Preview: Firebirds look to stay undefeated on home-ice Saturday vs. the Soo
| Soo Greyhounds (6-6-1-0) at Flint Firebirds (8-3-0-0) | |
| Date | Time | Saturday, October 26th | 7:00 p.m. |
| Location | Flint, Mich. | Dort Federal Event Center (Directions) |
| Tickets | Ticketmaster.com | (810) 744-0580 |
| Promotions | – ‘Trick-or-Treat at the Rink’ Night – Up to 2 free kids tickets with the purchase of an adult ticket – Trick-or-treating throughout the arena – On-ice costume parade |
| TV | – OHL Action Pak: Rogers TV 466 & Cogeco TV 466 Live (Ontario) – Broadcast Information |
| Video Stream | – TV Pregame Show (6:30pm) – 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 |
| Social Media | @FlintFirebirds  | Facebook  | Instagram  |
Flint, Mich. – The Firebirds are back in action Saturday night to host the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. (ET) at the Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center (capacity 4,400) in Flint.
The Firebirds have a chance to break another record Saturday night as the club is currently tied for the most consecutive victories on home ice with five straight wins, tying the 2016-17 season, also to start the year. So far this season, the Firebirds have set four new franchise records: Best start currently with an 8-3 record through 11 games, most consecutive wins (4), most consecutive weeks as an honorable mention in the CHL Top 10 Rankings (2) and Ty Dellandrea as the new franchise points leader (160).
The Firebirds also now hold the second-best winning percentage (.727) in the 20-team Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Flint is 5-0-0-0 and is the only team remaining in the OHL that is undefeated on home ice.
The ‘Hounds enter the contest with a 1-3-1-0 record in their past five games and three wins in their past 10 games. Sault Ste. Marie has an overall record of 6-6-1-0 and a 2-3-0-0 record in away games. Sault Ste. Marie ranks fourth in the West Division, while Flint ranks third in the West. The ‘Birds have played three fewer games than the top team, and only trails by one point.
Friday night marks the second of six meetings between these clubs this season, and the first of three in Flint. All-time, Flint is 6-18-1-0 against the Greyhounds and is 3-8-1-0 at home vs. the Soo. Last season, the ‘Birds finished with a record of 2-4-0-0 against the ‘Hounds, and were 2-1-0-0 at the Dort Federal Event Center in the series.
The last time these teams met was on opening night for the 2019-20 season on September 20 in Sault Ste. Marie. That night, the Firebirds tied a franchise record scoring two goals in just 17 seconds. Jake Durham and Cody Morgan both recorded two points in the game. Connor Roberts also scored for Flint and Anthony Popovich made 29 saves on 35 shots in his Firebirds’ debut. However, the Greyhounds ended up pulling out a 6-3 victory. Cullen McLean scored twice to lead the offensive charge for the Soo. Ryan O’Rourke, Tye Kartye, Marc Boudreau and Holden Wale all found twine, and Christian Propp made 28 saves on 31 shots for his first victory of the season.
Friday night, Flint defeated the Sudbury Wolves by a final score of 5 – 2, preserving their unbeaten streak at home. Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars) was named the game’s ‘First Star’ after scoring a goal and earning an assist to become the all-time leading scorer for Flint. Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks) scored and moved into a tied for fifth-most points in franchise history. Jake Durham, Jack Wismer and Jack Phibbs also lit the lamp for the ‘Birds, and Anthony Popovich made a season-high 47 saves on 49 shots for his sixth win in net.
The ‘Hounds last played Thursday night in Windsor, where they dropped a 4 – 2 decision to the Spitfires. First-year forward Marc Boudreau led the offensive attack for the Soo with a goal and an assist, and Tye Kartye, Rory Kerins and Cole MacKay each scored for the Greyhounds. Ethan Taylor made 24 saves on 30 shots in the defeat.
On special teams this season, the Firebirds are killing penalties at a rate of 69.1%, which is 19th in the OHL. Sault Ste. Marie’s penalty-killers rank 17th in the league at 71.4% efficiency. With the man-advantage, the Greyhounds rank eighth in the league, converting at a rate of 25.9% and the Firebirds are 19th, scoring at a 15.6% clip.
Promotions;
The Flint Firebirds return home to the Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center Saturday night for the Firebirds’ annual “Trick-or-Treat at the Rink!” night!
Spend Saturday evening trick-or-treating in a fun, safe and dry environment with the Flint Firebirds. The Firebirds host the Soo Greyhounds at 7 p.m. and fans can get up to 2 free kids’ tickets (12 & under) with the purchase of an adult ticket including other special Halloween festivities slated for the contest! All fans are encouraged to dress up in costumes and for the on-ice costume parade. Additionally, trick-or-treating throughout the arena and other fun promotions will take place during the duration of the game.
