A rare Tuesday night affair at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre will see the Owen Sound Attack and Flint Firebirds square off for the final time in the 2016-17 season.
Getting underway at 7:00pm, the Attack and Firebirds will meet for the 4th and final time in a game that has huge playoff implications for both teams.
Currently sitting in 3rd place in the Western Conference, Owen Sound stands one point ahead of London with four games remaining in the regular season, while the Firebirds are fighting with the Kitchener Rangers for the 6th overall seed in the Conference.
Tuesday night's game presents the Attack with an opportunity to widen their lead on the Knights, who are also in action tomorrow evening.
A clash between London and Erie at the Erie Insurance arena could potentially leave Owen Sound three points ahead of London with only one weekend's worth of games left in the regular season.
But while there will be some scoreboard watching going on, the Attack will be focused on closing out the season series against the Firebirds.
In three head to head matchups with Flint on the year, Owen Sound holds a 2-1 record, including a 4-0 shutout in the most recent meeting which took place on Feb. 15.
Petrus Palmu, wo was recently named the Owen Sound Attack's Huron Tractor Player of the Week, leads Owen Sound in point scoring head to head against Flint this year with one goal and four assists in three games.
Cordell James, who centres Palmu's line, has two goals and two assists against the Firebirds over three games split between his time in Owen Sound and with Barrie.
Flint's Nicholas Caamano and Ryan Moore have been the Firebirds' go-to offensive players against Owen Sound this year. Both are producing at a point-per-game pace, with Caamano contributing two goals and one assist, while Moore has found the back of the net once and added two assists in the cause.
Tuesday night's affair marks the season series finale between the Attack and Firebirds, but it also marks Owen Sound's Talk Today Night, in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association of Grey Bruce and Teachers Life.
The CMHA of Grey Bruce will have a kiosk in the South Concourse during the game where fans can learn more about their work in the area, as well as participate in interactive Talk Today activities.
Talk Today is one of the most comprehensive mental health programs for amateur sports in Canada. It aims to promote the mental health of young athletes and to spread awareness about the benefits of positive mental health throughout communities across the country.
A key piece of the Talk Today program has been to educate players about mental health and suicide. Players on all 20 OHL teams have received mental health training specific to suicide awareness called safeTALK. This training helps teach individuals the importance of talking about mental health, how to acknowledge signs of suicide, seek help when they're in need of support, and connect others in need of support to suicide first aid resources.
Since its inception, Talk Today has made a sizable impact in the OHL with over 725 players, 204 billets, and more than 85 coaches and front office staff receiving mental health and suicide prevention training to date. The partnership has expanded to include a mental health awareness seminar as part of the OHL/OHF Under-15 Program of Excellence since April, 2015, and new this season includes partnerships with all 60 teams across the Canadian Hockey League.
Fans can purchase tickets for Tuesday night's game, as well as the 2017 Ontario Hockey League Playoffs by visiting the MacVicar & McComb ReMax Attack Box Office or by calling 519-371-7452.
For more information on the CMHA and Talk Today, please visit http://ontario.cmha.ca.
source: media release, Owen Sound Attack
