PREVIEW: Firebirds Host Petes on Friday Night
FLINT, Mich. — The Firebirds return to home ice for a pair of contests this weekend. First up is the defending champions from Peterborough. The Birds won the first meeting between these clubs 4-1 back on November 30. Now Flint is seeking relief from a three-game skid and points in only two of their last ten games. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Dort Financial Center.
LAST TIME OUT: On Wednesday in Windsor, the Firebirds battled back from a 2-0 first period deficit to tie the game at three in the third before ultimately dropping a 5-3 decision to the Spitfires at the WFCU Centre. Nolan Dann recorded his second two-goal performance in the last four games and Nathan Aspinall scored his ninth of the campaign. Flint’s power play went 1-for-4 and Nathan Day stopped 21 of the 25 shots he faced, but two late goals from Windsor in the final four minutes made the difference.
SERIES HISTORY: Friday’s game marks the second of two meetings between the clubs this season and is the lone game to be played at the Dort Financial Center. Flint’s all-time record versus the Petes stands at 5-7-0-1 but it is 3-2-0-1 in home games.
SCOUTING THE PETES: (15-16-3-1, 5th East Division) –
Center Jax Bubois tops Peterborough on the scoresheet with 34 points stemming from 13 goals and 21 assists. Winger Jonathan Melee is one point behind with 12 tallies and 21 assists. Montreal Canadians prospect Owen Beck sits third with the most goals on the squad (16) and 30 total points.
Netminder Liam Sztuska has eight wins across 25 appearances. His goals-against average sits at 3.48 and his save percentage is .906. Zach Bowen has a 3.07 GAA and a .909 SV% with seven victories in 14 games.
Peterborough ranks 16th on the power play, scoring on 17.4% of their opportunities. The penalty kill sits 11th with a 78.7% rate of success.
SCOUTING THE FIREBIRDS: (14-19-2-1, 3rd West Division) –
There is now a three-way tie at the top of the scoring race for Flint. Coulson Pitre has the most goals (17), while Braeden Kressler and Zacharie Giroux top the club in assists (22). All three players have 37 points for the season.
Edmonton Oilers prospect Nathan Day has appeared in 30 contests and earned 12 wins. His goals-against average is 4.01 and his save percentage is .858. Jacob Brown has a GAA of 4.10 and an .859 SV% to go with two victories across eight appearances.
The Firebirds are 14th with the man advantage, converting at an 18.3% clip. The penalty kill is clicking 77.1% of the time which ranks 15th.
ODDS AND ENDS: Gavin Hayes (United States) and Simon Slavicek (Czechia) remain in Sweden representing their home countries in the World Junior Championship. Hayes and Team USA have advanced to the finals while Czechia beat Finland, 8-5, in the bronze medal game… Flint is a lackluster 3-10-1-1 on home ice compared to the Petes’ 9-8-1-0 record away from home… If the playoffs started today, Peterborough (15th) and Flint (16th) would be the two bottom team to make the cut… Braydon McCallum ranks second in the OHL in penalty minutes, including six five-minute majors… former Firebirds and Petes forward Brennan Othmann made his NHL debut on Thursday with the New York Rangers, who drafted him 16th overall in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft. Othmann logged three hits and five shots on goal in nearly 13 minutes of ice time in his first regular-season game in the big league.
BROADCAST COVERAGE: This evening’s game against the Peterborough Petes 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. Brian Gardner will call the play-by-play action on the Firebirds Hockey Network starting with the pre-game show at 6:45 p.m.
All of the Flint Firebirds home and away games throughout the 2023-24 season can be watched anywhere in the world online at https://watch.chl.ca/ohl.
COMING UP: The Firebirds host the Oshawa Generals Saturday with puck drop set for 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available now from ETIX.COM HERE.
Story: Brandon Mills // flintfirebirds.com
