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OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Kick off Weekend Tonight in Hamilton

January 26, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Hamilton, Ont. - The Firebirds are set to launch another three-games-in-three-days weekend, starting tonight against the Bulldogs in Hamilton. Since 1957, the cities of Flint, Michigan and Hamilton, Ontario have partnered for the CANUSA Games (Canada vs. USA) to provide the youth (and adults) of both cities an opportunity to participate in international friendship games. The two cities have officially become "sister cities," meaning they partner with each other to promote human contact and cultural links. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) at the FirstOntario Centre tonight.

This game marks the first of two between these clubs this season and the only contest scheduled in Hamilton. The last time these teams faced each other was February 28, 2020, at the Dort Financial Center. The Birds claimed a 6-4 victory in front of the home crowd that day. The Firebirds have gone 4-3-2-0 all-time versus the Bulldogs, but are 1-3-0-0 on the road in the series. So far this year, Flint holds a 3-2-0-1 mark versus opponents from the East Division.

Flint comes in with a 21-19-2-1 record for the season, ranking fourth in the West Division and sixth in the Western Conference. The Bulldogs are fourth in the East Division and seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 19-19-4-0 mark. Both teams have gone 4-6-0-0 in their past ten games.

On special teams, the Firebirds are 17th on the power play with a 19.7% conversion rate. Hamilton has scored 21.6% of the time on the man-advantage, good for 13th. When shorthanded, Flint kills penalties at a rate of 77.7% which is 12th-best in the league. The Bulldogs rank 15th on the penalty kill with a 76.8% rate of success.

Players to Watch

Flint Firebirds (21-19-2-1, 4th West Division):

Amadeus Lombardi continues to lead the Firebirds with 53 total points, stemming from 25 goals and 28 assists through 43 games. He's tied for ninth in total goals in the league. Gavin Hayes ranks second on the club with 24 tallies and 19 helpers for 43 points. Braeden Kressler holds the third spot with 41 total points (20 G, 21 A) in only 32 contests. Kressler's 59.3% win percentage on faceoffs is the league's best among players with more than 200 draws. He also carries a five-game point streak with two goals and five assists in that span.

Defenseman Dmitry Kuzmin sits fourth with nine goals and a team-leading 30 assists for 39 total points. He ranks fourth among all OHL defensemen for both assists and points. Sophomore defenseman Tristan Bertucci has points (5 A) in four straight contests.

In net, Will Cranley has now appeared in 31 games for Flint this season. He's earned 14 victories and holds a 3.67 goals-against average (GAA) and a .891 save percentage (SV%). Cranley's tied for the eighth-most wins in the league. Rookie netminder Nathan Day has seven wins in 17 appearances. His GAA is 4.28 and he carries a SV% of .855. He earned two wins in three consecutive starts last weekend.

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, Blake Smith, and goaltender Nathan Day were listed on the NHL Central Scouting's 2023 Midseason Rankings.

Despite Flint playing in just seven OHL seasons thus far, Alex Nedeljkovic (Carolina/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). The team has produced 24 signed or drafted players into the NHL.

Hamilton Bulldogs (19-19-4-0, 4th East Division):

Second-year forward Patrick Thomas tops the Dogs with 34 points (13 G, 21 A) through 42 games. Rearguard Jorian Donovan is second with ten goals and a team-high 23 helpers through 40 tilts. In third is Nick Lardis, who's been with the Bulldogs for exactly eight games. For the season, Lardis has 19 goals and 13 assists in 44 contests. Since joining the Dogs, he has 13 points, stemming from seven tallies and six helpers. Also on a hot streak is former Firebird Sahil Panwar with nine points (1 G, 8 A) since moving to Hamilton, and 26 total points (11 G, 15 A) across 42 tilts in the campaign.

Between the pipes, Matteo Drobac has seen the most ice time in his third season in the OHL. In 27 appearances, Drobac has 11 victories and a 3.36 goals-against average (GAA) with his .892 save percentage (SV%). Tristan Malboeuf has seven wins across 17 contests, along with a 3.72 GAA and a .882 SV%.

NHL: Artem Grushnikov (Dallas Stars) and Jorian Donovan (Ottawa Senators) are the two Bulldogs with NHL ties. Nick Lardis, Florian Xhekaj, Cole Brown, and Lucas Moore were listed on the NHL Central Scouting's 2023 Midseason Rankings.

Notable alumni from the Hamilton Bulldogs, formerly the Belleville Bulls, to play NHL are Steve Bancroft, Jonathan Cheechoo, Doug Gilmour, Al Iafrate, Darren McCarty, Marty McSorley, Darren Pang, Richard Panik, Jason Spezza, P.K. Subban, Scott Thornton, Mike Vellucci, Arber Xhekaj, and Mason Marchment.

Broadcast Coverage:

This afternoon's game against the Hamilton 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 here. Jack Sznewajs will call the play-by-play action on the Firebirds Hockey Network (FHN), starting with the pre-game show at 6:40 p.m. (ET).

The game will be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 466. 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.

All Flint Firebirds' home and away games throughout the 2022-23 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 $7.99 for 24-hour access, $29.99 for monthly access, $119.99 for all-access to the 2022-23 Firebirds and OHL season, or $179.99 for all-access to the entire 2022-23 CHL season.

Up Next: The Firebirds will visit the Steelheads in Mississauga on Friday before returning home Saturday evening to host the Barrie Colts. More than 3,000 fans have attended each of the last four Saturday-night home games. Puck drop for this Saturday's contest is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET), and great seats are available now from ETIX.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 26, 2023


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