Flint, Mich. – The Firebirds split Games 1 & 2 on the road in the Western Conference Finals versus the Windsor Spitfires. Game 3 was played at an electric Dort Financial Center, and Flint claimed the series lead with a 6-3 triumph. Game 4 will also be played in Flint, with few seats remaining before standing-room-only passes go on sale. Puck drop for Friday night’s tilt is set for 7:00 p.m. and tickets are available through ETIX HERE, in person at the Dort Financial Center Box Office, or by calling 1-800-514-3849.
Former Detroit Red Wings player and current color commentator, Mickey Redmond, will be returning to join Jack Sznewajs once again for Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. Redmond is alumni of the OHL, having played four seasons with the Peterborough Petes. He played 10 seasons in the NHL, with the final six years donning the winged wheel in Detroit. He’ll be in the booth at the Dort Financial Center Friday, joining Jack Sznewajs for the TV and radio broadcast on the Firebirds Hockey Network (FHN).
On Wednesday, the Birds skated to a 6-3 victory in Game 3 at the Dort Financial Center in Flint. After trailing 3-0 late in the first period, Riley Piercey dropped the gloves and reenergized the crowd and his teammates. From there, it was all Firebirds as they scored six unanswered. Braeden Kressler (Toronto Maple Leafs) netted two, including the game-winning goal, and earned ‘First Star’ honors. Ethan Hay potted his first of the postseason and was named the ‘Second Star.’ Sahil Panwar also lit the lamp with his fourth. For the Spits, Matthew Maggio was named the ‘Third Star’ with two assists on their three goals. Michael Renwick scored and assisted for a two-point game as well.
In the 2021-22 regular season, these clubs battled a total of eight times. Windsor won seven of the eight. Flint’s lone victory in the series was back on February 19 on home ice in a shootout. In total, the Spitfires outscored the Firebirds 46-25. Through two rounds of playoffs, the Birds defeated the Owen Sound Attack in seven games followed by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in five. Windsor defeated the Sarnia Sting in six games in Round 1 and then eliminated the Kitchener Rangers in five meetings.
In the three games between these clubs in the Western Conference Finals so far, Amadeus Lombardi leads the way for Flint with two goals and two assists. Matthew Maggio sits atop the stat sheet for the Spits with three goals and two assists. Luke Cavallin has two wins in three games, making 105 saves on 116 shots while Mathias Onuska has turned aside 103 of 114 shots against.
On special teams, the Firebirds finished the 68-game campaign with the OHL’s top-ranked penalty kill (PK), finding success 84.2% of the time. They rank second of the four remaining playoff teams with an 82.0% kill rate. The Spits ranked second on the PK at 82.6% during the regular campaign, and are now third, killing 80.8% of all penalties in the postseason. Flint ranked 12th in the regular season with the man-advantage, scoring on 19.7% of their chances. Windsor scored 26.1% of the time when they had the extra man, ranking third. In these playoffs, the Birds now rank third of four remaining playoff clubs at 18.0% and Windsor ranks fourth, scoring at a 15.2% clip.
Flint Firebirds (42-21-1-4, 3rd Western Conference):
Through 15 playoff games to date, the Firebirds are led by Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) with eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points. Othmann led his troops with 50 goals and 97 total points in the regular season. He’s currently tied for sixth in playoff goals and total points, and he leads the OHL in game-winning tallies (5) in the postseason. Amadeus Lombardi ranks second on the club with 14 points (6 G, 8 A) in 15 games. He’s on a three-game points streak, having scored twice and assisted twice in that span. Lombardi also finished second in the regular season, with 59 points (18 G, 41 A) in 67 games.
Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks) is tied for third with rookie Gavin Hayes, each with 11 points. Keppen has six goals and five helpers, whereas Hayes has four markers and seven helpers. Hayes is one of only two rookies with two power-play tallies in the playoffs, and he ranks second in the same class in total points, is tied for second in assists, and is tied for fourth in goals.
Behind Hayes is a defenseman Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) with ten points, which are all assists. He’s tied for second in assists among defenders, third in total points, and fourth in power-play assists. Rookie Coulson Pitre (6 G, 3 A) is second in the rookie class for goals and fifth in points.
