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OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Seek First-Ever Win in Peterborough Tonight

December 1, 2022 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Peterborough, Ont. - Flint hits the road for four straight contests, beginning tonight in Peterborough. Both clubs have 29 points in the standing and rank second in their respective divisions. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. (ET) at the Peterborough Memorial Centre.

The Firebirds enter tonight's game with a record of 13-8-2-1, placing them second in the West Division and fourth in the ten-team Western Conference. The Birds have points in nine of their last 10 games, recording a 6-1-2-1 mark over that span. The Petes are 13-8-1-2 and have a 4-5-0-1 record in their past ten tilts. Peterborough is second in the East Division and third in the ten-team Eastern Conference.

Tonight marks the second of only two contests versus the Petes this season and is the only contest scheduled in Peterborough. The Petes topped the Firebirds 3-2 in a shootout on November 12 at the Dort Financial Center in Flint. All-time, the Firebirds are 3-7-0-1 versus Peterborough but are winless in five games on the road with a record of 0-5-0-0.

On special teams, the Firebirds have moved up and converted on 23.0% of their power-play chances, ranking them sixth in the league. The Petes have found success 21.6% of the time, which is currently 11th-best in the OHL. Flint has killed off 78.2% of their penalties, the 11th-best rate in the league. Peterborough has the ninth-ranked penalty kill at a 79.4% efficiency.

Players to Watch

Flint Firebirds (13-8-2-1, 2nd West Division):

Amadeus Lombardi (Detroit Red Wings) leads the Firebirds in assists (18) and points (29) through 24 games played. Riley Piercey ranks second with 23 points (10 G, 13 A). Behind Lombardi and Piercey, Flint has a three-way tie for third in points. Braeden Kressler (Toronto Maple Leafs) has played the fewest games of the bunch, recording a team-leading 12 goals plus nine assists for 21 points through 16 matches. Kressler also rides a four-game points streak (2 G, 4 A) into the game tonight. Coulson Pitre and Gavin Hayes (Chicago Blackhawks) each have nine tallies and 12 assists through 24 games.

The defensive unit is led by Dmitry Kuzmin's 21 points, which are fifth among all league rearguards. His 17 assists rank fourth. Tyler Deline has the eighth-most points out of defenders in the league. The Firebirds welcome new rearguard Blake Smith, who comes over from Oshawa on a trade announced yesterday. Smith has one goal and one assist through 19 games this season. He brings a 6-foot-4, 202-pound frame with a history of physical play and impressive shot-blocking.

In goal, Flint's netminders are led by overage veteran Will Cranley (St. Louis Blues), who's played in 19 games this season. He's posted a 3.09 goals-against average (GAA), and his .906 save percentage (SV%) is fourth-best in the league. Cranley is credited with eight victories, including one shutout. Nathan Day now has five wins across eight appearances and carries a GAA of 4.46 with a .837 SV%. He's tied for most wins by a rookie this season.

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 NHL Central Scouting's 2023 Preliminary Draft Rankings.

Despite Flint playing in just seven OHL seasons thus far, Alex Nedeljkovic (Detroit), Kole Sherwood (Columbus), Ty Dellandrea (Dallas), and Tyler Tucker (St. Louis) are four 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.

Peterborough Petes (13-8-1-2, 2nd East Division):

Former Firebirds' Captain Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) tops the Petes in goals and points for the year with 12 goals and 19 helpers for 31 points in 22 games. He's tied for fourth in the league in assists and fifth in the point total. Connor Lockhart (Vancouver Canucks) sits in second with 27 total points (9 G, 18 A) through 27 contests. Tucker Robertson (Seattle Kraken) ranks third with nine goals and 17 helpers for 26 points. Samuel Mayer tops the blue-line group with 17 points (3 G, 14 A).

The Petes' starting goaltender is Michael Simpson, who has appeared in 18 contests. He has ten wins along with the league's best goals-against average (GAA) at 2.48 and the best save percentage (SV%) of .919. Simpson also has two shutouts this season, which puts him in a two-way tie for the most. Liam Sztuska has three victories in six appearances, posting a 3.14 GAA and an SV% of .899.

NHL: Peterborough also has six players with NHL ties on their roster, including J.R. Avon (Philadelphia Flyers), Connor Lockhart (Vancouver Canucks), Chase Stillman (New Jersey Devils), Tucker Robertson (Seattle Kraken), Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers), and Brian Zanetti (Philadelphia Flyers). Additionally, Nick Lardis, Donovan McCoy, and Konnor Smith have been named to NHL Central Scouting's 2023 Preliminary Draft Rankings.

The Petes have more than 200 alumni that have played in the NHL. Four former Petes' players that were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame are Steve Yzerman, Bob Gainey, Larry Murphy, and Chris Pronger. Other notable players from Peterborough to play in the NHL include Tie Domi, Keith Crowder, Steve Downie, Danny O'Shea, Jamie Langenbrunner, Steve Montador, Mickey Redmond, Mike Ricci, Luke Richardson, and Eric Staal.

Broadcast Coverage:

This evening's contest against the Sarnia Sting 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 6:45 p.m. (ET).

The game will be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 467. 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 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 $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.

Next Up: After tonight's game, the Firebirds still have three games remaining in their longest road trip of the season so far. They'll make their next stop in Ottawa on Friday to battle the first-place 67's. After that, they'll have stops in Kingston on Sunday afternoon. Finally, they'll hit Sarnia for game one of a home-and-and-away series with the Sting next Friday. Flint's next home game will be against Sarnia again on Saturday, December 10. Tickets for next Saturday's contest are available from ETIX.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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