GAME PREVIEW: Game 7 vs. Soo
Saginaw, Mich. — The Saginaw Spirit (7-3) will take on the Soo Greyhounds (7-3) at the Dow Event Center on Sunday night for Game 7 of their second-round series. Tonight’s winner will advance to the Western Conference Final and meet the London Knights.
Tonight’s Game:
Puck drop is at 7:05 PM
Broadcast:
Television: CHL TV, CHL App, OHL Action Pak Ch. 466
Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com
Head-to-head:
Both teams have gone back and forth to make the series an even 3-3. Saginaw went 4-3-0-1 against the Soo in the regular season. Calem Mangone and Gavin Hayes are both leading the charge for their representative teams with Magone collecting six points and Hayes with nine in this series. Haye leads the Soo in assists this series with five and three additional goals, two were powerplay goals in Game 6. Mangone has totaled four goals and two assists in this series, most notably the overtime winner of Game 5. Charlie Schenkel has earned two shutouts against the Spirit, one in Game 4 and the other in Game 6. Both took place at the GFL Memorial Gardens for a combined total of 51 saves.
The Greyhounds took a commanding 5-0 victory in Game 6 to send the series back to Saginaw. Jacob Frasca was the sole goal scorer in the first period, giving the Soo a one goal lead. Jack Beck’s second goal of the series was followed by a pair of Gavin Hayes powerplay goals and a game-sealer from Marco Mignosa. Charlie Schenkel grabbed all 24 shots on goal for the Greyhounds while Saginaw’s Nolan Lalonde stopped 29 of 34.
Players to Watch:
Saginaw’s captain Braden Haché (1G-2A-3P) will return to the series after serving a two-game suspension. Owen Beck leads the Spirit squad with ten points (2G, 8A) this postseason. Beck is also the only one on the team with multiple powerplay goals during the playoffs. Calem Mangone leads Saginaw in points so far this series with six (4G, 2A). He and Hunter Haight share the team goal lead with four tallies in the postseason. Nolan Lalonde has taken the reins in net since Game 2, holding a 3.25 GAA, .883 SV%, and two wins.
Bryce McConnell-Barker (5G, 10A) and Gavin Hayes (6G, 9A) lead the Soo in points with 15 apiece. McConnell-Barker’s ten assists place him third in OHL while Hayes’ nine tie him for fourth. Behind them is Jordan D’Intino (7G, 4A) and Jacob Frasca (3G, 8A) with eleven points. D’Intino leads the team in goals with seven, which ties him for second in the OHL. D’Intino had a hat trick in Game 2 earlier in the series. Charlie Schenkel is fresh off his second shutout of the series and holds a 2.39 GAA, .909 SV%, and six wins.