Metro Flint News/Talk Radio

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BY ERIC THOMPSON

CCN Sports Writer

KITCHNER, ONTARIO (CCN) — The Flint Firebirds are returning home tonight in need of a victory to get back into their Best-of-7 series in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) playoffs with the Kitchner Rangers.

They lost the first two games in Kitchner this past weekend. They were beaten 4-3 in overtime in Friday night's opener and were then blasted 6-1 in Game 2 on Sunday afternoon.

Game 3 is tonight in Flint with a 7 pm faceoff at Dort Financial Center Arena.

Game 4 will also be at the Dort on Thursday night at 7 o'clock.

Fans can watch on OHL TV via subscription or listen on local radio via 103.1 FM.

Just beyond five minutes into the first overtime period in Friday's opener, second-year Kitchner center Luca Romano produced the game winner.

 Matthew Wang scored the only goal of the opening period to give the Firebirds an early 1-0 lead. The Rangers scored twice in the second period to take the lead before Flint's Matthew Mania tied it.

Nathan Aspinall fired in a third period goal for the Firebirds but it was deadlocked at the end of regulation — just like it was in 3-out-of-4 regular season battles between these two opponents.

Aspinall had an assist to go with his goal while Firebirds' goaltender Nathan Day was sharp with 29 saves.

 Jack Pridham scored two goals in less than a minute Sunday afternoon as Kitchner jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening period, and the Rangers cruised from there.

Flint got within 2-1 on a goal by Aspinall but the Rangers made it 3-1 by the end of the first period.

Pridham set up two Kitchner goals to finish with a 4-point night.

Here are some notes from the Flint Firebirds PR department:

LAST TIME OUT: Nathan Aspinall scored his second goal of the series but the Firebirds were beaten by the Kitchener Rangers, 6-1 on Sunday afternoon at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. Jack Pridham had two goals and two assists as the Rangers took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

ASPINALL ELEVATING: Nathan Aspinall leads the Firebirds with two goals and three points thus far in the postseason. Aspinall is the only Firebird to have scored in both games. The New York Rangers prospect recorded 17 goals and 30 assists over 62 games during the 2024-25 regular season. He now has three goals and one assist in 6 career OHL playoff games.

SEASON SERIES: The Firebirds and Rangers met a total of four times during the regular season and Flint fell in the season series, 1-1-0-2. Each of the four games were decided by just one goal and three of the four went to overtime or a shootout.

SAM McCUE led the Firebirds in the season series with 6 points on 4 goals and 2 assists. He had two goals and an assist in two games each for the Firebirds and the Owen Sound Attack.

TOUGH TO SCORE ON: Rangers goaltender Jackson Parsons stopped 21 of the 22 shots he faced on Sunday afternoon and now carries a .922 save percentage and a 1.92 goals against average in the postseason. Parsons was second in the OHL in GAA (2.24) and save percentage (.920) during the regular season. He led the league in both wins (37) and shutouts (5).

GETTING CHIPPY: Referees handed out 10 10-minute misconducts during Game 2 and one game misconduct as Kitchener’s Carson Campbell was ejected in the second period. There were 13 combined power plays: Flint was 0-for-7 and Kitchener was 2-for-6.

ODDS AND ENDS: Trent Swick leads the Rangers in the series with six points on three goals and three assists. He is tied for fifth in the OHL Playoffs…

TOP FLINT PLUS-MINUS MAN: Blake Smith leads the Firebirds in plus/minus at +2.

STINGY OPPONENT: The Rangers were second in the OHL in goals against per game during the regular season (2.69) and have held the Firebirds to four goals in two games.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

FLINT (CCN) — Before the Flint Firebirds turned their attention to getting ready for this weekend's start of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs, they passed out their individual awards for the regular season at the team banquet. 

Goaltender Nathan Day was named team MVP. The Edmonton Oilers prospect appeared in 59 games and finished the season with a 3.07 goals against average. He also became the franchise’s all-time leader in wins by a goalie, surpassing his former teammate, Luke Cavallin.

