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OHL Flint Firebirds

Preview: Firebirds Head to Sarnia for Friday Night Tilt

November 5, 2015 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


The Flint Firebirds (5-8-0-1) travel to Sarnia Friday night for the club's first road contest at the RBC Centre this season. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. against the Sarnia Sting (9-5-1-0) and will begin a three-game weekend for the Firebirds.

Earlier this season, the Firebirds beat the Sarnia Sting 3-2 on an overtime goal scored by Flint's Will Bitten on a penalty shot at the Dort Federal Event Center.

Radio & TV Coverage

Fans unable to attend the game on Friday can listen live in Flint and Mid-Michigan on 1570 AM WWCK and worldwide online on the iHeartRadio App. Dominic Hennig will call the play-by-play action all season long on the Flint Firebirds Hockey Radio Network. Pregame coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Friday's game against the Sting will be televised live on Cogeco channel 6 in Sarnia and across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on Rogers channel 460. OHL fans with Rogers Cable 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 afternoon'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:

The Firebirds are lead up front in scoring by Will Bitten, who is eligible to be selected in the 2016 NHL Draft in June, with seven goals and nine assists for sixteen points in fourteen games played this season. OHL Defenseman of the Month Vili Saarijärvi (Detroit '15) has two goals and 14 assists in 14 games played and leads all OHL defenseman with 16 points.

Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (Carolina '14) has a 2-3 record with a .890 save percentage and a 3.63 goals against average. Rookie goaltender Kyle Keyser has a 1-2 record and a .916 save percentage including a 2.77 goals against average.

There are five players on the Flint Firebirds roster that are drafted in the National Hockey League. Alex Nedeljkovic and Josh Wesley were both selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2014 NHL Draft. In the same draft, the New Jersey Devils nabbed Connor Chatham while Alex Peters was chosen by the Dallas Stars. 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.

Sarnia:

The Sarnia Sting enter Friday night's game in second place in the Midwest Division and hold a 9-5-1-0 overall record to start the season.

Sting Forward Nikita Korostelev leads Sarnia with 14 points in 15 games. Korostelev has netted four goals and 10 assists this season for the Sting. Defenseman Jakob Chychrun leads Sarnia with a plus-10 rating in addition to 11 points in as many games played.

In net the Sting have Justin Fazio who boasts an 8-4-0-0 record with a .892 save percentage to go with a 2.82 goals against average. Backing up Fazio in net is rookie netminder Aiden Hughes with a 1-1-1-0 record, a .857 save percentage and a 3.20 GAA.

NHL Central Scouting has identified Sarnia Sting defenseman Jakob Chychurn as a player to watch in their pre-season watch list for the 2016 NHL Draft.

The Sarnia Sting saw eight players participate in NHL Training Camps this fall: Noah Bushnell (St. Louis), Hayden Hodgson (NY Rangers), Josh Jacobs (New Jersey), Nikita Korostelev (Toronto), Brandon Lindberg (NY Rangers), Connor Schlichting (Chicago), Kevin Spinozzi (Arizona Coyotes) and Pavel Zacha (New Jersey).

Special Teams

After last Saturday's game, the Firebirds' power-play is 17th out of 20 teams in the OHL converting at a 13.5% success-rate while scoring seven goals on 48 opportunities. On the penalty kill, the Firebirds are currently 14th in the OHL, operating at 77.8%. Flint has scored two shorthanded goals and has successfully killed 42 of 54 penalties this season. Flint is averaging the 12th fewest penalty minutes per game with a 12 PIM/GM average. The Sarnia Sting are the 7th least penalized team in the league with a 13.4 PIM/GM average heading into the game Friday evening.

Saarijärvi Tabbed as OHL Defenseman of the Month

Flint Firebirds 18 year-old blueliner Vili Saarijärvi was named the OHL Defenseman of the Month on Wednesday. The Detroit Red Wings prospect put together an outstanding first full month in the OHL, scoring two goals along with 9 assists for 11 points in 11 contests to go with a plus/minus rating of plus-9.

The Finnish rearguard registered points in seven of his 11 October appearances, scoring his first OHL goal as part of a two-goal effort against the Ottawa 67's on October 16th. Saarijärvi had three multi-point performances, including three assists against the Peterborough Petes on October 11th. Saarijärvi is currently tied for the lead in scoring among OHL defensemen with two goals, 14 assists and 16 points in 14 games.

Two Firebirds Selected to Play in CHL Canada Russia Series

The Ontario Hockey League in association with the Canadian Hockey League, the Owen Sound Attack and the Windsor Spitfires hockey clubs announced the Team OHL rosters for the 2015 CHL Canada Russia Series.

Flint's Will Bitten and Alex Peters (Dallas '14) were among the 36 players that will represent the OHL in the 2015 CHL Canada Russia Series. The two will suit up for Team OHL on Monday, November 16 at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario and the game will be televised nationally across Canada on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.

Next Home Game

After a Friday evening battle with the Sting at the RBC Centre in Sarnia, the Flint Firebirds will return to the Dort Federal Event Center for a pair of games this weekend. The Firebirds host the Guelph Storm on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. (ET) and the Oshawa Generals on Sunday, Nov. 8 and 5 p.m.

Saturday night against the Guelph Storm is Scout Night! Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in attendance will be recognized during both intermissions on the video board and will have a private meet and greet with the Firebirds after the game. The first 1,000 scouts will receive a special Flint Firebirds Scout Night patch. In addition, groups of 10 or more can get tickets for $10 each. Contact Flint Firebirds Director of Ticket Sales Shane Stout via email at shane@flintfirebirds.com or by phone at (810) 742-2004 for more information on Scout Night today.

Join us for Dort Federal Credit Union Family Night on Sunday. The Firebirds host the defending CHL Memorial Cup Champions Oshawa Generals at 5 p.m. and the first 2,000 fans in attendance will receive free thunderstix! There will be face painters, balloon twisters and a bounce house for the kids. Fans will also have the opportunity to skate with the Firebirds after the game.

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.

Try Hockey For Free Day

The Eastern Michigan Hockey Association (EMHA) is hosting a try hockey for free day at Iceland Arena on Saturday, November 7 from 12:30 to 1:30 PM. Try Hockey for Free is open to children ages 4 through 9 years old. Register online at www.tryhockeyforfree.com and the first 40 kids to register will receive a complimentary jersey and goodie bag. Limited equipment is available!

Help Name Our Mascot

The Flint Firebirds have launched a "Name the Mascot" contest to give Firebirds fans the opportunity to name the organization's official mascot. The winning fan will receive a complimentary replica jersey and the opportunity to have it autographed by the Flint Firebirds team. The contest runs through Friday, November 13 at 11:59 PM.

Season Tickets

Great season seat locations are still available! For more information, call the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office at (810) 744-0580 or email Grizz Houghten at grizz@flintfirebirds.com or Shane Stout at shane@flintfirebirds.com.

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.

Social Media

Stay connected with the Flint Firebirds 24-7-365. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Vine, YouTube, etc. Find all of the Firebirds social media handles online at www.flintfirebirds.com/socialmedia.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from November 5, 2015


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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