PREVIEW: Coors Light I-75 Divide Cup Concludes on Wednesday
FLINT, Mich. — The Firebirds host the Saginaw Spirit on Wednesday night, the final scheduled meeting this season between the two rivals and the final game of the 2023-24 Coors Light I-75 Divide Cup. The Spirit are locked into the postseason and currently hold the second playoff spot in the Western Conference, just one point back of the first-place London Knights. The Firebirds rank eighth in the Western Conference, four points out of seventh and six points ahead of ninth. Wednesday could be a preview of a first-round playoff series for the second consecutive season. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Dort Financial Center.
LAST TIME OUT: The Firebirds hosted the first-place London Knights on Saturday and fought until the bitter end. The visitors scored three power-play goals and held onto a 4-3 lead to escape with the victory. Connor Clattenburg scored for the third straight game and added a pair of assists for his first career three-point game and second multi-point contest in his last three. Rookie goaltender Jacob Brown finished with 33 saves on 37 shots in the effort.
SERIES HISTORY: Wednesday is the eighth and final meeting of the season and the fourth and final regular-season game in Detroit. The Birds are 1-6-0-0 versus the Spirit this season, with the lone win coming on home ice on October 29. Their all-time mark in the series stands at 27-38-1-3 with a 13-17-1-3 record on home ice.
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS: (44-15-0-1, 1st West Division) –
Draft eligible defenseman Zayne Parekh leads Saginaw in offensive production with 85 points on 30 goals and 55 assists. His 30 goals lead all OHL defensemen and his 55 assists lead the way for the Spitir. Last week, Parekh became just the seventh draft-eligible defenseman in CHL history to score 30 times in a season. Montreal Canadians prospect Owen Beck leads the club in goals with 32 and ranks second in total points with 69. Hunter Haight, a Minnesota Wild prospect, sits third with 62 total points (23 G, 39 A).
Andrew Oke has 25 wins in 36 appearances between the pipes. He carries a 3.01 goals-against average and a .888 save percentage for the season. Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Nolan Lalonde is credited with 19 victories through 33 contests and holds a 3.28 GAA and an .869 SV%.
Saginaw ranks third on the power play, scoring on 26.0% of its chances. The penalty kill has the second-highest success rate in the OHL at 82.7%.
SCOUTING THE FIREBIRDS: (26-29-3-1, 3rd West Division):
Oliver Peer sits atop the stats for the Firebirds, leading in goals (32), assists (37), and total points (69) for the season. In five games versus the Spirit this season he’s logged five points (2 G, 3 A). Overager Nolan Dann ranks second with 57 points from combining 24 goals and 33 helpers. Anaheim Ducks prospect Coulson Pitre is third with 26 tallies and 50 points to date.
Nathan Day is in the Edmonton Oilers prospect pipeline and has 22 wins through 48 appearances. His goals-against average is 3.77 and his save percentage is an .866 and he has won five of his past seven starts in goal. Rookie goalie Jacob Brown has four wins in his young OHL career and has a GAA of 4.10 with an .861 SV%.
The Firebirds have scored 17.3% of the time with the man advantage, ranking 18th. Their penalty kill sits 14th with a 77.5% rate of success.
ODDS & ENDS: Saginaw resumed the top spot in the OHL Power Rankings for the fifth time this season, and now holds the third position in the latest release of the CHL (60 teams) Top 10 Rankings… In Flint’s six losses to the Spirit this season, Saginaw has outscored the Firebirds 29-11… The Firebirds have only eight games remaining in the regular season after tonight’s tilt, featuring five on home ice and only three on the road…
PROMOTIONS: This evening’s contest is another Buy One, Get One Wednesday. Fans can purchase any ticket and get another ticket of equal or lesser value for FREE. It’s also another double redemption option for season ticket holders to redeem any unused season membership tickets (at Dort Financial Center Box Office only).
BROADCAST COVERAGE: This evening’s game 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. Brian Gardner will call the play-by-play action on the Firebirds Hockey Network starting with the pregame show at 6:45 p.m.
All of the Flint Firebirds home and away games throughout the 2023-24 season can be watched anywhere in the world online at https://watch.chl.ca/ohl.
COMING UP: The Firebirds visit the Rangers in Kitchener on Friday before returning home to host Kingston at the Dort Financial Center on Saturday. The contest versus the Frontenacs Saturday is S.T.E.A.M. Night, with relevant activities around the concourse focused on the S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) initiative. With their most recent report card, all students who’ve received an ‘A’ in Art, Math, or Science are eligible to receive a FREE ticket with the purchase of an adult ticket at the Box Office window. Puck drop for Saturday’s game is set for 7:00 p.m. and tickets are available now from ETIX.com HERE.
Story: Brandon Mills // flintfirebirds.com
