Previewing the Firebirds' First Round Series with the Kitchener Rangers
OHL Flint Firebirds

Previewing the Firebirds' First Round Series with the Kitchener Rangers

March 26, 2025 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


FLINT FIREBIRDS: 29-34-2-3, 63 points, 3rd West Division, 6th Western Conference

Leading scorer: Sam McCue, 55 points (36 G, 16 A)

Top goaltender: Nathan Day, 59 GP, 26-25-2-3, 3.07 GAA, .894 SV%

GPG: 3.37 (13th)

GAPG: 3.66 (9th)

PP%: 14.4% (18th)

PK%: 77.7% (12th)

Head Coach: Paul Flache (2nd season)

KITCHENER RANGERS: 47-15-4-2, 100 points, 2nd Midwest Division, 3rd Western Conference

Leading scorer: Adrian Mialjevic, 69 points (31 G, 38 A)

Top goaltender: Jackson Parsons, 52 GP, 37-12-3-0, 2.24 GAA, .920 SV%

GPG: 3.74 (8th)

GAPG: 2.69 (2nd)

PP%: 22% (T-10th)

PK%: 84.8% (2nd)

Head Coach: Jussi Ahokas (2nd season)

SEASON SERIES: Rangers won season series, 3-0-1-0.

Friday, October 4 - Flint 2, Kitchener 1 (OT)

Game Summary: The Firebirds made an early trip to Kitchener as the first game of the season series was only Flint's third game of the 2024-25 season. The Birds started the scoring late in the first period when Jack D'Arcy of nearby Cambridge, Ontario found Evan Konyen in front of the net to give Flint the lead. Kitchener tied the game and forced overtime with an early third period goal but Connor Clattenburg netted the game-winner in OT to give the Firebirds the victory. Nathan Day made 32 saves on 33 shots, out-dueling Jackson Parsons, who had 27 saves on 29 shots in the Kitchener net.

Wednesday, October 9 - Kitchener 3, Flint 2

Game Summary: The Firebirds welcomed the Rangers to town just five days after their OT win in Kitchener and Flint jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to second-period goals from Kaden Pitre and Matthew Wang. Kitchener responded though with two late goals in the second from Trent Swick and Adrian Misaljevic. Swick struck again in the third period to put the Rangers on top for good. The Vegas Golden Knights prospect finished with two goals and an assist in his season-debut as the Rangers evened the season series at one win apiece.

Friday, January 17 - Kitchener 4, Flint 3 (SO)

Game Summary: Flint returned to Kitchener in mid-January and fell in a 3-1 hole in the second period. The Birds stormed back and tied the game thanks to third period goals from Sam McCue and Chris Thibodeau, the latter of which was scored with only 68 seconds remaining in regulation. Flint outshot Kitchener, 16-4 in the third period as they forced overtime. Nether team struck during the three-on-three OT and the game moved to a shootout. Jackson Parsons stopped two of three Flint attempts while the Rangers snuck two through Nathan Day and Kitchener took the extra point in the shootout, 4-3.

Friday, January 31 - Kitchener 3, Flint 2 (SO)

Game Summary: Kitchener grabbed an early lead as both Trent Swick and Tanner Lam scored in the first six minutes of the game, giving the Rangers an early 2-0 edge. The Birds managed to tie it though on a second period goal from Rylan Fellinger and a third period tally from Sam McCue as for the second consecutive game in the season series, the Firebirds erased a two-goal deficit to force overtime. Once again OT was scoreless and a shootout was needed to decide the winner. The Rangers got shootout goals from Trent Swick and Jack Pridham while only Kaden Pitre struck for the Firebirds who once again settled for one point in the shootout loss.

FIREBIRDS TO WATCH:

Sam McCue: McCue took off as soon as he arrived in Flint at the trade deadline after a deal with the Owen Sound Attack. He appeared in 20 games for the Firebirds and totaled 18 goals and six assists, matching the 18 goals he put up in 35 games for the Attack. McCue scored in both of the games he played against Kitchener as a Firebird and added two goals and an assist in two games against the Rangers while with Owen Sound. The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect finished the season with nine goals in his final six games played after returning from an eight-game absence due to injury.

