GAME DAY, Game 20, Firebirds at Greyhounds – 7:07 p.m.
GAME 20 – Firebirds at Greyhounds
GFL Memorial Gardens
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
7:07 p.m.
Watch | Listen | Game Center
LAST TIME OUT: Matthew Wang scored twice, Kaden Pitre had a goal and two assists and both Jimmy Lombardi and Connor Clattenburg had a pair of assists but the Saginaw Spirit road five goals from Joey Willis to a 7-5 win over the Firebirds on Wednesday night at the Dort Financial Center.
HIGH SCORING: The Firebirds offense busted loose in a big way on Wednesday night as Flint scored five goals, snapping a six-game stretch during which they managed more than two just once. The Birds had been averaging 1.50 goals per game for the previous five. Unfortunately for Flint, it allowed seven goals for the second-consecutive game, matching the most goals the Firebirds have surrendered in a single game this season.
NEW HIGHS: Blake Smith scored for the third time in his last four games on Wednesday. He has four goals in 17 games, which has surpassed his previous career high of two. Entering the season, Smith had three goals in 180 career OHL games. Matthew Wang scored twice on Wednesday night, his first career multi-goal game. Wang now has a new career high with five goals, which eclipsed the four he had in 61 games during the 2023-24 season.
BUSY STRETCH: The Firebirds are five games into a stretch of six games in nine days. Flint has gone thus far 1-3-0-0 during that stretch. The Firebirds traveled on Thursday, play the Greyhounds in the Soo on Friday and will return home to take on the Erie Otters on Saturday.
YOU AGAIN?: The Firebirds and the Greyhounds will meet for the fourth time this season on Friday night and for the third time in the span of 13 days. Flint has lost all three of the match ups with Soo and is averaging just one goal per game. Charlie Schenkel has been in the Hounds net for all three and owns a 1.00 GAA and .970 save percentage.
ODDS AND ENDS: Marco Mignosa has a goal and seven assists in two games against the Firebirds. He has recorded four points in both games he has played against Flint…the Birds dropped to ninth place in the Western Conference after Owen Sound beat Peterborough on Thursday night…Flint is playing its ninth road game this season. The Firebirds are 3-4-0-1 on the road and 4-7-0-0 at home.
UP NEXT: The Firebirds will return home on Saturday night to take on the Erie Otters. Puck drop at the Dort Financial Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.
