In-State Rivalry Reignites Tonight in Saginaw
October 26, 2022 – Ontario Hockey League (OHL) – Flint Firebirds News Release
Saginaw, Mich. – The Firebirds are prepared to invade the Dow Event Center in Saginaw for the first time this season. For the seventh consecutive year, the team who wins the most regular-season meetings between the two clubs will take home the coveted I-75 Divide Cup, sponsored by Coors Light. Both teams have claimed the Cup three times in the past six seasons. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. (ET) at the Dow Event Center. Firebirds fans wanting to make the 35-mile journey north to support the team can purchase tickets.
On Saturday, the Firebirds hosted the Windsor Spitfires in a wild, high-scoring affair. After the dust settled, the Spitfires left town with a 6-5 victory. The Firebirds had the edge in shots 37-32 and faceoffs 44-17, but five tallies came up just short. Gavin Hayes (Chicago Blackhawks) scored twice and picked up an assist, while defender Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) had a trio of helpers to top the stats for the Birds. Saginaw most recently dropped a 7-4 decision to the London Knights at the Dow Event Center on Saturday, with exceptional status rookie Michael Misa netting two to lead the Spirit.
Tonight marks the first of eight contests versus the Spirit this season and the first of four scheduled in Saginaw. Last season, these clubs met an unprecedented 15 times due to lingering travel restrictions across the OHL. The Firebirds won nine of the tilts to claim the I-75 Divide Cup, presented by Coors Light. On the road, Flint finished with a 6-1-0-0 record when visiting the Spirit. All-time, however, Saginaw still holds the edge. The Firebirds are 23-28-0-3 versus the Spirit, and one game below .500 at the Dow going 13-14-0-0.
Between these clubs are eight players from the state of Michigan. For Saginaw, Dean Loukus hails from Calumet, Liam Starch is from Rochester Hills, Davis Codd comes from Brighton, PJ Forgione calls Novi home, Andrew Oke is from Shelby Township, and the home-town hero is Mitchell Smith with Saginaw roots. The Firebirds have forward Gavin Hayes hails from Westland and Owen Pitters is from Chesterfield.
On special teams, the Firebirds have converted on 16.7% of their power-play chances, ranking them 12th in the league. The Spirit have found success 35.1% of the time, which is currently second-best in the OHL. Flint has killed off 76.9% of their penalties, the 13th-best rate in the league. Saginaw has the top-ranked penalty kill at a 92.9% efficiency.
Players to Watch
Flint Firebirds (5-5-0-0, 4th West Division):
Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) leads the Birds on the scoresheet with eight goals and nine assists for 17 total points. He sits tied for first in goals among a group of four forwards, including young Spirit forward Michael Misa. Othmann’s also second in the league in total points. Amadeus Lombardi (Detroit Red Wings) sits second on the club with 13 points, stemming from five goals and eight assists. His 13 points are tied for seventh-most in the OHL currently, and he rides a three-game points streak (3 G, 3 A) into tonight’s game. Riley Piercey is one point back in third with five goals and seven helpers. Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) tops the blue-line crew with nine points from nine assists, which are tied for third-most among all league blue-liners.
Flint carries a trio of netminders, led by overage veteran Will Cranley (St. Louis Blues). Cranley comes in with a 3.60 goals-against average (GAA) and a .905 save percentage (SV%) with four wins so far. Second-year goalie Nathaniel Day has appeared in four games this season, posting a 4.07 GAA and .864 SV% with one victory. Boe Piroski made 10 saves on 11 shots in a 20-minute appearance thus far.
NHL: The Firebirds have six players with NHL ties consisting of Will Cranley (St. Louis Blues), Amadeus Lombardi (Detroit Red Wings), Gavin Hayes (Chicago Blackhawks), Braeden Kressler (Toronto Maple Leafs), Dmitri Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets), and Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers). Additionally, Coulson Pitre, Tristan Bertucci, Ethan Hay, and goaltender Nathan Day were listed on NHL Central Scouting’s 2023 Preliminary Draft Rankings.
