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OHL Flint Firebirds

Preview: Firebirds Face Hamilton Friday in Flint

February 28, 2020 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Flint, Mich. - The Firebirds return home to defend the Dort Federal Event Center in back-to-back games this weekend. First up is a visit from the Hamilton Bulldogs Friday night. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) at the Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center in Flint.

Wednesday night, the Firebirds skated to an 8 - 2 triumph over the Sting in Sarnia, extending their road-game win-streak to 12 games and moving into first place in the West Division. With the win, Flint has now won 16 of their last 17 games, and the team moved into first place in the West Division and second place in the ten-team Western Conference. The Firebirds enter Wednesday's contest with a record of 38-18-1-1. The Bulldogs are currently fourth in the East Division and sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 24-26-7-1 record. On home ice this year, Flint has a record of 18-9-1-0 compared to Hamilton's road record of 11-11-5-0. In their past ten games, the Firebirds have a record of 9-1-0-0 and the 'Dogs have gone 4-4-2-0.

Friday marks the second of only two meetings between these clubs and the only game to be played in Flint this season. All-time, the Firebirds hold a record of 3-3-2-1 versus the Bulldogs and are 2-0-2-0 at the Dort Federal Event Center, meaning Flint has yet to lose a home game in regulation in the series. Last season the 'Birds went 0-1-1-0 against the 'Dogs, picking up the one point in the only meeting in Flint. Of note, six of the nine contests between these clubs have been settled by a single goal.

The last time these teams met was February 8. Jack Wismer recorded a hat-trick en-route to 'First Star' honors in the 7 - 3 victory at the FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton. Ty Dellandrea and Riley Piercey each recorded two points (1G, 1A), Evgeniy Oksentyuk earned three helpers, and Brennan Othmann lit the lamp to charge the 'Birds offense. Anthony Popovich had another stellar performance in net, stopping 26 of 29 shots from the Sting to earn the 'W.'

Of note, for the past 63 years since 1957, the cities of Flint, Michigan and Hamilton, Ontario have partnered for the CANUSA Games (Canada vs. USA), providing the youth (and adults) of both cities an opportunity to participate in international friendship games. During that time, the two cities have officially become "sister cities" which are cities that partner with each other to promote human contact and cultural links.

Ironically, five Flint Firebirds have ties to Hamilton. Two Flint skaters suited up for the Bulldogs before being acquired by Flint: Riley McCourt and Connor Roberts. Jake Durham was a seventh-round pick in the 2015 OHL Draft by Hamilton, but was signed as a free agent by the Firebirds. Jack Phibbs (Hagersville) and Jack Wismer (Stoney Creek) reside within 30 miles (or 52 kilometers) from the Bulldogs' rink. More so, in the past four seasons since September 28th, 2016, Flint and Hamilton has also completed four different trades, sending five Firebirds to Hamilton (Bitten, Caamano, Jeník, Mattinen & Moore) while also receiving four Bulldogs (Gordeev, Hicks, McCourt & Roberts) in those transactions.

On special teams this season, Flint's penalty-kill (PK) sits third-best at 82.2%. Hamilton's penalty-killers are ranked 11th overall in the OHL at 78.0%. With the man-advantage, the Bulldogs rank sixth in the league converting at a rate of 22.8% and the Firebirds are 12th, scoring at a 20.8% clip.

Players to Watch:

Flint Firebirds (38-18-1-1, 1st West Division):

Belarusian forward Evgeniy Oksentyuk now ranks first on the club with 31 goals and 41 assists for 72 points in 53 contests. Earlier this season, Oksentyuk carried Flint's longest-ever point-streak at 17 games (13G, 16A). Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars) sits second on the stat sheet for Flint with 32 goals and 38 helpers in 47 games. He's also won the fourth-most faceoffs in the league at 647. Dellandrea and Oksentyuk are tied for the eighth-most game-winning goals in the OHL this season, each with six.

Riley McCourt is the top-scoring defenseman in franchise history. For this season, he's third in total offense with 18 goals and 41 assists for 59 total points in 58 games. He's tied for fourth among OHL blue-liners in assists and goals, he ranks fifth in goals, and he's in seventh with a 1.02 points-per-game average. Tyler Tucker (St. Louis Blues) has 16 tallies and 37 helpers in 50 games. He ranks fourth among OHL rearguards with a 1.06 points-per-game average, and is tied for seventh in points, goals and assists. Only nine OHL defensemen average more than a point-per-game, and Flint has two of them. McCourt and Tucker are tied with 18 power-play assists, which are the sixth-most among blue-liners in the league.

Brennan Othmann continues to lead Flint's freshman class with 31 total points (15G, 16A) through 50 games. Othmann recently passed Dellandrea for the most-ever goals by a rookie for Flint, and he passed Vladislav Kolyachonok (Florida Panthers) for the most points by a rookie. Othmann ranks sixth among first-year OHL players in goals-scored, ninth in total points and tenth in points-per-game with .62.

Two players who have really gained momentum since the first of the year are Cody Morgan and Jack Wismer. Morgan has points in 11 of his last 14 games, totaling three tallies and 15 helpers. Wismer has 11 multi-point games and seven multi-goal games in 2020, totaling 18 markers and 11 helpers for 29 points in 24 games.

