GAME PREVIEW: Spirit and Firebirds add third chapter to season series Friday
Saginaw, Mich. - The Saginaw Spirit (12-8-1-0) host the Flint Firebirds (9-11-0-1) on Friday, November 22nd at the Dow Event Center. Saginaw currently holds a 2-0 series lead for the Coors Light I75 Divide Cup.
Tonight’s Game:
Puck drop is at 7:05 PM.
Broadcast:
Radio: 100.5 WSGW, WSGW.com
TV: OHL Live, CHL App, OHL Action Pak Ch. 442
Last Game:
Saginaw last played on Saturday, November 16th where they defeated the Sarnia Sting by a score of 9-3. Joey Willis recorded four points which included three goals and one assist and Zayne Parekh tallied a goal and two assists. Kaleb Papineau secured his second career victory with 31 saves.
The Firebirds beat the Erie Otters by a score of 2-1 on the same night. Matthew Wang and Connor Clattenburg scored two unanswered goals after Flint fell behind midway through the first period. Nathan Day made 26 stops in the win, which included blanking the Otters in the second and third period.
This Season:
Saginaw and Flint have faced off twice so far this season, with the Spirit coming out on top in both matchups. In those two matchups, the Spirit have outscored the Firebirds 14-7. The first game between these teams saw a hat-trick from the Spirit’s Calem Mangone and goals from four other Spirit players in a 7-2 win on November 10th. Connor Clattenburg and Hayden Reid scored the two goals for Flint in the first matchup. The Spirit would win in comeback fashion on November 13th in Flint, led by Joey Willis’s five goal performance. Flint’s Matthew Wang scored two of the Firebirds’ five goals. Andrew Oke holds both wins against the Firebirds this season.
Players to Watch:
Named the Cogeco OHL Player of the Week, Joey Willis has scored nine goals in his last three games, with five of them coming against Flint. In 18 games played this season, Willis has 23 points (12G, 11A). Michael Misa has recorded a point in six straight games, tallying five goals and nine assists in the span. Misa has recorded a point in 20 of 21 games this season and currently leads the OHL in goals (23) and points (42). Misa has also led the way against Flint this season, with six points (2G, 4A) in two games. Kristian Epperson is currently riding a six-game point streak. In those six games, Epperson has totaled two goals and eight assists.
Oilers prospect Connor Clattenburg has been solid for the Firebirds this season. In 12 games, Clattenburg has tallied nine points, (4G, 5A) with a goal and two assists coming against the Spirit. Tampa Bay prospect Kaden Pitre is currently on a five-game point streak. During that span, Pitre has tallied three goals and four assists. Blake Smith has recorded a point in five of his last six games, including a goal and an assist against Saginaw.
Saginaw’s NHL Drafted Players:
- Joey Willis (NSH)
- Ethan Hay (TB)
- Zayne Parekh (CGY)
- Igor Chernyshov (SJ)
Flint’s NHL Drafted Players:
- Kaden Pitre (TB)
- Connor Clattenburg (EDM)
- Nathan Aspinall (NYR)
- Matthew Mania (LA)
- Nolan Collins (PIT)
- Nathan Day (EDM)