Matthew Mania: Mania enjoyed a career-year in his first season as a Firebird as he put up seven goals and 38 assists in 66 games played. Mania's 38 assists and 45 points were new career-highs and his +10 plus/minus rating was second on the team, trailing only his partner on Flint's top defenseman-pairing, Blake Smith. A puck-moving and highly-skilled defenseman, Mania finished the year on a five-game point streak and with points in six of his last seven games. He led all Firebirds in assists

Connor Clattenburg: Clattenburg missed the final six games of the season due to injury and his absence was felt as the team went 1-5-0-0 during that stretch. Flint's captain was stellar during the 2024-25 season as he had 16 goals and 19 assists in 46 games played and earned an NHL entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers, who drafted him in the fifth round of the 2024 NHL Draft. Clattenburg played in three of the four games between the Firebirds and Rangers and scored one goal, the game-winner in OT during Flint's win at Kitchener on October 4.

RANGERS TO WATCH:

Trent Swick: Swick finished the season as one of four point-per-game players on the Rangers roster. He put up 27 goals and 34 assists and was ahead of that pace in three games against the Firebirds, during which he tallied four goals and one assist. Swick, an overager and a Vegas Golden Knights prospect, did not play in the first game of the season series which was a 2-1 overtime win for the Firebirds. He was quiet to conclude the regular season as the 6'6 winger scored only one goal in his final 11 games.

Cameron Reid: Reid enjoyed a standout season in his second year with the Rangers as he tallied 14 goals and 40 assists along with a +39 plus/minus rating in 67 games. The draft-eligible defenseman led all Rangers blueliners in points as his 54 points were 22 more than any other Kitchener defenseman, though he was quiet with only one assist in four games against the Firebirds. Reid was ranked 27th among North American skaters at NHL Central Scouting's Mid-Season rankings

Christian Humphreys: Humphreys joined the Rangers in January after leaving the University of Michigan and put up 11 goals and 22 assists in 28 games for Kitchener. Humphreys was a seventh-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2024 NHL Draft and found his scoring touch down the stretch for Kitchener. He scored two goals in his first 12 games for the Rangers but then finished the season with 11 goals in his final 16 games, including goals in six of his last eight outings. Humphreys played two games against the Firebirds and had a goal and two assists.

ODDS & ENDS:

Each of the four games between the Firebirds and Rangers was decided by just one goal...Kitchener's Jackson Parsons led OHL goaltenders in wins (37) and shutouts (5), was second in goals against average (2.24) and save percentage (.920), and was third in minutes played (3,082). He trailed Nathan Day in minutes who led all OHL goalies with 3,401...this is the first time the Firebirds and Rangers have ever met in the OHL Playoffs...Kitchener finished the season with the second-most points in both the Western Conference and the entire OHL. The Rangers are the third seed in the Western Conference because the winners of each division are granted the top two seeds in their conference. Kitchener finished second in the Midwest Division behind the Hamilton Spectator Trophy winning London Knights and the West Division champion Windsor Spitfires were granted the second seed in the conference...Firebirds overagers Nolan Collins and Evan Konyen have each suffered season-ending injuries and will not play in the OHL Playoffs.

SERIES SCHEDULE:

GAME 1: Friday, March 28 - Flint at Kitchener, 7 p.m.

GAME 2: Sunday, March 30 - Flint at Kitchener, 2 p.m.

GAME 3: Tuesday, April 1 - Kitchener at Flint, 7 p.m. (TICKETS)

GAME 4: Thursday, April 3 - Kitchener at Flint, 7 p.m. (TICKETS)

GAME 5: Friday, April 5 - Flint at London, 7 p.m.*

GAME 6: Sunday, April 7 - London at Flint, 4 p.m. *

GAME 7: Tuesday, April 9 - Flint at London, 7 p.m.*

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 26, 2025


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