Preview: Firebirds Travel to Sault Ste. Marie for Wednesday Night Contest
| Game 43: Flint Firebirds (20-19-1-2) at Soo Greyhounds (31-10-2-0) | |
| Date | Time | Wednesday, Jan. 17 | 7:00 p.m. |
| Location | Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. | Essar Centre (capacity 4,928) |
| Tickets | Buy Online | (866) 775-9422 |
| TV | – None |
| 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 |
| Next Home Game | Friday, Jan. 20 vs. Soo (Tickets) |
| Social Media | @FlintFirebirds  | Facebook  | Instagram  |
Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. – The Firebirds conclude their four-game road-trip Wednesday night as the club travels to Sault Ste. Marie for the fourth of six games between the two clubs this season. Puck drop is set for 7:07 at the Essar Centre (capacity 4,928) against the Greyhounds, who lead the OHL in points.
The Firebirds are 3-1-1-1 in their last six games and are looking to even the season series vs. the Greyhounds Wednesday night. The two clubs have met three times this season with the Greyhounds winning the past two games. Flint posted a 4-3 overtime victory on the road on Oct. 21 at the Essar Centre before the Greyhounds won the next two contests, 5-3, on Nov. 5 and 5-0 on Dec. 28 in Flint.
The Firebirds lost their previous game, 4-3, in a shootout against the Western Conference’s second-ranked Erie Otters on Saturday night after they tied the contest in the third period. Flint is 7-12-0-3 on the road this season, but have earned points in three of their last four contests away from the Dort Federal Event Center. On the penalty kill, the Firebirds have killed 54 of their last 58 penalties, operating at 93% in their last 12 games. Flint’s penalty kill now ranks 5th overall in the OHL operating at 83.6%. The Firebirds have scored 23 goals in their past four games.
The Greyhounds are coming-off a 3-2 overtime victory against the London Knights this past Sunday. The Greyhounds are the statistically the best team in the OHL with 64 points and are 8-2-0-0 in their past ten contests. Sault Ste. Marie is 11-6-2-0 on home-ice this season and is 4-1-0-0 in their last five games at the Essar Centre. The Greyhounds have scored the second-most goals in the league with 178 but less than half have come on home-ice.
The Greyhounds sit seven spots ahead of the Firebirds in first place. Flint has 44 points in 42 games, while the Soo have 64 points in 43 games thus far.
Players to Watch:
Flint Firebirds (20-18-1-3, 8th Western Conference):
Kole Sherwood (Columbus Blue Jackets) was the first Flint Firebird to be tabbed as the CHL Player of the Week and was also named the Pioneer Energy OHL Player of the Week for the week ending Jan. 15. He recorded 11 points in three games including seven goals and four assists with a plus-minus rating of plus-7. Sherwood is riding an eight-game point streak (9G, 11A) after tallying back-to-back multi-points nights last weekend. He now has 22 goals and 28 assists in 38 games played with Flint this season.
Ryan Moore has 12 points in the last seven games and is eighth among all OHL skaters with 55 points. Moore is also currently in a tie for third most shorthanded goals scored in the OHL with three this season. Everett Clark scored last Saturday against Erie and has five points (2G, 3A) in his last four games. Clark has 12 goals and 17 assists in 39 games this season. Jalen Smereck (Arizona Coyotes) tallied an assist on Saturday has 26 points in 38 games played. Captain Alex Peters has racked-up 10 points (4G, 6A) in his last six games and has six goals and 16 assists in 42 games this journey. Nicholas Caamano (Dallas Stars) has eight points (3G, 5A) in his last six contests and is third on the Firebird’s roster with 18 goals and 22 assists in 42 games played. Mathieu Henderson is fourth on the team in scoring and is fourth among all OHL defenseman in points with 39.
C.J. Clarke, Samuel Duchesne, Jake Durham, Fedor Gordeev and Jack Phibbs are five first-time eligible players to be selected in the NHL Draft in June 2017.
In net, Connor Hicks is 13-8-0-2 and is statistically the eighth-best goaltender in the OHL with a 2.93 GAA and a .891 SAV%. Garrett Forrest is 6-9-1-1 and played in the Firebirds last game against the Otters. Forrest made 27 saves on 30 shots and has a 3.47 GAA, along with a .881 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).
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (31-10-2-0, 1st Western Conference):
Leading the Greyhounds in points is Bobby MacIntyre who is tied for eighth with Moore on the leagues scoring list with 55 points on the season. Zachary Senyshyn (Boston Bruins) scored all three goals in the Soo’s victory over the Knights and now has five hat-tricks on the season. Senyshyn has 27 goals and 11 assists in 34 games thus far. Morgan Frost is third on the Greyhounds’ roster in scoring and has 13 goals and 25 assists in 43 games this season.
Between-the-pipes, Joseph Raaymakers is 20-9-2-0 and statistically the ninth-best goaltender in the OHL with a 3.17 GAA and a .896 SAV%. Raaymakers made 24 saves on 26 shots in his last game against London. Rookie Matthew Villalta has 11 consecutive wins on the season and is 11-1-0 with a 2.52 GAA and a .910 SAV%.
NHL: Eight players on the Greyhounds roster have been drafted by NHL teams consisting of Gustav Bouramman (Minnesota Wild), Noah Carroll (Carolina Hurricanes), Tim Gettinger (New York Rangers), Boris Katchouk (Tampa Bay Lightning), Jack Kopacka (Anaheim Ducks), Zachary Senyshyn (Boston Bruins), Blake Speers (New Jersey Devils) and Colton White (New Jersey Devils).
25 notable Greyhound’s alumni to play in the NHL are Jeff Beukeboom, Bob Boughner, Jeff Carter, Dan Clouthier, Paul Coffey, Trevor Daley, Ray Emery, Adam Foote, Ron Francis, Craig Hartsburg, Ric Jackman, Dustin Jeffrey, Tyler Kennedy, Denny Lambert, Greg Millen, Ted Nolan, Nathan Perrott, Bob Probert, Wayne Simmons, Brad Staubitz, Steve Sullivan, Joe Thornton, Rick Tocchet, John Vanbiesbrouk, and Josef Vasick.
Broadcast Coverage:
Wednesday’s game is one of only three games on the 68-game schedule that will not have live television coverage. Fans unable to make the trip to the Soo can listen to the game 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 7 p.m. Fans can also watch the game live online at www.ohllive.com or on the OHL Live App. (Broadcast Information).
Next Home Game:
The Firebirds return back to Flint Friday, Jan. 20 against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. During the month of January, fans may bring in three or more canned or boxed food items to receive a complimentary Silver Level ticket. Fans may drop off donated food at the Flint Firebirds Merchandise Store to receive the discount.
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