Between the pipes, Luke Cavallin has the second-best save percentage (SV%) of goaltenders still in the playoffs at a .928. He has 10 wins in 15 postseason appearances and sports the third-best goals-against average (GAA) of teams in Round 3 at 2.68. He earned the most wins in the league and the most in Flint history during the regular season, ending at 36 victories during the campaign. Nathaniel Day made a brief appearance at the end of Game 2 in Windsor, making five saves on seven shots.
NHL: The Firebirds have four players on their roster with NHL ties consisting of Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks), Braeden Kressler (Toronto Maple Leafs), Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets), and Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers). Also, Gavin Hayes and Amadeus Lombardi were named to the 2022 NHL Central Scouting’s Final Draft Rankings.
Windsor Spitfires (44-17-4-3, 1st Western Conference):
The Spitfires are led by Wyatt Johnston (Dallas Stars), who recorded the most points in the regular season (124). Through 14 playoff games this year, he’s scored nine times and assisted on 18 tallies for 27 total points. He ranks first in the postseason for assists and points and sits tied for fourth in goals. New York Rangers’ prospect Will Cuylle is second on the club with 17 points (8 G, 9 A). He is one of only two players with two shorthanded goals in the postseason, and he tied for sixth in goals and ranks ninth in points.
Rookie Ryan Abraham (4 G, 6 A), who hails from Livonia, Mich., is tied with Matthew Maggio who also has 10 points in 14 tilts. Maggio has four goals and Abraham has scored three times. Defensemen Andrew Perrott (5 G, 4 A) and Louka Henault (3 G, 6 A) top the rearguards on the scoresheet. Perrot is tied for first in the OHL’s defensive class with three power-play markers, ranks second in goals scored, and is tied for fifth in total points. Henault is tied for fifth in total points and power-play assists from the blue line.
Goaltender Mathias Onuska started his season with the London Knights before joining the Spitfires. He appeared in 26 regular-season games for the Spits, earning 19 victories with a 3.34 goals-against average (GAA) and a save percentage (SV%) of .882. He’s played all 14 playoff games for the club to date, winning nine while posting a SV% of .908 which is third-best of remaining starters. His GAA of 2.57 is second-best of the league’s top four. Detroit, Mich. native Xavier Medina played in 30 regular-season contests for Windsor this season, picking up 18 wins for the team. He posted a 3.05 GAA and a .891 SV%.
NHL: Windsor’s roster features four players with NHL ties, consisting of Will Cuylle (New York Rangers), Wyatt Johnston (Dallas Stars), Pasquale Zito (Detroit Red Wings), and Daniil Sobolev (Montreal Canadiens). Additionally, Matthew Maggio was named to the NHL Central Scouting’s Final Draft Rankings for 2022.
Notable Windsor alumni to play in the NHL include Ed Jovanovski, Matt Cooke, Cory Stillman, Jason Spezza, Steve Ott, Jason York, Josh Bailey, Tim Gleason, Mike Rupp, Cam Fowler, Taylor Hall, Adam Henrique, Kyle Wellwood, Eric Wellwood, Todd Warriner, Steve Downie, Jamie Allison, and Ryan Ellis.
Friday’s contest against the Windsor Spitfires 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. Jack Sznewajs will call the play-by-play action on the Firebirds Hockey Network (FHN), with special guest and Detroit Red Wings legend Mickey Redmond. Pregame coverage will begin prior to puck drop at 6:45 p.m. (ET) Friday evening.
The game will also be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 466 (4466 HD) 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.
Also, all Flint Firebirds home and away playoff games can be watched anywhere in the world online on https://watch.chl.ca/ohl. CHL TV is the league’s new and improved 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 for 24-hour access, or $59.99 to watch all of the 2022 OHL playoffs.
Next Up: Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals will return to the WFCU Centre in Windsor on Sunday. Fans are encouraged to travel with the Firebirds on the 81-mile drive from arena to arena. Puck drop is set for 7:05 (ET) on the eve of Memorial Day in the United States. Tickets for Game 5 in Windsor are available HERE. Be sure to know the requirements when crossing the border by checking HERE.
Story: Brandon Mills / flintfirebirds.com
Jack Sznewajs Director of Broadcasting & Communications Flint Firebirds Hockey Club jack@flintfirebirds.com