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OHL Flint Firebirds

Preview: Firebirds Continue Home Stand Sunday vs. Kitchener

October 15, 2017 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Firebirds Continue Home Stand Sunday vs. Kitchener
Firebirds Continue Home Stand Sunday vs. Kitchener
(Flint Firebirds)

Flint, Mich. - The Flint Firebirds continue their five-game home stand Sunday afternoon, Oct. 15, against the Kitchener Rangers. Puck drop is set for 4 p.m. at the Dort Federal Event Center.

The Firebirds remain perfect on home ice, posting a 3-0 record so far this season in Flint. The Firebirds are coming off a 5-3 victory over the Eastern Conference's Mississauga Steelheads. Also last night, the Rangers were down 2-0 in Saginaw before scoring three unanswered goals en-route to a 3-2 victory at the Dow Event Center.

The Firebirds hold a 1-0 record against Kitchener this campaign, winning 5-3 on the road on Sep. 22. Flint scored three goals in 1:58 to begin their first-of-three come-from-behind wins to start the season. The Firebirds posted a winning-record of 2-1-1-0 against Kitchener last season, garnering three out of a possible four points at home (1-0-1-0) at the Dort Federal Event Center. Overall, Flint is 4-4-1-0 against the Rangers in the OHL.

Both Flint and Kitchener are undefeated when leading after the first period. The Firebirds are 3-0 while the Rangers are 4-0. This season, Flint is 3-0 on home-ice while Kitchener is 4-2 when playing on the road.

Flint has scored at least one power-play goal in six of their eight games this season. Overall, the Firebirds have scored eight times and are currently eighth in the OHL scoring 19.1% of the time. Flint is 13th on the penalty-kill, operating at 79.5% when down-a-man while. Kitchener is 15th in the OHL on the power-play, scoring 15% of the time and are 12th on the PK at 84.1%.

Between both Flint and Kitchener, there are nine players with NHL ties currently on the two club's active rosters, consisting of Firebirds' Nick Caamano (Dallas Stars), Fedor Gordeev (Toronto Maple Leafs), Nicholas Mattinen (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Kole Sherwood (Columbus Blue Jackets) in addition to Kitchener's Connor Bunnaman (Philadelphia Flyers), Connor Hall (Pittsburgh Penguins), Adam Mascherin (Florida Panthers), Luke Opilka (St. Louis Blues) and Logan Stanley (Winnipeg Jets).

Promotions: The first-half promotional schedule for Firebirds' home games was released Friday (read more d[UNIQID]) ). Sunday marks Hot Wing's birthday! The Firebirds' mascot turns two and the first 1,000 fans in the building will receive free Hot Wing puzzles and birthday cupcakes. Sunday is also the first opportunity for fans to take advantage of the "Firebirds Family 4 Pack." Sponsored by Dort Federal Credit Union for every Sunday home game, the package features 4 Silver Level reserved tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 sodas, 2 game programs and 2 game pucks, a value of $120 for $76. Fans are encouraged to purchase this package in advance by visiting the Box Office or by contacting Dominic Gutierrez at domg@flintfirebirds.com (mailto:domg@flintfirebirds.com) .

Players to Watch

Flint Firebirds (5-2-1-0, 6th Western Conference): Maurizio Colella and Ryan Moore are tied for the lead on the Firebirds roster this season. Colella has 10 points (4G, 6A) in eight games while Moore has two goals and eight assists. Ty Dellandrea is third on with nine points (5G, 4A) in eight games.

Flint's Jake Durham recorded his first three assist game Saturday. Max Kislinger has recorded four goals in the last four games.

Firebirds goaltender Garrett Forrest has back-stopped Flint to all five of their wins this season and is statistically the 10th best goaltender in the OHL with a 2.90 goals against average (GAA) and a .917 save percentage (SAV%).

NHL: The Firebirds have four players that have been drafted by NHL teams consisting of Nick Caamano (Dallas Stars), Fedor Gordeev (Toronto Maple Leafs), Nicholas Mattinen (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Kole Sherwood (Columbus Blue Jackets). Additionally, Dennis Busby, Ty Dellandrea, Hunter Holmes, Ryan Littlejohn and Jack Wismer are five first time eligible players to be selected in the NHL Entry Draft in June 2018.

Kitchener Rangers (6-3-1-0, 2nd Western Conference): Connor Bunnaman scored twice last night in the Rangers 3-2 victory over the Kitchener Rangers. Bunnaman is tied for seventh on Kitchener's roster with six points (3G, 3A) in eight games. Defenseman Logan Stanley, a first-round draft pick by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2016 NHL Draft, leads Kitchener with 9 points (3G, 6A) in eight games.

Last night, goaltender Luke Richardson made 31 saves in the victory over Saginaw. Richardson has a 3.48 GAA and a .901 SAV% in four games this year. Anthony Dumont-Bouchard is statistically the second best goaltender in the OHL with a 2.00 GAA and a .931 SAV%.

NHL: 5 players on the Rangers' roster have been drafted by NHL teams consisting of Connor Bunnaman (Philadelphia Flyers), Connor Hall (Pittsburgh Penguins), Adam Mascherin (Florida Panthers), Luke Opilka (St. Louis Blues) and Logan Stanley (Winnipeg Jets). Both Bunnaman and Stanley have signed contracts with their respective NHL clubs.

21 notable Kitchener Rangers' alumni to play in the NHL are Brian Bellows, Andre Benoit, Shawn Burr, David Clarkson, Paul Coffey, Boyd Devereaux, Steve Downie, John Gibson, Dale Hunter, Nazem Kadri, Jakub Kindl, Gabriel Landeskog, Matt Lashoff, Al MacInnis, Don Maloney, Wayne Presley, Mike Richards, Larry Robinson, Derek Roy, Jeff Skinner and Scott Stevens.

Broadcast Coverage: Sunday afternoon's contest against the Kitchener Rangers 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 (http://us103.com/app/. Pregame coverage with Dominic Hennig will begin 30 minutes prior to puck drop at 3:30 p.m. Additionally, the game will be televised live in Kitchener on channel 20/510 (HD) for Rogers TV cable subscribers. Additionally, the game will be televised live throughout the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 440 for Rogers TV cable subscribers and channel 481 for Cogeco TV cable subscribers. Fans can also watch the game live online at www.ohllive.com or on the OHL Live app.

More information coming soon.

For more information:

Dominic Hennig Director of Broadcasting & Communications Flint Firebirds Hockey Club dominic@flintfirebirds.com (810) 519-9347

Flint Firebirds Hockey Club Member of the Ontario Hockey League 3501 Lapeer Road, Flint, Michigan 48503 www.flintfirebirds.com

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Firebirds Continue Home Stand Sunday vs. Kitchener
Firebirds Continue Home Stand Sunday vs. Kitchener
   



Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 15, 2017


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