SAGINAW, MI -- There are still three games remaining this season between the Saginaw Spirit and the Plymouth Whalers, but talk has already begun in the Spirit dressing room about the new Flint team.

"Since they're closer the distance is shorter and more fans will start going to games and be more exciting," goaltender Evan Cormier said following Saginaw's 4-0 loss Tuesday at Dow Event Center. "We were talking about what they're going to be called next year. It'll be fun."

The Whalers are expected to pack up at the end of the season and move to Flint, where IMS Hockey Corp. is in the beginning stages of planning renovations to Perani Arena.

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Like Plymouth, the yet-to-be-named Flint team will play in the Ontario Hockey League's West Division with Saginaw, Sault Ste. Marie and nearby teams in Windsor and Sarnia.Spirit team officials have already endorsed the move, calling for a return of the I-75 rivalry between the two urban towns.

"I think it's a great thing for Flint," said Saginaw coach Greg Gilbert. "I think it's a good thing for both cities. Our fans will go down there and support us in their building and vice versa. There should be some good crowds - a great rivalry, obviously - and I think it's a good thing."

Saginaw left wing Blake Clarke, now in his third season, begin his OHL career in Brampton, Ontario, during the the 2012-13 season. The Battalion moved to North Bay the following summer, and while they maintained the same coach and support staff there were kinks to work out elsewhere.

"It was a little bit difficult at first, it's a brand new city and you kind of get used to one place," Clarke said. "I know that we didn't have our home rink for the first eight weeks because of renovations. So we spent the first 10-11 games on the road, which is not the best way to start the season. But it's one of those things that you go through."

Clarke said a lack of fan support prompted Brampton's move to North Bay for the 2013-14 season, a similar reason for Peter Karmanos' decision to sell the Plymouth. The Whalers rank last in the OHL in attendance, averaging 2,336 fans per game through Tuesday, while nearly three quarters of the league is above 3,000.

Saginaw is averaging more than 3,400 per game.

"It's unfortunate because there were some fans (in Brampton) that really cared about us," Clarke said. "But in North Bay there was definitely a bigger number overall and it was nice to see the rink full and hear some noise once in a while."

Even with Whalers moving at the end of the season, emotions were high Tuesday. Fights broke out in the first and second period and penalties were handed down to both sides.

"They're one of the teams we just have a rivalry against," said Saginaw forward Dylan Sadowy. "They always get dirty, always have a couple of fights and we're always hitting.

"If anything, it should get worse because they're closer to us now."

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Aaron McMann covers sports for MLive.com and The Flint Journal. Contact him: amcmann@mlive.com; on Twitter @AaronMcMann.