Flint Targets Rival Spirit in Pivotal Game 4 of I-75 Divide Cup Tonight
Flint, Mich. – The Firebirds entered the holiday break on a three-game skid. They quickly righted the ship with a 7-4 home victory over the visiting Greyhounds on Wednesday. Now, they host their in-state rivals with a 2-1 deficit in the annual eight-game I-75 Divide Cup, presented by Coors Light. The first game of this weekend’s home-and-away series between these clubs is tonight in Flint. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) at the Dort Financial Center.
In the three prior meetings between the Firebirds and Spirit this season, both clubs have scored exactly 11 goals. The Spirit surrendered a 7-2 loss at the Dow Event Center, but then defeated the Firebirds 4-3 in Flint a month later. On December 14, the Birds fell 5-1 on the road to the Spirit. Flint’s top scorer in the series thus far is Braeden Kressler with three goals and two assists, followed closely by Gavin Hayes with four points (1 G, 3 A). Pavel Mintyukov (6 A) and Dean Loukus (3 G, 1 A) sit atop the stats for Saginaw across the three meetings.
Tonight’s matchup is the fourth of eight meetings between these clubs, and the second of four to be played in Flint. The Birds are 24-29-1-3 in the series all time, and hold a 10-14-1-3 mark on home ice. The Firebirds enter tonight’s tilt ranked fourth in the West Division and sixth in the ten-team Western Conference with a record of 17-12-2-1. They’re 6-8-1-1 on home ice this year. Saginaw sits atop the West Division and ranks second in the Western Conference with an overall record of 21-9-2-0. Their road game win percentage is third-best in the league at 70.%.
On special teams, the Firebirds have scored 19.7% of the time when on the power play, which ranks 19th-best in the league. The Spirit rank third with a 24.1% conversion rate. Flint ranks ninth at 79.4% on the penalty kill and Saginaw sits second with an 85.1% success rate.
Players to Watch
Flint Firebirds (17-12-2-1, 4th West Division):
Amadeus Lombardi enters tonight’s contest on a nine-game points streak (12 G, 7 A). He leads the Firebirds in goals (21), assists (24), and total points (45). He’s also tied for fourth in the OHL in points and fifth in goals scored. Westland, Mich. native Gavin Hayes is second in points with 18 goals and 15 assists. Veteran Riley Piercey is third with 29 points (11 G, 18 A).
Defender Dmitry Kuzmin has 28 points, stemming from six tallies and the sixth-most helpers among OHL defenders at 22. His 28 points are fifth among blue-liners in the league.
Will Cranley has backstopped 25 games for Flint this season, earning 12 victories and posting a 3.36 goals-against average (GAA) and a .900 save percentage (SV%). Rookie netminder Nathan Day has five victories in 11 appearances to date. His GAA is 4.45 and he carries a SV% of .845.
NHL: The Firebirds have six players with NHL ties consisting of Will Cranley (St. Louis Blues), Amadeus Lombardi (Detroit Red Wings), Gavin Hayes (Chicago Blackhawks), Braeden Kressler (Toronto Maple Leafs), Dmitri Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets), and Artem Guryev (San Jose Sharks). Additionally, Coulson Pitre, Tristan Bertucci, Ethan Hay, and goaltender Nathan Day were listed on the latest NHL Central Scouting’s 2023 Players to Watch List.
Despite Flint playing in just seven OHL seasons thus far, Alex Nedeljkovic (Carolina/Detroit), Kole Sherwood (Columbus), Ty Dellandrea (Dallas), Tyler Tucker (St. Louis), and Will Bitten (St. Louis) are five former Firebirds to play in the NHL. Riley Piercey (Detroit) and Gavin Hayes (Chicago) played in NHL preseason contests this year, joining Firebirds’ alumni Ethan Keppen (Vancouver), Vili Saarijarvi (Detroit), and Jalen Smereck (Arizona). In total, the team has produced 24 signed or drafted players into the NHL.
Saginaw Spirit (21-9-2-0, 1st West Division):
The Spirit are led on the scoresheet by defenseman Pavel Mintyukov with 14 goals and 32 assists on the season. He’s tied for first among all OHL defenders in goals, and he’s all alone in first for assists and points. Rookie phenom Michael Misa, who turns 16 years of age in February, leads all league rookies in goals and points. He ranks second on the team in total points with a club-high 17 goals and another 18 helpers for 35 total points. Matyas Sapovaliv, who signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Vegas Golden Knights earlier this week, has even 30 points (11 G, 19 A) in 30 games to rank third on the squad.
Between the pipes, fourth-season netminder Tristan Lennox has backstopped the Spirit in 22 games. He’s won 14 games including one shutout, and he carries a 3.03 goals-against average (GAA) with a save percentage (SV%) of .890. Shelby Township, Mich. native Andrew Oke has posted six victories in nine games, posting a 3.13 GAA and a SV% of .880. Both Oke (USA) and Sapovaliv (Czechia) are away at the World Junior Championships.
NHL: The Spirit have four players on their roster with NHL ties, including Matyas Sapovaliv (Vegas Golden Knights), Hunter Haight (Minnesota Wild), Pavel Mintyukov (Anaheim Ducks), and Tristan Lennox (New York Islanders). Additionally, PJ Forgione, Luke McNamara, and Joey Willis were named to the most recent 2023 NHL Central Scouting Players to Watch List.
12 notable Spirit alumni to play in the NHL are Cody Bass, Paul Bissonnette, T.J. Brodie, Matt Corrente, Filip Hronek, Jan Mursak, Jamie Oleksiak, Dalton Prout, Tom Pyatt, Brandon Saad, Chris Thorburn, and Vincent Trocheck.
Broadcast Coverage:
This evening’s contest against the Saginaw Spirit can be heard live on the radio throughout Flint & Mid-Michigan on US 103.1 FM, online at www.us103.com, or by downloading the US 103 app here. Jack Sznewajs will call the play-by-play action on the Firebirds Hockey Network (FHN), starting with the pre-game show at 6:40 p.m. (ET).
The game will be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 466. 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.
All Flint Firebirds’ home and away games throughout the 2022-23 regular season can be watched anywhere in the world online at https://watch.chl.ca/ohl. CHL TV is the league’s new and improved video streaming platform that delivers high-quality live and on-demand coverage of all regular season and playoff games annually. The cost is $7.99 for 24-hour access, $29.99 for monthly access, $119.99 for all-access to the 2022-23 Firebirds and OHL season, or $179.99 for all-access to the entire 2022-23 CHL season.
Next Up: After tonight’s tilt, the Firebirds travel to Saginaw to complete the home-and-away series with the Spirit. Flint fans are encouraged to make the 35-mile drive north and can purchase tickets at the Dow Event Center HERE.
Story: Brandon Mills / flintfirebirds.com
For more information, contact:
Jack Sznewajs
Director of Broadcasting & Communications
Flint Firebirds Hockey Club
[email protected]
