GAME PREVIEW: Saginaw Spirit vs Brampton Steelheads – 1/4/26
Saginaw, Mich.– The Saginaw Spirit (13-17-3-4) close out a run of five games in eight days with the Brampton Steelheads (13-19-3-2) on Sunday, January 4th at the Dow Event Center.
Today’s Game:
Puck drop is at 5:30 pm.
The Spirit celebrate Go Gus Go night on Sunday, promoting awareness of Angelman syndrome. Click here for more information on the Go Gus Go Foundation.
Broadcast:
Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com
TV: FloHockey
Last Game:
The Spirit took a 5-3 win over the Soo Greyhounds last night in a back-and-forth matchup. Dima Zhilkin scored the Spirit’s first goal of the night on a power play, as well as the game-winning goal. Egor Barabanov had a three-assist night, and Carson Harmer picked up two helpers as well. This marked the Spirit’s third win of the season over the Greyhounds, giving them the edge in the season series at 3-2-0-0.
Brampton is also coming off a big win, taking down the Western Conference leading Flint Firebirds in a 2-1 victory last night. Netminder Zach Bowen had an outstanding night with 35 saves on 36 shots. Lucas DeMiglio scored his first goal of the season, and the game-winner by Mason Zebeski was enough to propel the Steelheads to a victory.
This Season:
This marks the second game and final game between the Spirit and the Steelheads this season. Brampton took a 4-1 win over the Spirit at the CAA Centre on December 6. Joshua Avery and Kieran Witkowski each had two goals and an assist in the win, while Luke Johnson had a 24-save night. Nikita Klepov scored the lone goal for the Spirit.
Players to Watch:
Dima Zhilkin is coming off his 10th multipoint performance this season with two goals last night. Zhilkin’s 33 points (18G-15A) on the season have him averaging over a point per game (1.14). Zhilkin continues to solidify his place as a possible first-round pick in 2027, as just over halfway through the season, his 33 points are just ten less than the 43 he put up in his rookie season.
Carson Harmer has been contributing to the scoresheet in the Spirit’s last five games. Harmer had points in four of the last five games, excluding the Windsor matchup where the Spirit were shut out. Three of those games have been multipoint nights, giving him seven points (3G-4A) over the past five games. He currently sits at seventh on the team with 22 points (10G-12A).
Spirit forward Ryan Hanrahan returned to the lineup for the first time since October 26th in last night’s meeting with the Soo Greyhounds. Saginaw’s first round pick in 2025, Hanrahan has 1G-4A–5P in his first 15 OHL games.
Saginaw’s NHL Drafted Players: Jacob Cloutier (WPG)
Mason Zebeski extended his point streak with the game-winning goal for Brampton last night. He has amassed six points in the past three games for the Steelheads. He holds the team lead in points at 27 (12G-15A), as well as the lead in goals. Zebeski is on his way to a career-high season, currently averaging a career-best 0.73 points per game. His previous high was set in the 2023-24 season, where he scored 35 points (24G-11A).
Kieran Witkowski has been quiet as of late, but his last game in which he put points on the board was his two-point night against Saginaw (1G-1A). Witkowski started the OHL season off hot, with an eight-game scoring streak (3G-6A–9P). Witkowski sits at third on the team with 22 points (8G-14A) and is just eight points from tying a career high in points that he set last season with 30 points (12G-18A).
Brampton’s NHL Drafted Players: Jakub Fibigr (SEA)
