OHL Flint Firebirds

Preview: Firebirds Welcome Windsor to Flint for First Time Saturday

January 2, 2016 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


The Flint Firebirds (14-16-2-2, 5th West Division) welcome in the New Year by hosting West Division rivals, the Windsor Spitfires (21-10-5-0, 1st West Division), for the first time Saturday. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. (EST) at the Dort Federal Event Center.

The Firebirds are 1-1 against the Spitfires this season after falling 3-0 in the first contest on Oct. 29 (Highlights) and winning 4-3 in overtime in the most recent game on Dec. 3 at the WFCU Centre. (Highlights)

All Flint Firebirds home games in the month of January are "Food Drive" games where fans can bring in five cans of food and receive $5 off a silver ticket. Windsor is currently ranked first in the West Division and second in the Western Conference.

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.

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 on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.

Saturday's game against the Spitfires will be televised live in Windsor on channel 11 for Cogeco TV subscribers. In addition, the game will be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on cable channel 462. 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:

Four different Firebirds players recorded goals in the most recent contest against the Windsor Spitfires on Dec. 3. Former Spitfire and current Firebird Ryan Moore scored his 10th of the season that night with seven seconds remaining in the opening frame before Will Bitten and Culled Mercer also found twine. Mathieu Henderson was the hero, scoring the game-winning goal 35 seconds into overtime on a breakaway.

Will Bitten is currently on a four-game point streak and leads the Firebirds with 19 goals and 23 assists totaling 42 points in 34 games played this season. Bitten is also second in the OHL with a 24.7% shooting percentage. Connor Chatham (New Jersey '14) is second on the Firebirds with 28 points in 33 games played. Chatham has tallied a point in 12 of the last 16 games.

Firebirds goaltender Brent Moran recorded 52 saves on 55 shots against the Hamilton Bulldogs on Tuesday night. Moran holds a 3.17 GAA and a .893 save percentage this season including a 9-9-2-0 record in 23 games played. Former Spitfires goaltender Brenda Johston has appeared in three games with the Firebirds this season and has a 3.73 GAA including a .873 save percentage.

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.

Windsor:

Christian Fischer leads the Spitfires up front with 40 points (16 G, 24 A) in 34 games played this season, and has tallied three power play goals. Brandley Latour is second with 32 points in 36 games played.

In net, the Spitfires have Garret Hughson whol holds a 3.09 goals against average and a .895 save percentage while posting a 7-4-1-0 record this season. Rookie goaltender Michael DiPietro has a 9-3-1-0 while record including a 2.49 goals against average and a .917 save percentage.

NHL Central Scouting has identified Windsor Spitfires' Logan Brown, Mikhail Sergachev, Logan Stanley, Luke Kirwan and Cole Carter as players to watch for the upcoming 2016 NHL Draft in their November 2015 watch list.

The Windsor Spitfires saw nine players attend NHL training camps this fall: Jalen Chatfield (Detroit Red Wings), Cristiano DiGiacinto (Tampa Bay Lightning), Christian Fischer (Arizona Coyotes), Bradley Latour (Toronto Maple Leafs), Hayden McCool (Chicago Blackhawks), Patrick Sanvido (Dallas Stars) and Markus Soberg (Columbus Blue Jackets).

Special Teams

The Flint Firebirds power play ranks 18th out of 20 teams in the OHL converting at a 14.2% success-rate scoring 20 goals on 141 opportunities. On the penalty kill, the Firebirds are currently 13th in the OHL, operating at 78.7%. Flint has scored two shorthanded goals and has successfully killed 111 of 141 penalties this season. The Firebirds are recording the 11th least penalty minutes in the OHL with an average of 12.6 per game.

Windsor is 4th on the power play, scoring 21.7% of the time and is 12th on the penalty kill at 78.5%.

Next Home Game:

The Firebirds and Greyhounds will square off for the third time this season on Sunday at 5 p.m. for Dort Federal Credit Union Family Night. The first 2,000 fans in attendance will receive free Thunderstix. There will be activities for the kids, balloons, a bounce house and face painting along with a postgame skate with the team.

All Flint Firebirds home games in the month of January are "Food Drive" games where fans can bring in five cans of food and receive $5 off a silver ticket.

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 Records Three Assists for Finland in WJC Wednesday

The World Junior Championship (WJC) is a tournament held every year showcasing the best under-20 players in the world from the end of December to the beginning of January. On Wednesday night, the Detroit Red Wings draft pick and current Firebird recorded three assists for Finland against Slovakia in front of 12,723 fans at the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki. (Highlights)

Finland would win 8-3 on Wednesday night and finished the preliminary round in second place of Group B with a 3-1-0-0 record. The United States finished in second place of Group A, also with a 3-1-0-0 record while Canada was third place in Group A with a 1-2-1-0 record.

Finland will face Canada next in the quarterfinals on Saturday, Jan. 2 at 11 a.m. (EST) while the United States will play Czech Republic at 1 p.m. (EST). Both games will be televised nationally on Sportsnet in Canada and the NHL Network in the United States.

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.

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 January 2, 2016


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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