The Saginaw Spirit were in action four times this past week (Nov. 6-Nov. 12) after splitting their previous two games. Playing two separate back-to-backs with a home-and-home at the tail end of the week with the Windsor Spitfires ended in a week-long sweep that pushed their winning streak to five.
Game Results
Nov. 7 @ Sarnia Sting: 3-2 win (6-7-0-1)
Nov. 8 vs Flint Firebirds- 6-2 win (7-7-0-1)
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Nov. 11 vs Windsor Spitfires- 3-1 win (8-7-0-1)
Nov. 12 @ Windsor Spitfires- 6-5 win (9-7-0-1)
Nov. 7 @ Sarnia Sting
In a mid-day tilt against the Sarnia Sting, Spirit goaltender Andrew Oke bounced back from a shaky start in his last game of action on Nov. 2 with a solid performance in the net that kept his team afloat before the offense got going. Thanks to the solid play of Oke and some help from their defense in the offensive zone, they took a 1-0 lead into the second period after defenseman Will Bishop scored the first goal of his Ontario Hockey League (OHL) career. The goal came off a rebound from a shot off the stick of Hunter Haight. The Spirit penalty kill also played a vital role in keeping their 1-0 lead intact, killing off both penalties they took in the first period, limiting the Sting’s powerplay thanks to solid defensive play.
A back-and-forth second period that saw both teams get numerous scoring chances led to a 2-2 tie heading into the third period. The Spirit powerplay came up empty-handed on their one chance in the period but was a major influence on Dean Lokus’ goal that came just less than a minute after the expiration of the powerplay thanks to a defensive lapse by the Sting. The Sting fought back with two goals less than two minutes apart thanks to their speed and puck movement. Sarnia brought the game to a deadlock thanks to a couple of defensive blunders by the Spirit defense, leading to a breakaway goal for Marko Sikic, while the second goal was one of the few shots that Oke probably wishes he could have back off the stick of Zach Filak.
A less entertaining third period saw Oke play another solid 20 minutes in the net after Matyas Sapovaliv gave the team a one-goal lead less than four minutes into the period thanks to a nice outlet pass from Hache to Calem Mangone that ended up on Sapovaliv’s stick before being fired passed Sting goalie Nick Surzycia. Several blocked shots towards the end of the game by the Spirit helped preserve the one-goal lead and gave the team a 3-2 victory.
Nov. 8 vs Flint Firebirds
In the third installment of the I-75 Divide Cup between Saginaw and Flint, the Spirit quickly found themselves behind thanks to an early powerplay goal for the Firebirds less than two minutes into the game. That was the closest the Firebirds would get to winning the game though as the Spirit offense quickly woke up and scored five goals in a fast-paced, entertaining first period (at least for Spirit fans). The Spirit’s offense was led by their offensive-minded stud defenseman Parekh who scored two goals in the first period along with Sapovaliv tallying a goal as well.. The Spirit also chased Firebird starter Nathan Day from the crease after the first period of play.
The big excitement that came out of the second period was in the form of Parekh scoring his first career hat trick while giving the Spirit a 6-1 lead heading into the third period after the Firebirds tightened up their play in their zone and limited the chances that the Spirit were able to get. The third period lacked a whole of action offense-wise until the last few minutes of the game when the Firebirds got themselves within four with a goal off the stick of Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Braeden Kressler on a strong move to the net to beat Oke. Oke once again played a solid game in net for the Spirit, stopping 27 of the 29 shots he faced while the penalty kill continued its dominance, killing nine of the 10 penalties they got in a game that ended in a 6-2 Spirit victory.
Nov. 11 vs Windsor Spitfires
Unlike their start against the Firebirds, the Spirit gave themselves an early lead in their home matchup against the Windsor Spitfires thanks to a goal from Loukus less than seven minutes into the game. The Spirit controlled the play for a large part of the first period thanks to solid puck movement on the offensive side of the puck while also playing solid defense when called upon.
While the powerplay was not as successful as hoped throughout the week, they did get themselves on the board in the second period of this game thanks to yet another goal from Sapovaliv off some nice passing between Mangone and Valentin Zhugin that led to a shot bouncing off Sapovaliv and past Spitfires netminder Ian Michelone. The Spitfires got themselves on the board with a shorthanded goal from Oliver Peer thanks to an odd-man rush with Jacob Maillet to get the Spitfires within one goal. A high-quality area pass from Spirit defenseman Roberto Mancini sent Lincoln Moore in for a breakaway that beat Michelone five-hole to give the Spirit a 3-1 lead heading into the third period of play.
The third period saw Oke, who played in his third straight game, and the Spirit withstand a strong offensive push from the Spitfires for a scoreless period and a 3-2 victory.
Nov. 12 @ Windsor Spitfires
In the back-end of the home-and-home with the Spitfires, the game was much more of an offensive game. With Oke getting the day off in favor of Nolan Lalonde, the Spirit found themselves in a 1-0 hole no more than two minutes into the game due to a rebound goal for Alex Christopoulos. The first period saw the Spirit get a few quality scoring chances but they ended up empty-handed thanks to a solid period from Spitfires goaltender Joey Costanzo.
The second period of play saw the Spirit quickly get the offense going with two early-period goals to take a 2-1 lead thanks to goals from Haight and Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Ethan Hay off assists from one of the hottest Spirit players in Loukus. A back-and-forth finish to the period saw the Spitfires tie the game thanks to Josef Eichler’s first OHL goal on a two-on-one rush that he beat Lalonde far side on. But the Spirit would not be outdone thanks to Loukus’ hot week resulting in another goal, this time coming off his own stick thanks to a faceoff win by Hay. Zhugin would add a goal towards the end of the period to give the Spirit a commanding two-goal lead heading into the third.
Entering the third period, the Spirit were 4-0 when leading after 40 minutes of play and it looked like they would easily get to a 5-0 record when doing so thanks to Hay’s second goal of the game with six minutes left in the game to give the team a 5-3 lead off yet another solid cross-ice pass from Loukus to find Hay. But the Spitfires did not go down without a fight, tallying two goals of their own in the last three minutes of the third period. Just as it looked like the game would be heading to overtime, Michael Misa had other plans as he threw the puck on net with just under ten seconds left from an odd angle that hit off Costanzo’s shoulder and into the back of the net. After a lengthy review, the referees deemed that the goal was good and gave the Spirit a 6-5 victory to end their week 4-0 and push their win streak to a season-high five games.
Other Game Notes
- Since being acquired from the Firebirds, Hay has started hot with the Spirit, tallying a total of seven points in nine games.
- While not getting on the scoresheet a lot this last week, Calem Mangone made his presence felt at both ends of the ice, creating numerous chances for his teammates and playing solid in the defensive zone as well.
- With the five-game win streak the Spirit now sit in second place in the West Divison behind the Soo Greyhounds.
What’s Next for the Spirit
The Spirit will hit the road for matchups in Erie on Nov. 17 against the Otters before traveling to Niagara for their first game against the IceDogs on Nov. 18.
