Preview: Flint Firebirds Set to Play 100th Game as OHL Franchise Wednesday in Saginaw

Game 32: Flint Firebirds (15-14-0-2) at Saginaw Spirit (12-13-3-2)
Date | Time	Wednesday, Dec. 14 | 7:05 p.m.
Location	Saginaw, Mich. | Dow Event Center (capacity 5,527)
Tickets	Ticketmaster.com | (989) 497-7747
TV	– OHL Action Pak: Rogers TV ch. 456 & Cogeco TV ch. 486 Live (Ontario) – CW WBSF: Charter ch. 15 & Comcast ch. 17 Sunday at 1 p.m. (Mid-Michigan) – Comcast ch. 900 Sunday at 6 p.m. (Michigan)
Video Stream	OHL Live
Radio	WTRX 1330-AM (Flint & Mid-Michigan) | Pregame Show: 6:30p
Radio (Mobile)	Sports Xtra 1330 App: Android | iPhone/iPad
Live Stats	Here
Firebirds Radio Show	Listen On-Demand: Dec. 14
Next Home Game	Wednesday, Dec. 28 vs. Soo (College Night)
Social Media	@FlintFirebirds   | Facebook | Instagram

Saginaw, Mich. – The Flint Firebirds continue their six-game road-swing as the club travels north for a Wednesday night battle against the Saginaw Spirit. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Dow Event Center (capacity 5,527) for the Flint Firebirds’ 100th game as an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) franchise and third game of eight against the Saginaw Spirit this season in the I-75 Divide Cup, sponsored by Coors Light.

After posting five victories in the best-of-eight series over Saginaw last season to earn the inaugural I-75 Divide Cup, the Flint Firebirds continued their winning-ways over their rival this season, notching two victories in the first two games over the Spirit, winning 4-0 on Sep. 21 and 5-3 on Nov. 23, both in Flint. The Western Conference proves to be a tough place to earn road victories. Flint and Saginaw have a combined record of 19-9-2-0 at home and are 8-18-1-4 combined on the road.

Following only two wins in the first 15 games this campaign, the Spirit have posted a 5-0-1-1 record in their past 7 games and are 7-2-1-0 in their last 10 in Saginaw. Meanwhile, Flint is 3-6-0-1 in their last 10 games on the road. On the penalty kill, Flint has killed 27 of their last 30 penalties, operating impressively at 90% while down-a-man in the last seven games. In Flint’s last 15 games, they have successfully killed 55-of-63 penalties (87.3%), jumping from 19th (second-to-last of the 20-team OHL) on November 4th to 14th heading into Wednesday’s game.

Flint enters Wednesday’s contest with four consecutive victories over the Saginaw Spirit. Through the past 10 games between the two clubs, more than 33,500 fans have experienced the renewed Flint & Saginaw rivalry, averaging 3,360 spectators each contest.

Flint’s Everett Clark will play in his 200th career OHL game Wednesday night in Saginaw. Four other Firebirds have surpassed the 200-game mark: Matt Henderson (227), Cullen Mercer (223), Ryan Moore (221), Alex Peters (202),

Players to Watch:

Flint Firebirds (15-14-0-2, 8th Western Conference):
Ryan Moore has 12 points in his last 12 games and is 10th among all OHL skaters with 40 points. Moore is currently in a tie for second most shorthanded goals scored in the OHL with three this season. Nicholas Caamano (Dallas Stars) is second on Flint’s roster with 33 points (15G, 18A) in 31 games this season. Everett Clark has earned points in 10 of the last 13 games and has 20 points (9G, 11A) in 28 games. Kole Sherwood (Columbus Blue Jackets) has 10 goals and 17 assists in 26 games played. Mathieu Henderson leads all OHL defensemen in points and is tied for second on Flints’ roster in scoring with seven goals and 26 assists. Jalen Smereck (Arizona Coyotes) has four goals and 14 assists in 28 games played.

Samuel Duchesne, Jake Durham, Fedor Gordeev and Jack Phibbs are first-time eligible players to be selected in the NHL Draft in June 2017.

In net, Connor Hicks is 8-5-0-2 and statistically the seventh-best goaltender in the league with a 2.98 GAA and a .888 SAV%. Hicks played in the Firebirds’ last game Saturday against the Sudbury Wolves and made 19-of-21 saves. Hicks is 5-2-0-1 in his last eight starts. Garrett Forrest is 6-8-0-0 with a 3.55 GAA and a .883 SAV%.

