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OHL Flint Firebirds

Preview: Firebirds Battle the Knights on a Saturday Night in Flint

January 4, 2020 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Flint, Mich. - The London Knights are in town for a Saturday night tilt. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) at the Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center (cap. 4,400).

The Firebirds enter Saturday's contest in third place in the West Division with a record of 20-15-0-0. The Knights currently sit second in the Midwest Division with an 22-12-1-1 record. On home ice this year, the 'Birds are 13-7-0-0 compared to London's road record of 11-6-0-1. In their past 10 games, Flint and London have each gone 5-5-0-0. The Knights are currently on a three-game winning streak, and the Firebirds won their most recent battle 5 - 4 in overtime over the Oshawa Generals Friday night.

Friday marks the third of four meetings between the two clubs this season, and the second of two games in Flint. All-time, Flint holds a record of 2-14-1-1 in the series, and a record of 1-7-0-1 on home ice. The last time these teams played was November 30, when London skated to a 4 - 1 triumph at the Dort Federal Event Center. Connor Roberts logged the lone goal for the 'Birds that night. In their first meeting of the season, the Firebirds earned their first-ever victory at the sold-out Budweiser Gardens in London by a 6 - 1 score. Luke Cavallin stopped 35 of London's 36 shots, and Dennis Busby (Arizona Coyotes), Jack Phibbs, Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars) and Jake Durham each lit the lamp for Flint. Evgeniy Oksentyuk scored twice plus picked up an assist to earn 'First Star' honors in the victory.

On special teams this season, Flint's killing penalties at a rate of 80.8% when short-handed, which is sixth-best in the OHL. However, the 'Birds' PK on home ice is top in the league, shutting down the opposition 86.6% of the time. London's penalty-killers are tied for fourth at 81.2%. With the man-advantage, the Knights rank fourth in the league, converting at a rate of 25.9% and the Firebirds are 20th, scoring at a 16.2% clip.

Promotions:

Saturday is the final home game of the Firebirds Fight Hunger Can Drive. The Firebirds have partnered again with the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan for the fifth-annual "Firebirds Fight Hunger" campaign. Fans can bring in a minimum of five non-perishable food items to the Firebirds' merchandise store, The Bird's Nest, at the Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center for a complimentary sponsored Silver Level ticket, courtesy of Dort Federal Credit Union, Little Caesars Pizza, the View Newspaper Group and Mass Transportation Authority (MTA) Flint.

Single game tickets for all Firebirds games are $12 Bronze, $16 Silver, $20 Gold and $26 VIP seating (Seating Chart). All seats are reserved / assigned seating. Fans can purchase tickets by calling (810) 744-0580, in-person at the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office or online at ticketmaster.com here.

Players to Watch:

Flint Firebirds (20-15-0-0, 3rd West Division):

Belarusian forward Evgeniy Oksentyuk ranks first on the team with 16 goals and 25 assists for 41 points in 30 contests. He is also on a 12-game point streak (8G, 14A). Defenseman Riley McCourt is second in total offense with 11 goals and a team-high 28 assists for 39 total points in 35 games. His total points are fourth-most among OHL rearguards, his 11 tallies are tied for fifth, and his 28 helpers are fourth. McCourt is on a five-game point streak, during which he has one tally and nine assists. Jake Durham ranks fourth in scoring for the 'Birds with 14 goals and 17 assists on the season. He currently has 67 career goals, tying him with former Firebirds' forward Nick Caamano for third-most in franchise history.

Brennan Othmann tops the Firebirds' rookie class and ranks inside the top-10 among all OHL rookies in several categories. His eight goals are tied for seventh-most, his ten assists are tied for ninth, and his 18 total points are tied for eighth among the OHL's freshman class.

Between the pipes, Anthony Popovich has played in 25 games this season. He's earned 14 victories, which are tied for the fourth-most in OHL. His goals-against average (GAA) is 3.62 and he has the seventh best save-percentage (SAV%) in the league at .901. Luke Cavallin has six wins in 13 appearances, and he carries a 3.83 GAA with a .896 SAV%.

NHL: The Firebirds have four players with NHL ties consisting of Dennis Busby (Arizona Coyotes), Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars), Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks), and Vladislav Kolyachonok (Florida Panthers). In addition, Evan Vierling was named to the November 2020 NHL Central Scouting 'Players to Watch' list.

