OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Host Greyhounds Friday and Saturday to Conclude Regular Season

Published on April 15, 2022 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Flint, Mich. - The Firebirds will host the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds on Friday and Saturday nights this weekend. Friday night is 'Firebirds Fight Hunger Night,' where fans can bring in at least five NON-perishable food items to the Dort Financial Center Box Office and receive a FREE ticket to the game. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) at the Dort Financial Center.

This Firebirds team has put together the best season in franchise history, rewriting several figures in the history books. The Birds have set new records for wins in a season (41), points in a season (87), most goals scored in a season (277), most shorthanded goals in a season (16), and are currently tied for the most power-play goals in a season (49). Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) has scored the most goals in a single season (46) and raised the bar for total points in a single season (93). He's also tied the record for shorthanded goals (4) along with rookie forward Ethan Hay, who leads all OHL freshmen in the category. Coulson Pitre has scored more goals than any rookie for Flint (22), while fellow freshman Gavin Hayes set a new high for rookie points (46) in a season. Defenseman Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) tied the record for most goals by a rearguard in a single season (18) on Sunday, as well. Finally, goaltender Luke Cavallin has crushed every record for a season and a career.

The Firebirds enter Friday's contest in second place in the West Division, and they carry the second-most points in the 10-team Western Conference (ranked third) with a record of 41-20-1-4. The Hounds rank third in the West Division and fourth in the Western Conference with a 38-21-6-1 record. They sit four points behind the Firebirds, but Flint owns the tie-breaker should they end up with 87 points each. On the home ice this year, Flint has posted a record of 17-13-0-2. Sault Ste. Marie's road record is 15-12-4-1. In their past 10 tilts, the Greyhounds have gone 7-3-0-0 while the Birds' have gone 6-4-0-0.

Friday marks the fourth of five total meetings between these clubs this season, and the fourth of four games to be played in Flint. All time, the Firebirds carry a record of 13-17-1-2 against the Soo, with a home record of 6-8-1-1 in the series. So far this year, Flint has a record of 1-0-1-1 in the three contests, with all three tilts requiring overtime or a shootout. Through the trio of matches, the Hounds have outscored the Birds 14-13.

The most recent tilt between the Firebirds and Greyhounds was March 18 in Flint. In a wild, high-scoring affair that saw Flint battle from behind in the third period, it was the boys from the Soo that skated away with the 8 -7 shootout victory. Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks) scored the fastest goal to start a game in franchise history, needing just ten seconds to put his squad on the board. It was incredible back-and-forth action that featured four different goaltenders before the eventual victory was credited to Tynan Tucker was credited with the win. Gavin Hayes scored twice and picked up four assists to record the most points and assists in a game by a rookie in Firebirds' history. Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) logged a goal and an assist for the Birds, as well. Kalvyn Watson (1 G, 4 A) and rookie Bryce McConnell-Barker (2 G) led the charge for the visitors.

On special teams, the Firebirds are converting with the man-advantage at an 19.1% rate, which ranks them 14th in the 20-team OHL. Sault Ste. Marie has scored at a success rate of 28.5%, which is the best in the league. Flint's penalty-kill remains in first place with an 84.4% rate of success. The Greyhounds are killing penalties at a 79.2% clip, the league's 11th-best.

Players to Watch:

Flint Firebirds (41-20-1-4, 2nd West Division):

Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) ranks first on the team and second in the league with 46 goals. Othmann also has 47 assists and ranks seventh in the league with 93 total points through 64 games. He's carrying a five-game points streak (5 G, 2 A) into the weekend, and his 1.45 points-per-game average is 10th best in the OHL. Riley Piercey is second in scoring with 27 goals and 31 helpers through 57 games played. He's also tied for sixth in the league and first in franchise history with six game-winning goals. Amadeus Lombardi ranks third on the squad with 17 tallies and 40 helpers through 65 contests.

Overage forwards Tag Bertuzzi and Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks) remain red hot in Flint's best playoff push, as well. Keppen has maintained nearly a point-per-game average since returning from the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League (AHL), and now has 38 points (22 G, 16 A) in 40 games. Bertuzzi has 44 points (20 G, 24 A) in 61 games, with 38 of those points coming since January 1.

Westland, Mich. native Gavin Hayes remains atop the scoresheet for rookies on the roster, now with 46 points (19 G, 27 A) in 63 games. He's tied for the 10th-most points among rookies. Coulson Pitre tops the freshman class in goals (22) and has 42 total points through 50 contests. Pitre's tied for seventh in the league for goals by a rookie, and he ranks third with a .84 points-per-game average.

On defense, Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) has 18 goals and 24 helpers to lead the rearguards. His 18 markers have him tied for third in the OHL in defensive scoring. He also carries a three-game points streak (1 G, 2 A) into Friday's game. Tyler Deline has seven tallies and 31 assists to rank second among the blue-liners, and also has points in three-straight contests (1 G, 2 A). Deline's 17 power-play helpers are tied for 8th-most among defensemen. Rookie defender Tristan Bertucci has a +/- rating of +25, which is best among all rookies in the league and eighth-best among all rearguards.

