Preview: Firebirds Face Off Against Ottawa on Comcast 900

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The Flint Firebirds (14-22-3-2, 5th West Division) face off against the Ottawa 67’s (21-20-1-1, 2nd East Division) for the Firebirds third game in four days Sunday afternoon. Puck drop is slated for 3 p.m. (EST) at the TD Place (capacity 9,500). in Ottawa, Ont.

The Firebirds won 7-4 over Ottawa in the first game between the two club’s this season in Flint on Oct. 16. Flint’s Saarijarvi had two goals in the contest while Jacob Collins, Francesco Vilardi and Alex Peters each found the back of the net once.

The Firebirds will return home to the Dort Federal Event Center Saturday, Jan. 23 against the Windsor Spitfires with puck drop set for 7:30 p.m. All Flint Firebirds home games in the month of January are “Food Drive” games where fans can bring in five canned or boxed food items and receive $5 off a silver ticket.

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
For the first time this season, Flint’s road game in Ottawa will be televised live in Michigan for Comcast Cable subscribers on channel 900. Sunday’s game against the 67’s will also be televised live in Ottawa on channel 22 for Rogers TV subscribers. In addition, the game 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 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.

Fans can listen to Sunday’s game 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 2:30 p.m.

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:

Will Bitten leads the Firebirds with 20 goals and 23 assists, totaling 43 points in 41 games played this season. Bitten has earned multi-point nights 11 times this season.

Ryan Moore is second on the Firebirds with 25 points in 39 games. Nicholas Caamano, who scored Flint’s goal on Sunday vs. Guelph is fourth with 20 points in 38 games.

Along with Bitten, Flint’s Jacob Collins, Brent Moran and Keenan Reynolds are from the Ottawa region.

Firebirds’ goaltender Brent Moran (Dallas ’14) holds a 3.51 goals against average (GAA) and a .890 save percentage (SAV%). In 25 games played this season, Moran has a 9-15-3-0 record in his 4th campaign in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Matthew Menna, who was acquired in a trade with the Sudbury Wolves on last Friday has a 4.66 GAA and a .862 SV%.

There are three 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. 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.

 

Ottawa:

Dante Salituro leads the 67’s with 23 goals and 53 points in 41 games played this season. Jeremiah Addison (Montreal ’15) is second on the 67’s with 30 points in 41 games as well.

Both Leo Lazarev and Liam Herbst have seen action between the pipes for Ottawa this season. Lazarev has played in 29 games and has a 2.88 GAA including a .900 SV%. Herbst has played in 18 games for the 67’s this season recording a 3.71 GAA and a .866 SV%.

Ottawa’s Travis Barron and Dante Salituro are identified players on the NHL’s Central Scouting Service (CSS) rankings for the upcoming NHL Draft in June.

Jeremiah Addison (Montreal), Connor Graham (New York Islanders), Liam Herbst (San Jose), Alex Lintuniemi (Los Angeles), Jacob Middleton (Los Angeles) and Dante Salituro (Columbus) represented the six current Ottawa players that participated in NHL Training Camps this fall.

Special Teams
The Flint Firebirds power play is converting at a 12.9% success-rate scoring 22 goals on 170 opportunities. On the penalty kill, the Firebirds are currently 16th in the OHL, operating at 77.7%. Flint has scored two shorthanded goals and has successfully killed 129 of 166 penalties this season. The Firebirds are recording the 12th least penalty minutes in the OHL with an average of 12.7 per game.

Ottawa’s power play is 10th best in the OHL, scoring 19.4% of the time and is 14th on the penalty kill at 78.8%. The 67’s have registered the 2nd least penalty minutes in the OHL averaging 8.6 minutes in the box per game.

Next Home Game:

Bitten Selected to CHL/NHL Top Prospects game
Flint’s Will Bitten is among the 40 players that were selected to compete in the 2016 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Vancouver, BC on Thursday Jan. 28.

The 40 CHL players skating in the game were chosen by all 30 NHL clubs and divided into teams by NHL Central Scouting. This season’s event marks the 21st annual showcase of the CHL’s top-40 NHL Draft eligible players featuring talent from the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League competing before hundreds of NHL scouts in attendance. (Read More)

Saarijärvi, Finland Earn Gold at 2016 World Junior Championship
Vili Saarijärvi is returning to Flint, Michigan with a Gold Medal. On Tuesday afternoon, Finland beat Russia 1:33 into overtime to earn the Finns their second World Junior Championship Gold Medal in three years.

The World Junior Championship (WJC) is a tournament held every year showcasing the 10 best national under-20 nations in the world from the end of December to the beginning of January.

In seven games of the WJC, Saarijärvi earned four assists, two penalty minutes and tallied 11 shots on goal for Finland. (Read More)

Flint Acquires Menna From Sudbury, Reynolds from Owen Sound
Menna, a native of Aurora, Ont., was drafted in the seventh round of the 2014 OHL Priority Selection by Sudbury. In 10 games with the Wolves this season, he recorded a 4.77 GAA and a .860 SV%. The Firebirds traded a seventh round pick in 2017 to Sudbury in return.

Reynolds was chosen in the fourth round of the OHL Priority Selection in 2014. The Ottawa, Ont. native tallied one goal and added three assists for a total of four points in 42 games played with the Owen Sound Attack last season. In return, the Firebirds traded a fifth round pick in the 2017 OHL Priority Selection to Owen Sound. (Read More)

Firebirds Acquire Luke Kirwan In Trade With Windsor
On Sunday, the Firebirds announced that the club traded Connor Chatham in addition to a second and fourth round pick in the 2017 OHL Priority Selection to the Windsor Spitfires. In return, the Firebirds acquired forward Luke Kirwan (Kir-Win).

Kirwan, a native of Dewitt, New York recorded 29 goals and 28 assists for a total of 57 points with the U.S. National U17 Team in the 2014-15 campaign. Last season, Kirwan scored seven goals with the Spitfires and tallied 12 assists, totaling 19 points in 59 games. (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 Shane Stout to book your group outing today: (810) 742-2004 or via email at [email protected].

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

 

For media inquiries, contact:

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