The matchup
Two Western Conference teams from the OHL meet tonight as the Flint Firebirds (2-2-0) visit the Erie Otters (1-2-2) in the CHLTV Game of the Week.
Erie is coming off of its first win of the season last Saturday after a 3-1 victory over London. However, with an additional two points courtesy of shootout defeats, the Otters sit second in a Midwest Division that has yet to see a team take a stranglehold early on.
Brett Bressette and Christian Kyrou (DAL) have paced the Otters early on while Nolan Lalonde (CBJ) has been fantastic in his two starts.
The first power-play goal of #OHLOpeningWeek comes from the slapshot of @DallasStars prospect Christian Kyrou to give the @ErieOtters a 1-0 lead in Peterborough! pic.twitter.com/YmLPvSaOky
— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) September 29, 2022
Erie is looking to get back into the OHL playoffs for the first time since 2016-17, the year they won the J. Ross Robertson Cup.
Flint, who come off of a 4-2 loss to Sudbury Saturday, have been aided by the return of captain Brennan Othmann (NYR) who has scored four goals in four games this season.
The Firebirds, who were ranked ninth in Week 1 of the Kia CHL Top 10 rankings, are on the hunt to return to the Western Conference Finals where they succumbed to Windsor in Game 7 last season. It was part of a record-breaking campaign for the Firebirds as they set franchise bests in wins (42) and points (89).
In addition to the return of Othmann, Flint head coach/general manager Ted Dent added to his squad in the offseason as they look to take the next step, most notably with the acquisition of starting goaltender Will Cranley (STL).
Both Erie and Flint have converted at a 16.7 per cent clip on the power play thus far while the Otters own the best penalty kill in the OHL at 94.4 per cent. Flint’s two shorthanded goals, courtesy of Othmann and Coulson Pitre, are tied for the most in the league.
Who to watch
It’s hard to not look at Kyrou from Erie’s point of view.
Arguably one of the best d-men in the OHL already, Kyrou has five points in five games early on in 2022-23.
The 84th overall pick in the 2019 OHL Draft, Kyrou, the younger brother of St. Louis’ Jordan, was the 50th selection in the 2022 NHL Draft by Dallas after a 60-point campaign last season.
His 60 points were the fourth most among all blueliners while his 18 goals were tied for the third most among OHL defencemen.
On Flint’s side, you can’t ignore Othmann.
Considered by some to be unlucky not to make the New York Rangers roster out of training camp, the Pickering, Ont., native will look to build on a 50-goal, 97-point season.
The 16th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft is already off to a flyer with four goals and eight points for Firebirds. Othmann won gold with Canada at the 2022 World Juniors in the summer where he contributed two goals and six points.
After he buried 5⃣0⃣ last season, Brennan Othmann gets his first at the #WorldJuniors! @FlintFirebirds pic.twitter.com/VHHuaxgiaX
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) August 11, 2022
Scoring leaders
Bressette and Kyrou lead the Otters early on with five points each while newly acquired Sam Alfano, who was the big return in the Connor Lockhart deal with Peterborough, has contributed a pair of goals.
Lalonde, signed to an entry-level contract by Columbus Oct. 3, has been sensational in goal with a .945 save percentage and 1.46 GAA, both of which lead the OHL among goaltenders to appear in at least two games.
Riley Piercey has six points (three goals) for the Firebirds while Amadeus Lombardi (DET) has a goal and four assists early on. Between the pipes, Cranley (STL) has produced a .907 save percentage through three games.
What a finish on the backhand! @DetroitRedWings prospect Amadeus Lombardi slices through the defence before feeding Riley Piercey, earning tonight’s #BestOfOHL honours 🎥 pic.twitter.com/LBP4i4bMwt
— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) October 6, 2022
Where to watch
Tonight’s contest can be seen live on CHL TV at 7pm ET / 4pm PT.
Available to fans from coast to coast, CHL TV is accessible on the CHL mobile app, in addition to Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire, and online at watch.chl.ca. Each year, CHL TV offers access to more than 2,000 regular-season games covering the CHL’s three Member Leagues and 60 markets across Canada and the United States. Fans can download the free CHL app via the App Store and Google Play.
