GAME PREVIEW: Saginaw Spirit vs Soo Greyhounds – 1/3/26

Saginaw, Mich. – The Saginaw Spirit (12-17-3-4) host the Soo Greyhounds (21-13-1-1) on January 3rd, 2026, at the Dow Event Center.

 

Tonight’s Game:

Puck drop is at 7:05 pm.

The Spirit host their annual food drive with Corteva Agriscience on Saturday. Fans who bring five non-perishable food items will be automatically entered into a drawing for a team-signed Spirit jersey. Food collected on Saturday night will make its way to Hidden Harvest, the East Side Soup Kitchen, and many more food pantries in the area.

 

Broadcast:

Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com

TV: FloHockey, WNEM TV5+ (Antenna 5.2, Charter/Spectrum 199, Comcast/Xfinity 1182) presented by Applied Innovation

 

Last Game:

The Saginaw Spirit last played on December 31st against the Windsor Spitfires. Despite 24 shots from the Saginaw offense, the Spitfires shut out the Spirit 6-0 at the WFCU Centre. Kaleb Papineau made 26 saves on 31 shots.

The Greyhounds hosted the Flint Firebirds on December 31st, falling 3-1 at home. Quinn McKenzie picked up his 13th goal of the season in the 3-1 loss, and Landon Miller made 13 saves on 16 shots.

 

This Season:

The Spirit and Greyhounds have met four times so far this season, with each winning two. The Spirit won game one after scoring five unanswered goals to secure the 5-3 victory on the road, with Levi Harper picking up his first career OHL goal. The Greyhounds responded in the second meeting by scoring five unanswered of their own, with Jordan Charron scoring in back-to-back games against the Spirit. In game three, Marco Mignosa picked up three assists for the Greyhounds in an 8-4 win.

Most recently, the Spirit defeated the Greyhounds 5-1 on December 28 in Sault Ste. Marie, thanks largely to three points (1G-2A) from Egor Barabanov and 25 saves from Stepan Shurygin.

 

Players to Watch:

With two goals against the Greyhounds in their last meeting, Sebastien Gervais now has four points (2G-2A) in four games against the Soo this season. Gervais recorded two assists in the team’s loss against the Soo on the 17th, and a goal in the 5-1 win against the Sarnia Sting on December 30th. Gervais has 24 points (12G-12A) in 36 games this season with the Spirit, and is 10 points shy of his career-high of 34 points.

Egor Barabanov leads the Spirit in scoring against the Soo this season with nine points (5G-4A) in four games. Barabanov has had two three-point nights against the Greyhounds, picking up a goal and two assists in the season opener and in their last matchup on December 28th. Sitting at 44 points (16G-28A) in 36 games this season, Barabanov leads the Spirit in points so far.

Jacob Cloutier picked up eight points (1G-7A) in his season-long point streak last month, giving him 24 points (8G-16A) in 33 games so far this season. Cloutier has picked up four points (1G-3A) in three games played against the Greyhounds this season. The Winnipeg Jets prospect played his 100th OHL game with the Spirit last month, and has 72 points (32G-40A) in 104 games with Saginaw.

 

Saginaw’s NHL-Drafted Players:

Jacob Cloutier (WPG)

 

Greyhounds defenseman Lukas Fischer is set to play his 200th career OHL game tonight against the Saginaw Spirit, having tallied 105 points (27G-78A) in 199 games. Fischer was acquired by the Greyhounds in early December and has six assists in seven games since being traded. The 2024 St. Louis Blues second-round pick has 21 assists on the season, one shy of his total from last season.

Also acquired by the Greyhounds this season is former Flint Firebird Jeremy Martin, who has 16 points (9G-7A) in 25 games since being traded. Martin has four goals in three games this season against the Spirit, including a hat trick on September 20th with Flint.

With a 15-10-0-1 record, goaltender Landon Miller leads the team in games played, sitting at 10th overall in shots faced with 668. Miller picked up his fourth career shutout earlier this season after making 40 saves against the Peterborough Petes, and was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2024 NHL draft. He has both Greyhounds wins against the Spirit this season, including a 27-save victory in his last visit to the Dow Event Center on December 17th.

 

The Soo’s NHL-Drafted Players:

Travis Hayes (PIT), Marco Mignosa (TBL), Jordan Charron (PIT), Brady Martin (NSH), Lukas Fischer (STL), Landon Miller (DET)