Sam McCue was honored as the team’s top scorer with 36 goals and 19 assists for a career-high 55 points in 55 combined games between the Firebirds and the Owen Sound Attack. Acquired at the trade deadline, the Toronto Maple Leafs prospect scored 18 goals and handed out six assists in 20 games as a Firebird.

Blake Smith was named as the Top Defenseman. Smith played in 64 games and set new career-highs with 10 goals, 22 assists and 32 points while leading the team with a plus 15 rating in the plus minus category.

Second-year defenseman Rylan Fellinger was named Student Athelete of the year for the second straight season for achieving top grades in the classroom.

Alex Kostov was given the Most Improved Player award. Kostov had a breakout season in his third OHL campaign and his second as a Firebird. He scored 16 goals and had 29 assists for 45 points. It was a significant jump from his 26 points a year ago. He also led the Firebirds with three shorthanded goals while serving as a mainstay on the Flint penalty kill.

Connor Clattenburg was given the Blue Collar Player award. The Flint captain and Edmonton Oilers prospect played 46 games and scored 16 goals to go with 19 assists while leading the team with 108 penalty minutes.

Karlis Flugins was chosen as Rookie of the Year. Flugins led Flint rookies with 14 points in 52 games.

Kostov, Day and Matthew Wang shared the Iron Man Award. Kostov and Wang were the only two players to appear in all 68 regular season games, while Day led all OHL goaltenders in minutes played with 3,401 which was 220 minutes more than any other netminder in the league.

The Firebirds earned the sixth seed in the Western Conference. They start the playoffs with a 7 pm game on Friday in Kitchner. Game 2 is 2 pm Sunday in Kitchner, then the Rangers come to Flint for Tuesday and Thursday games in the best-of-7 series. Tickets are now on sale for the home playoff contests at Dort Financial Center Arena. Both have 7 pm starts.

FLINT (CCN) — The Flint Firebirds came up short against one of the Ontario Hockey League's best teams Saturday night in front of 2,921 fans at Dort Financial Center in Flint.

They lost a 3-2 heartbreaker to the Barrie Colts.

The Colts are one point behind the Niagara Ice Dogs in the OHL's Central Division of the Eastern Conference while the Firebirds are dead last in the West Division of the Western Conference.

The game was tied 2-2 going into the third and final period. 

Dalyn Wakely scored the game winner for Barrie with 11:33 left.

The Firebirds had jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Nolan Collins and Nathan Aspinall.

(CCN) — The CHL USA Prospects Challenge by Kubota will be presented on Tuesday and Wednesday (Nov. 26-27, 2024).

No Flint Firebirds were selected for Team CHL which has a 22-player roster.

The two-game series will be against the U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP) in London at Canada Life Place on Tuesday and in Oshawa on Wednesday at the Tribute Communities Centre .

The top prospects for Team CHL were selected from the Canadian Hockey League's Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) 

Building off of one of hockey’s greatest rivalries between Canada and the United States, the CHL USA Prospects Challenge will see players from the CHL and QMJHL compete against NTDP’s U18 team before hundreds of NHL scouts and thousands of fans in an effort to improve their draft stock ahead of next year’s NHL Draft.

Fans can watch on TV at CHL TV. A subscription is needed to watch. The games are also on national TV across Canada.

SAGINA (CCN) — The Flint Firebirds lost 8-1 at Saginaw on Friday night in the third game of the annual I-75 Divide Cup by Coors.

The Firebirds are currently last place in the West Division of the Ontario Hockey League's Western Conference.

Jeremy Martin scored with 5:43 left to prevent a shutout. Jimmy Lombardi drew an assist on the only Flint goal.

The Firebirds dropped to 8-13-0-1. 

Saginaw is second in the division behind the first--place Windsor Spitfires.

The defending Memorial Cup champions had 3,185 fans at the Dow Event Center for the latest installment of their rivalry with Flint.

Dimian Zhilkin had two goals to lead 6 players in the scoring column for Saginaw.

PHOTO CAPTION: Jeremy Martin scored a late goal to prevent a shutout by the Saginaw Spirit Friday night at the Dow Event Center. 

