OHL Flint Firebirds

Rangers Invade Flint on Day 2 of 'Firebirds Fight Hunger' Weekend

Published on January 7, 2023 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Flint, Mich. - The Firebirds haven't seen the Kitchener Rangers since October 16, when they surrendered a 6-2 decision at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. Tonight, they get a rematch on home ice. Puck drop for Rangers at Firebirds is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) at the Dort Financial Center.

Flint hosted the Soo Greyhounds last night and shot out to an early 2-0 lead off two goals just eight seconds apart by freshman forward Kaden Pitre. The Greyhounds took over from there, scoring four unanswered and five total to lead 5-3 after the first period. Braeden Kressler scored late in the second and again late in the third period to force overtime with the game tied at five. Dmitry Kuzmin potted the game-winning tally in overtime. Will Cranley thwarted the Hounds on all 21 shots faced after he assumed goaltending duties at the start of period two. The Rangers were blanked in Saginaw last night 3-0.

The Firebirds enter tonight's game ranked fourth in the West Division and sixth in the Western Conference with a record of 18-14-2-1. The Rangers sit fourth in the Midwest Division and ninth in the Western Conference with a mark of 15-16-2-0. Both squads are one point out of third in their respective divisions. The Firebirds' all-time record against the Rangers is 12-12-2-0 but sits at only 4-8-1-0 in home games.

Tonight's matchup is the second of four meetings between these organizations this season and is the first of two to be played in Flint. In the only prior meeting, Cason Rehkopf netted a hat trick to lead Kitchener in their 6-2 victory. Gavin Hayes, Dmitry Kuzmin, Zacharie Giroux, and Riley Piercey each logged one point for Flint.

On special teams the Birds have scored on 21.2% of their power-play chances, ranking them 12th in the OHL. The Rangers sit seventh with a 22.5% conversion rate. Flint also ranks 12th on the penalty kill, shutting down the opposition 78.1% of the time. Kitchener is seventh at a 79.8% rate of success.

Promotions:

Saturday's game versus the Kitchener Rangers is the second of the two games during this 'Firebirds Fight Hunger' weekend, sponsored by Dort Financial Credit Union. Fans can exchange five or more non-perishable food items for FREE admission, valid at the Dort Financial Center Box Office. The game will benefit the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, including all donations received and the proceeds from the 50/50 raffle.

Players to Watch

Flint Firebirds (18-14-2-1, 4th West Division):

Amadeus Lombardi continues to lead the Firebirds in goals (22), assists (26), and total points (48) through 45 contests. He's tied for eighth in goals and seventh in points in the OHL. Westland, Mich. native Gavin Hayes has 20 goals for the season plus 16 helpers for 36 points to rank second in scoring. There remains a four-way tie for third in points between Braeden Kressler (16 G, 15 A), Zacharie Giroux (13 G, 18 A), Riley Piercey (11 G, 20 A), and Dmitry Kuzmin (7 G, 24 A).

All four players tied with 31 points earned two points in last night's 6-5 overtime victory over the visiting Soo Greyhounds except Giroux, who logged three points (1 G, 2 A) in his 100th OHL contest. Tonight's matchup will be the 100th career game for Gavin Hayes.

Will Cranley has appeared in 27 games for Flint this season, including his 100th game last night. He's earned 12 victories and holds a 3.44 goals-against average (GAA) and a .898 save percentage (SV%). Rookie netminder Nathan Day has six wins in 13 appearances. His GAA is 4.76 and he carries a SV% of .837.

NHL: The Firebirds have six players with NHL ties consisting of Will Cranley (St. Louis Blues), Amadeus Lombardi (Detroit Red Wings), Gavin Hayes (Chicago Blackhawks), Braeden Kressler (Toronto Maple Leafs), Dmitri Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets), and Artem Guryev (San Jose Sharks). Additionally, Coulson Pitre, Tristan Bertucci, Ethan Hay, and goaltender Nathan Day were listed on the latest NHL Central Scouting's 2023 Players to Watch List.

Despite Flint playing in just seven OHL seasons thus far, Alex Nedeljkovic (Carolina/Detroit), Kole Sherwood (Columbus), Ty Dellandrea (Dallas), Tyler Tucker (St. Louis), and Will Bitten (St. Louis) are five former Firebirds to play in the NHL. Riley Piercey (Detroit) and Gavin Hayes (Chicago) played in NHL preseason contests this year, joining Firebirds' alumni Ethan Keppen (Vancouver), Vili Saarijarvi (Detroit), and Jalen Smereck (Arizona). In total, the team has produced 24 signed or drafted players into the NHL.

Kitchener Rangers (15-16-2-0, 4th Midwest Division):

The Rangers are led by a pair of Francescos on the score sheet this season. Francesco Pinelli tops the points for the Rangers this season, now with 43 (21 G, 22 A) through 27 games played. His 1.59 points-per-game average is tied for fourth in the league. Francesco Arcuri ranks second in points (42) and leads the team with 24 goals in 36 contests. His 24 markers are tied for the fourth-most in the league, and his five game-winning goals are tied for third. Sophomore forward Carson Rehkopf sits third with 18 tallies and 13 helpers in 33 games. His 13 power-play goals are second-most in the OHL, followed closely by Arcuri's 11 which are third.

The defensive unit for the Rangers is topped by newly acquired overager Lleyton Moore with five goals and 25 assists on the campaign. Hunter Brzustewicz is two points behind with two goals and a team-leading 26 assists.

Between the pipes, Marco Constantini has appeared in 23 games this season and has 11 wins that include two shutouts (T-1st). He carries a 3.38 goals-against average (GAA) and a .895 save percentage (SV%). Marcus Vandenberg has four victories in 11 games with a GAA of 2.85 and a .913 SV%. Jackson Parsons has played in five games to date, recording a 4.67 GAA and a .849 SV% with one victory.

NHL: The Rangers have six players with NHL ties, including Francesco Arcuri (Dallas Stars), Danny Zhilkin (Winnipeg Jets), Filip Mesar (Montreal Canadians), Francesco Pinelli (LA Kings), Tomas Hamara (Ottawa Senators), and Midland, Mich. native Roman Schmidt (Tampa Bay Lightning). Additionally, Hunter Brzustewicz, who hails from Washington, Mich., Carson Rehkopf, Matthew Andonovski, and netminder Jackson Parsons were listed on the latest NHL Central Scouting's 2023 Players to Watch List.

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:

This evening'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. Jack Sznewajs will call the play-by-play action on the Firebirds Hockey Network (FHN), starting with the pre-game show at 6:40 p.m. (ET).

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

All Flint Firebirds' home and away games throughout the 2022-23 regular season can be watched anywhere in the world online at https://watch.chl.ca/ohl. CHL TV is the league's new and improved video streaming platform that delivers high-quality live and on-demand coverage of all regular season and playoff games annually. The cost is $7.99 for 24-hour access, $29.99 for monthly access, $119.99 for all-access to the 2022-23 Firebirds and OHL season, or $179.99 for all-access to the entire 2022-23 CHL season.

Next Up: The Firebirds hit the road after tonight's game for a five-game road trip. First up is their third game in three days against last season's Western Conference Finals opponent in Windsor. Puck drop for tomorrow's game versus the Spitfires is set for 7:00 p.m. and fans can follow all the action live with broadcaster Jack Sznewajs on US 103.1 FM, either over the radio, online, or by downloading the app. The Firebirds next home game is Saturday, January 21 when they host the Saginaw Spirit for another installment of the I-75 Divide Cup, presented by Coors Light. Tickets for the January 21 home game are available now from ETIX.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 7, 2023


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