Preview: Firebirds Look to Sweep Home-and-Home Series in Windsor Saturday
| Flint Firebirds at Windsor Spitfires | |
| Date | Time | Saturday, Nov. 24 | 7:05 p.m. |
| Location | Windsor, Ont. | WFCU Centre (capacity 6,450) |
| Tickets | Online | (519) 254-5000 |
| TV | – Cogeco TV channel 11 / 700 HD Live (Windsor) – OHL Action Pak: Rogers TV 446 & Cogeco TV 446 Live (Ontario) |
| Video Stream | OHL Live |
| Radio | WQUS 103.1 FM (Flint & Mid-Michigan) | Pregame Show: 6:30p |
| Radio (Mobile) | US 103 App: Android | iPhone/iPad |
| Live Stats | Here |
| Next Home Game | Saturday, Dec. 1: Teddy Bear Toss Night |
| Social Media | @FlintFirebirds  | Facebook  | Instagram  |
Windsor, Ont. – The Flint Firebirds are set for game two of a home-and-home series with the Spitfires Saturday night. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. (ET) at the WFCU Centre in Windsor.
Last night, the Firebirds defeated the ‘Spits 3-1 in Flint. Emanuel Vella picked up his first victory between the pipes in a Firebirds’ uniform, making 34 saves on 35 shots.
Saturday is the second of six games between the Firebirds and the Spitfires this season and the first of three in Windsor. Last season, the Firebirds posted a 2-4-0-0 record against the Spitfires. All-time, Flint holds an overall record of 6-12-1-0. On the road at the WFCU Centre, the Firebirds trail the Spits’ 3-6-1-0 in the series.
Saturday marks the second time that Firebirds’ Eric Wellwood will face the Windsor Spitfires as a Head Coach in the OHL but the first time at the WFCU Centre in Windsor. Wellwood is a native of Windsor and played for the Spitfires from 2007-10, winning back-to-back Memorial Cup Championships in 2009 & 2010. Wellwood later went on to be drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers and recorded 10 points in 31 NHL games before sustaining a career ending injury.
On special teams, the Firebirds have scored at least one power-play goal in nine of their last 13 contests. The Firebirds have now climbed to 17th in the OHL on the man-advantage, scoring 13.9% of the time. The Spitfires have the league’s 15th-best power play, capitalizing on 17.5% of their opportunities. On home ice, Windsor is killing penalties at a rate of 92.5%, which is the best in the OHL. Flint’s penalty-kill shuts down the opposition’s power play at a 75.0% clip, which is 13th best in the league.
Players to Watch:
Flint Firebirds (3-21-1-0, 5th West Division):
Assistant Captain Jake Durham continues his hot streak, scoring four goals in the past two games. He leads the Firebirds in goals and points. He has logged 15 goals and eight assists for 23 total points in 25 games played. Captain Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars) is second in total points, but maintains a point-per-game average. In 22 games played, Dellandrea has eight goals and 14 assists. Second-year forward Eric Uba has seven goals and eight assists for the third-most points.
Fedor Gordeev (Toronto Maple Leafs) scored the game-winning goal against Windsor last night and leads the blue-liners in scoring with two goals and 11 assists in 21 games played. First-year defender Vladislav Kolyachonok picked up an assist last night and has produced nine points in 13 games since joining the team.
Veteran goaltender Emanuel Vella picked up his first win of the season in a Firebirds’ uniform against the Spitfires last night in Flint. For the season, he now carries a 5.28 goals-against average (GAA) and a .870 save-percentage (SAV%) over sixteen appearances. Second-year netminder Luke Cavallin has also appeared in 16 games and has a 5.51 goals-against average (GAA) and a save percentage (SAV%) of .854. Cavallin has backstopped Flint to two wins this season.
