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OHL Flint Firebirds

Preview: Flint Looks to Secure Second Victory vs. Erie

February 18, 2016 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


The Flint Firebirds begin a "three-in-three" Thursday night when Flint (16-31-4-2, 5th West Division) hosts the #1 Erie Otters (42-10-1-0, 1st Midwest Division) at the Dort Federal Event Center. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. (EST) for the third tilt between the two clubs.

In the most recent contest between Flint and Erie, the Firebirds knocked off the Otters 6-5 on Nov. 22 who were still the CHL's #1 ranked team at the time (Watch Highlights). Earlier this campaign, Erie earned a 3-2 shootout victory over the Firebirds in the fourth game of the season on Oct. 3. at the Erie Insurance Arena.

Tonight's game between the Flint Firebirds and the Erie Otters is "College Night" Featuring $2 beers and $2 hot dogs for all fans in attendance and all college students will receive $2 off tickets with valid ID. Thursday is also "Pucks for Paws" night. Benefiting the Humane Society, fans can bring 1 new pet care item in to receive a complimentary $15 Silver Level ticket, courtesy of Magoo's Outlet.

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 Monday'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 6:30 p.m.

Thursday's game against the Otters will be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on cable channel 438. 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 Thursday'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 Pak.

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:

Ryan Moore is red-hot right now for the Firebirds scoring four goals and earning seven points in the last six games. Moore is second on the team in points with 17 goals and 20 assists, totaling 37 points in 53 games this season.

Will Bitten leads the Firebirds with 23 goals and 28 assists totaling 51 points in 52 games played this season. Bitten has earned multi-point nights 12 times this campaign and is considered a top prospect heading into the NHL Draft this June.

After earning two assists last Saturday night, Vili Saarijärvi (Detroit '15) has 10 points in the last 9 games. The defenseman, in his first season in the OHL, is ranked 11th among all d-man in the league with 32 points in 44 games played.

In net, Brent Moran (Dallas '14) holds a 3.63 goals against average (GAA) and a .887 save percentage (SAV%). Moran earned 29 saves in the contest in London Monday afternoon and has an 11-21-4-0 record in his 4th campaign in the OHL.

Flint's rookie netminder Kyle Keyser has a 3.38 GAA and a .907 SAV%. Rounding out the Firebirds' crease is rookie netminder Matthew Menna. Menna has a 4.57 GAA and a .866 SV%.

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

Erie:

Erie travels to Flint, Mich. after earning a 6-1 victory on the road against the Guelph Storm. The Otters are 6-4 in their past 10 games and are ranked #1 out of 60 teams in the CHL in the BMO CHL Top-10 Rankings which are selected by a panel of National Hockey League scouts.

The Otters are lead up front by Dylan Strome who was the third-overall pick in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft by the Arizona Coyotes. Strome is fourth in the Ontario Hockey League with 29 goals and 82 points in 41 games.

Alex DeBrincat is second on the Otters in points, scoring 40 goals and totaling 35 points in 45 games this season. DeBrincat is 9th in the OHL in points and is also expected to be selected in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft this June in Buffalo, NY.

Erie's Taylor Raddysh is also a top prospect eligible for the 2016 NHL Draft and has racked up 59 points in 52 games this season.

In net, the Otters have the OHL's best goaltender in terms of goals against average (GAA). Devin Williams holds a 2.22 GAA and a .922 save percentage. In 43 games this season, Williams has a 34-5-1-0 record in his fifth season in the OHL.

The Otters have five players already drafted in the NHL consisting of Erik Cernak (Los Angeles), Travis Dermott (Toronto), Jake Marchment (Los Angeles), Kyle Pettit (Vancouver) and Dylan Strome (Arizona). Erie also has two top prospects that are expected to be selected in the 2016 NHL Draft this June in Alex DeBrincat and Taylor Raddysh.

Special Teams:

After recording a perfect two-for-two ranking on the power play Saturday night vs. Owen Sound, the Flint Firebirds power play is converting at a 13% success-rate, scoring 28 goals on 215 opportunities. On the penalty kill, the Firebirds are currently operating at 76.5%. Flint has scored two shorthanded goals and has successfully killed 163 of 213 penalties this season. The Firebirds are in the middle of the pack with the 9th least minutes in the OHL recording an average of 11.8 minutes per game.

The Otters have the OHL's second best power play scoring 24.4% of the time and is 5th on the penalty kill at 82.9%. The Otters have registered the third least penalty minutes in the OHL averaging 9.6 minutes in the box per game.

Next Home Game:

After Thursday's contest against the Otters, Flint will return home against the #4 ranked London Knights. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. (EST) at the Dort Federal Event Center and the first 200 fans in attendance will receive free hats courtesy of Dort Federal Credit Union.

There are 67 OHL players that appeared in the NHL Central Scouting's Midterm Rankings for the 2016 NHL Draft. The rankings list a total of 210 North American skaters and include London's Matthew Tkachuk (#1), Olli Juolevi (#5), Max Jones (#11), Victor Mete (#58), Cliff Pu (#83), Brandon Crawley (#96) and Nicolas Mattinen (#103).

London has seven players currently drafted by NHL Clubs including Daniel Bernhardt (New York Rangers), Brendan Burke (Arizona), Christian Dvorak (Arizona), Mitchell Marner (Toronto), Chris Martenet (Dallas), JJ Piccinich (Toronto) and Chandler Yakimowicz (St. Louis).

In addition, four London skaters competed in the World Junior Championship in Helsinki this year. London's defenseman Olli Juolevi earned a Gold Medal alongside Flint's Saarijärvi after breaking the record for most points by a 17 year old defenseman with 9 points in the tournament. Christian Dvorak and Matthew Tkachuk represented Team USA while Mitch Marner was the lone Knight on the Team Canada roster.

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.

Detroit Red Wings and Flint Generals Alumni Game

The second annual Detroit Red Wings and Flint General Alumni Game is back at the Dort Federal Event Center on February 19th at 7:30 PM. All proceeds from the game will be benefiting the Kris Perani Foundation. Tickets for the game are currently on sale now at the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office. (More Info)

The Comedy Get Down Benefit Show

On Sunday, February 21, The Comedy Get Down World Tour featuring George Lopez, Charlie Murphy, Eddie Griffin, D.L. Hughley & Cedric the Entertainer will be performing at the Dort Federal Event Center. Tickets for the show go on sale today at 10:00 AM on Ticketmaster.com or at the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office! (Buy Tickets)

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 20th (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 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



Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 18, 2016


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