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OHL Flint Firebirds

Preview: Greyhounds Visit Flint on Bob Perani Bobblehead Night

February 26, 2016 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


After earning a 5-3 victory over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (27-22-7-1, 3rd West Division) Wednesday, the Flint Firebirds (18-33-4-2, 5th West Division) will host the Greyhounds for the final time this season Friday. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. (EST) at the Dort Federal Event Center and will be the fifth of six games between the two clubs.

The Greyhounds are currently leading the season series with a 3-1 record over the Firebirds, however Flint won the most recent contest. Mathieu Henderson scored the game-winning goal in a highlight-reel fashion for the Firebirds in the third period.

Friday night's contest is Bob Perani Bobblehead Giveaway night. The first 1,000 fans will receive a customized Bob Perani Bobblehead, courtesy of Perani's Hockey World. It's also scout night! Troop leaders can book a group with Mary by calling (810) 744-0580 and all scouts will receive a special scout night patch. The Flint Firebirds and Canadian Mental Health Association, Windsor-Essex County Branch (CMHA-WECB) are also teaming up to raise awareness about the importance of mental health during Friday night's game

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 Friday'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 7:00 p.m.

Friday's game against the Greyhounds will also 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 Friday'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 has been on a point streak for the Firebirds in the month of February, posting ten points in the ten games this month. Moore has six goals in those ten games and is second on the team for points with 39 points in 57 games this season.

Will Bitten leads the Firebirds with 55 points in 56 games and has tallied 6 points in the last seven games. Bitten has earned multi-point nights 13 times in this campaign and is considered a top prospect heading into the NHL Draft this June.

Defenseman Vili Saarijärvi (Detroit '15) is third on the team with 11 goals and 34 points in 48 games this season. He is currently ranked 14th among all the defenseman in the OHL in points.

In net, Brent Moran (Dallas '14) holds a 3.62 goals against average (GAA) and a .888 save percentage (SAV%). Although Moran tallied a loss Saturday night, he produced 33 saves on 37 attempts and has a 12-22-4-0 record in his 4th campaign in the OHL.

Flint's rookie netminder Kyle Keyser has a 3.53 GAA and a .900 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.

Sault Ste. Marie:

Blake Speers (New Jersey '15) leads the Greyhounds in points with 55 points, including 16 goals and 39 assists in 57 games played. Gabe Guertier is ranked 8th in the OHL for power play goals and follows closely behind Speers with 53 points, 23 goals and 30 assists in 57 games. Zachary Senyshyn (Boston '15) is the leading scorer for Sault Ste. Marie with 35 goals, 18 assists and 53 points in 55 games played this season.

Defenseman Gustav Bouramman (Minnesota '15) is currently ranked 18th among all the defenseman in the OHL with 4 goals, 30 assists and 34 points in the 57 games that he has played in this season.

Both of the Greyhounds goaltenders have participated in roughly an equal amount of games this season. Brandon Halverson (New York Rangers '14) holds a 17-13-4-0 record with a 2.94 goals against average. Halverson is ranked 13th among all OHL netminders with a .909 save percentage. Joseph Raaymakers has a 10-9-3-1 record including a .890 save percentage and a 3.71 GAA.

Sault Ste. Marie has five players that are drafted by NHL clubs consisting of Gustav Bouramman (Minnesota), Brandon Halverson (New York Rangers), Zach Senyshyn (Boston), Blake Speers (New Jersey) and Colton White (New Jersey).

The Greyhounds have six players that are listed in the NHL Central Scouting's Midterm Rankings for the 2016 NHL Draft: Timothy Gettinger (#28), Boris Katchouk (#32), Jack Kopacka (#33) and Hayden Verbeek (#164). Joseph Raaymakers is the #4 listed goaltender in North America.

Special Teams:

The Firebirds are 20th in the league on the man-advantage. Flint's power play is converting at a 13.0% success-rate, scoring 30 goals on 231 opportunities. On the penalty kill, the Firebirds are 17th in the OHL, currently operating at 76.8%. Flint has scored two shorthanded goals and has successfully killed 175 of 228 penalties this season. The Firebirds are near the middle of the pack with the 12th least minutes in the OHL recording an average of 11.9 minutes per game.

Sault Ste. Marie's power play is ranked 15th in the OHL, scoring 17.9% of the time and is 16th on the penalty kill at 77.7%. The Greyhounds have registered the least amount of penalty minutes being 20th in the OHL averaging 8.9 minutes in the box per game.

Next Home Game:

On Saturday, the Firebirds will host the Windsor Spitfires for the final time this season. Saturday is United Way and the United Automobile Workers (UAW) Night. Prior to the Firebirds' game, members from the United Way and the UAW will square off on the ice for a friendly match. Then, during the Firebirds' game, there will be a silent auction for both the UAW and United Way team jerseys to raise money for the United Way, which is the leadership and support organization for a network of nearly 1,800 community-based United Ways in 45 countries and territories.

Along with Windsor's Mikhail Sergachev, Logan Brown and Logan Stanley being ranked in the top 25 players of the NHL Central Scouting's Midterm Rankings for the 2016 NHL Draft, the Spitfires have seven other players already drafted in the NHL consisting of Connor Chatham (New Jersey), Cristiano DiGiacinto (Tampa Bay), Christian Fischer (Arizona), Brendan Lemieux (Buffalo), Hayden McCool (Chicago) Bradley Latour (Toronto) and Patrick Sanvido (Dallas).

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.

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 from 6-7 p.m. every Tuesday night on 1330 WTRX Sports Radio and around the world online on the iHeartRadio App here. Hennig will 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 26, 2016


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