OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Set Sights on Division Title, Host Knights Wednesday

Published on March 30, 2022 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Flint, Mich. - The Firebirds have already clinched a playoff berth for only the second time in club history. Now, the battle for their first Division and possible Conference Title is underway as they enter the final eight games of the regular season. On Wednesday evening, they'll host the London Knights who are still one position ahead of Flint in the rankings. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. (ET) at the state-of-the-art Dort Financial Center.

This season has been one for the record books, quite literally. Franchise and individual records have broken practically every game for the past several weeks. Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) has scored the most goals in a single season and tied the record for shorthanded goals (4). Coulson Pitre became the first rookie to score 20 goals in a season, and Gavin Hayes scored the most points in a game (6) for a rookie on his way to earning the most all-time assists (26) and points (42) by a first-year player. Luke Cavallin already owned the all-time records for career minutes played, saves, and wins before breaking the single-season record for victories on Sunday with his 30th of the year.

As a team, this club has raised the bar for the most road wins (23), goals scored on the road (140), most shorthanded goals in a season (12), and the fastest goal to start a game (10 seconds). They sit tied with the all-time record for power-play goals on home ice (27) and need just three more tallies on the man-advantage to tie the overall season record. They also need three more power-play markers on the road to tie that all-time milestone. With eight regular-season games remaining, team points (-5), goals scored on home ice (-8) and total goals in a single season (-18) are all within reach, as well.

The Firebirds enter Wednesday's contest in second place in the West Division, and third in the 10-team Western Conference with a record of 36-19-1-4. The Knights sit atop the Midwest Division and second in the Western Conference with a 37-18-3-1 record. On the home ice this year, Flint has posted a record of 13-12-0-2. London's road record is 18-11-0-1. In their past 10 tilts, the Knights have gone 5-3-1-1 and the Birds' last 10 have gone 5-4-0-1.

Wednesday marks the fourth of five total meetings between these clubs this season, and the second and final game to be played in Flint. All-time, Flint carries a record of 4-15-2-1 against London, with a home record of 2-7-1-1. So far this year, the Birds are 2-1-0-0 versus the Knights and 1-0-0-0 on home ice. Both teams have scored exactly ten goals in the three-game series this year.

The most recent tilt between the Firebirds and Knights was March 11 at the Budweiser Gardens in London. That night, Flint was outshot 40-33 but managed to skate away with a decisive 6-2 victory. Luke Cavallin made 38 saves between, while London's netminders split time in net. Coulson Pitre and Tag Bertuzzi each lit the lamp twice to lead the offensive charge for the Birds. Brennan Othmann and Riley Piercey also found twine. For London, the OHL's top goal-scorer Luke Evangelista and Landon Sim scored.

On special teams, the Firebirds are converting with the man-advantage at a 19.4% rate, which ranks them 14th in the 20-team OHL. London has scored at a success rate of 25.0%, which ranks them fifth. Flint's penalty-kill remains atop the league at an 84.4% rate of success. The Knights are killing penalties at an 80.7% clip, the league's seventh-best.

Promotions: Wednesday night is a Firebirds Fight Hunger night benefiting the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan sponsored by Dort Financial Center, Hap and Sysco, as well as a 'Buy One, Get One' ticket offer. Bring in 5 NON-perishable food items to the Dort Financial Center Box Office and receive a FREE ticket. Collection times are today until 5:00 p.m. and starting again at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow leading up to puck drop against the Knights. Additionally, fans can buy one ticket and get the second FREE of equal or lesser value. Food drive tickets may not be used in the BOGO deal.

Players to Watch:

Flint Firebirds (36-19-1-4, 2nd West Division):

Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) ranks first on the team and second in the league with 41 goals. Othmann also leads the club with 45 assists and ranks seventh in the league with 86 total points. The Firebirds captain netted his fourth shorthanded goal last week, which ties him for the most in a season in franchise history and for the fifth-most in the OHL this year. He also holds the league's ninth-best points-per-game average at 1.48. Riley Piercey is second in scoring with 27 goals and 31 helpers through 58 games. He's tied for eighth in the league and first in franchise history with six game-winning tallies. Amadeus Lombardi ranks third on the squad with 17 tallies and 37 helpers through 59 contests.

Veteran forwards Tag Bertuzzi and Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks) remain hot down the stretch, as well. Bertuzzi has 17 points (7 G, 10 A) in his past 13 games, and has 19 goals and 21 assists through 54 games on the campaign. Keppen continues to produce a point per game since returning to the squad mid-season, and now has 34 points (20 G, 14 A) through 34 tilts.

