Firebirds Aim to Rebound in Kitchener Sunday Afternoon
October 16, 2022 – Ontario Hockey League (OHL) – Flint Firebirds News Release
Kitchener, Ont. – The Firebirds complete their three-games-in-three-days road trip with a matinee game against the Rangers today. These teams met six times last season, and Flint claimed five victories including all three road games. Puck drop is set for 2:00 p.m. (ET) at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.
Flint enters the tilt with a record of 3-3-0-0 after dropping a 7-3 decision at the hands of the IceDogs in Niagara last night. The Rangers are winless through five games thus far, most recently falling 4-1 on home ice against the Owen Sound Attack on Friday. Today’s meeting marks the first of four games between these clubs this season and the first of two to be played in Kitchener. All-time the Birds have a 12-11-2-0 record versus the Rangers and are 8-3-1-0 at “The Aud” in the series.
On special teams, the Firebirds are scoring on 16.0% of their power-play opportunities, ranking 12th in the 20-team OHL. Kitchener is right behind in 13th, converting 15.0% of the time. Flint has killed 75.0% of their penalties with success, and are one of only two OHL clubs with two shorthanded markers to date. The Rangers have killed 64.7% of their penalties thus far.
Players to Watch
Flint Firebirds (3-3-0-0, 5th West Division):
Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) leads the Birds on the scoresheet with six goals and five assists for 11 total points through six contests. Overage forward Riley Piercey ranks second with four tallies and four helpers for eight points. Third is held by Amadeus Lombardi (Detroit Red Wings), who’s lit the lamp twice and assisted on five goals.
On the blue line, Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) and sophomore defender Tristan Bertucci are tied for the lead with three points each. Bertucci lit the lamp once and pitched in two helpers, while Kuzmin has three assists.
Flint carries a trio of netminders, led by overage veteran Will Cranley (St. Louis Blues). Cranley comes in with a 3.54 goals-against average (GAA) and a .905 save percentage (SV%) with two wins so far. Rookie goalie Nathaniel Day has appeared in two games this season, posting a 3.46 GAA and a SV% of .891 with one victory. Rookie goaltender Boe Piroski was acquired via trade prior to preseason play and carried a 3.07 GAA and a .923 SV% through one preseason game.
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 Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers).
Despite Flint playing in just seven OHL seasons thus far, Alex Nedeljkovic (Detroit), Kole Sherwood (Columbus), and Ty Dellandrea (Dallas) are three former Firebirds to play in the NHL. Brennan Othmann (NY Rangers), Riley Piercey (Detroit), and Gavin Hayes (Chicago) all 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 (0-5-0-0, 5th Midwest Division):
Francesco Pinelli (LA Kings) and Kitchener native Matthew Sop sit atop the stats for the Rangers with five points each through five games. Pinelli has three goals and two assists, and Sop has one goal and four helpers. Tied for third are a pair of rearguards, each with four points to date. Simon Motew has one goal and three assists. Hunter Brzustewicz, who hails from Washington, Mich. has four assists.
Between the pipes, Marco Constantini recently joined Jackson Parsons and Marcus Vandenberg after being acquired via trade with the Hamilton Bulldogs. Constantini has played three games this season, earning one win and posting a 3.73 goals-against average (GAA) and a save percentage (SV%) of .896. Parsons has made four appearances, earning a 5.16 GAA with a .827 SV%. Vandenberg has one game under his belt to date, and carries a .750 SV% and a 4.03 GAA.
NHL: The Rangers now have four players with NHL ties, including Francesco Pinelli (LA Kings), Tomas Hamara (Ottawa Senators), and Midland, Mich. native Roman Schmidt (Tampa Bay Lightning). Additionally, forward Filip Mesar was assigned to the Blueshirts by the Montreal Canadians yesterday after using him in pre-season play.
Notable Kitchener Rangers’ alumni to play in the NHL are Brian Bellows, Shawn Burr, Paul Coffey, Boyd Devereaux, Steve Downie, John Gibson, Dale Hunter, Nazem Kadri, Gabriel Landeskog, Al MacInnis, Mike Richards, Larry Robinson, Jeff Skinner and Scott Stevens.
Broadcast Coverage:
Tonight’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 6:45 p.m. (ET).
The game will air live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 467 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.
All Flint Firebirds’ home and away games throughout the 2022-23 regular season can be watched anywhere in the world online on 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 2021-22 Firebirds and OHL season, or $179.99 for all-access to the entire 2021-22 CHL season.
Next Up: The Firebirds return to Flint on Wednesday, October 19, as they host the Sarnia Sting. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) in Flint and tickets are available now from Etix HERE. Members of Dort Financial Credit Union can get up to four tickets for free to Wednesday’s game.
• Discuss this story on the Ontario Hockey League message board…
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
