GAME DAY: Game 2, Firebirds at Spitfires – 7:05 p.m.
GAME 2 – Firebirds at Spitfires
WFCU Centre
Windsor, Ontario
7:05 p.m.
Watch (FloHockey) | Listen (Mixlr) | Game Center
LAST TIME OUT: The Firebirds opened the 2026-27 season with a 5-4 victory on Saturday night over the Saginaw Spirit. Xavier Tessier, Brady Smith, and Cooper Williams all posted multi-point performances in the winning effort.
PLAYOFF REMATCH: Friday’s matchup is a rematch from the second round of last year’s OHL Playoffs. The Spitfires eliminated the Firebirds in four games. The two clubs split the six regular season meetings last season, and both teams went 2-1-0-0 on the road.
HATS OFF: Xavier Tessier opened the 2026-27 season with the first hat trick of his OHL career. He scored his first goal eight seconds into the contest, which broke the franchise record for the fastest goal to start a game. The previous record was set by Ethan Keppen (10 seconds) in 2022. Tessier’s three-goal performance was the second hat trick in a season opener in franchise history (Jeremy Martin, 2025-26).
RETURN OF THE CAPTAIN: Jimmy Lombardi will be back in the Firebirds’ lineup Friday night after missing the season opener due to being at training camp with the Los Angeles Kings. On Sept. 14, Flint announced Lombardi as the ninth captain in franchise history, taking the reins from Nathan Aspinall. Last season, Lombardi produced 36 goals and 36 assists as an alternate captain for the Firebirds. He was drafted 125th overall in the fourth round of the 2025 NHL Draft by the Los Angeles Kings and has signed his NHL entry-level contract.
RELOADING PRODUCTION: Flint and Windsor were two of only five teams in the OHL last season to score over 250 goals and allow less than 200. However, both teams each only return one of their top six scorers from a year ago (Jimmy Lombardi, 72) (Anthony Cristoforo, 62).
ODDS AND ENDS: Windsor dropped both of its games last weekend against the London Knights. The Spitfires’ power play unit was 1 for 10 between the two games…Flint scored two power play goals on Saturday in Saginaw. The Firebirds went 12-1-0-0 last season when they scored multiple power play goals in a game.
UP NEXT: The Firebirds will host the Niagara IceDogs on Saturday, Sept. 26 for their home opener. Puck drop at the Dort Financial Center is set for 7 p.m.
