Preview: Flint & Kingston face-off in the Vehicle City Friday
| Kingston Frontenacs at Flint Firebirds | |
| Date | Time | Friday, March 1st | 7:00 p.m. |
| Location | Flint, Mich. | Dort Federal Event Center (Directions) |
| Tickets | Ticketmaster.com | (810) 744-0580 |
| Promotions | – 4 Pack Friday |
| TV | – Cogeco TV ch. 13 / 700 HD Live (Kingston) – OHL Action Pak: Rogers TV 437 & Cogeco TV 478 Live (Ontario) |
| Video Stream | OHL Live |
| Radio | WQUS 103.1 FM (Flint & Mid-Michigan) | Pregame Show: 6:30p |
| Radio (Mobile) | US 103 App: Android | iPhone/iPad |
| Live Stats | Here |
| NHL Scouts Packet | Here |
| Next Home Game | Saturday, Mar. 2: Billet Appreciation/Girl Scouts Night |
| Social Media | @FlintFirebirds  | Facebook  | Instagram  |
Flint, Mich. – The Firebirds are set for back-to-back home games this weekend, beginning Friday night when they host the Kingston Frontenacs. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center.
Friday marks the second of two meetings with Kingston this season, and the only contest in Flint. The Frontenacs are 6-1-0-0 in seven total matches between the two clubs since Flint’s inception into the OHL. Flint is 0-3-0-0 at the Dort Federal Event Center, and looking to pick up their first-ever victory on home-ice against the Frontenacs in Friday’s contest.
In the first meeting this season between Flint and Kingston, the Firebirds posted a 7-1 triumph in Kingston on Dec 16 (Watch Highlights). Five different players scored for the Firebirds, and nine earned at least one point. Flint killed all four penalties while scoring three times on the man-advantage. Jake Durham and Jack Wismer each had three-point nights, logging two goals and one assist. Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars), Ethan Keppen and Riley McCourt each had two points in the contest. Goaltender Emanuel Vella made 27 saves on 28 shots.
Most recently, Kingston posted a 3-2 victory over the OHL’s first-place Ottawa 67’s last Friday before dropping a 4-1 decision in Peterborough on Sunday. Flint was unable to solve the Guelph Storm last Saturday, dropping the contest 8-1 on home-ice.
Kingston enters the game with a record of 13-45-1-1 for the season. They have one win and one overtime loss for three points in their past 10 games. The Frontenacs are ranked fifth in the East Division and 10th in the 10-team Eastern Conference. The Firebirds are fifth in the West Division and 10th in the 10-team Western Conference. Flint has two wins and two overtime defeats for six points in their last 10 games.
On special teams, Kingston holds the 18th-best power-play efficiency, scoring at a 15.7% clip. The Firebirds rank 19th with the man-advantage, converting 14.9% of the time. Kingston kills penalties at a rate of 72.9%, which is 18th in OHL. Flint’s penalty-kill ranks 19th, shutting down the opposition’s power play at a 68.9% rate.
Players to Watch:
Flint Firebirds (11-44-5-0, 5th West Division):
Firebirds’ captain Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars) leads Flint in assists (37) and points (56) through 52 games. Alternate captain Jake Durham leads Flint in goals (35) and is second on the Firebirds’ roster with 55 points in 60 games. Durham has six points in his past six contests.
The forward line of Ethan Keppen, Cody Morgan and Jack Wismer has been the most productive trio as of late. For the season, second-year forward Ethan Keppen remains red-hot, now with points in 19 of his last 22 contests and four points in the past three games. Overall, he ranks third on the squad with 52 points (25G, 27A) through 60 games-played. Cody Morgan ranks fifth in offensive production for Flint with nine goals and 21 assists through 54 total games. With a closer look, it’s easy to see that he has elevated his performance since being acquired by the Firebirds mid-season. The former first-round pick by Kingston (12th overall) had 21 total points in 63 games a season ago. In 22 games for Flint this year, he has earned 21 points (7G, 14A). Since Dec. 16, Jack Wismer has tallied 25 points (11G, 14A) in 27 games.
Riley McCourt tops Flint’s defensive troops in goals-scored (6), and now has 28 points in 42 games. First-year blue-liner Vladislav Kolyachonok tops the Firebirds’ freshman class with 27 points (4G, 23A) in 46 games-played.
In net, Luke Cavallin has compiled a 5.62 GAA and a .856 SAV% across 32 appearances. Emanuel Vella holds a 4.80 goals-against average (GAA) and a .877 save percentage (SAV%) through 38 appearances.
NHL: The Firebirds have two players with NHL ties consisting of Dennis Busby (Arizona Coyotes) and Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars). In addition, Luke Cavallin, Kyle Harris, Ethan Keppen, Vladislav Kolyachonok, Eric Uba, Cody Morgan, Emmet Pierce and Jacob Winterton are eight first-time eligible skaters for the upcoming NHL Draft in June. Cavallin, Keppen, Kolyachonok and Uba were among the 50 OHL Players in NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings ‘Players to Watch’ list for the upcoming NHL Draft.
