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OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Host Kitchener Rangers Tonight for 'Joe Kocur Night'

February 4, 2017 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Flint, Mich. - After posting two consecutive victories, the Flint Firebirds are home to face the Kitchener Rangers on Saturday night. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. at the newly renovated Dort Federal Event Center in Flint.

Game 49: Flint Firebirds (23-21-1-3) vs. Kitchener Rangers (27-19-2-2)

Date | Time Saturday, Feb. 4 | 7:00 p.m.

Location Flint, Mich. | Dort Federal Event Center (Directions )

Tickets Ticketmaster.com | (810) 744-0580

Promotions - Joe Kocur Night

TV - Rogers TV ch. 20 / 510 HD Live (Kitchener)

- OHL Action Pak: Rogers TV ch. 464 & Cogeco TV ch. 495 Live (Ontario)

Video Stream OHL Live

Radio WTRX 1330-AM (Flint & Mid-Michigan) | Pregame Show: 6:30p

Radio (Mobile) Sports Xtra 1330 App: Android | iPhone/iPad

Live Stats Here

Game Notes Here (Coming Soon)

Social Media @FlintFirebirds | Facebook | Instagram

The Firebirds and the Rangers split the first two meetings of the 2016-17 season at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. Kitchener recorded a 4-2 win in the first game of the season on Sept. 23 but Flint earned a 3-2 victory on the road to even the season series on Nov. 4. The final two games will be played at the Dort Federal Event Center tonight and on Mar. 11.

Flint won their previous game, 4-3, in overtime against the Guelph Storm on Friday night. The Firebirds hold a 14-8-1-0 record on home-ice this season and are currently on a two-game winning streak. The Rangers are 10-12-1-1 on the road this season and have lost their past six contests away from the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, dating back to Jan. 8. After allowing two goals last night while down-a-man, Flint's penalty kill now ranks 10th overall in the OHL, operating at 81.9%. Kitchener's power-play is fifth in the OHL at 21.6%. The Rangers lost their last game, 6-2, against the Windsor Spitfires last night and have dropped three games in a row. Kitchener has scored the fifth-most goals in the OHL with 185, while Flint is 13th with 155.

The Rangers sit two spots ahead of the Firebirds in sixth-place. Kitchener has 58 points in 50 games, while Flint has 50 points with two games in-hand.

Promotions:

Fans will be treated to a special guest appearance from Joe Kocur, a former enforcer with the Detroit Red Wings and a four-time Stanley Cup Champion.

Kocur, who was known for his physical play, was one of the most penalized and feared players in NHL history, amassing 2,519 penalty minutes over his career. He played with the Red Wings, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks.

Kocur will be in attendance for an autograph session on the arena concourse from 6-7:30 p.m. The autograph session is available to all fans with a suggested $5 donation to the Firebirds Charitable Foundation. 1,500 special Joe Kocur autograph cards will be handed out at the door starting at 6:00 PM courtesy of Commercial Graphics.

Single game tickets for the Flint Firebirds 2016-17 season are $12 for Bronze, $15 for Silver, $19 for Gold and $25 for VIP seating. All seats are reserved / assigned seating. Parking has been reduced to $5 dollars which is new this season. Fans can purchase tickets at the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office or online by clicking ticketmaster.com.

Players to Watch:

Flint Firebirds (23-21-1-3, 8th Western Conference):

Sherwood, Caamano and Moore are the three Firebirds to watch Saturday night. Sherwood is currently riding an 11-game point streak where he has racked-up 26 points (12G, 14A) in that time. He has 11 goals in his past seven contests and has 25 goals and 31 assists in 41 games thus far.

Moore has 21 points in the last 13 games and is seventh among all OHL skaters with 63 points this season. Moore has nine goals in the last 10 games and is currently in a tie for third most shorthanded goals scored in the OHL with three this season. Nicholas Caamano (Dallas Stars) has 13 points (8G, 5A) in the last 11 contests and has four goals in his past five games. Caamano is third on the Firebirds' roster with 23 goals and 23 assists in 48 games played.

Additionally, Jalen Smereck (Arizona Coyotes) collected an assist Friday night and has 32 points in 44 games thus far.

C.J. Clarke, Samuel Duchesne, Jake Durham, Fedor Gordeev and Jack Phibbs are five first-time eligible players to be selected in the NHL Draft in June 2017.

