Firebirds Host Windsor in Conference Finals Rematch Tonight in Flint
October 22, 2022 – Ontario Hockey League (OHL) – Flint Firebirds News Release
Flint, Mich. – The Firebirds ended last season with a defeat in Game 7 of the OHL’s Western Conference Finals to the Spitfires in Windsor. Tonight, the rivalry reunites as these teams meet for the first time this season. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) at the Dort Financial Center in Flint.
Last night, the Firebirds completed a two-game sweep of the Sting in Sarnia with a 4-3 overtime victory. Braeden Kressler (Toronto Maple Leafs) rejoined his team for the first time this year and scored a goal and pitched in an assist in the contest. Defenseman Tyler Deline logged a Gordie Howe hat-trick with a goal, two assists, and a five-minute fighting major. Will Cranley (St. Louis Blues) turned aside 33 of 36 shots for his fourth victory of the season.
Prior to the playoffs last year, the Birds battled the Spits eight times and finished with a record of 1-5-1-1 in the series. The lone win came at the Dort Financial Center. All-time, Flint holds a 12-23-2-1 record versus Windsor, and sit at 8-11-0-0 on home ice. Tonight marks the first of six meetings between these teams this season, and the first of three to be played in Flint.
On special teams, the Firebirds have converted on 17.5% of their power-play chances, ranking them 12th in the league. The Spitfires have found success 8.3% of the time, which is currently 20th-best. Flint has killed off 76.7% of their penalties, the 13th-best rate in the OHL. Windsor has the 16th-ranked penalty kill at a 75.0% efficiency.
Tickets and Promotions:
Saturday’s game will be Hockey Fights Cancer Night, benefitting the McLaren Flint Foundation. The 50/50 proceeds will also go to the McLaren Flint Foundation. The Firebirds will wear lavender-colored jerseys recognizing all cancers with different colored ribbons in the numbers. A live jersey auction will follow the conclusion of the game. Tickets for Saturday’s 7:00 p.m. (ET) rivalry battle are available now from Etix HERE.
Players to Watch
Flint Firebirds (5-4-0-0, 3rd West Division):
Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) leads the Birds on the scoresheet with eight goals and seven assists for 15 points through nine games. He tops the entire OHL in goals scored and sits tied for second in total points. Riley Piercey and Amadeus Lombardi (Detroit Red Wings) are tied for second on the club with 11 points a piece. Piercey has five goals and six helpers, and Lombardi has four tallies plus seven assists. Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) tops the blue-line crew with six points from six assists.
Flint carries a trio of netminders, led by overage veteran Will Cranley (St. Louis Blues). Cranley comes in with a 3.05 goals-against average (GAA) and a .918 save percentage (SV%) with four wins so far. Second-year goalie Nathaniel Day has appeared in three games this season, posting a 4.74 GAA and .855 SV% with one victory. Boe Piroski made 10 saves on 11 shots in a 20-minute relief effort over the weekend.
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.
Windsor Spitfires (4-0-3-0, 1st West Division):
Matthew Maggio and Ryan Abraham top the Spits in scoring with eight points each. Maggio has an even four goals and four assists, whereas Abraham has three goals and five helpers. Jacob Maillet ranks third with seven points for the team (3 G, 4 A). Defender Nick DeAngelis (1 G, 5 A) paces the blue-line crew.
Mathias Onuska has appeared in six contests between the pipes, earning three victories and posting a 3.48 goals-against average (GAA) and a .887 save-percentage (SV%). Rookie netminder Joey Costanzo has one win in one game played, posting a 1.90 GAA and a .946 SV%.
NHL: The Spitfires carry three players with NHL ties, including forwards Wyatt Johnston (Dallas Stars) and Matthew Maggio (New York Islanders), as well as rearguard Daniil Sobolev (Montreal Canadians).
Notable Windsor alumni to play in the NHL include Ed Jovanovski, Matt Cooke, Cory Stillman, Jason Spezza, Steve Ott, Mike Rupp, Cam Fowler, Taylor Hall, Adam Henrique, Kyle Wellwood, Eric Wellwood and Ryan Ellis.
Broadcast Coverage:
Tonight’s contest against the Windsor Spitfires 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).
Tonight’s game will air live 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.
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 face in-state rival Saginaw for the first time this season renewing the I-75 Divide Cup (sponsored by Coors Light) on the road Wednesday night. They’ll return home next Saturday to host the Oshawa Generals at 7:00 p.m. (ET). Tickets for next Saturday’s home game are available now from Etix.
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