OHL Flint Firebirds

Preview: Firebirds Host Owen Sound Saturday in Flint

Published on November 23, 2019 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Flint, Mich. - The Firebirds play the second of back-to-back home games Saturday as they host the Owen Sound Attack for the first time this season. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. (ET) at the Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center (capacity 4,400) in Flint.

The Firebirds enter Saturday night's contest with a 1-1-0-0 record at the Attack this season. Friday marks the third of four regular-season meetings between these clubs this campaign, and the first time they'll meet in Flint. All-time, Flint is 5-12-0-0 against the Attack and 3-5-0-0 at home vs. Owen Sound. Last season, the 'Birds finished with a record of 2-2-0-0 against the Attack, and were 2-0-0-0 at the Dort Federal Event Center in the series.

Owen Sound enters Saturday's tilt with a season record of 10-8-2-1. The Attack is 3-5-1-0 in road games. In their last ten games, Owen Sound is 3-5-2-0. The Firebirds carry an overall record of 14-8-0-0 and are 9-3-0-0 on home ice. In their past ten contests, the 'Birds are 5-5-0-0.

These clubs have played twice in Owen Sound this season. The first meeting was on October 5 and the Attack came out on top 7 - 3. Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars) logged a three-point night (1G, 2A), and both Riley McCourt and Braeden Kressler found twine for the visiting Firebirds. For Owen Sound, Kirill Nizhnikov scored twice and Aidan Dudas (Los Angeles Kings) and Adam McMaster each had one goal and two assists to lead the Attack. Most recently, the 'Birds skated away with a 4 - 3 overtime victory on October 30. Evgeniy Oksentyuk scored twice, including the overtime game-winner, plus picked up an assist to lead Flint. Riley McCourt and Ty Dellandrea also found twine, and Anthony Popovich made 35 saves on 38 shots to earn a win between the pipes.

Most recently for Flint, the Firebirds skated to a 4 - 3 victory over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Friday night in Flint. Riley McCourt was the game's 'First Star,' scoring two goals and picking up one assist in the contest. Jack Wismer (1G, 1A) and Evgeniy Oksentyuk (2A) each had a two-point night, and Luke Cavallin made 35 saves on 38 shots to earn his sixth victory of the campaign. The Attack last played Thursday night and dropped a 6 - 3 decision to the Spitfires in Windsor.

On special teams, the Attack ranks tenth with the man-advantage, converting at a rate of 23.0%. The Firebirds are scoring at a 16.3% clip on the power play. When short-handed, Owen Sound is killing penalties with a 76.7% success-rate, which is tied for 11th-best in the OHL. Flint's overall penalty-kill success rate is 77.6%, which is the league's ninth-best efficiency. On home ice, the 'Birds have the second-rated penalty kill at 88.6%.

Promotions:

Saturday is the Firebirds' Education Staff Appreciation Night, featuring complimentary Silver Level tickets for all administrators, teachers and staff with valid identification, courtesy of Sovita Credit Union and Michigan Education Association. Discounted tickets at $10 are available for family members who accompany the education professionals. Tickets must be picked up at the Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center Box Office.

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 (14-8-0-0, T-2nd West Division):

A trio of forwards lead the Firebirds in scoring with 11 goals each. Evgeniy Oksentyuk has 16 assists for 27 total points through 22 games-played and is on a four-game point-streak (3G, 5A). Ty Dellandrea has 13 helpers for 24 points in 20 games. Jake Durham has 12 assists and 23 points in 22 games. He is currently fourth in total goals-scored by any Flint player at 64, which is only three behind former-Firebird Nick Caamano in third with 67. Durham rides a seven-game (3G, 7A) point streak into Saturday's game.

Defenseman Riley McCourt remains red-hot to lead defensive troops with eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points through 22 games. He ranks in the top-ten in goals, assists and total points. His 23 points are sixth-most among OHL defensemen, his eight goals are fourth-most, and his 15 assists are tied for ninth-most. Brennan Othmann leads all first-year players for the 'Birds with nine total points, which includes five tallies that have him tied for seventh in the OHL's freshman class.

Between the pipes, Anthony Popovich has played in 14 games this season. His eight victories are tied for seventh-most in the OHL. He also ranks inside the top-ten starting OHL goaltenders with a save-percentage (SAV%) of .899, and he carries a goals-against average (GAA) of 3.49. Luke Cavallin now has six wins in nine appearances, and he carries a 3.50 GAA with a .903 SAV%, which is ninth-best in the league.

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 2020 NHL Central Scouting November 'Players to Watch' list.

Owen Sound Attack (10-8-2-1, 4th MidWest Division):

Aidan Dudas leads the Attack on the scoresheet with a team-high eleven goals and 18 assists through 21 games. Sergey Popov is second on the club with 24 total points, including a team-leading 19 helpers. Defenseman Brady Lyle ranks third with 21 points (4G, 17A) in 21 games.

First-year forward Ethan Burroughs is tied with Flint's Othmann with nine total points (4G, 5A), and has played in 14 games this season.

In goal, Mack Guzda has played in 17 of the Attack's 21 games. He carries a 3.22 goals-against average (GAA), which ranks fifth in the OHL. His save-percentage (SAV%) is .901 and he has eight wins between the pipes. First-year netminder Nick Chenard has played in five contest this season and earned two victories. Chenard has a GAA of 3.17 and a SAV% of .901.

NHL: Aidan Dudas (Los Angeles Kings) is the lone player with NHL ties on the Owen Sound roster. In addition, Igor Chibrikov was named to the 2020 NHL Central Scouting November 'Players to Watch' list.

The list of notable Owen Sound alumni to play in the NHL includes Sean Avery, Wayne Simmonds, Mark Giordano, Bobby Ryan, Kirk Maltby, Josh Bailey, Joel Ward, Wayne Primeau, Brad Richardson, Andrej Sekera, Trevor Lewis, Andrew Shaw, Cody Ceci, Brian McGrattan, Kevin Weekes, and Paul Bissonnette.

Broadcast Coverage:

Saturday evening's contest against the Owen Sound Attack 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 Network (FHN). Pregame coverage will begin 30 minutes prior to puck drop at 6:30 p.m. New this season, fans can watch the FHN TV Pregame Show live on Facebook and Twitter, also beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The game will be televised across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 468 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. 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.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from November 23, 2019


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