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Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Conclude Road Swing Monday with 'Family Day' Matinee in Mississauga

February 19, 2018 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Mississauga, Ont. - While the United States is celebrating President's Day, many parts of Canada, including the province of Ontario, are celebrating Family Day. The Firebirds visit the Mississauga Steelheads for a matinee contest Monday afternoon. The puck is set to drop at 2 p.m. (ET) inside the Hershey Centre (capacity 5,612).

Flint Firebirds (16-35-3-2) at Mississauga Steelheads (24-28-1-2)

Date | Time Monday, Feb. 19 | 2:00 p.m.

Location Mississauga, Ont. | Hershey Centre (capacity 5,612)

Tickets Online | (905) 502-9100

TV - OHL Action Pak: Rogers TV 432 & Cogeco TV 473 Live (Ontario)

Video Stream OHL Live

Radio WQUS 103.1 FM (Flint & Mid-Michigan) | Pregame Show: 1:30p

Radio (Mobile) US 103 App: Android | iPhone/iPad

Next Home Game Friday, Feb. 23: (EMS Appreciation Night)

Social Media @FlintFirebirds | Facebook | Instagram

Flint won the only previous meeting against the Steelheads this season on Oct. 14 at the Dort Federal Event Center. That night Maurizio Colella, Max Kislinger, Ty Dellandrea and Hunter Holmes all lit the lamp en route to a 5 - 3 victory in front of more than 3,400 fans. Fedor Gordeev picked up two assists and earned 'First-Star' honors. Jake Durham recorded three assists and was named 'Third-Star.' Garrett Forrest shined in net, making 34 saves on 37 shots.

Monday marks the second and final battle between the two clubs this season. In their three years with the OHL, the Firebirds have three wins in five meetings with the Steelheads. Mississauga enters this afternoon's game with four wins in their past 10 games. Flint has picked up points in four of their past 10 contests, including three victories.

The Steelheads enter the contest with a season record of 24-28-1-2, sitting fourth in the Central Division. Flint stands fifth in the West Division with a 16-35-3-2 record. Flint has a road record of 4-20-2-2 this season and Mississauga holds a home record of 17-9-0-1. Yesterday, the Firebirds were blanked 7 - 0 by Michael DiPietro (Vancouver Canucks) and the Windsor Spitfires. The Steelheads fell 4 - 3 in overtime at North Bay on Sunday.

On special teams, the Steelheads have the fifth-ranked power play in the league, converting at a rate of 23.8%, which is OHL's best on home-ice. On the penalty kill, they rank 11th-best at 79.4% and are second-best in the league while on home-ice. Flint converts on 17.9% of their chances with the man-advantage, ranking 15th in the OHL. Their penalty kill has found success 75.8% of the time.

Players to Watch

Flint Firebirds (16-35-3-2, 5th West Division):

Maurizio Colella continues to lead all Firebirds on the scoresheet, earning 51 points in 55 games. His 32 assists are the most by any Flint player this season. Colella has 17 multi-point games this season. Ty Dellandrea ranks second on the 'Birds roster with 48 points in 55 games. He leads the squad in goals with 22. Connor Roberts ranks third on the team with 15 goals and 14 helpers for 29 points this season.

C.J. Clarke has been the hottest goal-scorer for Flint of late, lighting the lamp in five of the last six games. He now has 14 goals and 10 assists for 24 points in 54 games played. Clarke is a native of Mississauga, Ontario. Riley McCourt carries momentum as well, earning a four-game point streak prior to Sunday's tilt. His two assists Saturday night against Saginaw earned him 'Third-Star' honors. For the season, McCourt leads all rookies on the Firebirds' roster with 20 points in 44 games.

Defensively, Flint is led by pair of veterans with NHL ties. The Firebirds' Captain and Detroit, Mich. native Jalen Smereck (Arizona Coyotes) leads all defensemen on the squad with 26 points in just 34 games played. Fedor Gordeev (Toronto Maple Leafs) has 21 points on the season, and leads all OHL players with 98 penalty minutes.

