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OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Seek Weekend Sweep in Owen Sound Today at 2 PM

December 5, 2021 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Owen Sound, Ont. - The Firebirds are set to play game two of back-to-back games versus the Owen Sound Attack Sunday afternoon. Puck drop is set for 2:00 p.m. (ET) at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre in Owen Sound.

When these teams met last night in Owen Sound, the Birds skated to a 7-4 victory. Ian Michelone made his fourth start in goal, fresh off his first career OHL shutout in Saginaw. In the contest in Owen Sound, Michelone made 31 saves on 35 shots for his third victory. Amadeus Lombardi scored twice and added an assist to pick up "First Star" honors in the game. Riley Piercey scored twice and Coulson Pitre netted a goal and picked up two helpers, for a three-point night, en route to being named the game's "Third Star." The Attack were led on the scoresheet by Cedrick Guindon and Julian Fantino, with a goal and an assist each.

The Firebirds enter Sunday's contest in second place in the West Division with a record of 11-7-0-1. Flint is three points behind the Soo Grayhounds and has played three fewer games to date. The Attack rank third in the Midwest, with a 9-9-1-2 record. On home ice this year, Owen Sound has gone 6-4-0-1 compared to Flint's road record of 6-1-0-1. The Firebirds' win percentage on the road is .812, which is tied for the best in the OHL. Against Midwest Division opponents this season, Flint's record sits at 8-1-0-0.

All-time, Flint carries a record of 7-10-0-0 against Owen Sound, with a road record of 3-8-0-0. In the shortened 2019-20 season, each team won two of the four meetings. Sunday marks the second of four total meetings between the clubs, and the second and final game to be played in Owen Sound.

On special teams, Flint ranks 15th on the power play, converting at a 17.1% rate. The Attack rank 14th, scoring at a 18.4% clip. The Birds are tied for the league's best penalty kill (PK), holding their opposition scoreless 87.3% of the time. On the road, Flint's PK is best in the OHL at 90.9%. Owen Sound is 12th in the league with a 77.8% success rate.

Players to Watch:

Flint Firebirds (11-7-0-1, 2nd West Division):

Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) tops the charts for Flint with a total of 27 points (15 G, 13 A) in 19 games played. He's tied for sixth in total goals scored. Second in points for Flint is blue-liner Tyler Deline with 17 total points (3 G, 14 A). Deline is tied for seventh among OHL defensemen with 14 assists. His ten power-play assists are tied for third-most in the OHL's blue-line group. Amadeus Lombardi (7 G, 8 A) ranks third with 15 points.

Westland, Michigan native Gavin Hayes has also been hot of late, with seven points in his last five games (3 G, 4 A). Flint's top rookie on the charts is Coulson Pitre with seven goals and five assists in 13 games. In the faceoff circle, Braeden Kressler (Toronto Maple Leafs) carries the third-best faceoff win percentage (58.7%) among centers that have taken more than 100 draws.

In net, Luke Cavallin has appeared in 15 games thus far. He carries a goals-against average (GAA) of 3.40. His save percentage (SV%) is .900. Cavallin has earned eight wins this season and is the all-time winningest goaltender in Firebirds' franchise history with 34 total victories between the pipes. Rookie netminder Ian Michelone has now played in four games, and he carries a GAA of 3.00 and a SV% of .919 with three wins and one shutout.

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). Also, Gavin Hayes was recently named to the 2021 NHL Central Scouting November 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.

Owen Sound Attack (9-9-1-2, 3rd Midwest Division):

Deni Goure leads the Attack on the scoresheet with 11 goals and 11 helpers through 22 games played. Rearguard Andre Perrott and rookie Servac Petrovsky are tied for second with 18 total points each. Perrot has one goal and a team-high 17 assists, and Petrovsky has six tallies and 12 helpers. Perrott's 10 power-play assists are tied for eighth-most in the league in a group that includes Flint's Tyler Deline.

Between the pipes, Nick Chenard has made eight appearances and earned three victories. He carries a 2.67 goals-against average (GAA) and a save-percentage (SV%) of .919. The 2.67 GAA is the sixth-best among OHL netminders with at least eight appearances, and his SV% is second-best among the same group. Rookie netminder Corbin Votary has one win in six appearances, along with a 4.85 GAA and a .838 SV%.

NHL: Current Attack in the NHL include Jordan Binnington, Mark Giordano, Wayne Simmonds and Andrej Sekera. Currently, Servac Petrovsky, Gavin Bryant, and Cedrick Guindon were named to the 2021 NHL Central Scouting November Players to Watch List.

The list of notable Owen Sound alumni to play in the NHL includes Sean Avery, Wayne Simmonds, Mark Giordano, Bobby Ryan, Kirk Maltby, Josh Bailey, Joel Ward, Wayne Primeau, Brad Richardson, Andrej Sekera, Trevor Lewis, Andrew Shaw, Cody Ceci, Brian McGrattan, Kevin Weekes, and Paul Bissonnette.

Broadcast Coverage:

Sunday afternoon's contest against the Owen Sound Attack 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 1:15 p.m. (ET) Sunday afternoon.

The game will also be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 468 (4468 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: After playing game two versus the Attack Sunday afternoon on the road, the Firebirds return to home ice Wednesday, December 8 to host the Erie Otters. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. (ET) at the Dort Financial Center. Tickets are on sale NOW here: ETIX.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from December 5, 2021


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