OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Seek Third Win over Rangers this Season Friday

Published on February 4, 2022 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Kitchener, Ont. - The Firebirds will cross the border to battle the Rangers Friday night in Kitchener. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. (ET) at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.

The Firebirds enter Friday's contest in second place in the West Division, and they have the second-most points in the 10-team Western Conference with a record of 23-14-0-2. The Rangers sit fourth in the Midwest, with a 16-17-1-1 record. On home ice this year, Kitchener has gone 10-11-1-1 compared to Flint's road record of 14-5-0-1. With a win-percentage of .725 in away games, the Firebirds rank fourth in the 20-team OHL.

Friday marks the fourth meeting between these clubs this season, and the second of three to be played in Kitchener. All-time, Flint carries a record of 9-11-2-0 against Kitchener, with a road record of 6-3-1-0. So far this year, the Birds are 2-1-0-0 versus the Rangers, having won the only game played in Kitchener thus far, and splitting the two contests played at the Dort Financial Center.

The most recent tilt between Flint and Kitchener was on January 22 in Flint. That night, Sahil Panwar lit the lamp twice and picked up an assist, earning him the first two-goal game of his OHL career and second consecutive three-point game. Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks) scored twice, and Tag Bertuzzi scored once and assisted twice. Luke Cavallin made 29 saves on 30 shots in his 27th appearance to earn his 16th victory. On the other end of the ice, rookie Jackson Parsons made 29 saves on 36 shots in his 12th appearance.

On special teams, the Firebirds are converting with the man-advantage at a 19.6% rate, which ranks them 13th in the 20-team OHL. Kitchener has scored at a success rate of 17.5%, which ranks them 15th. Flint is killing penalties at an 84.9% clip, ranking second in the league. The Rangers' penalty-kill is ranked eighth, with a 79.9% success rate.

Players to Watch:

Flint Firebirds (23-14-0-2, 2nd West Division):

Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) continues his red-hot play, and on Wednesday he became the first OHL player to log 30 goals this season. He also has 26 assists for 56 total points in 37 contests. Othmann leads the league in goals, is tied for third in shorthanded goals, is tied with the fifth-most points, and his points-per-game average is 1.59, the OHL's tenth-best. Riley Piercey sits second on the list, and now has 18 goals and 22 helpers through 34 games played. Amadeus Lombardi ranks third with 35 points (16 G, 19 A) in 38 contests.

Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks) rejoined the club mid-season. Since then, he has 16 points (8 G, 8 A) in 13 games, and is currently on a seven-game point streak (7 G, 6 A). Keppen's 1.23 points-per-game average is second on the Flint roster, only trailing Othmann in that category. Sahil Panwar has also been hot of late, and now has 11 points in his last six games (5 G, 6 A).

Flint's top rookie on the scoresheet is Coulson Pitre with 14 goals and 16 assists through 30 games played. Pitre ranks at the top of the list of OHL rookies at 1.00 points per game, and he's tied for third for goals scored by a first-year player and total points. Pitre recently passed former Firebirds' Captain Ty Dellandrea and now has the second-most goals by a rookie in franchise history. He's also on pace to surpass Brennan Othmann's (New York Rangers) rookie year numbers in goals (17) and total points (33) for the season. Both Dellandrea and Othmann were drafted in the first round of their respective NHL Draft year.

The Birds' top-scoring rearguard is Tyler Deline, with 29 points (4 G, 25 A) in 38 contests. His 16 power-play assists are tied for third-most among OHL defenders and sixth-most in the league. His 29 points are tied for ninth among defensemen.

In net, Luke Cavallin has appeared in 30 games thus far, which is tied for third-most by any netminder in the OHL. He has 18 wins, which are tied for second-most in the league. He carries a goals-against average (GAA) of 3.31 and his save percentage (SV%) is the OHL's ninth-best at .901. Rookie netminder Ian Michelone has now played in eight games and has four victories. He carries a GAA of 4.03 and a SV% of .889. To date, Michelone is the only active OHL rookie goaltender with a shutout this season. Nathaniel Day has one win in three appearances (one start), and carries a 2.63 GAA and a .900 SV%.

NHL: The Firebirds have four players on their roster with NHL ties consisting of Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks), Braeden Kressler (Toronto Maple Leafs), Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets), and Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers). Also, Gavin Hayes and Simon Slavicek were recently named to the 2022 NHL Central Scouting Midterm Draft Rankings.

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.

Kitchener Rangers (16-17-1-1, 4th Midwest Division):

Mike Petizian leads his troops on the scoresheet with 15 tallies plus 19 helpers for 34 total points in 35 contests. Francesco Pinelli (Los Angeles Kings) is second for the Rangers in offense with 13 goals and 20 assists through 30 games-played. Joseph Serpa ranks third in scoring with five tallies and 22 assists for 27 points through 33 games.

The Rangers top-scoring rearguard is Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Roman Schmidt (9 G, 11 A) in 35 games. Schmidt is tied for the third-most goals scored among defensemen in the OHL, and is tied for the most power-play tallies in the same group with four. The top rookie on the scoresheet is center Carson Rehkopf with nine goals and six helpers.

Pavel Cajan has appeared between the pipes 21 times this season. Cajan carries a 3.37 goals-against average (GAA) and a save-percentage (SAV%) of .902 with ten victories. Rookie netminder Jackson Parsons has played in 15 games, posting a 4.11 GAA and a .880 SV% plus six victories.

NHL: Kitchiner's roster features two players with NHL ties, consisting of Francesco Pinelli (Los Angeles Kings) and Roman Schmidt (Tampa Bay Lightning).

21 notable Kitchener Rangers' alumni to play in the NHL are Brian Bellows, Andre Benoit, Shawn Burr, David Clarkson, Paul Coffey, Boyd Devereaux, Steve Downie, John Gibson, Dale Hunter, Nazem Kadri, Jakub Kindl, Gabriel Landeskog, Matt Lashoff, Al MacInnis, Don Maloney, Wayne Presley, Mike Richards, Larry Robinson, Derek Roy, Jeff Skinner and Scott Stevens.

Broadcast Coverage:

Friday evening's contest against the Kitchener Rangers 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 7:10 p.m. (ET) Friday evening.

The game will also be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 470 (4470 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 Up: The Firebirds will play host to the Kitchener Rangers at the Dort Financial Center in Flint Wednesday evening. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. (ET). Tickets are on sale NOW.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 4, 2022


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