Luke Cavallin carries the league's seventh-best goals-against average (GAA) of 3.09 and the league's third-best save percentage (SV%) at .911 through 54 appearances. He's earned the most wins in the league and the most in Flint history, now with 35 victories. Behind Cavallin are two first-year netminders showing plenty of promise for the future. Ian Michelone has now appeared in ten games and picked up four victories. Two of his wins came against Erie. He carries a GAA of 4.37 and a SV% of .884. Nathaniel Day has two victories in eight appearances, with a 3.63 GAA and a .883 SV%.

NHL: The Firebirds have four players on their roster with NHL ties consisting of Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks), Braeden Kressler (Toronto Maple Leafs), Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets), and Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers). Also, Gavin Hayes and Simon Slavicek were named to the 2022 NHL Central Scouting Midterm Draft Rankings.

Despite Flint playing in just five OHL seasons thus far, Alex Nedeljkovic (Carolina Hurricanes / Detroit Red Wings), Kole Sherwood (Columbus Blue Jackets), Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars), and Vladislav Kolyachonok (Arizona Coyotes) are four former Firebirds to play regular-season games in the NHL. Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) and Firebirds' alumni Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks), Vili Saarijarvi (Detroit Red Wings) and Jalen Smereck (Arizona Coyotes) have all played in NHL pre-season contests. In total, the team has produced 21 signed or drafted players into the NHL.

Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (38-21-6-1, 3rd West Division):

Rory Kerins (Calgary Flames) tops the Hounds on the scoresheet with 42 goals and 73 assists for 115 points in 66 games. Kerins sits inside the top ten players in the OHL in several categories. He's tied for first in the league in power-play assists (31), ranks second in points, third in assists and points-per-game average (1.74), is tied for third in game-winning goals (8), tied for seventh in overall goals scored, and sits tied for ninth in power-play goals. Tye Kartye sits second with 43 goals and 33 assists for 76 points through 61 contests. Kartye ranks first in power-play goals (22), is tied for first in game-winning goals (9), and is tied for fifth in total goals scored in the league. Cole MacKay is third with 27 tallies and 73 total points through 59 games played.

Jack Thompson holds the edge in points for rearguards with 21 goals and 35 assists in 63 games. He's tied for first among defenders in goals, game-winning goals, and power-play goals. His .89 points-per-game average is fourth in the blue-line crowd and his 56 points are sixth. Close behind is Robert Calisti, who also has 21 goals plus 32 helpers in 64 contests. Calisti is first in defensive scoring in the OHL. He's tied for fifth among defensemen with six power-play goals, eighth in total points, and ninth with a .83 points-per-game average.

The leader among the rookie class for the Greyhounds is Bryce McConnell-Barker, with 22 tallies and 25 helpers through 66 contests. He's tied for seventh in the league among rookies for power-play goals (6) and total goals (22).

First-year defenseman Kirill Kudryavtsev ranks second among Greyhounds' rookies with 38 points (5 G, 33 A) in 66 games. He's also tied for fifth among first-year players with 11 power-play tallies, ranks sixth in total assists, and have the ninth-most total points.

For the season, Tynan Tucker has appeared in 49 games this season, which is the fifth-most in the league. He's earned 21 wins and carries a 3.56 goals-against average (GAA) with a .886 save percentage (SV%). Samuel Ivanov has 20 wins in 34 games played, and a 3.43 GAA with a .887 SV%.

NHL: The Greyhounds have five players with NHL ties, including forwards Tye Kartye (Seattle Kraken), Rory Kerins (Calgary Flames) and Tanner Dickinson (St. Louis Blues), and defensemen Ryan O'Rourke (Minnesota Wild) and Jack Thompson (Tampa Bay Lightning). Additionally, Bryce McConnell-Barker and Kirill Kudryavtsev were named to the NHL Central Scouting's Midterm Rankings for the upcoming 2022 NHL Draft.

25 notable Greyhounds' alumni to play in the NHL are Wayne Gretzky, Jeff Beukeboom, Bob Boughner, Jeff Carter, Dan Clouthier, Paul Coffey, Trevor Daley, Ray Emery, Adam Foote, Ron Francis, Craig Hartsburg, Ric Jackman, Dustin Jeffrey, Tyler Kennedy, Denny Lambert, Greg Millen, Ted Nolan, Nathan Perrott, Bob Probert, Wayne Simmons, Brad Staubitz, Steve Sullivan, Joe Thornton, Rick Tocchet, John Vanbiesbrouk, and Josef Vasick. Greyhounds (31-17-6-1, 2nd West Division):

Broadcast Coverage:

Friday's contest against the Sault Ste. Marie 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 here. Jack Sznewajs will call the play-by-play action on the Firebirds Hockey Network (FHN). Pregame coverage will begin prior to puck drop at 6:45 p.m. (ET) Friday evening.

The game will also be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 469 (4469 HD) for both Rogers TV and Cogeco TV cable subscribers. 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.

Also, all Flint Firebirds' home and away games throughout the 2021-22 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 $6.99 for 24-hour access, $24.99 for monthly access, $109.99 for all-access to the 2021-22 Firebirds and OHL season, or $159.99 for all-access to the entire 2021-22 CHL season.

Next Up: The Firebirds' season finale on Saturday, April 16 is 'Fan Appreciation Night,' which will include giveaways, contests, prize packs, playoff ticket promotions and MORE. Tickets are available online from ETIX.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from April 15, 2022


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