Despite Flint playing in just seven OHL seasons thus far, Alex Nedeljkovic (Detroit), Kole Sherwood (Columbus), and Ty Dellandrea (Dallas) are three former Firebirds to play in the NHL. Brennan Othmann (NY Rangers), Riley Piercey (Detroit), and Gavin Hayes (Chicago) all played in NHL preseason contests this year, joining Firebirds’ alumni Ethan Keppen (Vancouver), Vili Saarijarvi (Detroit), and Jalen Smereck (Arizona). In total, the team has produced 24 signed or drafted players into the NHL.
Saginaw Spirit (5-4-1-0, 2nd West Division):
The Spirit are led on the scoresheet by defenseman and first-round pick Pavel Mintyukov (Anaheim Ducks) with five goals and ten assists through 10 games. He ranks first in the league in goals, assists, and points among defenders. Rookie Michael Misa is second with the aforementioned eight goals and six helpers in his first ten OHL contests. He’s first among rookies in goals and points and sits tied for second in assists. Misa (1.40) and fellow newcomer Joey Willis (1.20) rank first and second among all rookies in points-per-game average. Sophomore winger Calem Mangone has 13 points (3 G, 10 A) for the club. His 10 helpers have him tied for third in the league.
Between the pipes, fourth-season netminder Tristan Lennox (New York Islanders) has backstopped the Spirit the most with seven appearances to date. He’s won five games and carries a 3.47 goals-against average (GAA) with a save percentage (SV%) of .875. Shelby Township, Mich. native Andrew Oke has played in three games, posting a 5.61 GAA and a SV% of .853.
NHL: The Spirit have four players on their roster with NHL ties, including Josh Bloom (Buffalo Sabres), Matyas Sapovaliv (Vegas Golden Knights), Pavel Mintyukov (Anaheim Ducks), and Tristan Lennox (New York Islanders). Additionally, PJ Forgione, Luke McNamara, and Joey Willis were named to the 2023 NHL Central Scouting Players to Watch List for October.
12 notable Spirit alumni to play in the NHL are Cody Bass, Paul Bissonnette, T.J. Brodie, Matt Corrente, Filip Hronek, Jan Mursak, Jamie Oleksiak, Dalton Prout, Tom Pyatt, Brandon Saad, Chris Thorburn and Vincent Trocheck.
Broadcast Coverage:
Tonight’s contest 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 here. Jack Sznewajs will call the play-by-play action on the Firebirds Hockey Network (FHN), starting with the pre-game show at 6:45 p.m. (ET).
All Flint Firebirds’ home and away games throughout the 2022-23 regular season can be watched anywhere in the world online on https://watch.chl.ca/ohl. CHL TV is the league’s new and improved video streaming platform that delivers high-quality live and on-demand coverage of all regular season and playoff games annually. The cost is $7.99 for 24-hour access, $29.99 for monthly access, $119.99 for all-access to the 2021-22 Firebirds and OHL season, or $179.99 for all-access to the entire 2021-22 CHL season.
Next Up: The Firebirds return home this Saturday to host the Oshawa Generals at 7:00 p.m. (ET). The game is Flint’s annual First Responders Appreciation Night, presented by Dort Financial Credit Union. The Battle of the Badges Game will be played from 4-5 p.m. (ET) prior to the game, and feature local Police versus local Firefighters. Admission to the Battle of the Badges is free with a ticket to the Firebirds game. There will be a Touch-a-Truck event in the main parking lot from 5:30-6:45 p.m., where fans will be able to interact with our local heroes from local police, fire, and EMS teams. The 50/50 proceeds will also benefit the 100 Club, who contributes money each year for the benefit of public servants who have been killed or disabled in the line of duty. Tickets for Saturday’s home game are available now from Etix.
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