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OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Open Road Weekend at Niagara on Friday

January 12, 2024 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - The Firebirds have traveled to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls for a Friday night meeting with the Niagara IceDogs. Both teams are off a busy trade deadline and have a different look than the last time they met up in November. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Meridian Centre.

LAST TIME OUT: Flint's newest members made an immediate impact in their first game with the new squad in a 5-3 win over the visiting Owen Sound Attack on Wednesday night at the Dort Financial Center. Oliver Peer scored twice in his Flint debut and fellow newcomers Roberto Mancini and Connor Clattenburg each recorded an assist. Firebirds veterans Coulson Pitre, Simon Slavicek, and Nolan Dann also found twine in the tilt, and Nathan Day turned aside 23 of 26 shots faced for his 14th win of the campaign.

SERIES HISTORY: Friday marks the second and final meeting between these clubs this season and is the lone contest to be played at the Meridian Centre. The Birds were 7-3 victors in their first matchup on November 25 at the Dort Financial Center. Flint's all-time record against Niagara stands at 4-8-1-0 but is only 1-5-0-0 in road games.

ON-ICE LEADERSHIP: Both clubs have announced a new team captain this week in the wake of the trade deadline. Anaheim Ducks prospect Coulson Pitre became just the sixth player in Firebirds history to earn the 'C' on his sweater. On the opposing bench, Gavin Bryant will wear the 'C' as he was named Niagara's 17th team captain earlier this week.

SCOUTING THE ICEDOGS: (11-21-5-1, 5th Central Division) -

Sophomore forward Kevin He leads the Dogs in scoring with 19 goals and 13 assists for 32 points. Fellow second-year winger Mike Levin ranks second with 15 tallies and 12 helpers. Third-year center Gavin Bryant (9 G, 16 A) and rookie Ryan Roobroeck (12 G, 13 A) are tied for third with 25 points apiece.

Owen Flores has appeared in 27 games for Niagara this season and posted eight victories that include a shutout. His goals-against average is 3.86 and he has an .898 save percentage. Newly acquired netminder Charlie Robertson has played in 12 contests, all for the North Bay Battalion before this week's trade deadline. He's credited with four wins and sports a 3.73 GAA with an .885 SV%.

The IceDogs are ranked 20th on the power play with a 10.4% rate of success. The penalty kill is getting the job done at a 75.2% pace, good for 17th.

SCOUTING THE FIREBIRDS: (16-20-2-1, 3rd West Division) -

Oliver Peer sits atop the scoresheet for Flint with 49 total points stemming from 24 goals and 25 assists. New team captain Coulson Pitre has 18 goals and 21 assists to rank second with 39 points. Nolan Dann is third with 33 points (15 G, 18 A) and he rides a nine-game point streak (7 G, 6 A) into Friday night's game.

Nathan Day now has 14 wins across 33 appearances. He carries a 3.96 goals-against average and a save percentage of .859. Rookie Jacob Brown carries a 4.54 GAA and an .846 SV% through nine appearances. He's credited with two victories in the campaign.

The Birds rank 15th in the league with the man advantage, converting on 18.1% of their opportunities. The penalty kill is 14th-best at a 76.5% rate. Noteworthy is Flint's penalty kill in road games at an 82.4% clip, which ranks seventh in the OHL.

BROADCAST COVERAGE: This evening's game against the Niagara IceDogs 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' next stop is Saturday in Erie where they'll face the Otters for the third time this season. The next game at the Dort Financial Center is Saturday, January 20 when they host the Sarnia Sting. Tickets for the 7:00 p.m. battle with the Bees are available now from ETIX.COM.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 12, 2024


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