Preview: Firebirds Travel to Hamilton for Saturday Night Battle
| Game 25: Flint Firebirds (13-10-0-1) vs. Hamilton Bulldogs (12-9-3-0) | |
| Date | Time | Saturday, Nov. 26 | 7:00 p.m. |
| Location | Hamilton, Ont. | FirstOntario Centre (capacity 17,383) |
| Tickets | Ticketmaster | (905) 529-8500 |
| TV | – Cable 14 Hamilton (Rogers & Cogeco) – OHL Action Pak channel 436 & 477 (Ontario) |
| 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 |
| Social Media | @FlintFirebirds  | Facebook  | Instagram  |
Hamilton, Ont. – The Flint Firebirds have played well as of late, winning six of their last nine games. Flint will now travel to the FirstOntario Center for a Saturday night contest against the Hamilton Bulldogs. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. in the first of two meeting’s between the two clubs this season.
In their most recent game, the Firebirds fell to the Oshawa Generals 5-3 on Friday night (Watch Highlights). Flint currently has a 4-5-0-1 record on the road but has won two of their past three games away from the Dort Federal Event Center. Despite the Firebirds struggling on the power-play this season with a 13.9% conversion rate, Flint has tallied five power-play goals in their past two games.
Both Flint and Hamilton will meet for the first time this season after the Bulldogs posted two victories in both matches against the Firebirds last campaign. Hamilton won the first game on Dec.19, 4-2 and earned the series victory with a 3-2 overtime win on Dec. 29 in Flint.
The Bulldogs lost their most recent game 3-2, against the North Bay Battalion last night and have dropped their past three contests. Hamilton has a home record at 4-2-3-0 and has posted only one victory in their last five games at the FirstOntario Centre.
Players to Watch:
Flint Firebirds (13-10-0-1, 8th Western Conference):
Kole Sherwood (Columbus Blue Jackets) collected two points last night against the Oshawa Generals. Sherwood has eight goals and 15 assists in 20 games played. Everett Clark’s tally last night earns him three goals in as many games. Clark is riding a six-game point streak (4G, 3A) and has eight goals and eight assists in 21 games. Defenseman Jalen Smereck (Arizona Coyotes) scored his third goal of the season against the Generals last night and now has three goals and 13 assists in 21 games played. Ryan Moore has seven points in his last five games and is seventh among all OHL skaters with 33 points. Moore is currently in a four-way tie for most shorthanded goals scored with three this season. Nicholas Caamano (Dallas Stars) is third on the Firebirds’ roster with 11 goals and 16 assists in 24 games. Mathieu Henderson, who was tabbed as the OHL’s Defenseman of the Month for October, leads all OHL defenseman in points and is second on the team in scoring with seven goals and 21 assists. Henderson is also tied for second in game-winning goals among all OHL defenseman defenseman with two, and has four points in his last two games. Former Bulldog defenseman Fedor Gordeev and goaltender Connor Hicks will be making their first visits back to Hamilton since being acquired in a trade on Sep. 28.
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, Garrett Forrest played last night and made 22 saves on 26 shots against the Oshawa Generals. Forrest is now 6-6-0-0 with a 3.03 GAA and a .899 SAV%. Connor Hicks is 6-3-0-1 with the Firebirds this season and has won his previous three contests. Hicks has a 3.73 GAA and a .866 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).
Hamilton Bulldogs (12-9-3-0, 3rd Eastern Conference):
The leading-point getter for Hamilton is Matthew Strome who has 15 goals and 12 assists in 23 games played. Second on the Bulldogs’ roster is Matt Luff (Los Angeles Kings) with 10 goals and 10 assists in 16 games played. Luff is tied for second behind Palmu Petrus (Owen Sound Attack) for the most game-winning goals with five. Michael Cramarossa is third on the teams’ scoring list after he tallied an assist in his last game against the North Bay Battalion. Cramarossa has nine goals and 12 assists in 23 games played. Former Flint Firebird Will Bitten (Montreal Canadiens) is fifth on the Hamilton roster with 14 points (4G, 10A) in 21 games played.
Between-the-pipes, Kaden Fulcher has played in the last four games for Hamilton and is 10-8-2-0. Fulcher played in the Bulldogs most recent game Friday against the North Bay Battalio, making 16 saves on 19 shots. Fulcher has a 3.27 GAA and a .897 SAV%. Cole Ceci is 2-1-1-0, with a 3.66 GAA along with a .889 SAV%.
NHL: Hamilton has three players on their roster that have been drafted by NHL clubs consisting of Will Bitten (Montreal Canadians), Cole Candella (Vancouver), Matt Luff (Los Angeles Kings).
Broadcast Coverage:
Saturday night’s contest against the Bulldogs 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 30 minutes prior to puck drop at 6:30 p.m. Additionally, the game will be televised live in Hamilton on cable channel 14 and throughout the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 436 & 477 for cable TV subscribers. Fans can also watch the game live online at www.ohllive.com or on the OHL Live App.
Upcoming Home Games:
The Firebirds return home to Flint next Friday, Dec. 2 against the Niagara IceDogs. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. at the Dort Federal Event Center for Ugly Sweater Night. The Firebirds will be wearing special ‘Ugly Sweater’ Jerseys that fans will have the chance to bid on during a live action after the game. The Firebirds are home the following night, Saturday, Dec. 3 against the Windsor Spitfires also at 7 p.m. for Teddy Bear Toss Night. Fans are encouraged to bring teddy bears or stuffed animals to the game and after the Firebirds score their first goal, fans can launch them onto the ice. The stuffed animals will be collected and donated to various local charities around Flint & Genesee County.
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. Fans can purchase tickets at the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office or online by clicking ticketmaster.com.
