OHL Flint Firebirds

Preview: Firebirds & Windsor Spitfires Set to Clash Saturday

Published on February 27, 2016 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Flint Firebirds vs. the Windsor Spitfires
Flint Firebirds vs. the Windsor Spitfires
(Flint Firebirds, Credit: Rena Laverty / Flint Firebirds Hockey Club)

The Firebirds continue their weekend homestand Saturday night when Flint hosts the Spitfires for the third and final regular season home game against Windsor this campaign . Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. (EST) at the Dort Federal Event Center.

The Spitfires (34-18-6-0, 2nd West Division) hold a 4-1 series lead through five games against the Firebirds (18-34-4-2, 5th West Division) this season. In the most recent game between the two clubs, Windsor pulled out a 3-2 victory on Jan. 23 at the Dort Federal Event Center. Flint earned a 4-3 victory on the road in Windsor on Thursday, Dec. 3. Mathieu Henderson, who is currently on a two-game goal streak, scored the game-winning goal that night in overtime on a breakaway.

Windsor is currently on a three-game winning streak and has held their opponent to two or less goals and fewer than 20 shots in each of their last three wins.

Saturday is United Way and the United Automobile Workers (UAW) Night. Prior to the Firebirds' game, members from the United Way and the UAW will square off on the ice for a friendly match. Then, during the Firebirds' game, there will be a silent auction for both the UAW and United Way team jerseys to raise money for the United Way, which is the leadership and support organization for a network of nearly 1,800 community-based United Ways in 45 countries and territories.

Single game tickets are $12/Bronze, $15/Silver, $19/Gold and $25/VIP and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com or by visiting or calling the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office Monday thru Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at (810) 744-0580. Saturday and Sunday game day box office hours begin at 10 a.m.

Radio & TV Coverage

? Fans unable to attend Saturday's game can listen live in Flint and Mid-Michigan on 1330 AM WTRX Sports Radio and around the world online on the iHeartRadio app . 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 7:00 p.m.

Saturday's game against the Spitfires will be televised live in Windsor on Cogeco TV channel 10 and across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on cable channel 458. 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 Saturday's game, 64 of the Firebirds' 68 games throughout the 2015-16 season are also scheduled to be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pack.

All Flint Firebirds home and away games throughout the 2015-16 season can be watched anywhere in the world online on OHL Live and 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 cost is $6.99 per game, $69.99 for Flint Firebirds away games only, $179.99 for all 68 home and away Firebirds games and $279.99 for all 1,360 OHL games throughout the 2015-16 season.

Players to Watch:

Flint:

Both Zach Grzelewski and Mathieu Henderson have recorded three points in the last two games. After scoring the game-winning goal for the Firebirds Wednesday night, Henderson earned Flint their first tally of the game Friday. Henderson is fourth on the team in points and second among Flint's defenseman with 34 points in 49 games this season.

Ryan Moore has tallied 10 points in the 11 games in the month of February. Moore has six goals in those 11 games and is second on the team for points with 39 points in 58 games this season.

Will Bitten leads the Firebirds with 55 points in 57 games and has tallied six points in the last nine games. Bitten has earned multi-point nights 13 times in this campaign and is considered a top prospect heading into the NHL Draft this June.

Defenseman Vili Saarijärvi (Detroit '15) is third on the team with 11 goals and 34 points in 49 games this season. He is currently ranked 15th among all the defenseman in the OHL in points.

In net, Flint's rookie netminder Kyle Keyser has a 3.58 GAA and a .896 SAV%. Although Keyser tallied a loss Friday night, he produced 23 saves on 27 attempts and has a 3-6-0-0 record while playing in 10 games this season.

Brent Moran (Dallas '14) holds a 3.62 goals against average (GAA) and a .888 save percentage (SAV%). Moran has a 12-22-4-0 record in his 4th campaign in the OHL. Matthew Menna has a 4.57 GAA and a .866 SAV%.

In addition, Will Bitten, Nicholas Caamano , Jacob Collins , Dane Johnstone , Matyáš Kantner , Luke Kirwan , Håkon Nilsen and Keenan Reynolds are eligible to be selected in the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo in June.

Windsor:

Christian Fischer (Arizona '15) is currently on a three-game pointstreak and is tied for 12th in the OHL in points. Fischer leads the Spitfires with 29 goals and 44 assists totaling 73 points in his 56 games played this season. Logan Brown has three-straight multi-point games and is second in points for the Spitfires with 13 goals, 44 assists and 57 points in 49 games.

Brendan Lemieux (Buffalo '14) has earned at least one point in the previous four games and is third in points for the Spitfires with 54 points, 31 goals and 23 assists in 38 games. Aaron Luchuk has 48 points in 58 games and Christiano DiGiacinto (Tampa Bay '14) has 40 points in 53 games.

Michael DiPietro holds a 14-8-1 record in 23 games played between the pipes for the Spitfires this season. DiPietro has a 2.38 GAA and a .916 SV%. Garret Hughson has a 7-4-1 record in 12 games with the Spitfires and has a 3.09 GAA and a .895 SV%.