Gavin Hayes hails from Westland, Mich. and tops the rookie class in total points with 44 through 57 games. His 44 points are the most ever by a rookie in a single season in franchise history. Coulson Pitre has 20 goals, which are the most by any rookie in Firebirds' history, as well. Pitre also has 19 assists for 39 total points through 44 games. He ranks second among rookies in the OHL at a .89 points-per-game average and is tied for the eighth-most goals by any rookie in the league this season.

On defense, Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) has the most points for the club with 36. He also tops the blue-liners with 15 goals and has 21 helpers in 49 games played. Tyler Deline has six goals and 29 helpers through 54 games. Kuzmin's 15 markers are tied for fourth-most among the OHL's defenders, and Deline's 17 power-play helpers are eight-most. Rookie defenseman Tristan Bertucci has a +/- rating of +26, which is second-best among all rookies in the league and sixth-best among all blue-liners.

Luke Cavallin has now appeared in 48 games, which is the second-most in the OHL. His 30 wins are the most in the league and the most in Flint's franchise history. He also carries the OHL's fourth-best save percentage (SV%) at .910 and seventh-best goals-against average (GAA) of 3.17. Behind Cavallin are a pair of rookie netminders showing promise for the future. Ian Michelone has now appeared in ten games and picked up four victories. He carries a GAA of 4.37 and a SV% of .884. Nathaniel Day has two victories in eight appearances, with a 3.63 GAA and a .883 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 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), Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars), and Vladislav Kolyachonok (Arizona Coyotes) are four former Firebirds to play regular-season games 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.

London Knights (37-18-3-1, 1st Midwest Division):

The Knights are led by the OHL's goal-scoring leader, Luke Evangelista (Nashville Predators). He ranks first in goals (50), third in total points (100), is tied for third in shorthanded tallies (5), is tied for fifth in power-power assists (22), is tied for eighth in game-winning tallies (6), and has the second-highest points-per-game average at 1.82. Plymouth, Mich. native Antonio Stranges (Dallas Stars) ranks second on his club with 75 total points (28 G, 47 A) through 53 games. Stranges rides a six-game points streak (1 G, 5 A) into Wednesday's game. Sean McGurn has 70 points (20 G, 50 A) in 59 tilts, and carries an eight-game points streak (6 G, 8 A) into Flint.

Rookie centerman Ruslan Gazizov tops the freshman class with 26 points (9 G, 17 A) in 46 games. The defensive troops are topped by Gerard Keane with 36 points (10 G, 26 A) through 59 tilts. First-year defender Isaiah George has a +27 rating, placing him tops in the OHL's rookie group and fifth among all defensemen.

Between the pipes, returning netminder Brett Brochu has played in 43 contests so far, earning 29 victories for the Knights. He carries the third-best save percentage (SV%) at .911 and the fourth-best goals-against average (GAA) at 2.75. Rookie goaltender Owen Flores has earned four wins in 14 appearances. He carries a 3.78 GAA with a .861 SV%. Fellow rookie goalie Owen Willmore has appeared in six contests, logging four victories along with a 4.05 GAA and a .853 SV%.

NHL: London's roster features six players with NHL ties, including Liam Gilmartin (San Jose Sharks), Luke Evangelista (Nashville Predators), Max McCue (San Jose Sharks), Antonio Stranges (Dallas Stars), Bryce Montgomery (Carolina Hurricanes), and Logan Mailloux (Montreal Canadians). Additionally, Jackson Edward, Ruslan Gazizov, Isaiah George, Brett Brochu, Brody Crane, Landon Sim, Kirill Steklov and Colton Smith were all named to the 2022 NHL Central Scouting Midterm Draft Rankings.

Notable London Knights alumni to play in the NHL include Brendan Shanahan, Patrick Kane, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, Corey Perry, David Bolland, John Carlson, Dino Ciccarelli, Michael Del Zotto, Max Domi, Sam Gagner, Bo Horvat, Michael Hutchinson, Nazem Kadri, Chris Kelly, Sergi Kostitsyn, Oli Maatta, Patrick Maroon, Steve Mason, Marc Methot, Vladislav Namestnikov, Rick Nash, Kyle Quincey, Steve Smith, Chris Tierney, Jarred Tinordi, Matthew Tkachuk, Austin Watson, Dennis Wideman and Nikita Zadorov.

Broadcast Coverage:

Wednesday's contest against the London Knights 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 6:40 p.m. (ET) Wednesday evening.

The game will also be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 467 (4467 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 travel to London for a Friday night rematch before returning to home ice Saturday to host the Guelph Storm. Saturday is UAW/United Way Night. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to watch the United Way game at 4:30 p.m. Get into the game by using your ticket to Saturday night's contest against the Storm. Select UAW and United Way jerseys will be auctioned off on the concourse during the Firebirds game. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) at the Dort Financial Center, and tickets are available from ETIX.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 30, 2022


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