 points. Anaheim Ducks prospect and Akwesasne, New York native Carey Terrance paces the club with 22 tallies and sits third in points with 34.
Ben Gaudreau, an overage netminder and prospect of the Anaheim Ducks, has appeared in 30 contests this season. He's credited with 18 wins and carries a 3.36 goals against average with an .889 save percentage. Rookie goaltender Jacob Gibbons is winless across nine appearances and sports a 6.75 GAA along with a SV% of .778.
The Otters rank seventh on the power play with a scoring rate of 24.3%. Their penalty kill is ranked 19th, getting the job done at a 71.8% pace.
SCOUTING THE FIREBIRDS: (17-20-2-1, 3rd West Division) -
Oliver Peer tops the scoring for Flint with 52 total points (24 G, 28 A). In his two games with the Firebirds, he's scored twice and chipped in three assists for an impressive five points. Newly appointed captain Coulson Pitre has 18 goals and 21 helpers for 39 points, ranking him second. Overager Nolan Dann continues his red-hot play and now rides the league's third-longest active point streak at ten games (7 G, 7 A). For the season he's third with 34 points (15 G, 19 A).
Forwards Kaden Pitre and Nathan Aspinall were both listed on the 2024 NHL Central Scouting Midseason Rankings released earlier this week.
Nathan Day now has 15 wins across 34 appearances. He carries a 3.90 goals-against average and a save percentage of .862. Rookie Jacob Brown carries a 4.54 GAA and an .846 SV% through nine appearances. He's credited with two victories in the campaign.
The Birds rank 15th in the league with the man advantage, converting on 18.0% of their opportunities. The penalty kill is 14th-best at a 77.1% rate after going 4-for-4 last night against the IceDogs. Noteworthy is Flint's penalty kill in road games at an 83.3% clip, which ranks sixth in the OHL.
BROADCAST COVERAGE: This evening's game against the Erie Otters 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. Brian Gardner will call the play-by-play action on the Firebirds Hockey Network starting with the pregame show at 6:45 p.m.
All of the Flint Firebirds home and away games throughout the 2023-24 season can be watched anywhere in the world online at https://watch.chl.ca/ohl.
COMING UP: The Firebirds conclude the current three-game road swing on Friday with a 7:30 p.m. in Guelph. The next game at the Dort Financial Center is Saturday, January 20 when they host the Sarnia Sting. Tickets for the 7:00 p.m. battle with the Bees are available now from ETIX.COM.
Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 13, 2024
- Spitfires Win Wild Game 11-7 Over Sudbury - Windsor Spitfires
- Three Power Play Goals Give Saginaw 5-2 Victory Over Guelph - Saginaw Spirit
- Firebirds Falter in Erie, 7-2 - Flint Firebirds
- Vanacker & Xhekaj Close The Stables As Dogs Down Colts 4-3 - Brantford Bulldogs
- Pagé Scores Third in Three Games as Petes Fall to Generals - Peterborough Petes
- Firebirds Eye Road Trip Sweep on Saturday in Erie - Flint Firebirds
- Liam Greentree Named 59th Spitfires Captain in Team History - Windsor Spitfires
- Spirit Host Storm on Corteva Agriscience Family Night - Saginaw Spirit
- It Was an Offensive Showcase in 6-2 Win over Erie - Kitchener Rangers
- Lavoie & Sobolev Score In Dogs Debut To Earn Point - Brantford Bulldogs
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