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OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Host Spirit in Game 4 of I-75 Divide Cup

November 22, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


FLINT, Mich. - The Firebirds have won three of their last four games and have points in seven of the last ten. On Wednesday night the Saginaw Spirit come to town. Saginaw is riding a seven-game winning streak, and sits just one point ahead of the Birds in the West Division standings. Flint needs a win to even the best-of-eight I-75 Divide Cup, presented by Coors Light. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Dort Financial Center on Coats for Kids Night.

LAST TIME OUT: Zacharie Giroux and Gavin Hayes each scored twice and Hayes finished with a season-high four points in his 150th OHL game as the Firebirds cruised to a 5-1 win on Sunday in Sarnia. Giroux finished with three points (2 G, 1 A) for his first three-point game of the year. Simon Slavicek extended the OHL's second-longest active point streak to ten games and Day made 23 saves on 24 shots to backstop the Birds to their second win over the Sting in as many meetings.

I-75 DIVIDE CUP HISTORY: The Birds and the Spirit have met three times this season and the home team has won every time. Flint's lone victory came at the Dort Financial Center on October 29 by a 5-3 final. Saginaw won both contests at the Dow Event Center, first by a narrow margin in a 2-1 thriller and then with a 6-2 statement win on November 8.

Zayne Parekh leads the Spirit in scoring versus the Firebirds this year with four goals across three meetings, and Matyas Sapovaliv has five total points (1 G, 4 A). Braeden Kressler (2 G, 1 A) and Hayes (2 G, 2 A) lead the way for Flint. The Birds' all-time mark versus the Spirit stands at 27-34-1-3 with a 13-15-1-3 record on home ice in the series.

Since its introduction in the Firebirds' inaugural season (2015-16) in the OHL, the I-75 Divide Cup has spent four of seven seasons in the Spirit's possession. Flint most recently claimed the Cup at the conclusion of the 2021-22 campaign following three consecutive series wins by Saginaw.

NEW RIVAL FACES: Saginaw has an automatic bid into the Memorial Cup as the host team/city. With that in mind, they've made several trades since the last time they played the Firebirds. They've welcomed in Alex Christopoulos and Rodwin Dionicio from Windsor and Luca Del Bel Belluz from the Sting while saying goodbye to Luke McNamara, Roberto Mancini, and Valentin Zhugin. Several future draft picks also changed hands.

SCOUTING THE SPIRIT: (11-7-0-1, 2nd West Division) -

Two of Saginaw's forwards and two defensemen are tied with 23 points apiece. Misa tops the club in scoring with ten goals plus has 13 assists. Hunter Haight and defenseman Zayne Parekh have each scored seven times and added 16 helpers. Newly acquired defender Rodwin Dionicio has six tallies along with 17 assists.

Backstopping the Spirit are Andrew Oke and Nolan Lalonde. Oke has appeared in 12 games and has eight wins. His goals-against average is 2.56 and his save percentage sits at .909. Lalonde, a Columbus Blue Jackets prospect, has three victories across 13 appearances and rides a 4.05 GAA with an .852 SV%.

Saginaw remains lethal on special teams. Their power play ranks second in the league, scoring at a 28.8% clip. Their penalty kill is shutting down the opposition at the league's best rate of 88.6%.

SCOUTING THE FIREBIRDS: (10-9-1-1, 3rd West Division) -

Hayes, the Chicago Blackhawks prospect, and Giroux top the three-way race for the scoring lead for Flint. Hayes has a team-high 14 goals plus ten assists while Giroux has ten goals and leads the team with 14 helpers. Braeden Kressler, the Toronto Maple Leafs prospect on the club, trails them by one point with 23 on 10 goals and 13 assists.

Between the pipes, Edmonton Oilers prospect Nathan Day has eight wins through 17 appearances. His goals-against average continues to improve and is now 3.93 while his save percentage sits at .867. Rookie Jacob Brown has two wins in six appearances and his GAA sits at 4.32 with an .855 SV%.

The Birds rank 18th on the power play with a 13.1% success rate. The penalty kill continues to get better each night, now at the league's eighth-best rate of 81.1%.

BROADCAST COVERAGE: This evening's game against the Saginaw Spirit 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. Brian Gardner will call the play-by-play action on the Firebirds Hockey Network starting with the pre-game show at 6:45 p.m.

All of the Flint Firebirds home and away games throughout the 2023-24 season can be watched anywhere in the world online at https://watch.chl.ca/ohl.

PROMOTIONS: Wednesday evening's contest is Flint's annual Coats for Kids Night, sponsored by ABC12. Fans can receive a FREE ticket to the game with the donation of any new/unused coat to benefit the Salvation Army.

COMING UP: The Firebirds play back-to-back home tilts this weekend, hosting the Niagara IceDogs for a 7 p.m. contest Saturday before the OHL's first-ranked Kitchener Rangers come to town for a 4 p.m. matinee contest. Tickets for both games are available now from ETIX.COM.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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