OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Hit the Road for Thursday Night Tilt with Barrie

October 19, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


BARRIE, Ont. - The Firebirds set out to face three consecutive opponents from the Eastern Conference's Central Division over the next four days, meeting each for the first time this season. The trip begins on Thursday night with a match with the Barrie Colts. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. at Sadlon Arena.

LAST TIME OUT: The Firebirds hosted the Guelph Storm on Saturday in a tight, back-and-forth contest. With the game tied at one in the final seconds of the third period, Cedric Paquette scored on the power play to give the Storm the edge for good. Paquette netted both Guelph goals and Gavin Hayes found twine for Flint, his second in as many games. Nathan Day got the start for the Firebirds and made 18 saves on 20 shots in the Flint net.

SERIES HISTORY: The Firebirds have posted a mark of 2-10-0-0 versus the Colts since the club's inception into the OHL in 2015. Both wins were on the road however, where the record sits at 2-4-0-0. Barrie won both games in the season series during the 2022-23 campaign.

SCOUTING THE COLTS: (4-2-0-0, 4th Central Division) -

Edward Sale, a 2023 first-round selection of the Seattle Kraken, leads Barrie with seven points (1 G, 6 A) across the first six games of the season. He scored his first career OHL goal against the Oshawa Generals on Saturday. Behind him, three players are tied with six points, including Beau Jelsma (2 G, 4 A), Roenick Jodoin (3 G, 3 A), and Connor Punnett (1 G, 5 A). Overage netminder Ben West has two wins in four appearances this season, posting a 4.90 goals-against average and a save-percentage of .863. Sam Hillebrandt has won both of his games and sports a 1.00 GAA with a .964 SV%.

The Colts rank 14th on the power play with a 12.5% success rate. They're killing penalties at a 73.9% clip, good for 18th in the OHL.

SCOUTING THE FIREBIRDS: (1-5-0-0, 5th West Division) -

Kaden Pitre's four goals have him leading in scoring and tied for the lead in total points with team captain Zacharie Giroux, who has a goal and three assists. Overager Nolan Dann (1 G, 2 A) and rookie Jeremy Martin (2 G, 1 A) are tied for third. Nathan Day has appeared in five contests in net and carries a 5.69 GAA with a .806 SV%. Rookie Jacob Brown has one win in two appearances with a 5.68 GAA and a SV% of .800.

The Firebirds have one power-play tally in 29 chances this season. They are killing penalties at a 72% rate, and are tied for the league's second-most shorthanded goals with two.

BROADCAST COVERAGE: This evening's game against the Barrie Colts 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 continue the road trip with a Friday-night game in Sudbury and a Sunday afternoon contest in North. Then they'll face the division-rival Soo Greyhounds in back-to-back games next week. The first game with the Hounds will be on the road Wednesday before hosting Sault Ste. Marie Saturday, October 28 at the Dort Financial Center. The October 28 home game will be Flint's First Responder's 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 with 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. and is historically a very entertaining game to watch.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 19, 2023


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