NHL: The Firebirds have three players with NHL ties consisting of Dennis Busby (Arizona Coyotes), Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars) and Fedor Gordeev (Toronto Maple Leafs). In addition, netminder Luke Cavallin, forward Ethan Keppen, and defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok were named to November’s NHL Central Scouting’s North American ‘Players to Watch’ list.
Windsor Spitfires (11-11-1-1, T-3rd West Division):
Cole Purboo leads the Spits’ with 16 points (9G, 7A) in 24 games. Curtis Douglas (Dallas Stars) tops the squad in goals with 11, and ranks second in total points with 15 in 23 contests. Right behind is a three-way tie for third in points. Daniel D’Amico (7G, 7A), Tyler Angle (6G, 8A) and Luke Kutkevicius (5G, 9A) each have 14 points, as well.
Nathan Staios leads the defensive squad with one goal and 10 assists for 11 points in 24 games played. Jean-Luc Foudy tops the first-year players for Windsor with 13 points (1G, 12A) in 19 games. Foudy’s older brother Liam plays with the London Knights and was a first-round draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in this year’s NHL Draft.
Between the pipes, Michael DiPietro (Vancouver Canucks) is in the midst of another stellar season. He ranks second in the league in goals-against average (GAA) at 2.23. He has the league’s third-best save percentage (SAV%) at .924. In 16 appearances, DiPietro has earned eight wins and one shutout. Newcomer Kari Piiroinen backstopped the Spitfires in their defeat to Flint last night, stopping 28 of 30 shots faced. He has appeared in eight games, picking up three wins and one shutout. His GAA is 3.42 and he has a SAV% of .902.
NHL: The Spitfires have three players with NHL ties, consisting of Curtis Douglas (Dallas Stars), Connor Corcoran (Vegas Golden Knights) and Michael DiPietro (Vancouver Canucks). In addition, defenseman Lev Starikov and netminder Kari Piiroinen were named to November’s NHL Central Scouting’s North American ‘Players to Watch’ list.
Notable Windsor alumni to play in the NHL include Ed Jovanovski, Matt Cooke, Cory Stillman, Jason Spezza, Steve Ott, Jason York, Josh Bailey, Tim Gleason, Mike Rupp, Cam Fowler, Taylor Hall, Adam Henrique, Kyle Wellwood, Todd Warriner, Steve Downie, Jamie Allison, Ryan Ellis, and Firebirds’ head coach Eric Wellwood.
Broadcast Coverage:
Saturday’s contest 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. Dominic Hennig will call the play-by-play action with pre-game coverage beginning begin 30 minutes prior to puck drop at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday’s game will be broadcast live in Windsor on YourTV channel 11 / 700 (HD) Cogeco TV cable subscribers. The game will also be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 446 for both Rogers TV and Cogeco TV cable subscribers. 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 Saturday’s game, 65 of the Firebirds’ 68 games throughout the 2018-19 season are also scheduled to be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak.
All Flint Firebirds home and away games throughout the 2018-19 season can be watched anywhere in the world online on www.ohllive.com or 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 2018-19 season.
Next Home Game:
The Firebirds return to home ice next Saturday, Dec 1 as they host the Erie Otters at 7 p.m. The game marks the fourth-annual ‘Teddy Bear Toss’ Night. Fans are encouraged to bring new or gently used 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 the Ennis Center for Children, Hurley Medical Center, Michigan State Police and the Whaley Children’s Center. Last year, the Firebirds donated more than 1,000 stuffed animals to the local charities. Fans are asked to bring and throw their stuffed animals in bags so that they stay dry and safe for the kids.
Single game tickets for all Firebirds games are $12 Bronze, $16 Silver, $20 Gold and $26 VIP seating (Seating Chart). All seats are reserved / assigned seating. Fans can purchase tickets by calling (810) 744-0580, in-person at the Dort Federal Event Center Box Office or online at ticketmaster.com here.
For more information:
Dominic Hennig
Director of Broadcasting & Communications
Flint Firebirds Hockey Club
[email protected]
(810) 519-9347
