Firebirds Target Spitfires in Thursday Night Battle
February 16, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release
Flint, Mich. - The Windsor Spitfires skated away with a decisive 9-3 victory at the Dort Financial Center in Flint eight days ago. The Firebirds look to settle the score tonight on the road in Windsor. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. (ET) at the WFCU Centre.
Tonight marks the fourth of six meetings between these teams in the regular season and is the second of three games at the WFCU Centre. In three previous meetings this year, Flint has one win in the form of a shootout victory on the road. The Firebirds' all-time record versus Windsor stands at 13-26-2-1 and is 7-14-2-1 on the road. In the two prior meetings in Windsor this season, the Birds are 1-1-0-0 against the Spits. In total, 16 contests have been settled by a single goal in the series, more than Flint has recorded with any other opponent.
For the season, Flint ranks fourth in the West Division and seventh in the Western Conference with a mark of 24-25-3-1. Their record is 14-13-1-0 in away contests while the Spitfires have only three regulation losses all season at the WFCU Centre, having posted a 20-3-2-1 record. The Spits lead both the West Division and the Western Conference with a record of 35-12-3-1. Windsor is on a seven-game winning streak heading into tonight's tilt. Offensively, the Spitfires have lit the lamp more than any team in the league (250), followed by the Firebirds (219) who are tied for second.
On special teams, Flint ranks 17th on the power play, converting at a 19.2% rate. The Spits rank second, scoring at a 25.3% clip on the power play. On home ice, this season, Windsor's power play is the best in the OHL with a 27.1% conversion rate. The Birds hold the 13th spot on the penalty-kill (PK), holding their opposition scoreless 77.5% of the time. Windsor's PK ranks 12th with a success rate of 77.6%.
Players to Watch
Flint Firebirds (24-25-3-1, 4th West Division):
Amadeus Lombardi paces the Firebirds in goals and total points, now with 34 goals and 39 assists for 73 total points through 53 games. He ranks fifth in points and seventh in scoring and rides a ten-game points streak (9 G, 11 A) into tonight's meeting. That's tied for the longest active points streak in the OHL currently. Gavin Hayes sits second in points with a balanced 53 (27 G, 26 A) through 52 contests, and has points (3 G, 5 A) in six-straight games. Riley Piercey holds the third spot with 17 tallies and 34 helpers in a span of 53 games played.
Dmitry Kuzmin tops the rearguards with ten goals plus 37 assists and ranks inside the top ten in the league for points (4th) and assists (6th). Fellow blue-liner Tristan Bertucci continues his hot play as well, now with 12 points (6 G, 6 A) in the past eight games.
Between the pipes, Will Cranley has now appeared in 38 games for Flint this season. He has 15 wins to his credit including one shutout. Cranley holds a 3.89 goals-against average (GAA) with a .884 save percentage (SV%). Rookie netminder Nathan Day has nine wins in 22 appearances. His GAA is 4.56 and he carries an SV% of .853.
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, Blake Smith, and goaltender Nathan Day were listed on the NHL Central Scouting's 2023 Midseason Rankings.
Despite Flint playing in just seven OHL seasons thus far, Alex Nedeljkovic (Carolina/Detroit), Kole Sherwood (Columbus), Ty Dellandrea (Dallas), Tyler Tucker (St. Louis), and Will Bitten (St. Louis) are five 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). The team has produced 24 signed or drafted players into the NHL.
Windsor Spitfires (35-12-3-1, 1st West Division):
Matthew Maggio sits atop the leaderboard for Windsor in goals (41), assists (43), and total points (84) through 49 games. He's also first in the league in goals and points, second in plus/minus (+42), third in points-per-game average (1.71) and seventh in assists. Brett Harrison ranks second for the Spitfires with 57 points (28 G, 29 A) in 45 games. In the 18 games he's played as a member of the Spits, he's logged 12 tallies and 12 helpers for 24 points. Jacob Maillet ranks third with 57 points (20 G, 37 A) through 50 games.
Rookie forward Liam Greentree carries points in ten consecutive games (10 G, 6 A), and leads all OHL rookies in goals (24) and power-play goals (5), is second in total points (40) and points-per-game average (.70) and is tied for the seventh-most helpers. Fellow rookie Anthony Cristoforo tops the rearguard unit with six goals and 26 assists through 46 games. He ranks second in assists, is tied for third with seven power-play goals and fifth for total points, and sits fifth in points-per-game average at .70.
Joey Costanzo has 20 victories in 31 appearances for Windsor this season, which is tied for the fourth-most wins in the league. His goals-against average (GAA) sits at 3.10 and his save percentage (SV%) is .900. Mathias Onuska has appeared in 24 games and picked up 14 wins. He carries a 4.13 GAA with a .870 SV%.
NHL: The Spitfires have five players with NHL ties, including Daniil Sobolev (Montreal Canadians), Matthew Maggio (New York Islanders), Brett Harrison (Boston Bruins), Jacob Holmes (Dallas Stars), and Shane Wright (Seattle Kraken).
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, Eric Wellwood, and Ryan Ellis.
Broadcast Coverage:
This evening's game 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), 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 468. 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 at 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.
Up Next: The Firebirds return to the Dort Financial Center to host the Kitchener Rangers this Saturday. It will be Healthcare Heroes Night, sponsored by Sovita Credit Union. All healthcare workers and medical professionals are eligible to receive a FREE ticket to the game with proof of employment or a valid work ID. Ticket redemption is available only at the Dort Financial Center Box Office, which opens at noon today. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) Saturday and regular tickets are available now from ETIX.
Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 16, 2023
- Spitfires Win A Wild Affair 6-5 In Overtime Against Flint - Windsor Spitfires
- Special Teams a Deciding Factor as Spits Win 6-5 in OT - Flint Firebirds
- Avon Scores, Adds Assist as Late Goal Lifts League Leading 67's to 3-2 Win Over Petes - Peterborough Petes
- Daviault Earns First Star With First Otter Goal, Coach Butler Wins First As Otters' Bench Boss In Upset At North Bay - Erie Otters
- Rangers Begin Three-Straight on the Road Friday in the Soo - Kitchener Rangers
- 2023-24 Firebirds Season Memberships Go on Sale Saturday - Flint Firebirds
- Firebirds Target Spitfires in Thursday Night Battle - Flint Firebirds
- February 16 Battalion Notes - North Bay Battalion
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