OHL Saginaw Spirit

Preview: Coors Lights I-75 Divide Cup Comes Down to Final Game

Published on March 2, 2016 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


SAGINAW, MI - On Wednesday night, the Saginaw Spirit (23-31-3-3 52 points, 8th Western Conference) battle their bitter rivals to the south, the Flint Firebirds (18-35-4-2 42 points, 9th Western Conference) in the final installment of the Coors Light I-75 Divide Cup Rivalry Series. The puck drops at 7:00 p.m. at The Dort Federal Event Center in Flint, Michigan.

The Spirit and the Firebirds will meet for the eighth and final time this season Wednesday night, with the Firebirds holding a 4-3 lead in the season series. What makes this a winner-take-all scenario is the tie-breaker that both teams agreed upon before the beginning of the season was Goals For. With both teams scoring 24 goals apiece through the first seven games, that makes the winner Wednesday night, the winner of the Coors Light I-75 Divide Cup. Flint, by way of wins. Saginaw, by way of tie-breaker.

Wednesday's game also means a lot to the Western Conference playoff picture, as the Spirit continue to try and distance themselves from the ninth-placed Firebirds. The Spirit currently own a 10-point lead over the Firebirds, with Flint having one game in-hand. A win from the Spirit would essentially be a four-point swing, making Flint's chances of catching Saginaw much more difficult.

"Rivalries in sports are everything," said Spirit President and Managing Partner Craig Goslin.

"It's the Michigan-Ohio State's, the London-Kitchener's. That is the kind of rivalry we are building here. It's the passion that builds within the fans bases of, "I want to beat that team" and that's what we have going here with the Saginaw Spirit and the Flint Firebirds. It is just going to grow from here."

After nearly 40 years of battling tooth and nail on the ice, Wednesday will be the first time that hockey teams in Flint and Saginaw have played each other for a trophy in the regular season or playoffs. The winner will be forever enshrined on the Coors Light I-75 Divide Cup and begin the legacy of the Saginaw Spirit versus the Flint Firebirds in the Ontario Hockey League.

Broadcast Information:

Spirit fans can catch radio broadcasts on WSGW 100.5 FM, www.fmtalk1005.com , and the FM Talk 100.5 App in the App Store or Google Play with the voices of Spirit Hockey, Joey Battaino and Dennis Desrosiers. For a full TV Broadcast schedule, Click Here. Wednesday's broadcast begins at 6:45 p.m.

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics

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