PREVIEW: Firebirds Look to Carry Momentum into Saturday Night Home Game
FLINT, Mich. – The Firebirds return to the friendly confines of the Dort Financial Center Saturday when the Guelph Storm rolls into town. Flint put themselves into the win column Friday night with a 6-4 road victory in Sarnia. The Storm was defeated 3-2 at the hands of Mississauga at the Sleeman Center. Tonight, these clubs are set to battle for the first time since March 4 when the Birds skated to a decisive 10-4 triumph over Guelph on home ice. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) at the Dort Financial Center.
Jacob Brown donned the pads for his first OHL start Friday night on Saturday and made 22 saves on 26 shots faced to help earn his first career win. Kaden Pitre maintained his red-hot level of play, netting his team-leading fourth goal in five games. Overagers Zacharie Giroux and Nolan Dann each had a goal and an assist and were named the games first and third stars respectively.
Flint’s all-time record versus the Storm sits at 18-9-2-0 overall and 8-5-1-0 at the Dort Financial Center. The Birds won three of four in the series a year ago, including a 2-0-0-0 mark on home ice. Now the Storm hold a 3-2-0-0 record for the season compared to Flint at 1-4-0-0.
PROMOTIONS: Saturday’s game with the Guelph Storm is the Firebirds’ annual Hockey Fights Cancer Night, sponsored by the McLaren Flint Foundation. The team will be wearing specialty Hockey Fights Cancer jerseys during gameplay, with a live jersey auction following the contest. All proceeds will benefit the McLaren Flint Foundation. Tickets are still available online at ETIX.com or at the Dort Financial Center Box Office.
SCOUTING THE STORM: Guelph is led in offense by Braeden Bowman, who has three goals and three assists for six points through five games. Michael Buchinger is a close second with a point-per-game average, having found twine twice and picked up three helpers. Charlie Paquette is third with four points (2 G, 2 A). Brayden Gillespie has backstopped the Storm in every game this season, recording three victories including one shutout. He carries 2.03 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage, both stats ranking inside the top three in the league.
The Storm rank tenth on the power play with a 19.1% conversion rate. Guelph is killing penalties at a 94.1% clip, currently third best in the OHL. It has yet to allow a power-play goal against on the road this season.
SCOUTING THE FIREBIRDS: Forward Kaden Pitre continues to top the offensive stats for Flint and now has four goals through five contests. There’s a three-way tie for second between a pair of overagers and the team’s first-round draft pick for 2023. Nolan Dann and team captain Zacharie Giroux each have a goal and two assists for the club, while freshman forward Jeremy Martin has found twine twice and earned an assist.
The Firebirds have one power-play tally in 25 chances this season. They are killing penalties at a 70% rate
BROADCAST COVERAGE: This evening’s game 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. 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 head out for a week-long road trip with four games in Barrie, Sudbury, North Bay, and Sault Ste. Marie. They’ll return to home ice for a pair of home games on Saturday, October 28 versus the Greyhounds and Sunday, October 29 when they host the Saginaw Spirit for the second game of the I-75 Divide Cup series. Additionally, the game versus the Soo on the 28th will be Flint’s First Responder’s Night, and the next afternoon’s in-state rivalry game will also be the Trick or Treat at the Rink event. Follow along at flintfirebirds.com and all the team’s social media channels for more details during the team’s road swing.
Story: Brandon Mills / flintfirebirds.com
