GAME PREVIEW: Saginaw Spirit vs Barrie Colts – 1/31/26
Saginaw, Mich. – The Saginaw Spirit (17-23-3-4) are back at home after completing the longest road trip of the season to host the Barrie Colts (31-11-2-4) tonight at the Dow Event Center.
Today’s Game:
Puck drop: 7:05pm
The Spirit celebrate First Responders Night, presented by Fisher Companies. The First Responders Charity game begins at 4:00pm.
*Less than 50 seats remain as of 11am. Standing room tickets are now available*
Broadcast:
Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com
TV: FloHockey
Last Game:
The Spirit wrapped up their road trip with a 4-2 loss at the Sarnia Sting last night. Egor Barabanov tallied a goal and an assist in the defeat. Dima Zhilkin scored the only other goal of the night for Saginaw. Stepan Shurygin made 39 saves on 42 shots in the loss.
Barrie enters tonight on a high after a thrilling 6-5 overtime comeback victory against the Flint Firebirds. Trailing 3-1 entering the third, the Colts scored four goals in the final frame, with Emil Hemming netting the OT winner and Ben Wilmott adding a shorthanded equalizer late in the third.
This Season:
This is the second and final meeting between the Spirit and the Colts this season. The two met back on November 13th, where Carson Harmer scored the OT win to give the Spirit the victory. Jacob Cloutier scored Saginaw’s other goal, while former Colt Bode Stewart had Barrie’s lone goal.
Players to Watch:
Dima Zhilkin scored his 23rd goal of the season last night against Sarina. Over the six-game road trip, Zhilkin tallied eight points, propelling him past his 43 points (16G, 27A) set in his rookie season. Zhilkin’s 45 points (23G, 22A) so far this season place him at third overall on the team in points and second in goals. The Spirit captain is also third on the team with a 4+ rating.
Rookie defenseman Levi Harper recorded his record-setting 38th point last night in Sarnia, passing Zayne Parekh’s record of 37 points by a Spirit rookie defenseman, set back in 2022-2023. Harper’s assist on Egor Barabanov’s first-period goal helped secure the record in his 47th game, three games fewer than Parekh. Harper is 3rd in OHL rookie scoring this season with 8G-30A–38P in 47 games.
Saginaw’s NHL Drafted Players: Jacob Cloutier (WPG)
Emil Hemming was the overtime hero for the Colts last night in their win against Saginaw. Hemming’s lone point in the game was the most crucial, marking his first game-winning goal of the season. Hemming has been hot as of late, scoring 10 points over 12 games in January. The Dallas Stars prospect currently sits at fourth on the team with 40 points (16G-24A) and is eight points away from tying his rookie season numbers.
Ben Wilmott also put together an impressive night against Flint, with a short-handed game-tying goal and two assists. Wilmott joined the Colts at the start of January, being traded from London, and in 10 games has tallied 13 points. He sits second on the team with 47 points (18G-29A) and currently has a +22 rating.
Barrie’s NHL Drafted Players: Brad Gardiner (DAL), Emil Hemming (DAL), Cole Beaudoin (UTA), Kashawn Aitcheson (NYI), Gabriel Eliasson (OTT), Evan Passmore (NYR)
