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OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Hit the Ice in the Soo for First of Two this Week with Greyhounds

October 25, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


SAULT STE MARIE, Ont. - The Firebirds finish their four-game road trip on Wednesday night in the Soo with a chance at six out of a possible eight points. The club picked up the first four points with victories in Barrie and Sudbury last week. Then, North Bay snapped Flint's win streak with a 6-4 decision on Sunday afternoon. Now, the Birds will battle the Hounds twice in a home-and-home series. Puck drop is set for 7:07 p.m. at the GFL Memorial Gardens Wednesday evening.

ROAD TRIPPERS: The Birds won back-to-back games for the first time this season last week with a pair of road wins at Barrie and Sudbury. All three victories for the year have been in away contests thus far and both of Flint's power play goals have come away from home. The penalty kill has also been better away from home, with a 76% success rate on the road as opposed to the 66.7% mark at home.

SERIES HISTORY: Flint holds a record of 20-20-1-2 all-time against the Hounds, which is the closest series in Firebirds history. At the GFL Memorial Gardens, the Birds have gone 10-10-0-1. Last season the home team won each game between these combatants, with the clubs splitting the series at three wins apiece. The Soo has won both prior contests this season, one on home ice and one at the GFL Memorial Gardens.

SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS: (7-4-0-0, 1st Central Division) -

Overager Jack Beck leads the Greyhounds with four goals and 14 helpers. He sits in second in total assists and first in power-play assists in the OHL. Defenseman Arttu Karki has lit the lamp a club-high ten times, the second most in the league, and has 14 total points. Owen Allard combines four tallies with eight assists for 12 points to rank third in scoring.

Third-year netminder Charlie Schenkel has appeared in nine games this season, posting five wins while combining a 2.90 goals-against average with a .885 save percentage. Rookie Landon Miller has five appearances, including two wins and a 2.88 GAA plus a .892 SV%. Both Soo goalies have one shutout in the campaign, making them the only OHL club with two.

The Greyhounds have the second-best power-play efficiency in the OHL, scoring at a 31.8% clip. On home ice, they rank fifth at a 29.4% conversion rate. When shorthanded, the Soo ranks fourth with an 87.8% penalty-kill rate.

SCOUTING THE FIREBIRDS: (3-6-0-0, 4th West Division) -

Team captain Zacharie Giroux now leads his club in scoring with four goals and four assists across nine games played. He's scored three times in the last two contests. Kaden Pitre tops the club in goals scored, with five and a pair of helpers for seven points. Chicago Blackhawks prospect Gavin Hayes ranks third with three tallies and three assists. Both Hayes and Giroux are riding active five-game point streaks.

Edmonton Oilers prospect Nathan Day has appeared in eight contests, posting a 5.01 GAA and an .837 save percentage along with two victories. Rookie Jacob Brown has one win in two appearances and sports a 5.68 GAA and an .800 SV%.

The Firebirds are killing penalties at a 73.0% rate, and are tied with the second-most shorthanded tallies in the league with three. The power play is clicking at 5%.

MAKING MOVES: The Firebirds announced on Wednesday that the team has traded center Ethan Hay to the Saginaw Spirit in exchange for six draft picks. Flint received Saginaw's 2024 second-round pick, the Kitchener Rangers' 2027 second-round pick, the North Bay Battalion's 2024 third-round pick, the Barrie Colts' 2026 third-round pick, Saginaw's 2027 fifth-round pick and the Sarnia Sting's 2025 seventh-round pick. In addition to Hay, Flint is sending Sarnia's 2024 sixth-round pick to the Spirit. In nine games this season, Hay had two goals and one assist.

BROADCAST COVERAGE: This evening's game against the Soo Greyhounds 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 pre-game 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 will host the Soo on Saturday at the Dort Financial Center. Saturday's game will be Flint's First Responders Appreciation Night, sponsored by Dort Financial Credit Union and supported by the DM Burr Group, ServPro of Northwest Genesee County, and MedStar. All Police, Fire, and EMS employees will receive a FREE ticket at the Dort Financial Center box office window with proof of employment, courtesy of game night sponsors & supporters (listed above). There will also be the annual Battle of the Badges Charity game (Police vs. Fire) to be played prior to the Flint Firebirds game. This game is scheduled to be played from 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 25, 2023


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