GAME PREVIEW: Saginaw Spirit (4) vs Erie Otters (5) Game 4 – 4/3/25
Erie, Penn. - The Spirit (1-2) visit the Otters (2-1) at the Erie Insurance Arena for Game 4 of the OHL playoffs. Saginaw picked up its first victory of the series with an OT win on Tuesday night and has an opportunity to send things back home tied.
Tonight’s Game:
Puck drop is at 7:00 PM.
Broadcast:
Radio: 100.5 WSGW, WSGW.com
TV: OHL Live, CHL App, OHL Action Pak
Series so Far:
The Erie Otters took a 2-0 series lead with an 8-5 victory over the Spirit in Game 1 on Thursday, March 27th and a 9-5 win in Game 2 on March 29th. After a scoreless first period in Game 1, Erie scored five goals in a five-minute span early in the second to take a 5-0 lead. The Spirit would add a late push with four unanswered goals, but ultimately fell 8-5 in the series opener.
The Spirit got the scoring started early in Game 2 with a goal from Igor Chernyshov. Erie followed up with two goals just 47 seconds apart later in the first period. Michael Misa gave Saginaw the lead with a powerplay goal to close out the first period. The Otters then scored two more in the second to Saginaw’s one to take a 4-3 lead into the third period. Pano Fimis scored 30 seconds into the third which was then followed by Liam Storch’s second goal of the game. Martin Misiak and Michael Misa traded powerplay goals but Erie went on to score three unanswered to secure a 9-5 win.
Sam Alfano opened the scoring in Game 3 with the lone goal of the first period which gave the Otters a 1-0 lead going into the second. The Spirit had an answer in the second as Calem Mangone and Zayne Parekh both found the back of the net to give Saginaw a 2-1 heading into the third period. With 13 seconds left in the third and an extra attacker on, Erie tied the game with a goal from Malcolm Spence which sent Game 3 into overtime. 14:07 into overtime Zayne Parekh scored his second goal of the night to give the Spirit their first win of the series with a final score of 3-2.
Players to Watch:
Michael Misa and Liam Storch both buried two goals in the loss on March 29th. Storch has three goals and an assist in the playoffs so far while Misa has two goals and an assist. Zayne Parekh had two goals including the game winner and an assist in the win on Tuesday. Parekh now has six points in the series (2G-4A). Calem Mangone had a three-point night (1G-2A) in the win in Game 3. Nic Sima and Jacob Cloutier each made an immediate impact in their series debut in Game 3, with the rookie Cloutier picking up an assist on Parekh’s first of the game.
Pano Fimis leads the Otters in points and goals in the playoffs. In three games, Fimis has five goals and three assists. Martin Misiak is coming off another multi-point performance in Game 3. Misiak has four goals and three assists in the series. Dylan Edwards leads Erie in assists this postseason with four. Edwards has also scored three goals in the series.
Saginaw’s NHL Drafted Players:
Zayne Parekh (CGY)
Igor Chernyshov (SJ)
Erie’s NHL Drafted Players:
Carey Terrance (ANA)
Martin Misiak (CHI)
Ty Henry (CHI)