Despite Flint being in the midst of just their fifth OHL season, three former Firebirds have already played in NHL regular-season games: Nick Caamano (Dallas Stars), Alex Nedeljkovic (Carolina Hurricanes) and Kole Sherwood (Columbus Blue Jackets). Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars), Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks), Vili Saarijarvi (Arizona Coyotes) and Jalen Smereck (Arizona Coyotes) have played in NHL pre-season contests. In total, the team has produced an impressive 17 drafted or signed NHL players in that short time.

London Knights (22-12-1-1, 2nd Midwest Conference):

Connor McMichael (Washington Capitals) leads the Knights on the scoresheet and ranks in the top ten in the OHL in several categories. His 59 points are fourth-most in the league, his 25 goals are sixth-most, he's tied for eighth with 34 assists, he's tied for third with nine power-play tallies, and he's tied for sixth with 15 power-play helpers.

Defenseman Ryan Merkley (San Jose Sharks) ranks second on the roster and leads the London defense with 41 points (7G, 34A) in 34 contests. His 41 points are third among the league's rearguards and his 34 helpers are also third-most. Merkley leads the league with 20 power-play assists. Jonathan Gruden (Ottawa Senators) ranks third on the club with 39 points (14G, 25A) through 35 games. Gruden rides a seven-game point streak (4G, 6A) into Saturday's tilt. Fourth-year forward Cole Tymkin leads the OHL with 73 penalty minutes through 33 games-played.

London's freshman class is led by a pair of blue-liners. Avery Winslow and Kirill Steklov each have one tally and three assists for four points this season.

Between the pipes, first-year netminder Brett Brochu has played in 22 contests and earned 13 victories, which are tied for sixth-most in the league. He carries the fifth-best goals-against average (GAA) at 2.75 and the sixth-best save-percentage (SAV%) at .907. Dylan Myskiw has nine wins in 18 appearances this season, and sports a 3.32 GAA with a .891 SAV%.

NHL: London's roster features six players with NHL ties, including Connor McMichael (Washington Capitals), Liam Foudy (Columbus Blue Jackets), Jonathan Gruden (Ottawa Senators), Matvey Guskov (Minnesota Wild), Alec Regula (Chicago Blackhawks) and Hunter Skinner (New York Rangers). In addition, Plymouth, Mich. native Antonio Stranges, Luke Evangelista, Gerard Keane, and Kirill Steklov were all named to the 2020 NHL Central Scouting November 'Players to Watch' list.

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

Broadcast Coverage:

Saturday evening'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. Firebirds' broadcaster Dominic Hennig will call the play-by-play action on the Firebirds Hockey Radio Network. Pregame coverage will begin 30 minutes prior to puck drop at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday's game will also be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 463 for Cogeco TV subscribers and channel 463 for Rogers 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. Along with Saturday's game, 65 of the Firebirds' 68 games throughout the 2019-20 season are also scheduled to be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak.

All Flint Firebirds home and away games throughout the 2019-20 season can be watched anywhere in the world online on www.ohllive.com or on the OHL Live app. OHL Live is a league 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 per game, $69.99 for Flint Firebirds away games only, $149.99 for all 68 home and away Firebirds games and $179.99 for all 1,360 OHL games throughout the 2019-20 season.

Next Home Game:

The Firebirds will travel north on I-75 to face the Spirit in Saginaw Wednesday night, before hosting their in-state rivals two days later. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) for Friday night's game versus Saginaw. The game marks another of the 'Firebirds 4 Pack Fridays,' sponsored by Little Caesars Pizza! Here's the deal: Fans can get 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs and 4 soft drinks starting at just $60:

Firebirds 4 Pack packages are only available for Friday games in advance of game day. For more information, contact the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office by calling (810) 744-0580 or email mary@dorteventcenter.com.

London Knights at Flint Firebirds

Date | Time  Saturday, Jan. 4 | 7:00 p.m.

Location  Flint, Mich. | Dort Federal Event Center (Directions)

Tickets  Ticketmaster.com | (810) 744-0580

Promotions - Firebirds Fight Hunger Campaign (Food Bank)

- Free ticket for 5 boxed or canned goods

TV - OHL Action Pak: Cogeco ch. 463 & Rogers ch. 463 Live (Ontario)

- Firebirds' Broadcast Coverage

Video Stream - TV Pregame Show (6:30pm)

- OHL Live

Radio  WQUS 103.1 FM (Flint & Mid-Michigan) | Pregame Show: 6:30p

Radio (Mobile)  US 103 App: Android | iPhone/iPad

Social Media  @FlintFirebirds   | Facebook  | Instagram 

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 4, 2020


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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