OHL Flint Firebirds

Preview: Firebirds to Face-Off against Rival, Saginaw in I-75 Divide Cup Wednesday Morning

Published on October 27, 2015 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Flint Firebirds Face-Off against Saginaw Spirit
Flint Firebirds Face-Off against Saginaw Spirit
(Flint Firebirds)

The Flint Firebirds (5-5-0-1) will hit the road for the third consecutive game as the club squares off against in-state rival, Saginaw Spirit (4-6-1-1) at the Dow Event Center Wednesday Morning. Puck drop is slated for 10:45 a.m. (ET) in the third battle of the I-75 Divide Cup this season.

The Flint Firebirds currently hold a 2-0 record against the Saginaw Spirit after posting back-to-back victories in the first two games of the season. The Firebirds shutout the Spirit, 3-0, in the season opener in Saginaw on Thursday, Sept. 24, before winning 3-2 in a shootout in Flint's home opener in front of a capacity crowd of more than 4,200 fans at the Dort Federal Event Center on Saturday, Sept. 26.

Radio & TV Coverage Fans unable to attend the game this weekend can listen live in Flint, Saginaw and the rest of Mid-Michigan on 1330 AM WTRX Sports Radio 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 10:15 a.m.

Wednesday's game against the Spirit will be televised live across the province of Ontario on Rogers channel 455 on the OHL Action Pak. 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 Wednesday morning'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 eleven games played this season. Bitten is currently 10^th overall in the OHL in scoring. Vili Saarijärvi (Detroit '15) has two goals and twelve assists in as many games played and leads all OHL defenseman in points. Connor Chatham (New Jersey '14) is third on the team in points, netting three goals and five assist for eight points in eleven games for the Firebirds this season.

Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (Carolina '14) has a 2-1 record with a .891 save percentage and a 3.67 goals against average. Rookie netminder Kyle Keyser has a 1-1 record and a .923 save percentage including a 2.66 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 chose Connor Chatham while Alex Peters was picked 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 , Dane Johnstone , Matyáš Kantner and Håkon Nilsen are eligible to be selected in the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo in June.

Saginaw:

The Saginaw Spirit enter the contest Wednesday morning with a (4-6-1-1) record and were the first team of the 2015-16 campaign to best the Western Conference leader, Erie Otters in regulation play this season.

Dylan Sadowy (San Jose '14) currently leads the Spirit in points with 17 (nine goals, eight assists) in twelve games played this season and is fourth overall in the OHL in points. Connor Brown (Toronto '12) is second on the team with 11 points in as many games played. Defenseman Markus Niemelainen is third on the Spirt in points and 10^th overall in points for OHL defenseman with nine in twelve games.

In net the Spirit have Evan Cormier who holds a 4-3-1-1 record with a save percentage of .891 and a 3.58 GAA. Also in net for the Spirit are David Ovsjannikov (save percentage of .838 and GAA of 5.50) and rookie Brenden Bonello (save percentage of .844 and GAA of 5.08).

The Saginaw Spirit 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), Pavel Zacha (New Jersey).

Special Teams The Firebirds' power-play is 14th out of 20 teams in the OHL converting at a 15.9% success-rate scoring seven goals on 44 opportunities. On the penalty-kill, the Firebirds are 11th out of the 20 teams in the league operating at 81.8%. Flint has scored two shorthanded goals and has successfully killed 36 of 44 penalties this season. Flint is averaging the 11^th fewest penalty minutes per game with a 12.9 PIM/GM average. The Saginaw Spirit are the 8^th least penalized team in the league with 13.5 PIM/GM average heading into the Wednesday morning tilt.

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 on Wednesday 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.

Flint Completes Trades with Soo & Sudbury Flint Firebirds General Manager Terry Christensen announced Wednesday that the club has completed trades with both the Sudbury Wolves and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds . Former Firebirds' goaltender Zack Bowman was traded to the Sudbury Wolves and Bryce Yetman was traded to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. The Firebirds roster is now comprised of 12 forwards, 8 defenseman and 2 goaltenders for a total of 22 players.

Next Home Game Spend your Halloween afternoon in a fun, safe and dry environment with the Flint Firebirds Hockey Club. The Firebirds return home to the Dort Federal Event Center on Saturday, October 31 for the only matinée game of the season. Puck drop is scheduled for 2 p.m. (ET) against the Owen Sound Attack and special Halloween festivities are slated for the contest.

In lieu of the pregame party, there will be several fun promotions on tap for the Flint Firebirds game vs. the Attack. Adults and kids are encouraged to dress up for the costume contest and on-ice costume parade in the first intermission, trick-or-treating throughout the arena, a Scooby Doo Bounce House and other fun promotions will take place during the duration of the game. Children (12 and under) that are wearing a costume will receive free admission to the game if accompanied by a paying adult. (Limited to one child ticket per adult)

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.

Successful "Pink Out" Game Friday, Sept. 16 was another one for the history books as the Flint Firebirds rallied for seven goals in the inaugural "Pink Out" game at the Dort Federal Event Center in front of more than 3,400 fans. Ottawa's five-game winning-streak was snapped after the Firebirds' 7-4 victory on home ice.

After the game, a custom painted "Pink Out" game mask worn by Firebirds goaltender' Alex Nedeljkovic and special game worn pink jerseys were auctioned off to raise money for the McLaren Foundation to raise awareness for the fight against breast cancer.

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 (mailto:grizz@flintfirebirds.com) or Shane Stout at shane@flintfirebirds.com (mailto:shane@flintfirebirds.com) .

Group Ticket Packages New group ticket packages are available for your needs. 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 (mailto: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

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Flint Firebirds Face-Off against Saginaw Spirit
Flint Firebirds Face-Off against Saginaw Spirit
   



Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 27, 2015


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