Despite Flint playing in just their fourth season in the OHL, Alex Nedeljkovic (Carolina Hurricanes) and Kole Sherwood (Columbus Blue Jackets) are two former Firebirds to play in the NHL. Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars) and Vili Saarijarvi (Detroit Red Wings) have played in NHL pre-season contests.
Kingston Frontenacs (13-45-1-1, 5th East Division):
Ryan Cranford tops the Frontenacs with 36 points (15G, 21A) in 57 games. Defenseman Billy Constantinou was acquired from the Niagara IceDogs mid-season, and leads the blue-liners with 29 points (7G, 22A) in 58 contests. Tyler Burnie ranks third for Kingston with six goals and 20 helpers through 57 total games.
First-year defenseman Anthony Aguanno leads the newcomers on the team with 14 points (2G, 12A) in 49 games. Former Flint Firebirds’ forward Lucas Rowe started the season in Flint, but now has nine points (2G, 7A) in 35 games since joining the Fronts.
Between the pipes, Brendan Bonello has appeared in 42 games, earning seven wins. He has a 4.21 goals-against average (GAA), along with a save percentage (SAV%) of .884. First-year netminder Ryan Dugas has six wins in 15 appearances. His GAA stands at 4.46 and his SAV% is .869. Kingston’s third netminder is Marshall Prappier, who remains winless after appearing in 15 games this season. His GAA is 4.46 and his SAV% is .871.
NHL: Kingston is currently playing without any active NHL ties on their roster. However, some notable former Kingston Frontenac players to play in the NHL are Sean Avery, Sam Bennett, Phil Bourque, Paul Coffey, Lawson Crouse and Philipp Grubauer.
Promotions:
Friday is the Firebirds’ final ‘4 Pack Friday’ of the season, featuring (4) tickets, (4) hot dogs and (4) soft drinks, starting at just $60.
Early bird ticket packages for the Flint Firebirds’ 2019-20 OHL season are on sale now. A $50 deposit reserves your seat for next season! The special early bird price deadline is Tuesday, April 30th and fans can secure their seats for next season at the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday thru Friday. For additional pricing and ticket information, fans can call the box office at (810) 744-0580 or email [email protected].
Single game tickets for all Firebirds games are $12 Bronze, $16 Silver, $20 Gold and $26 VIP seating (Seating Chart). All seats are reserved / assigned seating. Fans can purchase tickets by calling (810) 744-0580, in-person at the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office or online at ticketmaster.com here.
Broadcast Coverage:
Friday evening’s contest 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. Dominic Hennig will call the play-by-play action on the Flint Firebirds Hockey Radio Network. Pregame coverage will begin 30 minutes prior to puck drop at 6:30 p.m.
Friday’s game will also be televised live in Kingston on YourTV for Cogeco cable subscribers on channel 13 / 700 HD. In addition, the game will be televised live province-wide throughout Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 437 for Rogers TV cable subscribers and channel 478 for 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. Along with Sunday’s game, 65 of the Firebirds’ 68 games throughout the 2018-19 season are also scheduled to be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak.
All Flint Firebirds home and away games throughout the 2018-19 season can be watched anywhere in the world online on www.ohllive.com or on the OHL Live app. OHL Live is a league video streaming platform that delivers high quality live and on-demand coverage of all regular season and playoff games annually. The cost is $6.99 per game, $69.99 for Flint Firebirds away games only, $179.99 for all 68 home and away Firebirds games and $279.99 for all 1,360 OHL games throughout the 2018-19 season.
Blue Line Club Menu:
Presented by Great Lakes Sandwich Co & Cafe, Friday evening’s dinner menu for the Blue Line Club features Swedish meatballs, cheesy Au Gratin potatoes, broccoli normandy, creamy chicken pasta, garden salad, and dinner rolls with butter. Friday’s menu is available to all sponsors and season ticket holders for $12 per person. Dinner RSVPs are encouraged by emailing Karla Turner at [email protected].
Next Home Game:
Saturday, Flint welcomes the Peterborough Petes for Billet / Host Family Appreciation Night. The Firebirds’ host families will be honored and recognized prior to puck drop Saturday night. The players come to Flint from all over the world, near and far, from Detroit and Florida to Toronto and Ottawa, Ontario, and Minsk, Belarus. Host families provide the Firebirds with with amazing support and accommodations all season long.
Saturday is also Girl Scout Night! Girl Scout cookies will be on sale after the game in the Dort Federal Event Center lobby. All 50-50 proceeds will benefit Girl Scouts of the United States of America. Additionally, Girl Scouts can receive the official Firebirds’ scout patch if they book as a group through Firebirds’ account executive John Notter. John can be contacted via email at [email protected] or by calling (810) 744-0580 ext. 207.
Single game tickets for all Firebirds games are $12 Bronze, $16 Silver, $20 Gold and $26 VIP seating (Seating Chart). All seats are reserved / assigned seating. Fans can purchase tickets by calling (810) 744-0580, in-person at the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office or online at ticketmaster.com here.
For more information:
Dominic Hennig
Director of Broadcasting & Communications
Flint Firebirds Hockey Club
[email protected]
(810) 519-9347