In net, Anthony Popovich has played in 42 games this season. He's earned 27 victories, which are the most by any Flint netminder in a single season and tied for fourth-most among OHL netminders this season. Popovich's goals-against average (GAA) is 3.56 and his save-percentage (SAV%) of .898 is eighth-best among starting goalies. Luke Cavallin now has 11 wins in 20 appearances and carries a 3.68 GAA and a .895 SAV%. Cavallin is Flint's all-time leader in minutes-played and saves by a Firebirds' netminder.

NHL: The Firebirds have five players with NHL ties consisting of Dennis Busby (Arizona Coyotes), Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars), Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks), Vladislav Kolyachonok (Florida Panthers) and Tyler Tucker (St. Louis Blues). Additionally, Evgeniy Oksentyuk was named to the NHL Central Scouting's Midterm Rankings for the upcoming 2020 NHL Draft.

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 18 drafted or signed NHL players in that short time.

Hamilton Bulldogs (24-26-7-1, 4th East Division):

Arthur Kaliyev (Los Angeles Kings) tops the Bulldogs in points production. In 53 games, he's racked up 42 goals and 51 assists. His 93 points are the fifth-most in OHL, his 42 goals rank him fifth, his 15 power-play tallies are third-most in the league and he ranks fourth with 25 assists on the power play. Kaliyev's 1.75 points-per-game average is sixth in the OHL. Despite having an anticipated season-ending injury, Jan Jenik (Arizona Coyotes) has played in 27 games this season and ranks second in points-per-game at 2.07. He already has 22 goals and 34 helpers. Logan Morrison ranks third on the club with 23 tallies and 22 helpers for 45 points in 55 games-played.

Ranking fourth in offensive production for the Bulldogs is Tag Bertuzzi. Tag's father is retired NHL'er Todd Bertuzzi. Todd's playing career in the NHL from 1995 - 2014 included joining the Detroit Red Wings twice spanning seven seasons. Current Detroit Red Wings' forward Tyler Bertuzzi is Tag's cousin. Tyler was the only member of the Detroit Red Wings to play in the NHL All-Star Game this season. Tag has 43 total points (24G, 19A) in 53 contests.

Nathan Staios leads the defensive squad for Hamilton with six goals and 34 assists in 56 games. His 19 power-play assists are fourth-most among OHL defensemen. Jan Mysak tops the first-year players for the Bulldogs with 22 points (13G, 9A) in only 18 games. Mysak ranks seventh in goals-scored among rookies and his 1.22 points-per-game average is second-best among newcomers.

Between the pipes, Zachary Roy has appeared in 31 games and earned 14 victories, including one shutout. For the season, Roy has a 3.75 goals-against average (GAA) and a save-percentage (SAV%) of .891. First-year netminder Marco Costantini has made 30 appearances, picking up ten wins. He carries a 3.92 GAA and a .883 SAV%.

NHL: The Bulldogs have two players with NHL ties on their squad, including Arthur Kaliyev (Los Angeles Kings) and Jan Jeník (Arizona Coyotes). Additionally, Logan Morrison and Jan Mysak were named to NHL Central Scouting's Midterm Rankings for the upcoming 2020 NHL Draft.

The Belleville Bulls relocated to Hamilton in the summer of 2015. Notable Bulls' alumni to play in the NHL are Steve Bancroft, Jonathan Cheechoo, Doug Gilmour, Al Iafrate, Darren McCarty, Marty McSorley, Darren Pang, Richard Panik, Jason Spezza, P.K. Subban, Scott Thornton and Mike Vellucci.

Broadcast Coverage:

Friday evening's contest 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 and Jack Sznewajs will provide color commentary on the Firebirds Hockey Network. Pre-game coverage begins 30 minutes prior to puck drop at 6:30 p.m. The free to watch FHN TV pregame show begins at 6:30 p.m. and can be seen live on the Firebirds Twitter account here.

The game will be televised live in Hamilton on Channel 14 / 814 (HD) for both Cogeco TV & Rogers TV cable subscribers. Across the province of Ontario, the ocntest will be aired on the OHL Action Pak on channel 467 for both Cogeco TV and 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 Friday'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, $179.99 for all 68 home and away Firebirds games and $279.99 for all 1,360 OHL games throughout the 2019-20 season.

Hamilton Bulldogs at Flint Firebirds

Date | Time Friday, Feb. 28 | 7:00 p.m.

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

Tickets Ticketmaster.com | (810) 744-0580

Promotions - Firebirds trading card pack giveaway (Commercial Graphics)

- Talk Today Game

- Firebirds' '4-Pack Friday'

- CANUSA Discount

TV - Cable 14 / 814 HD in Hamilton Live (Rogers & Cogeco)

- OHL Action Pak: Live Rogers ch. 467 & Cogeco ch. 467 (Ontario)

- Firebirds' Broadcast Coverage

Video Stream - FHN TV Pregame Show (6:30p)

- OHL Live

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

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

Next Home Game Saturday, Feb. 29 vs. Kingston: Billet Appreciation Night

Social Media @FlintFirebirds   | Facebook  | Instagram 

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 28, 2020


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