OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Host Bulldogs on Friday Night in Flint

February 23, 2024 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


FLINT, Mich. - The Firebirds had their five-game winning streak snapped with a hard-fought defeat at the hands of the Saginaw Spirit on Wednesday night. They remain in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, one point behind the Erie Otters in seventh and five points out of the fifth and sixth spots held by the Guelph Storm and the Owen Sound Attack. On Friday they'll face the Brantford Bulldogs, who are tied for first in the Eastern Conference and the leaders of the East Division with a ticket to the postseason already punched. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Dort Financial Center.

LAST TIME OUT: Jeremy Martin scored the 12th goal of his rookie season and Nathan Day made 34 saves on 37 shots, but the Spirit claimed the 3-1 win on Wednesday at the Dow Event Center. Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Nolan Lalonde turned aside 27 of 28 Flint's shots to earn the win and halt Flint's winning streak at five games

SERIES HISTORY: Friday's game is the second of two annual regular-season meetings between the Firebirds and Bulldogs and is the lone meeting in Flint.The Birds defeated the Dogs 3-1 at the Brantford Civic Centre in the first meeting on February 10. Alex Kostov scored twice, Nolan Dann had a goal and an assist, Roberto Mancini had a pair of assists, and rookie Jacob Brown stopped 23 of 24 shots faced in the win. Flint's all-time record versus the Bulldogs stands at 7-3-2-0 with points in all six home games (4-0-2-0). Six of the 12 meetings were settled by a single goal.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS: (31-16-6-2, 1st East Division) -

Second-year forward Marek Vanacker leads the Dogs with 64 total points, stemming from 27 goals and 37 assists. Rookie forward Jacob O'Brien is second with 51 points and he leads the club with 40 helpers. Nick Lardis has netted the most goals (29) and sits tied with Patrick Thomas (17 G, 33 A) for third with 50 points in the campaign.

Matteo Drobac has appeared in 42 contests this season, earning 24 victories including three shutouts. His goals-against average sits at 3.20 and his goals-against average is an .891. He's tied for the third-most shutouts and the second-most wins. Rookie netminder David Egorov has seven wins through 19 appearances. He carries a 3.95 GAA with an .868 SV%.

Brantford's power play ranks 16th, just one position ahead of the Firebirds. They're scoring at a 17.4% clip with the extra man. Their penalty kill, however, is fifth-best in the OHL with an 81.6% rate of success.

SCOUTING THE FIREBIRDS: (24-26-3-1, 3rd West Division) -

Oliver Peer leads the Firebirds on the scoresheet with 31 goals and 33 assists for 64 points this season. Since becoming a Firebird he has scored nine times and picked up eight helpers for 17 points in 16 games. Fellow overager Nolan Dann is second in scoring for Flint with 23 tallies and 29 helpers for 52 total points. Coulson Pitre is third with 22 goals and 23 assists for 45 points, followed by defenseman Tristan Bertucci with 36 points (5 G, 31 A).

Nathan Day has 20 wins through 45 appearances this season. His goals-against average is 3.80 with an .865 save percentage. Rookie Jacob Brown carries a 4.19 GAA and an .855 SV% with four wins through 12 games.

The Firebirds rank 17th on the power play with a 17.4% rate of success. The penalty kill sits 12th in the OHL, shutting down the opposition on 78.5% of their man-advantage opportunities.

ODDS & ENDS: Flint's remaining regular season schedule features ten home games four away games... Both clubs have points in seven of their last ten, with the Birds owning a record of 6-3-1-0 and the Dogs possessing mark of 7-3-0-0... Brantford's Florian Xhekaj is on a seven-game point streak entering tonight's contest (8 G, 4 A).

PROMOTIONS: Friday's game is Youth Sports Night, sponsored by Crim Sports. All children & students 17 & under wearing their youth sports jersey will receive a ticket with the purchase of a full-priced adult ticket at the Dort Financial Box Office Window.

BROADCAST COVERAGE: This evening's game against the Brantford Bulldogs 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. Tonight's game will also be televised nationally on the NHL Network.

COMING UP: The Firebirds are back in action on home ice Saturday as they host the North Bay Battalion. The game is the annual Healthcare Heroes Night, sponsored by Sovita Credit Union. All healthcare employees will receive a FREE ticket at the Dort Financial Center Box Office Window with proof of employment, courtesy of Sovita Credit Union. All other tickets are available now from ETIX.com.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 23, 2024


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