NHL: The Firebirds currently have two players that have signed contracts with NHL clubs. Forward Kole Sherwood signed a three-year NHL contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets (July 2015) and defenseman Jalen Smereck signed a three-year NHL contract with the Arizona Coyotes (October 2016). Flint’s Nicholas Caamano was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the most recent NHL Draft in June 2016. Along with Caamano, Sherwood and Smereck, four more Flint Firebirds competed in NHL training camps this fall: Everett Clark (St. Louis Blues), Connor Hicks (Detroit Red Wings), Luke Kirwan (Detroit Red Wings) and Alex Peters (Carolina Hurricanes).

Saginaw Spirit (12-13-3-2, 9th Western Conference):
Saginaw will be without Mitchell Stephens (Tampa Bay Lightning), who is one of 32 players named to Canada’s National Junior Selection Camp roster for the upcoming 2017 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Montreal, Que. and Toronto, Ont. Dec. 26-Jan 5. Filip Hronek (Detroit Red Wings) is also gone participating with the Czech Republic so Saginaw has called-up Chet Phillips from the Listowel Cyclones in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL). Phillips was selected by the Spirit in the fourth-round of the 2016 OHL Priority Selection.

Overager Hayden Hodgson leads Saginaw with 32 points (17G, 15A) in 29 games this season after earning four goals and one assist in Oshawa Sunday. Hodgson enters Wednesday’s contest vs. Flint on a three-game point-streak. Third on Saginaw’s Roster is Filip Hronek (Detroit Red Wings) with 23 points (5G, 18A) in 27 games.

Between-the-pipes, Evan Cormier (New Jersey Devils) is on a three-game winning streak and is statistically the ninth-best goaltender in the OHL with a 3.14 GAA and a .905 SAV%. Cormier is 10-8-2-2 this season and started the last four games for Saginaw. Rookie Brendan Bonello is 2-3-1-0 with a 4.20 GAA and a .866 SAV%.

NHL: Saginaw has five players that have been drafted by NHL clubs consisting of Evan Cormier (New Jersey Devils), Filip Hronek (Detroit Red Wings), Keaton Middleton (Toronto Maple Leafs), Markus Niemelainen (Edmonton Oilers) and Mitchell Stephens (Tampa Bay Lightning).

Eight notable NHL players from the Saginaw organization are Paul Bissonnette (Arizona Coyotes), T.J. Brodie (Calgary Flames), Ben Chiarot (Winnipeg Jets), Dalton Prout (Columbus Blue Jackets), Tom Pyatt (Ottawa Senators), Brandon Saad (Columbus Blue Jackets), Chris Thorburn (Winnipeg Jets) and Vincent Trocheck (Florida Panthers).

Broadcast Coverage:
Wednesday night’s contest against Saginaw can be heard live on 1330 AM WTRX Sports Radio in Flint & Mid-Michigan and around the world online on the Sports Xtra 1330 Radio app here. Pregame coverage with Dominic Hennig will begin 35 minutes prior to puck drop at 6:30 p.m. Additionally, the game will be televised live throughout the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 456 for Rogers TV cable subscribers and channel 486 for Cogeco TV subscribers. (Broadcast Information). Fans can also watch the game live online at www.ohllive.com or on the OHL Live App.

Upcoming Home Games:
The Firebirds next home game is Wednesday Dec. 28th at 7 p.m. against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Wednesday’s game is College Night featuring $2 beers & $2 hot dogs for all fans in attendance. In addition, college student’s with valid I.D. receive $2 off their tickets. Flint is then home again on Friday, Dec. 30th against the Saginaw Spirit for Star Wars Night also at 7 p.m..   Star Wars Night will feature a live jersey auction immediately following the game.

Single game tickets for the Flint Firebirds 2016-17 season are $12 for Bronze, $15 for Silver, $19 for Gold and $25 for VIP seating. Prices are unchanged from last season and all seats are reserved / assigned seating. Parking has been reduced to $5 dollars which is new this season. Fans can purchase tickets at the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office or online by clicking ticketmaster.com.

For media inquiries, contact:

Dominic Hennig
Director of Broadcasting & Communications
Flint Firebirds Hockey Club
[email protected]
(810) 519-9347