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OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Host Spitfires for Final Time this Year Tonight in Flint

March 3, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Flint, Mich. - If the OHL Playoffs started today, the second-place Windsor Spitfires would be the first-round opponent of the seventh-ranked Flint Firebirds. The same two teams faced off in the Western Conference Finals a year ago. The Birds hope to climb the standings as they enter their final ten regular-season games with several teams still within striking distance. Puck drop for tonight's battle is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) at the Dort Financial Center.

The Firebirds have picked up points in five of their last six games and bring plenty of momentum into tonight. They played a pair of home games last weekend and topped the North Bay Battalion and Saginaw Spirit on back-to-back nights. Nathan Day donned the pads in both contests and earned his 11th and 12th victories with a combined 57 saves. Ethan Hay scored three goals and added an assist to top off a career weekend. Defenseman Tyler Deline potted a pair of goals while fellow blue-liners Dmitry Kuzmin (3 A) and Tristan Bertucci (1 G, 1 A) also had productive outings for the Birds.

The Firebirds rank fourth in the West Division and seventh in the Western Conference with a 27-26-4-1 record. They've gone 13-12-2-1 on home ice. The Spitfires are 38-14-4-1 for the year, seeding them first in the West Division and second in the Western Conference. Their road record sits at 16-11-2-0. No team has scored more goals this season than Windsor (276), although the Firebirds rank third (241) of all 20 OHL clubs.

For the season, Flint has points in two of five games versus the Spitfires. Their lone victory was a shootout win on the road, with the other point coming in a 6-5 overtime defeat at the WFCU Centre in February. The Firebirds' all-time record against Windsor stands at 13-26-3-1 and is 8-13-0-0 at the Dort Financial Center. Tonight marks the sixth and final regular-season meeting between the clubs and will be the third of three played in Flint.

On special teams, the Firebirds have converted on 20.1% of their power-play chances, ranking them 16th in the league. The Spitfires have found success 26.2% of the time, which ranks second in the OHL. Flint has killed off 76.7% of their penalties, which is 15th. Windsor has the 11th-best penalty kill in the league operating at a 78.6% efficiency.

Promotions

Tonight's game is Dort Financial Member Night as all Dort Financial Credit Union members were eligible to receive up to four FREE tickets to the game per account. The game is expected to sell out so fans are encouraged to get to the Dort Financial Center Box Office early, which opens at 11:00 a.m. Before the game, we will be honoring and thanking our incredible Billet families in a pregame ceremony.

Players to Watch

Flint Firebirds (27-26-4-1, 4th West Division):

Amadeus Lombardi has 38 goals and 42 helpers for 80 total points across 58 games. That ties him for the fifth-most points in the OHL, and he has the sixth-most goals in the league. Westland, Mich. native Gavin Hayes remains ranks second with 61 points, stemming from 28 tallies and 33 helpers. He has four goals and 12 assists on his current 11-game point streak, which is tied for the longest active streak in the league. Overage forward Riley Piercey sits third with 19 goals and 39 assists.

Defender Dmitry Kuzmin leads a productive group of rearguards with 12 goals and 43 assists through 58 contests. He's tied for the fourth-most assist among OHL defenders, has the fifth-most points, and the seventh-best point-per-game average at .95. Draft-eligible defenseman Tristan Bertucci has the second-most points (43) from the blue line and has 16 points (7 G, 9 A) in the past 13 games.

Veteran goaltender Will Cranley has appeared in 40 contests and posted a 4.00 goals-against average (GAA) with a .880 save percentage (SV%). Cranley is credited with 15 victories, including one shutout. Nathan Day has 12 wins across 25 appearances and carries a GAA of 4.20 with a .864 SV%.

NHL: The Firebirds have six players with NHL ties consisting of Will Cranley (St. Louis Blues), Amadeus Lombardi (Detroit Red Wings), Gavin Hayes (Chicago Blackhawks), Braeden Kressler (Toronto Maple Leafs), Dmitri Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets), and Artem Guryev (San Jose Sharks). Additionally, Coulson Pitre, Tristan Bertucci, Ethan Hay, and goaltender Nathan Day were listed on the NHL Central Scouting's 2023 Midterm Rankings for the upcoming NHL Draft.

Through seven OHL seasons thus far, Alex Nedeljkovic (Detroit), Kole Sherwood (Columbus), Ty Dellandrea (Dallas), Tyler Tucker (St. Louis), and Will Bitten (St. Louis) are five former Firebirds to play in the NHL. Riley Piercey (Detroit) and Gavin Hayes (Chicago) played in NHL preseason contests this year, joining Firebirds' alumni Ethan Keppen (Vancouver), Vili Saarijarvi (Detroit), and Jalen Smereck (Arizona). In total, the team has produced 24 signed or drafted players into the NHL.

Windsor Spitfires (38-14-4-1, 1st West Division):

Matthew Maggio sits atop the leaderboard for Windsor in goals (46), assists (49), and total points (95) through 56 games. He leads the league in goals and points, ranks second in plus/minus rating at +43, and has assisted on the sixth-most markers this season. Jacob Maillet ranks second with 64 points (21 G, 43 A) through 57 games. Brett Harrison is third in scoring with 32 goals and 31 helpers in 51 contests. Alex Christopoulos is fourth in total points for the Spitfires with 61 (40 G, 21 A), but he's tied for the fourth-most goals in the league and the seventh-most power-play tallies (7). Shane Wright has only played ten games in the OHL this season but has points in all 10 (8 G, 11 A).

The blue-line unit is led by Rodwin Dionicio with 36 points in 41 games, combining ten goals with 26 assists. Rookie defender Anthony Cristoforo ranks second among the rearguards and first in the rookie class for Windsor. He has 34 total points (6 G, 28 A) through 53 tilts in the campaign. Among all rookies in the OHL, Cristoforo is third in assists, tied for third in power-play helpers (9), and fifth for points total.

Joey Costanzo has 22 victories in 35 appearances for Windsor this season. His goals-against average (GAA) sits at 3.15 and his save percentage (SV%) is .897. Mathias Onuska has appeared in 27 games and picked up 15 wins. He carries a 4.19 GAA with a .872 SV%.

NHL: The Spitfires have five players with NHL ties, including Daniil Sobolev (Montreal Canadians), Matthew Maggio (New York Islanders), Brett Harrison (Boston Bruins), Jacob Holmes (Dallas Stars), and Shane Wright (Seattle Kraken).

Notable Windsor alumni to play in the NHL include Ed Jovanovski, Matt Cooke, Cory Stillman, Jason Spezza, Steve Ott, Jason York, Josh Bailey, Tim Gleason, Mike Rupp, Cam Fowler, Taylor Hall, Adam Henrique, Kyle Wellwood, Ryan Ellis, and Wyatt Johnston.

Broadcast Coverage:

This evening's contest against the Windsor Spitfires 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) today.

The game will also be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 462 (4462 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 at 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: Saturday the Firebirds welcome the Guelph Storm in a HUGE matchup for playoff positioning as the Firebirds sit just two points back of the Storm. It will be Teacher Appreciation Night sponsored by Sovita Credit Union & the Michigan Educational Association and supported by Genesee Educational Consultant Services! All educational professionals can receive a FREE ticket to the game with a valid work ID or badge at the Dort Financial Center Box Office any time prior to puck drop while supplies last! The Dort Financial Center Box Office opens at Noon on Saturday. All other tickets can be purchased at Etix.com.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics

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