GAME PREVIEW: Western Conference Final Game 1 vs. London
London, Ont. — The Saginaw Spirit (8-3) head to the Budweiser Gardens to take on the London Knights (8-0) on Friday night for Game 1 of the Western Conference Final. The Knights look to repeat last year’s Wayne Gretzky Trophy win, their seventh since the trophy’s inception in 1999. Saginaw makes its second Western Conference Finals appearance, returning for the first time since 2019.
Tonight’s Game:
Puck drop is at 7:00 PM
Broadcast:
Television: CHL TV, CHL App, OHL Action Pak Ch. 467
Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com
Playoffs:
The Saginaw Spirit claimed their fourth Western Division Title and proceeded to sweep the Owen Sound Attack in round one. After sweeping the Attack, the Spirit then took on the Soo Greyhounds in the second round which went all the way to Game 7. Calem Mangone led the charge against the Greyhounds, totalling nine points (5G, 2A). Nolan Lalonde maked his first postseason appearances in the absence of Andrew Oke, winning three games against the Soo and compiling a 2.85 GAA and .890 SV%.
Game 7 against the Soo Greyhounds took place at the Dow Event Center on Tuesday night. Joey Willis was the sole goal scorer in the first period giving the Spirit a 1-0 lead. Gavin Hayes and Calem Mangone exchanged goals in the second period to make the score 2-1 going into the third. An empty net goal from Matyas Sapovaliv sealed the deal, giving Saginaw a 3-1 victory. Nolan Lalonde saved 16 of 17 shots and collected an assist on Sapovaliv’s empty netter.
The London Knights were the Hamilton Spectator Trophy winners as the best regular season team in the OHL (104 points). The Knights have swept both of their playoff opponents so far, taking on the Flint Firebirds in the first round and the Kitchener Rangers in the second. Jacob Julien received a point in every game against the Rangers, scoring seven goals and two assists for nine points. Michael Simpson has started in goal for all eight games for London collecting a 2.44 GAA (fifth in the OHL), a .907 SV%, eight wins (tied for first in the OHL), and a shutout.
London’s last game took place on April 18th at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium against the Rangers. Jacob Julien scored the first goal of the game but Carson Rehkopf soon responded to tie the game 1-1. Julien scored two more goals in the second for the hat trick, followed by a Kasper Halttunen goal to make the game 4-1. A third period comeback by the Rangers fell short, and the Knights advanced on a 4-3 victory in Game 4. Michael Simpson made 26 saves to push his Knights to the Western Conference Final.
Head-to-head:
The Saginaw Spirit and London Knights faced each other four times this season, with the series being split 2-2. Neither team has won a game on the road against the other all season. Their last meeting was a 6-1 Spirit loss at Budweiser Gardens on January 12th.
Easton Cowan was the overall leading scorer, picking up seven points (2G, 5A) in four games against the Spirit. Teammate Jacob Julien sits behind Cowan with five points (1G, 4A). At the other end, defenceman Zayne Parekh has scored a goal and four assists for Saginaw. Parekh is followed by Hunter Haight (2G, 2A), Matyas Sapovaliv (1G, 3A), and Joey Willis (1G, 3A), all with four points.
Players to Watch:
Montreal prospect Owen Beck leads the Spirit squad with ten points (2G, 8A) this postseason. Beck is also the only one on the team with multiple powerplay goals during the playoffs. Calem Mangone follows behind him with nine (5G, 4A). All five of Mangones team-leading postseason goals came against the Greyhounds in round two. Andrew Oke and Nolan Lalonde have split goaltending duties in the Spirit postseason so far. Oke has not played since an injury in Game 2 against the Soo.
Winnipeg prospect Jacob Julien leads the Knights in points with twelve (7G, 5A). Julien’s seven goals place him first on the team and tied for second in the OHL. Nobody in the postseason has more than Julian’s four powerplay goals. Kasper Halttunen follows Julien in points with eleven (6G, 5A). Denver Barkey is third on the team in points with ten, but he and Max McCue lead the team with seven assists.