Firebirds Begin 2022-23 Season Tonight at Home against the IceDogs
October 1, 2022 – Ontario Hockey League (OHL) – Flint Firebirds News Release
Flint, Mich. – The Firebirds will launch their 2022-23 season tonight when they host the Niagara IceDogs. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. (ET) at the Dort Financial Center in Flint. Season Memberships are on sale NOW starting as low as $12 per game or $408 for the full season. Individual game tickets can be purchased at Etix.com, in person at the Dort Financial Center Box Office during regularly scheduled hours, or over the phone by calling 1-800-514-3849.
In home openers, Flint holds an all-time record of 5-1-0-0, with one overtime and two shootouts in the six contests. Last season, the Birds topped the Erie Otters 3-0 on opening night at the Dort Financial Center. Niagara was the Firebirds’ home-opener opponent once before in 2019, and the game required a shootout before Flint claimed the eventual 3-2 victory. Through the six home opener contests since their inception into the OHL, the Firebirds have outscored their opponents by a margin of 20-12.
The Birds concluded the 2021-22 campaign with a Game 7 defeat to the Windsor Spitfires in the Western Conference Finals. It was the furthest Flint had ever gone in the postseason. They also finished the regular season with their winningest record in franchise history at 42-21-1-4. The IceDogs finished with a 22-42-3-1 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since the team moved to the Niagara region in 2007.
Although tonight is the first game of the new season for the Birds, Niagara launched their 2022-23 campaign at home on Thursday versus the Mississauga Steelheads. The Dogs fell behind early before scoring three goals in the final frame to force overtime. They eventually surrendered a 4-3 overtime defeat to the Mississauga Steelheads. Pasquale Zito (Detroit Red Wings) and Brenden Sirizzotti led the charge with a goal and an assist each, and Owen Flores made 33 saves on 37 shots between the pipes.
Flint played five preseason games this year. Leading the way for the Birds in exhibition play was second-year defender Tristan Bertucci with a goal and four assists for a point-per-game average. Sophomore forward Coulson Pitre finished second with four assists in only two preseason games. Newcomer Nathan Aspinall scored twice and picked up an assist to sit in a three-way tie for third with three points in five games. Second-season defenders James Petrovski and Luca D’Amato each had one tally and two helpers in the five games.
The last time the Birds and Dogs met was back on Thursday, February 20, 2020. That night the Firebirds blanked the IceDogs 4-0 at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharine’s, Ont. The OHL canceled the 2020-21 season, and last year the travel restrictions only allowed intraconference play, so these clubs never saw one another. Tonight will be the first of two regular-season meetings between Niagara and Flint, and the only time they’ll play at the Dort Financial Center. All time, the Firebirds are 3-6-1-0 versus the IceDogs and hold a 2-2-1-0 record at home in the series.
On special teams during the preseason, the Firebirds converted on 14.3% of their power-play chances, ranking 12th best in the league. The IceDogs found success 13.3% of the time, which was 14th best. Flint killed off 81.8% of their penalties, the 11th-best rate in exhibition play. Niagara had the fourth-best penalty kill at 86.7%.
Players to Watch
Flint Firebirds (0-0-0-0, West Division):
Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) led the team on the scoresheets all season, logging a franchise-best 50 goals and pitching in 47 assists for 97 points in 66 games. Amadeus Lombardi (Detroit Red Wings) finished second with 59 points (18 G, 41 A) in 67 contests, followed by Riley Piercey with 58 points (27 G, 31 A) in 59 games played. The Red Wings drafted Lombardi in the most recent NHL Draft, and Piercey was invited to play for the Red Wings in their prospect tournament in Traverse City, MI where he scored four goals in his first game. He also played in a preseason contest with Detroit against Flint teammate Gavin Hayes with the Chicago Blackhawks at Little Ceasars Arena on September 28.
Last year’s freshman class was topped by Gavin Hayes (Chicago Blackhawks) with 49 points (19 G, 30 A) and Coulson Pitre’s 44 points (23 G, 21 A). Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) led the blue-line group with 18 goals and 26 assists, followed by Tyler Deline with 38 points (7 G, 31 A).
Flint carries a trio of netminders, led by overage veteran Will Cranley (St. Louis Blues) who played one pre-season contest. He posted a 5.00 goals-against average (GAA) and a .865 save percentage (SV%). Second-year goalie Nathaniel Day carried the heftiest exhibition workload, making three appearances and recording a 3.62 GAA with a .898 SV% and one victory. Rookie goaltender Boe Piroski was acquired via trade from the Niagara IceDogs prior to pre-season play, and sports a 3.07 GAA and a .923 SV% through one game.
NHL: The Firebirds have six players with NHL ties consisting of Will Cranley (St. Louis Blues), Gavin Hayes (Chicago Blackhawks), Braeden Kressler (Toronto Maple Leafs), Dmitri Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets), and Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers). Additionally, Sahil Panwar (Florida) and Riley Piercey (Detroit) attended pre-season NHL camps as free agent invites this year.
Despite Flint playing in just five OHL seasons thus far, Alex Nedeljkovic (Carolina/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 Pre-Season 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.
Niagara IceDogs (0-0-1-0, Central Division):
Niagara’s returning players were topped by Brendan Sirozzotti last season, who played 73 regular-season games with two different clubs. In total, he recorded 49 points (17 G, 32 A). Pano Fimis came in second with 14 goals and 30 assists in only 54 games played. Aidan Castle came in third with 43 points (15 G, 28 A) in 68 games.
Overage forward Matthew Papais led the offensive charge in exhibition play this year and finished tied with the most goals (5) and the second-most points (8) in the league. Sirozzotti ended the preseason with three goals and four assists. Third-year defenseman David Jesus came in third with one tally and five helpers. Newcomer Kevin He (1 G, 1 A) found his way onto the scoresheet during his first preseason in the OHL.
Niagara carries a pair of goaltenders, featuring third-year goalie Josh Rosenzweig and sophomore Owen Flores. Each played two exhibition games this season, and Flores topped the charts with two wins with a 2.50 goals-against average (GAA) and a .923 save percentage (SV%). Rosenzweig won one of two appearances, with a 4.01 GAA and a .875 SV%.
NHL: Pasquale Zito (Detroit Red Wings) is the lone player on Niagara’s roster with NHL ties. Aidan Castle (Minnesota) and Pano Fimis (Toronto) also attended preseason NHL camps as free agent invites.
Broadcast Coverage:
Tonight’s contest against the Niagara IceDogs 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 be televised in St. Catharine’s, Ont. and the Niagara region on YouTV Channel 10 (700 HD) beginning at 7:00 p.m. (ET) tonight. It will also 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 embark on a two-game road trip following tonight’s matchup. First, they’ll seek to tame the Greyhounds in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. on Wednesday, then travel to Guelph to battle Storm Friday night. The Birds return to Dort Financial Center for a Saturday night battle with the Sudbury Wolves. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) in Flint and tickets are available now from Etix.
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