Between-the-pipes, Garrett Forrest has played in 40 games this season. He has a 4.64 goals-against average (GAA) and a .877 save percentage (SAV%). Forrest has backstopped Flint to 11 of 16 wins in net. Rookie goaltender Luke Cavallin has appeared in 22 games this season. He has a 3.94 GAA and a .877 SAV%. Cavallin has five wins in his young OHL career.

NHL: The Firebirds have two players with NHL ties consisting of Jalen Smereck (Arizona Coyotes) and Fedor Gordeev (Toronto Maple Leafs). Additionally, Dennis Busby, Ty Dellandrea, Hunter Holmes, Ryan Littlejohn, Riley McCourt, Connor Roberts and Jack Wismer are seven first-time eligible players to be selected in the NHL Entry Draft in June 2018.

Mississauga Steelheads (24-28-1-2, 4th Central Division):

The Steelheads are led by Nicolas Hague, who has 28 goals and 32 assists for 60 points in 54 games played this season. He has earned 20 multi-point games this season, along with the OHL's fifth-most penalty minutes with 89. Ryan McLeod ranks second on the Mississauga squad with 18 goals and 37 assists for 55 points in 55 games. McLeod was a first-round draft pick by Flint in the 2015 OHL Draft before the Firebirds traded him to Mississauga in September of 2015. Albert Michnac, the native of Prague, Czech Republic, is third in scoring for the Steelheads with 54 points in 46 games played this season. This season, Michnac ranks fifth in the OHL for first-goals (of the game).

In net, Jacob Ingham has appeared in 37 games. His has a 3.79 goals-against average (GAA) and a .878 save percentage (SAV%). Ingham has backstopped the Fish to 13 of 24 wins this season. Emanuel Villa has appeared in 23 games this season and posted a 3.41 GAA with a .889 SAV%. Last night, Villa made 31 saves on 35 shots in the Steelheads' 4 - 3 overtime loss in North Bay.

NHL: Mississauga has four players with NHL ties, including two forwards selected in the first round; Michael McLeod (New Jersey Devils, 2016 1st round) and Owen Tippett (Florida Panthers, 2017 1st round). The two defensemen with NHL ties are Jacob Moverare (Los Angeles Kings) and Nicolas Hague (Vegas Golden Knights). Additionally, Ryan McLeod, Albert Michnac, and netminder Jacob Ingham were listed in NHL Central Scouting's Midterm Rankings for the 2018 NHL Draft in June.

Mississauga alumni to play in the NHL include Trevor Carrick, Dylan DeMelo, Spencer Martin, Stuart Percy, Alexander Nylander, and Owen Tippett. Former Flint Firebirds' defenseman Vili Saarijarvi has spent time with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) and Toledo Walleye (ECHL) since completing his OHL career with the Steelheads. Saarijarvi was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings organization in the third round of the 2015 NHL Draft, when he was a member of the Firebirds.

Broadcast Coverage:

Monday afternoon's contest against the Mississauga Steelheads 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 Flint Firebirds Hockey Radio Network. Pregame coverage will begin 30 minutes prior to puck drop at 1:30 p.m.

Monday's game against the Steelheads will also be televised live province-wide throughout Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 432 for Rogers TV cable subscribers and channel 473 for 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 Sunday's game, 65 of the Firebirds' 68 games throughout the 2017-18 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 2017-18 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 mid-season pricing is $6.99 per game, $49.99 for Flint Firebirds away games only, $99.99 for all remaining home and away Firebirds games and $149.99 for all OHL games throughout the remainder of the 2017-18 season.

Next Home Game:

The Firebirds return to the friendly confines of the Dort Federal Event Center for back-to-back home games this Friday and Saturday. Friday's game against the Sarnia Sting is EMS Appreciation Night. Both home games this weekend are the final two of February's HAP "Boots for Kids" donation drive. Fans who donate a new pair of boots to the Firebirds' Merchandise Store will receive a complimentary sponsored silver level ticket.

Single game tickets for all Firebirds games are $12 / Bronze, $16 / Silver, $20 / Gold and $26 / VIP seating (Seating Chart). All seats are reserved / assigned seating. Fans can purchase tickets by calling (810) 744-0580, in-person at the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office or online at ticketmaster.com.

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