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OHL Flint Firebirds

First-Place Firebirds Invade Erie for Back-To-Back Battles with Otters Starting Tonight at 7

March 4, 2022 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Erie, Penn. - The Firebirds will play a pair of road games in Erie on Friday and Saturday evenings. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) at the Erie Insurance Arena Friday with the Firebirds Hockey Network Pre-Game Show (driven by Shea Automotive) beginning at 6:40 on US 103.1 Mid-Michigan.

Flint is having its best season in franchise history so far, with records being broken and major milestones being set practically every game. They currently sit at 19 road wins on the year, two away from setting a new club record for road wins in a single season at 21. Their current 116 goals scored on the road is already a new high for the Birds. Rookie Coulson Pitre needs one tally to be the all-time leader in rookie scoring (18). Captain Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers), who sits tied with Pitre for the lead in rookie scoring from his freshman season in 2019-20, is now only four goals shy of tying former Firebirds' standout Ryan Moore for the most goals in a single season (39) by any Flint player. Veteran goaltender Luke Cavallin continues to shine and was named the 'OHL Goaltender of the Month' for his results in February, including an 8-0-1-1 record while backstopping his squad to the top of the Western Conference standings.

The Firebirds enter Friday's tilt ranked first in the West Division and first in the 10-team Western Conference, carrying a record of 31-15-1-3. They've gone 7-1-1-1 in their past 10 games, and they have the best road record in the OHL at 19-5-1-2. They ranked inside the Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings last week but slid back from 10th to 'Honorable Mention' status after dropping Sunday's home game 7-3 to the Otters. Erie enters Friday's contest ranked fourth in the Midwest Division and eighth in the Western Conference with a record of 20-24-1-2. They're 5-5-0-0 in their past 10 and carry an 8-10-0-1 record on home ice this season.

Friday marks the tenth of 12 meetings between these clubs, and the fifth of six games to be played in Erie. Thus far, the Otters are winless in their four home games versus the Firebirds. Flint has gone 8-1-0-0 through the first nine meetings with Erie. All-time, the Firebirds are 14-8-2-3 against the Otters and have the slight edge of 6-5-2-1 at the Erie Insurance Arena.

Leading the way for Flint in the current series with Erie is Brennan Othmann with 10 goals and seven assists through the nine games. Defenseman Tyler Deline (2 G, 8 A), Amadeus Lombardi (4 G, 5 A), and Coulson Pitre (4 G, 5 A) have also found success versus Erie this year. For the Otters, it's Daniel D'Amato, older brother of Flint's Luca D'Amato, leading the way with 11 points (6 G, 5 A). Christian Kyrou is tied for second in points with seven assists, matching Elias Cohen who has three goals and four helpers.

These teams last played Sunday afternoon at the Dort Financial Center in Flint. After rookie netminders Nathaniel Day and Nolan Lalonde backstopped their squads to a scoreless tie at the conclusion of the first period, the floodgates opened quickly in the middle frame and teams combined to score 10 times through the final 40 minutes. Defenseman Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) scored two of Flint's three, with fellow rearguard Tyler Deline potting the other marker for the home team. Erie was led by three-point performances from Daniel D'Amato (2 G, 1 A) and Elias Cohen (1 G, 2 A). Lalonde made 24 saves on 27 shots to earn the victory, while Day turned aside 21 shots in just his third OHL start. Special teams were significant, as the Otters scored two power-play tallies and lit the lamp once shorthanded.

On special teams this season Flint's penalty-kill ranks third in the league, shutting down the opposition at a rate of 83.9%. In away contests, the Birds rank first in the OHL, killing penalties successfully 88.6% of the time. Erie's penalty-killers are ranked 10th at 79.1%. With the man-advantage, the Otters are 16th in the league, converting at a rate of 17.3%. The Firebirds rank 13th, scoring at a 19.7% clip with the extra man.

Players to Watch:

Flint Firebirds (31-15-1-3, 1st West Division):

Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) ranks first on the team and second in the league with 35 goals. Othmann also has 38 assists for 73 total points in 48 games. He's tied for fourth in shorthanded goals (3), sits seventh in total points and eighth with a 1.52 points-per-game average. Veteran forward Riley Piercey is second in scoring with 25 goals and 27 helpers through 45 games. He netted a hat trick last Saturday that took him to exactly 100 career OHL points. Piercey is also tied for sixth in game-winning goals (6) and eighth in power-play tallies (10). Amadeus Lombardi ranks third with 16 tallies and 28 helpers through 49 contests. Lombardi has recorded 11 multi-point games this season.

Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks) returned to the Firebirds' lineup mid-season and has since posted 25 points (13 G, 12 A) through 24 tilts. He's expected to play in his 200th career OHL game Friday night in Erie. Forward Sahil Panwar is having a breakout season with career highs in goals (13), assists (19), and total points (32). Out of all skaters who've taken at least 400 faceoffs this season, Panwar ranks seventh in the league winning 56.8% of his draws. He also has six points (2 G, 4 A) in his past five games.

Coulson Pitre remains atop the scoresheet for rookies on the roster, now with 17 goals and 18 assists in 39 contests. He carries the league's second-highest points-per-game average among rookies at .90, he's tied for sixth in the freshman class for goals, and tied for 10th with 35 total points in the campaign. Fellow rookie Gavin Hayes has turned up the heat recently, and now has 14 goals and 18 assists for the season. Hayes rides a six-game point streak (4 G, 5 A) into Erie Friday.

On defense, Tyler Deline carries the most points for the club with 34 (6 G, 28 A) in 49 tilts. He's tied for the fifth-most power-play helpers (16) among OHL defensemen, and he carries a four-game point streak (2 G, 3 A) into Friday's contest. Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) has the most goals (10) among Flint's rearguards and has seven points (4 G, 3 A) in his last three games.

Luke Cavallin has 25 victories this season, the second-most of any goaltender in the campaign. The most wins any Flint netminder has posted in a single season is 29, set by Anthony Popovich in the 2019-20 campaign. Cavallin is already Flint's career leader in games played (127), wins (51) and shutouts (2). He's in his fourth season with the franchise after being selected in the second round (28th overall) of the 2017 OHL Priority Selection. Cavallin carries a goals-against average (GAA) of 3.19 and the league's fourth-best save percentage (SV%) at .909 through 40 appearances. Rookie netminder Ian Michelone has appeared in eight games and picked up four victories. He carries a GAA of 4.03 and a SV% of .889. To date, Michelone and Erie's Nolan Lalonde are the only active OHL rookie goaltenders with a shutout this season. Nathaniel Day has two victories in six appearances, with a 3.30 GAA and a .879 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.

Erie Otters (20-24-1-2, 4th Midwest Division):

Third-year center Elias Cohen sits atop Erie's scoresheet with better than a point-per-game average. Cohen has produced 49 points (20 G, 29 A) in 46 games. Erie's top-scoring defenseman is Christian Kyrou, who's lit the lamp 13 times and pitched in 31 assists through 47 games played. Among blue-liners, he's tied for second in the league for goals scored, second in shorthanded assists (3), the third-most total points, the sixth-best points-per-game average at .94, and the ninth-most total helpers. Daniel D'Amato ranks third in scoring for the Otters with 17 goals and 26 helpers for 43 points in 42 total games. Veteran winger Noah Sedore is expected to play in his 100th OHL game Friday and has scored goals in back-to-back games.

The Otters' first-round draft pick (8th overall) from 2020 is Spencer Sova. He paces the freshman class on the team with 21 points (6 G, 15 A). Sova is tied for the fourth-most power-play assists among rookies with nine this year.

The Otters are backstopped by a pair of first-year netminders. Nolan Lalonde has played in 38 games this season and has earned 18 victories. He's posted a 3.64 goals-against average (GAA) and a save-percentage (SV%) of .878. His 38 appearances and 18 wins are both the most by any first-year netminder by a large margin. Marshall Nicholls has played in 13 contests, earned two victories, and carries a 4.25 GAA with a SV% of .852.

NHL: Connor Lockhart (Vancouver Canucks) is the lone player on Erie's roster with NHL ties. Additionally, Spencer Sova, Christian Kyrou, and netminder Nolan Lalonde were named to the NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings.

Notable Otters' alumni to play in the NHL are Connor McDavid, Alex DeBrincat, Connor Brown, Nikita Alexeev, Brad Boyes, Tim Connoly, Mike Rupp, Steve Montador, Carlo Colaiacovo, Chris Campoli, Jason Ward and Dylan Strome.

Broadcast Coverage:

Friday's contest against the Erie Otters 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) Friday evening.

The game will also be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 463 (4463 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 continue their four-game road trip tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. (ET) in Erie before heading to Guelph to take on the Storm Sunday at 4:00 p.m. On Saturday, March 12, the Birds will return to home ice to host the Guelph Storm for a 7:00 p.m. (ET) battle. It will be Teacher Appreciation Night sponsored by PFCU. Complimentary tickets will be available to all Educational Professionals with valid school ID work badges at the Dort Financial Center office. Tickets are on sale NOW here: ETIX.

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