Along with Windsor's Mikhail Sergachev, Logan Brown and Logan Stanley being ranked in the top 25 players of the NHL Central Scouting's Midterm Rankings for the 2016 NHL Draft, the Spitfires have seven other players already drafted in the NHL consisting of Connor Chatham (New Jersey), Cristiano DiGiacinto (Tampa Bay), Christian Fischer (Arizona), Brendan Lemieux (Buffalo), Hayden McCool (Chicago) Bradley Latour (Toronto) and Patrick Sanvido (Dallas).

Special Teams:

? The Firebirds are 20th in the league on the man-advantage. Flint's power play is converting at a 12.9% success-rate , scoring 30 goals on 233 opportunities. On the penalty kill, the Firebirds are 17th in the OHL, currently operating at 76.7% . Flint has scored two shorthanded goals and has successfully killed 178 of 232 penalties this season. The Firebirds are at the middle of the pack with the 10th least minutes in the OHL recording an average of 12.1 minutes per game.

Windsor's power play is ranked 4th in the OHL, scoring 22.7% of the time and is 12th on the penalty kill at 81.0%. The Spitfires are near the middle of the pack with the 9th least minutes in the OHL recording an average of 12.5 minutes per game.

Next Home Game: If there is one game you do not want to miss as a Flint Firebirds fan, it's this Wednesday, March 2nd. One of the two rivals will skate away as the inaugural champion of the Coors Light I-75 Divide Cup Wednesday night. The Firebirds hold a 4-3 lead in the eight-game series and will host the Saginaw Spirit for the final time of the season. The Coors Light I-75 Divide Cup tiebreaker is the ratio of goals for and against. After seven games this season, each team has scored 24 goals against the other making Wednesday night that much more interesting.

To top it all off, Wednesday's game against the Firebirds' rival is also "college night." Featuring $2 beers and $2 hot dogs for all fans in attendance, it's a game that you do not want to miss. Additionally, all college students will receive $2 off their tickets with valid ID.

The NHL Central Scouting's Midterm list which ranks North American skaters eligible for the 2016 NHL Draft this June in Buffalo, NY has identified Saginaw's Markus Niemelainen as #46-ranked player for the draft, Keaton Middleton #55 and Tye Felhaber #139.

Along with Saginaw's Mitchell Stephens being drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning, three other players attended NHL training camps this fall including Artem Artemov (New York Rangers), Marcus Crawford (Ottawa) and Chase Stewart (Arizona).

Single game tickets are $12/Bronze, $15/Silver, $19/Gold and $25/VIP and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com or by visiting or calling the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office Monday thru Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at (810) 744-0580. Saturday and Sunday game day box office hours begin at 10 a.m.

Firebirds Listed in NHL Draft Rankings Three Flint Firebirds players are listed on the NHL Central Scouting's Midterm list which ranks North American skaters eligible for the 2016 NHL Draft this June in Buffalo, NY.Flint's Will Bitten is ranked #42 among North American skaters. Nicholas Caamano is listed #148 and Luke Kirwan is the third current Firebirds player at #166. (Read More )

Firebirds Raise Over $50,000 For Non-Profit Organizations Since the Firebirds first major event in Flint, Michigan on February 20^th (Detroit Red Wings & Flint Generals Alumni Event), Flint's newest hockey team, in just their first year in the region has raised over $50,000 for various non-profit organizations in Genesee County. (Read More )

Flint Firebirds Dressing Room & Facilities Home of the Flint Firebirds, the Dort Federal Event Center received a multi-million dollar renovation in the summer of 2015 that provides the club a first class dressing room, facilities and other amenities to help the players and staff maximize their careers and goals to advance to the National Hockey League. Click here to see a photo album of the Flint Firebirds dressing room and facilities.

Group Ticket Packages

Whether you're entertaining corporate clients, celebrating a special occasion, having a fun night out with the family and friends or rewarding employees...we have a fun, easy and affordable plan for you . It's more than a ticket, it's an experience! Contact the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office at (810) 744-0580 for more information today

Flint Firebirds Hockey Radio Coach's Show

Join the Voice of the Firebirds Dominic Hennig from 6-7 p.m. every Tuesday night on 1330 WTRX Sports Radio and around the world online on the iHeartRadio App here . Hennig will recap the previous week of events, preview the upcoming games on the ice and take your phone calls, emails and tweets! Tune in each Tuesday from 6-7 p.m. on 1330 AM WTRX Sports Radio.

Firebirds Gear

Stop by the Flint Firebirds Merchandise Store at the Dort Federal Event Center, Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. to stock up on the best Firebirds' gear around. Jerseys, shirts, hats, hoodies, game pucks, mouse pads and other accessories and collectables are available at the Flint Firebirds Merchandise Store.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics

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Images from this story

Flint Firebirds vs. the Windsor Spitfires
Flint Firebirds vs. the Windsor Spitfires
(Rena Laverty / Flint Firebirds Hockey Club)		   



Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 27, 2016


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