Players to Watch:
Flint Firebirds (8-3-0-0, 3rd West Division):
Ty Dellandrea and Evgeniy Oksentyuk are tied for the team lead in points, each with 14 points. Oksentyuk has four goals and a club-high 10 assists in 11 games-played, and Dellandrea has six goals and eight assists through nine contests. After going scoreless in his first game with the team, Dellandrea now has points in eight consecutive games. Jake Durham leads the club in goals-scored with eight, and is tied for third in total points with 12. Defenseman Riley McCourt also has 12 points, stemming from three goals and nine helpers. McCourt is riding an eight-game point-streak. Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks) is on a five-game point streak (2G, 4A) and has nine points (4G, 5A) in 11 games.
Ranking second among the blue-liners for Flint is Vladislav Kolyachonok (Florida Panthers), with eight points (4G, 4A) in 11 games. First-year forward Brennan Othmann leads the freshman class with eight points (4G, 4A) through 11 games-played.
Between the pipes, Anthony Popovich has appeared in eight of Flint’s 11 games this season. His six wins are tied for third-most in the OHL. He carries the league’s sixth-best save-percentage (SAV%) at .910 and the sixth-best goals-against average (GAA) of 3.07. Luke Cavallin has appeared in three contests, earning two victories. He carries a .874 SAV% with a 5.00 GAA.
NHL: The Firebirds have four players with NHL ties consisting of Dennis Busby (Arizona Coyotes), Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars), Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks), and Vladislav Kolyachonok (Florida Panthers). In addition, Evan Vierling was listed on the 2019 NHL Central Scouting October ‘Players to Watch’ list for the upcoming 2020 NHL Draft.
Despite Flint being in the midst of just their fifth OHL season, three former Firebirds have already played in NHL games: Nick Caamano (Dallas Stars), Alex Nedeljkovic (Carolina Hurricanes) and Kole Sherwood (Columbus Blue Jackets). Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars), Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks), Vili Saarijarvi (Detroit Red Wings) and Jalen Smereck (Arizona Coyotes) have played in NHL pre-season contests. In total, the team has produced an impressive 17 drafted or signed NHL players in that short time.
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (6-6-1-0, 4th West Division):
Jaromir Pytlik leads the ‘Hounds in scoring with five goals and a team-high 13 assists for 18 points through 13 games. Rory Kerins leads the club in goals-scored with ten, and is second overall with 16 points. Cole MacKay sits third with a balanced eight goals and seven assists in 13 games.
First-year forward Connor Dickinson leads the Soo’s freshman class with 13 total points (1G, 12A). Ryan O’Rourke tops the blue-line unit with 11 points (5G, 6A), and Billy Constantinou is second with nine points (2G, 7A).
Christian Propp has appeared in eight games for the Soo this season, earning four wins and accumulating a 4.56 goals-against average (GAA) and a save-percentage (SAV%) of .851. Ethan Taylor has made six appearances and has a GAA of 3.20 along with a .877 SAV%. Taylor has two victories this season.
NHL: The Greyhounds have two players with NHL ties, Barrett Hayton (Arizona Coyotes) and defenseman Jacob LeGuerrier (Montreal Canadiens). Hayton remains on the Coyotes’ roster and hasn’t played a game with the ‘Hounds yet this year. Additionally, Ryan O’Rourke, Jaromir Pytlik, Tanner Dickinson, Rory Kerins and Cole MacKay were listed on the 2019 NHL Central Scouting October ‘Players to Watch’ list for the upcoming 2020 NHL Draft.
25 notable Greyhounds’ alumni to play in the NHL are Wayne Gretzky, Jeff Beukeboom, Bob Boughner, Jeff Carter, Dan Clouthier, Paul Coffey, Trevor Daley, Ray Emery, Adam Foote, Ron Francis, Craig Hartsburg, Ric Jackman, Dustin Jeffrey, Tyler Kennedy, Denny Lambert, Greg Millen, Ted Nolan, Nathan Perrott, Bob Probert, Wayne Simmons, Brad Staubitz, Steve Sullivan, Joe Thornton, Rick Tocchet, John Vanbiesbrouk, and Josef Vasick.
Broadcast Coverage:
Saturday evening’s contest against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 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 Firebirds Hockey Network (FHN). Pregame coverage will begin 30 minutes prior to puck drop at 6:30 p.m. New this season, fans can watch the FHN TV Pregame Show live on Facebook and Twitter, also beginning at 6:30 p.m.
The game will be televised across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 466 for both Rogers TV and 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 Saturday’s game, 65 of the Firebirds’ 68 games throughout the 2019-20 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 2019-20 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, $149.99 for all 68 home and away Firebirds games and $179.99 for all 1,360 OHL games throughout the 2019-20 season.
For more information:
Dominic Hennig
Director of Broadcasting & Communications
Flint Firebirds Hockey Club
[email protected]
(810) 519-9347