(CCN) — The Flint Firebirds played three games last week and were able to shake off a Wednesday night (Nov. 20, 2024) loss en route to earning four of a possible six points in Ontario Hockey League action. The Firebirds concluded their stretch of six games in nine days by winning back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday, and now look to carry momentum into the next week.

The Firebirds opened the week with their first home installment of the I-75 Divide Cup, presented by Coors Light on Wednesday. Matthew Wang had his first two-goal game, Jimmy Lombardi recorded two assists and Blake Smith picked up a goal and an assist. In the end, however, the  arch rival Saginaw Spirit skated away with a 7-5 victory at the Dort Financial Center in Flint.

 Nashville Predators prospect Joey Willis stole the show with a five-goal performance, setting a new team record for the Spirit organization.

On Friday the Firebirds traveled to Sault Ste. Marie for their fourth meeting of the season with the Greyhounds. The Soo jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but a three-goal third period propelled Flint to the 3-2 victory. Blake Smith scored twice for the first time in his career, and now has a career-high 6 goals for the season. He has found the net in four of his last five contests. Noah Bender made 22 saves on 24 shots and earned his first victory as a Firebird. It marked the first time this season that the Firebirds recorded a victory after trailing heading into the third period.

Flint returned home on Saturday to host the Erie Otters. Connor Clattenburg and Matthew Wang lit the lamp and that’s all that was needed for a 2-1 victory at the Dort Financial Center in front of 2,746 fans. Nathan Day made 26 saves on 27 shots for his 8th victory of the season. Kaden Pitre assisted on Clattenburg’s goal and now rides a five-game point streak (3 goals, 4 assists).

The Firebirds play only twice this week. They visit Saginaw on Friday for the third game of the eight-game I-75 Divide Cup series versus the Spirit. The radio broadcast of Friday’s game will air on 103.1 FM through Flint and mid-Michigan or online via the US 103.1 app and puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 pm.

 Flint returns home this week for a Saturday (Nov. 23, 2024) contest at 7 pm against the Barrie Colts.

It’s "Harry Potter Night" which was selected by fans via the team’s annual fan’s choice promotion.

The Firebirds visit Saginaw on Friday for the third game of the 8-game I-75 Divide Cup series against the arch rival Spirit at 7:05 pm.

The radio broadcasts this weekend will air on 103.1 FM through and online via the US 103.1 App.

The telecasts are available via the OHL streaming service at CHL TV. A subscription is needed to watch any OHL games.

The Firebirds go into the weekend action dead last in the West Division of the OHL's Western Conference. They are 8-12-0-1.

PHOTO CAPTION — The Flint Firebirds celebrate one of their two goals in a 2-1 victory at home on Saturday over the Barrie Colts at the Dort Financial center in Flint. — Photo by Todd Booone

LAS VEGAS (CCN) — Three Flint Firebirds were selected on Saturday afternoon (June 28, 2024) at the 2024 NHL Draft. Hearing their names called were Nathan Aspinall, Connor Clattenburg and Kaden Pitre

Aspinall became the first Firebird selected during the 5th round when the New York Rangers took him with the 159th overall pick. The 6-foor-7 winger tallied 18 goals and 16 assists in 65 games during the 2023-24 season — his second as a Firebird. Aspinall was originally selected by Flint in the 2nd round of the 2022 OHL Priority Selection and recorded one goal and three assists in his rookie season.

One pick later, the Edmonton Oilers took Clattenburg. He had 13 goals and 16 assists in 60 games during the 2023-24 season, combined between the Firebirds and the Soo Greyhounds. He was acquired in January at the OHL trade deadline. In 30 games as a Firebird, the left wing/center scored 9 goals and had 8 assists.

Clattenburg was in his second season of draft eligibility; he went undrafted during the 2023 NHL Draft.

Pitre became the final Firebird selected when he was taken in the 6th round by the Tampa Bay Lightning with the 181st overall pick. Pitre’s 2023-24 season was hampered by injuries, but he recorded 10 goals and 20 assists in 35 games, improving upon the 7 goals and 11 points he put up in the 2022-23 season. The center was Flint’s 1st round pick in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection.

