OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Return Home, Set to Defend Flint from the Invading Spitfires Wednesday Night

Published on November 2, 2021 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Flint, Mich. - The Firebirds will host a team from across the border for the first time this season Wednesday night as the Windsor Spitfires visit the Dort Financial Center. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. (ET) on another Buy One, Get One Wednesday. When fans purchase one ticket, they will receive another ticket of equal value for free.

Wednesday marks the first of eight meetings between these clubs this season, and the first of four games to be played in Flint. All-time, the Firebirds hold a record of 12-17-1-0 versus Windsor and are 8-7-0-0 at the Dort Financial Center. Last season the 'Birds won three of six games in the series.

Flint enters Wednesday's contest in third place in the West Division based on points. However, their .667 win percentage is tied for the fourth-best in the 20-team OHL. The Firebirds' current record sits at 4-2-0-0. The Spits are currently fourth in the West Division with a record of 3-4-0-2. On home ice this year, Flint has a record of 2-1-0-0 compared to Windsor's road record of 1-2-0-1. The Firebirds have won three of their last five games and the Spitfires have won two of their past five.

The last time these teams met was March 7, 2020, in Flint in what was unexpectedly the Firebirds' second-to-last game of the early-terminated 2019-20 season. That night, the Firebirds defeated the Spits 4-3 in overtime in front of more than 3,700 fans at the Dort Financial Center.

On special teams, this season, Flint's overall penalty-kill (PK) sits third-best in the league at 85.7%. Windsor's PK unit is ranked 19th overall in the OHL at 69.0%. With the man-advantage, the Spits rank 17th in the league converting at a rate of 14.6% and the Firebirds are 18th, scoring at a 12.0% clip.

Players to Watch:

Flint Firebirds (4-2-0-0, 3rd West Division):

Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) leads the 'Birds in goals (4), assists (4), and total points (8). Zacharie Giroux (3 G, 2 A) and Toronto Maple Leafs' prospect Braeden Kressler (2 G, 3 A) are tied for second with five points each. Belarusian defenseman Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) tops the blue-line crew with a goal and two helpers. Tyler Deline sits at a +4 in the +/- rating, which is tied for tenth-best among all OHL defensemen. Flint's top rookie is Coulson Pitre with three goals. Pitre was acquired in a pre-season trade with Windsor.

In net, Luke Cavallin has appeared in five of Flint's six games thus far. He carries the league's fifth-lowest goals-against average (GAA) among starting netminders at 2.77. His save percentage (SV%) of .923 ranks fourth-best. Cavallin has earned three wins, with one of them being a shutout against the Erie Otters on opening night. Rookie netminder Ian Michelone played one full game, making 32 saves on 33 shots in the victory. Nathaniel Day played the final 18 minutes of a road game in Saginaw last week and turned aside all four shots faced.

NHL: The Firebirds have three players with NHL ties consisting of Braeden Kressler (Toronto Maple Leafs), Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets), and Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers). Tag Bertuzzi was invited to the recent Montreal Canadians rookie camp, and forward Sahil Panwar was an invitee at the Los Angeles Kings' camp. Additionally, Gavin Hayes was recently named to the 2021 NHL Central Scouting October Players to Watch List.

Despite Flint playing in just five OHL seasons thus far, Alex Nedeljkovic (Carolina Hurricanes / Detroit Red Wings), Kole Sherwood (Columbus Blue Jackets), and Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars) are three former Firebirds to play 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.

Windsor Spitfires (3-4-0-2, 4th West Division):

New York Rangers' prospect Will Cuylle (6 G, 2 A) tops the Spits in scoring. His three game-winning goals are tied for the most in the OHL. Wyatt Johnston (Dallas Stars) is tied with Cuylle with eight total points (5 G, 3 A). Kyle McDonald and Matthew Maggio are tied for third with two goals and five assists each. Defenseman Nathan Ribau leads the rearguards with two goals and four assists through 11 games played in total. The Spitfires acquired Ribau from the Sudbury Wolves in a trade on October 19. Ethan Miedema tops the freshman class for Windsor with five total points (2 G, 3 A).

Detroit, Michigan native Xavier Medina has appeared in six contests for the Spitfires, earning one victory. The second-year goaltender carries a 3.80 goals-against average (GAA) and a .867 save percentage (SV%). Rookie netminder Kyle Downey has two wins in five games played. His GAA sits at 3.59 and he has a .891 SV%.

NHL: Windsor's roster features four players with NHL ties, consisting of Will Cuylle (New York Rangers), Wyatt Johnston (Dallas Stars), Pasquale Zito (Detroit Red Wings), and Russian defenseman Daniil Sobolev (Montreal Canadians). Additionally, Livonia, Michigan native Ryan Abraham was listed on the 2021 NHL Central Scouting October Players to Watch List.

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, Todd Warriner, Steve Downie, Jamie Allison, and Ryan Ellis.

Broadcast Coverage:

Wednesday 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) Wednesday evening.

The game will also be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 466 (4466 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 Home Game: The Firebirds return to home ice Saturday, November 6 when they host the first-place London Knights for the first time this season. Puck drop for Flint's annual Military Appreciation Night is scheduled for 7 p.m. (ET). All active-duty military members and veterans can receive one free ticket to the game. Single-game tickets for all Firebirds games are $15 Bronze, $18 Silver, $21 Gold and $26 VIP seating (Seating Chart). All seats are reserved/assigned seating. Fans can purchase tickets by calling (810) 744-0580, in-person at the Dort Financial Center Box Office or online at etix.com.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from November 2, 2021


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