GAME PREVIEW: Saginaw Spirit at Erie Otters – 3/8/26
Erie, Penn.– The Spirit (23-32-3- 4) finish out a weekend on the road with an afternoon matchup against the Erie Otters (17-37-3-4) at Erie Insurance Arena on Sunday.
Today’s Game:
Puck drop is at 4:00 pm.
Broadcast:
Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com
TV: FloHockey
Last Game:
The Spirit fell 5-1 to the Brantford Bulldogs on Friday night. Gensen Geldart scored his fourth goal of the season for the Spirit’s only goal in the game. While Geldart’s goal tied the game at 1-1 and the Bulldogs led by one goal going into the final frame, the Spirit couldn’t find any more responses against the Eastern Conference leaders.
Erie is also coming into this game off a loss, after falling 3-1 against the London Knights on Saturday. Kase Kamzik scored his third goal of the season for the Otters’ lone tally of the night. Netminder Noah Erliden earned first star of the game for 31 saves on 33 shots.
This Season:
This marks the fourth and final matchup between the Spirit and the Otters in a season series that has been dominated by the Spirit. In the first three meetings, Saginaw has outscored Erie 15-5. The Spirit’s top line of Nikita Klepov, Egor Barabanov, and Dima Zhilkin has a combined 17 points in three games against the Otters. The Spirit took the most recent meeting on home ice, a 4-1 win on February 6th.
Players to Watch:
Gensen Geldart scored the Spirit’s lone goal on Friday, marking his second straight game with a point. Geldart secured his first and second OHL assists in the last two weeks and has continued to grow with the Spirit since being called up in November from the GOHL. His four shots on goal on Friday night marked a career high, and Geldart has three points in his last five games.
Egor Barabanov continues to climb the OHL leaderboards in his standout season with the Spirit. Barabanov’s 81 points (26G-55A) have him tied for sixth place in points and tied for second overall with assists. Although he did not record a point in the loss to Brantford, Barabanov had five assists in two games entering Friday’s matchup. This season, Barabanov has recorded two goals and three assists against the Otters.
Forward Nikita Klepov continues to be on record watch, his 35 goals just two shy of Cole Perfetti’s rookie Spirit goal record of 37. Klepov still leads the OHL’s point scoring race with 87 (35G-52A) and has seven points in three games against Erie this season.
Saginaw’s NHL Drafted Players: Jacob Cloutier (WPG)
Michael Dec has been a highlight for Erie this season, with a career high of 63 points (26G-37A). Dec started the season with the Owen Sound Attack before joining Erie in November. Saturday ended a three- game scoring streak for Dec, where he amassed 6 points in three games. Dec has five points in four games against Saginaw this season, with one goal and four assists.
Forward Tyler Cooper had a four-game scoring streak end last night against London as well (2G-2A). He scored the lone goal for Erie in Saginaw on February 7th, and was one of the team’s most productive players in February with 2G-5A–7P. Cooper was taken by the Otters in the second round of this year’s OHL Priority Selection.
Erie’s NHL Drafted Players: Ty Henry (CHI)
