OHL Flint Firebirds

Preview: Firebirds Conclude Four-Game Road Swing in Hamilton Saturday

December 19, 2015 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


FirstOntario Centre, Home of the Hamilton Bulldogs
FirstOntario Centre, Home of the Hamilton Bulldogs
(Brantford Bulldogs)

The Flint Firebirds (14-15-1-2, 4th West Division) face the Hamilton Bulldogs (12-17-3-0, 5th East Division) in the first ever meeting between the two clubs Saturday night. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. (EST) at the FirstOntario Centre (capacity: 17,383).

Saturday night will be a battle between two teams playing in their inaugural season in the Ontario Hockey League. After 35 OHL seasons in Belleville, the Bulls relocated to Hamilton in the summer of 2015. The city of Hamilton was the home of the Hamilton Bulldogs American Hockey League (AHL) franchise for 19 years.

Radio & TV Coverage

Fans unable to attend the game Saturday can listen live in Flint and Mid-Michigan on 1570 AM and online on the 1330 AM WTRX Sports Radio app in addition to the iHeartRadio App. Dominic Hennig will call the play-by-play action on the Flint Firebirds Hockey Radio Network with pregame coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday's game against the Bulldogs will be televised live in Hamilton on channel 14 for Cogeco TV, Rogers TV and Source Cable TV subscribers. In addition, the game will be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on cable channel 436. 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:

Nicholas Caamano has recorded two goals in each of the last two games and will play in Hamilton Saturday, which is the closest OHL city to his hometown, Ancaster, Ont. Will Bitten leads the Firebirds with 18 goals and 22 assists totaling 40 points in 32 games played this season. Connor Chatham (New Jersey '14) had a goal and an assist Friday night against the Generals and is second on the Firebirds with 27 points in 31 games this season. Chatham has tallied a point in 11 of the last 14 games.

Goaltender Brandon Johnston recorded his first victory in a Flint Firebirds uniform Friday night. Johnston made 27 saves on 28 shots against Oshawa and has a 3.54 GAA and a .898 save percentage. Brent Moran (Dallas '14) holds a 3.19 goals against average (GAA) and a .888 save percentage (SV%). Moran was also a member of the Canada U18 team that participated in the 2014 IIHF World Hockey Championship in Finland.

There are four players on the Flint Firebirds roster that are drafted in the National Hockey League. Firebirds captain Alex Peters and goaltender Brent Moran were both selected by the Dallas Stars in the 2014 NHL Draft. In the same draft, the New Jersey Devils nabbed Connor Chatham in the third round. Most recently, Vili Saarijärvi was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings this past June in the 2015 NHL Draft.

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

Hamilton:

Stephen Harper leads the Bulldogs with 17 goals and 20 assists for 37 points in 32 games this season. Mason Marchment has eight goals and 18 assists totaling 26 points in 28 games.

In net the Bulldogs have starting goaltender Charlie Graham who holds a .889 save percentage and a 3.54 goals against average including a record of 9-12-3-0 this season. Graham stopped 47 of 48 shots Friday night in a 4-1 win over the Kingston Frontenacs. Backup netminder, Connor Hicks has a .869 save percentage and a 4.23 GAA in nine games played.

NHL Central Scouting has identified Hamilton Bulldogs' Cole Candella (Defenseman), Trent Fox (Center), Benjamin Gleason (Defenseman), Ondrej Kachyna (Defenseman) and Brandon Saigeon (Center) as players to watch for the upcoming 2016 NHL Draft in their November 2015 watch list.

The Hamilton Bulldogs saw three current players attend NHL training camps this fall: Trent Fox (St. Louis Blues), Stephen Harper (San Jose Sharks) and Justin Lemcke (Detroit Red Wings).

Special Teams

The Flint Firebirds power play ranks 17th out of 20 teams in the OHL converting at a 14.9% success-rate scoring 20 goals on 134 opportunities. On the penalty kill, the Firebirds are currently 14th in the OHL, operating at 78.2%. Flint has scored two shorthanded goals and has successfully killed 104 of 133 penalties this season. The Firebirds are recording the 8th least penalty minutes in the OHL with an average of 12.3 per game.

Hamilton is 10th on the power play, scoring 19.4% of the time and is 16th on the penalty kill at 78%.

Next Home Game: College Night

Featuring $2 beers and $2 hot dogs, every home Firebirds game Monday through Thursday is college night! The Firebirds host the Hamilton Bulldogs on Tuesday, December 29th in the final home game of the 2015 calendar year at 7 p.m. All college students with valid I.D. receive $2 off their admission on college nights!

Tickets are $12 for bronze, $15 for silver and $19 for corporate/gold seating and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com, by visiting the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. or by phone at (810) 744-0580.

Saarijärvi Named to Finnish National Team WJC Selection Camp Roster

Firebirds' defenseman Vili Saarijärvi is among the 27 players that have been selected to Team Finland's World Junior selection camp roster for the 2016 World Junior Championship to be held in Helsinki, Finland from December 26th to January 5th.

The IIHF Ice Hockey World Junior Championships (WJC), commonly known simply as the World Juniors, is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for national under-20 ice hockey teams from around the world. It is traditionally held in late December, ending in the first week of January.

The main tournament features the top ten ranked hockey nations in the world, comprising the 'Top Division', from which a world champion is crowned. Canada is the defending champion of the tournament, after having beaten Russia to win the 2015 edition on January 5th.

Firebirds Give Back Throughout Holiday Season

The Flint Firebirds commitment to making an impact on the Flint and Genesee County Community is in full swing this holiday season. The Firebirds are partnering with numerous non-profit organizations to give back to the community that has showed great support for the club in its inaugural season in the OHL. Click here for more information.

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 Shane Stout to book your group outing today: (810) 742-2004 or via email at shane@flintfirebirds.com.

Flint Firebirds Hockey Radio Coach's Show

Join the Voice of the Firebirds Dominic Hennig and Head Coach John Gruden from 6-7 p.m. every Tuesday night on 1330 WTRX Sports Radio and around the world online on the iHeartRadio App here. Hennig and Gruden 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




Images from this story

FirstOntario Centre, Home of the Hamilton Bulldogs
FirstOntario Centre, Home of the Hamilton Bulldogs
   



Ontario Hockey League Stories from December 19, 2015


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