Firebirds Look to Bounce Back Tonight at Home vs. Guelph
November 5, 2022 – Ontario Hockey League (OHL) – Flint Firebirds News Release
Flint, Mich. – The Firebirds are back in action on home ice tonight. The Guelph Storm are in town for the first time this season. It is Autism Awareness night brought to you by Dort Financial Credit Union. It will be a sensory-friendly Firebirds game as the team looks to raise more awareness towards autism. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) at the Dort Financial Center.
Flint enters the contest with a season record of 7-7-0-0, good for fourth place in the West Division. The Storm have gone 4-9-2-0 and rank fifth in the Midwest Division. Tonight marks the second of four games between the clubs this season, and the first of two to be played in Flint. All time, the Firebirds hold a record of 16-8-2-0 and have gone 6-5-1-0 at the Dort Financial Center in the series.
On October 7, the Birds skated to a 5-3 road victory over the Storm. Flint was led by Amadeus Lombardi’s four points (1 G, 3 A), and the three points from Riley Piercey (2 G, 1 A) and Brennan Othmann (1 G, 2 A). Nathan Day made 29 saves on 32 shots for his first win in his first start of the season in net.
Last night, the Firebirds hosted the Kingston Frontenacs and fell 3-1 in front of more than 2,200 fans at the Dort Financial Center. Amadeus Lombardi (Detroit Red Wings) netted the lone goal for the Firebirds, his sixth of the season. Will Cranley got the start in net and stopped 24 of 27 shots faced.
On special teams, Flint has scored on 19.4% of their power-play chances, ranking them 15th in the OHL. Guelph is converting at a rate of 19.7%, placing them in the 13th spot. The Birds have killed off 78.0% of the penalties they’ve taken, which is the tenth-best in the league. The Storm are come in dead last on the penalty kill at only 60.3%.
Players to Watch
Flint Firebirds (7-7-0-0, 4th West Division):
Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) continues to set the bar for the Firebirds, and has the second-most points in the league (23), the third-most goals (10), and he’s tied for the third-most assists (13). Riley Piercey sits tied for second with seven goals and ten assists for 17 points in 14 games to-date. Amadeus Lombardi (Detroit Red Wings) is tied with Piercey with 17 total points, stemming from six tallies and 11 helpers. The blue-line crew is topped by Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) with ten points, all from assists.
Flint carries a trio of netminders, led by overage veteran Will Cranley (St. Louis Blues). Cranley’s played in 11 contests thus far, and he carries a 3.24 goals-against average (GAA) and .910 save percentage (SV%). He has five wins to date. Rookie goalie Nathan Day has two wins in five appearances and has a 4.76 GAA and a .830 SV%
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). Additionally, Coulson Pitre, Tristan Bertucci, Ethan Hay, and goaltender Nathan Day were listed on NHL Central Scouting’s 2023 Preliminary Draft Rankings.
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.
Guelph Storm (4-9-2-0, 5th Midwest Division):
Sasha Pastujov (Anaheim Ducks) and Danny Zhilkin (Winnipeg Jets) top the Storm with 13 points a piece. Pastujov has nine goals and four assists in ten games played, and Zhilkin has six tallies plus seven helpers through 12 contests. Defenseman Michael Buchinger (St. Louis Blues) has scored twice and tops the team in assists with 10.
Guelph’s starting goaltender is Jacob Oster in his second season between the pipes. Oster has played in 12 contests, earning three wins, with a 4.65 goals-against average (GAA) and a .849 save percentage (SV%). Dixon Grimes has played in five games, earning one victory and logging a 4.18 GAA with a .847 SV%.
NHL: The Storm have five players with NHL ties, consisting of Jake Karabela (Washington Capitals), Sasha Pastujov (Anaheim Ducks), Danny Zhilkin (Winnipeg Jets), Matthew Poitras (Boston Bruins), and Michael Buchinger (St. Louis Blues). Additionally, rearguard Cam Allen was one of only three OHL players to receive an ‘A’ ranking in NHL Central Scouting’s 2023 Preliminary Draft Rankings. This ranking is only given to players with the potential to be first-round pick. Defenseman Niko Minkkinen and winger Valentin Zhugin also made the list.
NHL: Notable Guelph Storm skaters to play in the NHL are Craig Anderson, Todd Bertuzzi, Tyler Bertuzzi, Dustin Brown, Ryan Callahan, Dan Cloutier, Drew Doughty, Aaron Downey, Robby Fabbri, Daniel Girardi, Manny Malhotra and Richard Panik.
Broadcast Coverage:
This evening’s contest against the Guelph Storm 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 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 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 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 for a Sunday matinee tilt in Sarnia with the Sting. Puck drop for the road contest is set for 2:05 p.m. (ET) at the Progressive Auto Sales Arena. The Birds will return to home ice on Friday to host the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds for a 7:00 p.m. opening faceoff. Tickets for Friday’s contest are available from ETIX.
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