GAME PREVIEW: Spirit at North Bay Battalion – 3/2/25

North Bay, Ont. -​​ The Saginaw Spirit (33-23-2-1) close out their eastern road swing with the North Bay Battalion (23-30-5-0) on Sunday, March 2nd at the Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens.

Today’s Game:

Puck drop is at 2:00 PM.

Broadcast:

Radio: 100.5 WSGW, WSGW.com

TV: OHL Live, CHL App, OHL Action Pak Ch. 466 / YourTV

Last Game:

Saginaw last played on Friday, February 28th where they defeated the Sudbury Wolves 7-2, which clinched them a spot in the 2025 OHL Playoffs. Michael Misa has two goals and an assist which made him all-time leading scorer in Spirit history. Kaleb Papineau was a standout performer in net, making 35 saves in his first start since February 2nd.

North Bay last played on Friday, February 28th where they fell to the Ottawa 67’s 5-2. Ethan Procyszyn scored a goal and grabbed an assist in the loss.

This Season:

Saginaw and North Bay faced off on the 20th of February, where the Spirit picked up a 5-1 victory on home ice. They scored all five of their goals in a span of 8:01. Zayne Parekh tallied an assist on three of the goals, while Dima Zhilkin and Michael Misa each had a goal and an assist. Jacob Therrien scored the lone goal for the Battalion while on a power play in the second period. Andrew Oke had 21 saves on 22 shots while Mike McIvor had 22 saves in relief on 23 shots faced.

Players to Watch:

After a three-point performance (2G-1A) on Friday vs Sudbury, Michael Misa became the all-time leading scorer in Spirit history at 249 points. The Spirit captain has totaled 56 goals and 62 assists for 118 points in 56 games this season and is on a 25-game point streak (26G-31A—57P). Calem Mangone has put up career highs in all scoring categories this season. In 56 games played Mangone has 25 goals and 42 assists for a total of 67 points. Carson Harmer is coming off of a two-goal performance against Sudbury on Friday. Harmer is currently leading all OHL rookies in scoring with 47 points (22G-25A). Spirit defenseman James Guo is expected to make his return to the lineup after serving a two-game suspension.

Ducks prospect Ethan Procyszyn is leading the Battalion in both goals and points. In 58 games, Procyszyn has 31 goals and 26 assists. Mike McIvor was a wall after coming in for relief against Saginaw earlier this season. McIvor is fifth among OHL goaltenders with a .909 save percentage this season and holds a 2.85 goals against average. Jacob Therrien has recorded a point in nine of his last ten games. During that span, Therrien has tallied six goals and four assists.

 

Saginaw’s NHL Drafted Players:

Zayne Parekh (CGY)

Igor Chernyshov (SJ)

North Bay’s NHL Drafted Players:

Ethan Procyszyn (ANA)