Flint Begins Three-Game Road Trip Tonight in Guelph
February 10, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release
Guelph, Ont. - The Firebirds look to get back to their winning ways tonight on the road versus a team they've had success against. In two prior meetings with the Storm, the Birds earned all four available points while outscoring Guelph 14-8. Puck drop for tonight's tilt is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (ET) at the Sleeman Centre.
In the Western Conference Standing, the Storm rank seventh, but are only one point behind the sixth-place Flint Firebirds. The Birds rank fourth in the West Division with a record of 23-24-3-1 and are looking to end a two-game skid. The Storm have gone 7-3-0-0 in their last ten and hold a 22-21-4-1 mark for the season, placing them third in the Midwest Division. Flint's posted a 13-12-1-0 record in road games compared to Guelph's home mark of 12-8-3-1.
Tonight marks the third of four meetings between these teams in the regular season and is the second of two games in Guelph. The Firebirds' all-time record versus the Storm stands at 17-8-2-0 and is 10-3-1-0 in Guelph. Flint has posted a 6-4-1-0 mark against Midwest Division opponents this season.
On special teams, Flint ranks 18th on the power play, converting at a 19.2% rate. The Storm rank fifth overall, scoring at a 24.1% clip on the power play. On home ice this year, Guelph's power play is the second-best in the OHL with a 28.7% rate of success. The Birds hold the 14th spot on the penalty-kill (PK), holding their opposition scoreless 76.6% of the time. The Storm's overall PK ranks 20th (71.5%), but is 13th-best at home (76.0%).
Players to Watch
Flint Firebirds (23-24-3-1, 4th West Division):
Amadeus Lombardi continues his red-hot play, now with 67 points (32 G, 35 A) in 51 games. He's ranked sixth in both goals and total points across the OHL, and carries an eight-game points streak into tonight's matchup, having scored seven times and added seven assists in that span. Gavin Hayes is second in scoring with 26 tallies and 25 assists through 50 contests. He tops the club in power-play markers with seven. Riley Piercey sits third with 50 points (17 G, 33 A) in 51 games.
Dmitry Kuzmin tops the rearguards with ten goals and a club-high 36 assists. He's also fourth in points, tied for fifth in assists, and tied for tenth in goals scored in the league's blue-line group. Tristan Bertucci has heated up recently with nine points (4 G, 5 A) in the last six games.
Between the pipes, Will Cranley has 15 wins in 37 appearances including one shutout. His goals-against average (GAA) is 3.88 and he carries a SV% of .885. Rookie Nathan Day is credited with eight victories in 21 appearances, and he holds a 4.71 GAA and an .847 SV%.
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.
Guelph Storm (22-21-4-1, 3rd Midwest Division):
Topping the stats for the Storm is Matthew Poitras with 59 points (12 G, 47 A) in 43 games played. He ranks second in the OHL with 23 power-play assists and is third in total assists. Defenseman Michael Buchinger ranks second with ten goals and 31 helpers for an even 41 points in 41 contests. His 21 assists on the power play are tied for third-most in the league. Braeden Bowman has 38 points in only 34 games played, stemming from 21 tallies and 17 helpers.
In net, Patrick Leaver has appeared in 35 games. He's earned 16 victories and carries a 3.66 goals-against average (GAA) and a save percentage (SV%) of .884. Brayden Gillespie has eight wins to his name through 15 contests. His GAA sits at 2.98 and his SV% is .891.
NHL: The Storm have three players with NHL ties, consisting of Jake Karabela (Washington Capitals), Matthew Poitras (Boston Bruins), and Michael Buchinger (St. Louis Blues). Additionally, Cam Allen and Valentin Zhugin were named to the NHL Central Scouting's 2023 Midseason Rankings.
NHL: Notable Guelph Storm skaters to play in the NHL are Craig Anderson, Todd Bertuzzi, Tyler Bertuzzi, Dustin Brown, Ryan Callahan, Dan Cloutier, Drew Doughty, Aaron Downey, Robby Fabbri, Daniel Girardi, Manny Malhotra and Richard Panik.
Broadcast Coverage:
This evening's game against the Guelph Storm 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 7:10 p.m. (ET).
The game will be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 470. 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 play two more home games before returning to the Dort Financial Center. Tomorrow they'll face the Attack in Owen Sound and they visit Windsor Thursday. Flint's next home game is Saturday, February 18 when the Kitchener Rangers are in town for a 7:00 p.m. (ET) start time. It will be Health Care Heroes Night presented by Sovita Credit Union. All medical professionals are eligible to receive a FREE ticket to the game with a valid ID only at the Dort Financial Center Box Office. Additional tickets for the Birds' next home game are available now from ETIX.
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