In net, Garrett Forrest is 8-10-1-1 and has a 3.39 GAA along with a .883 SAV% Forrest made 26 saves on 29 shots against the Storm on Friday. Connor Hicks is 14-9-0-2 and is statistically the ninth-best goaltender in the OHL with a 3.17 GAA and a .882 SAV%.

NHL: The Firebirds currently have two players that have signed contracts with NHL clubs. Forward Kole Sherwood signed a three-year NHL contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets (July 2015) and defenseman Jalen Smereck signed a three-year NHL contract with the Arizona Coyotes (October 2016). Flint's Nicholas Caamano was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the most recent NHL Draft in June 2016. Along with Caamano, Sherwood and Smereck, four more Flint Firebirds competed in NHL training camps this fall: Everett Clark (St. Louis Blues), Connor Hicks (Detroit Red Wings), Luke Kirwan (Detroit Red Wings) and Alex Peters (Carolina Hurricanes).

Kitchener Rangers (27-19-2-2, 6th Western Conference):

Adam Mascherin (Florida Panthers) is second among all OHL skaters in points and leads the Rangers in scoring with 78 points (30G, 48A) in 47 games played. Second on the team in scoring is Joseph Garreffa who has 16 goals and 27 assists in 50 games played thus far. Connor Bunnaman (Philadelphia Flyers) is third on the team with 26 goals and 12 assists in 46 games this journey. Rookie Greg Meireles is tied for second among all rookies in scoring with 12 goals and 20 assists in 47 games this season.

Five Rangers players are also ranked among the top North American skaters for the upcoming 2017 NHL Draft which takes place June 23-24 in Chicago. Greg Meireles (#39), Dylan Seitz (#100), Nicholas McHugh (#176), Joseph Garreffa (#191) and Elijah Roberts (#208) are ranked among North American skaters respectively.

Between-the-pipes, Luke Opilka (St. Louis Blues) is 9-11-1-1 and made all 12 saves in a relief appearance against the Windsor Spitfires Friday. Opilka has a 3.56 GAA and a .887 SAV%. Luke Richardson is 4-1-0-0 and started in the Rangers last game. Richardson made 15 saves on shots 21 on Friday and has a 3.82 GAA along with a .893 SAV%.

NHL: Five players on the Rangers' roster have been drafted by NHL teams consisting of Connor Hall (Pittsburg Penguins), Adam Mascherin (Florida Panthers), Luke Opilka (St. Louis Blues) and Connor Bunnaman (Philadelphia Flyers).

22 notable Kitchener Rangers alumni to play in the NHL are Mikkel Boedker, Robert Bortuzzo, Shawn Burr, Gregory Campbell, Paul Coffey, Boyd Devereaux, Steve Downie, Matt Halischuk, Nazem Kadri, Jakub Kindl, Gabriel Landeskog, Al MacInnis, Steve Mason, John Moore, Jeremy Morin, Derek Roy, Jeff Skinner, Nick Spaling, Scott Stevens, Yannick Weber and Jason York.

Broadcast Coverage:

Saturday evening's contest against the Rangers can be heard live on 1330 AM WTRX Sports Radio in Flint & Mid-Michigan and around the world online on the Sports Xtra 1330 Radio app here. Pregame coverage will begin 30 minutes prior to puck drop at 6:30 p.m. Additionally, the game will be televised live in Kitchener on channel 20/510 (HD) for Rogers TV cable subscribers and throughout the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 464 for Rogers TV subscribers and 495 for Cogeco TV cable subscribers. Fans can also watch the game live online at www.ohllive.com or on the OHL Live App.

Next Home Game:

The Flint Firebirds return home to the Dort Federal Event Center Wednesday, Feb. 8 to host the London Knights. Saturday's game against the Rangers is the fourth of five "College Night's" this season, featuring $2 beers and $2 hot dogs for all fans in attendance and $2 off tickets for student's with valid college I.D.

Single game tickets for the Flint Firebirds 2016-17 season are $12 for Bronze, $15 for Silver, $19 for Gold and $25 for VIP seating. All seats are reserved / assigned seating. Parking has been reduced to $5 dollars which is new this season. Fans can purchase tickets at the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office or online by clicking ticketmaster.com.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 4, 2017


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