First-Place Firebirds Seek Club-High 21st Road Victory Tonight in Erie
March 5, 2022 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release
Erie, Penn. - After Flint skated to a 3-2 road victory on Friday, the Firebirds and Otters will play game two of back-to-back games in Erie Saturday night. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) at the Erie Insurance Arena.
Flint is having its best season in franchise history, with records being broken and major milestones being set practically every game. Last night, they tied the club record for most road wins in a single season at 20. Their current 119 goals scored on the road is already a new milestone for the Birds. Rookie Coulson Pitre scored in last night's game and surpassed teammate Brennan Othmann's (New York Rangers), rookie-season record of 17 goals scored. Othmann also scored last night, and is only three 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. Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks) lit the lamp last night as well, scoring career goal number 70 in his 200th OHL game.
The Firebirds enter Saturday's tilt ranked first in the West Division and first in the 10-team Western Conference, carrying a record of 32-15-1-3. They've gone 7-1-1-1 in their past 10 games, and they have the best road record in the OHL at 20-5-1-2. 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 20-25-1-2. They're now 4-6-0-0 in their past 10 and carry an 8-11-0-1 record on home ice this season.
Saturday marks the 11th of 12 meetings between these clubs, and the sixth and final game to be played in Erie. Thus far, the Otters are winless in the five previous home games versus the Firebirds. Flint has gone 9-1-0-0 through the first ten meetings with Erie. All-time, the Firebirds are 15-8-2-3 against the Otters and hold an advantage of 7-5-2-1 at the Erie Insurance Arena.
Leading the way for Flint in the current series with Erie is Brennan Othmann with 11 goals and seven assists through the ten games. Defenseman Tyler Deline (2 G, 8 A), Amadeus Lombardi (4 G, 6 A), and Coulson Pitre (5 G, 5 A) have also found success versus Erie this year, each averaging a point per game. 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.
On special teams this season Flint's penalty-kill ranks first in the league, shutting down the opposition at a rate of 84.3%. Erie's penalty-killers are ranked sixth at 79.6%. With the man-advantage, the Otters are 17th in the league, converting at a rate of 16.8%. The Firebirds rank 13th, scoring at a 19.3% clip with the extra man.
Players to Watch:
Flint Firebirds (32-15-1-3, 1st West Division):
Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) ranks first on the team and second in the league with 36 goals. Othmann also has 38 assists for 74 total points in 49 games. He's tied for fourth in shorthanded goals (3), seventh in total points and eighth with a 1.51 points-per-game average. Veteran forward Riley Piercey is second in scoring with 25 goals and 27 helpers through 46 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 ninth in power-play tallies (10). Amadeus Lombardi ranks third on the squad with 16 tallies and 29 helpers through 50 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 26 points (14 G, 12 A) through 25 tilts. 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 eighth in the league winning 56.7% of his draws.
Coulson Pitre remains atop the scoresheet for rookies on the roster, now with 18 goals and 18 assists in 40 contests. He carries the league's second-highest points-per-game average among rookies at .90 and he's tied for sixth in the freshman class for goals. Fellow rookie Gavin Hayes has turned up the heat recently, and now has 14 goals and 18 assists for the season. Hayes carried a six-game point streak (4 G, 5 A) into Erie that was snapped Friday night.
On defense, Tyler Deline carries the most points for the club with 34 (6 G, 28 A) in 50 tilts. He's tied for the sixth-most power-play helpers (16) among OHL defensemen, and he had a four-game point streak (2 G, 3 A) prior to Friday's contest. Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) has the most goals (10) among Flint's rearguards and has 15 points (9 G, 6 A) in the past 13 games. Kuzmin was named the game's 'First Star' for Friday's matchup.
Luke Cavallin has 26 victories this season, the second-most of any goaltender in the campaign. No OHL goalie has played in more games this season. 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 (128), wins (52) and shutouts (2). He's is 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 3.16 and the league's fourth-best save percentage (SV%) at .910 through 41 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 (20-25-1-2, 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 47 games. Erie's top-scoring defenseman is Christian Kyrou, who's lit the lamp 13 times and pitched in 31 assists through 48 games played. Among blue-liners, he's tied for second in the league for goals scored, first in shorthanded assists (3), the third-most total points, the sixth-best points-per-game average at .92, 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 43 total 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 fifth-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 39 games this season and has earned 18 victories. He's posted a 3.62 goals-against average (GAA) and a save-percentage (SV%) of .878. His 39 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:
Saturday'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) Saturday 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 to defend the OHL's best road record with two more away games before returning home. They'll travel to Guelph Sunday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. (ET) and then London on Friday at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, March 12, the Birds will return to home ice to host the Guelph Storm for a 7:00 p.m. battle. The game is themed Teacher Appreciation Night, Sponsored by PFCU. All education professionals with a valid school ID will receive a complimentary ticket to the game, available at the Dort Financial Center Box Office only. Additional tickets are on sale NOW here: ETIX.
Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 5, 2022
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- Spitfires Defeat the Soo 7-3 - Windsor Spitfires
- Firebirds Fall Short, Drop Final Game in Erie 5-3 - Flint Firebirds
- Emotional Night of Hockey Ends with Erie's First Home-Win against Flint, 5-3 - Erie Otters
- First-Place Firebirds Seek Club-High 21st Road Victory Tonight in Erie - Flint Firebirds
- Spirit Wrap up Road Trip on Saturday in Owen Sound - Saginaw Spirit
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