The trio of draft picks continued a streak for the Firebirds who have had at least one player taken in every NHL Draft since 2015 after moving to Flint from Plymouth.

It was the most drafted from a Flint team since last year when four were selected from the Firebirds.

 The Firebirds have now had 18 players drafted since 2015 and now have 33 players in franchise history who have been drafted or signed by an NHL team. 

 (CCN) — The Flint Firebirds made two selections on Wednesday afternoon (July 3, 2024) during the 2024 CHL Import Draft. Flint used its 1st round pick (No. 18 overall) on Finnish defenseman Mitja Jokinen and then selected Latvian winger Karlis Flugins with its 2nd round pick

“We are excited to add both Mitja and Karlis to our organization,” Firebirds General Manager Dave McParlan said. “Our staff feels we have found two good hockey players who will fit in with what we are building in Flint and we are excited to see what they can do in the North American game.”

Jokinen played during the 2023-24 season with TPS Turku U20 in the SM-Sarja U20 league in Finland. He recorded 6 goals and 15 assists and was plus 14 across 41 games.

 The 2006-born defenseman also played for Team Finland at the 2024 U18 World Championships where he had a goal and 4 assists in 5 games.

“Jokinen is highly skilled. When we saw him at U18 Worlds, the Finnish team seemed to have a defensive corps that was above everybody else in skill in that tournament,” Firebirds Head Scout Mike Oliverio said. “He has great edges, is shifty and smart with the puck. He’s a good, 200-foot defender with a high IQ and is able to move the puck with both his skating ability or with a quick pass out of the zone.”

Flugins spent the 2023-24 season playing in Sweden for UK Oskarshamn J18 and IK Oskarshamn J20. For the J18 team, he scored 14 goals and had 12 assists in 14 games and in 12 games for the J20 team he notched two goals and two assists. A 2007-born forward, he also appeared for Team Latvia at the 2024 U18 World Championships.

“Flugins plays a North American style game,” Oliverio said. “He has an aggressive style in how he moves pucks, is strong on the puck, good in all zones and was able to create offensively with his Latvian team. He fits the Flint Firebirds mold. And since he is an ’07, he will have the chance to grow and develop with our core group."

The CHL Import Draft is an annual event during which every club in the Canadian Hockey League (the OHL, WHL and QMJHL), can draft players from outside of North America. The two-round draft took place online on Wednesday with the order of selection rotation between the clubs of each of the CHL’s three member leagues.

 Through the CHL Import Draft, each CHL team is permitted to dress and play a maximum of two import players each season.

  (CCN) — Xavier Tessier has signed a contract to play next season with the Flint Firebirds in the Ontario Hockey League. He was a 2nd round pick in this year's 2024 OHL Priority Draft.

The announcement was made on Tuesday (June 11 2024) that Tessier has committed to play in Flint and said: “I’m incredibly excited and honored to join the Flint Firebirds. This team has such a bright future, and I can’t wait to contribute to our success on and off the ice.”

Tessier was selected by the Firebirds with the 33rd overall pick in April's draft. He becomes the fourth player from the draft to sign a contract. The others  were 1st round pick Cole Zurawski, fellow 2nd round pick Ryland Cunningham and 3rd round pick Gage Brandon. 

 Tessier played the last three seasons for the Ottawa Myers Automotive AAA program and most recently for the U16 AAA team in the 2023-24 season. He appeared in 30 games last winter with 15 goals and 21 assists He also played two games for the U18 team and had one assist.

Flint’s passionate fan base and strong community support will make it such a special place to play,” Tessier said. “I’m ready to give it my all for this city, my coaches and my teammates. Let’s go Firebirds!”

Firebirds' Head Scout Mike Oliverio said in a scouting report about Tessier: "Xavier uses his size to his advantage and is difficult to handle when he combines his speed and strength. He has the ability to make something positive happen every time he is on the ice due to his compete level. Xavier is a smart, 200-foot player who seems to rise as the games became more important."

 PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is  Xavier Tessier who will play next season in Flint with the Firebirds.