Parekh joins Bobby Orr with second 30-goal season, Spirit defeat North Bay Sunday
North Bay, Ont. – The Saginaw Spirit defeated the North Bay Battalion 8-3 on Sunday, March 2nd. Igor Chernyshov had two goals and an assist while Calem Mangone had a four-point day with two goals and two assists. Kaleb Papineau got the start in net for Saginaw stopping 27 of the 30 shots he faced. Mike McIvor was the starting goaltender for North Bay recording 22 saves on 27 shots. Jack Lisson replaced him in net and tallied 14 saves on 17 shots.
Zayne Parekh scored his 30th goal of the season, becoming just the second defenseman in OHL/OHA history and the first since Bobby Orr with multiple 30-goal seasons.
The Spirit opened the scoring as Liam Storch flew into the offensive zone and buried a shot short side. Storch’s unassisted goal gave Saginaw a 1-0 lead 3:07 into the period.
Only 43 seconds later, Calem Mangone stole the puck from a Battalion defender and fired a shot past the blocker of McIvor. Mangone’s 26th goal of the season extended the Spirit lead to 2-0.
North Bay got on the board as Nolan Laird skated across the slot and sent a shot from the left-wing faceoff dot into the back of the net. Briir Long tallied the assist.
Saginaw restored their two-goal lead as James Guo found the back of the net from the right faceoff dot. Zayne Parekh and Igor Chernyshov got the assists as the Spirit went up 3-1.
After 1: SAG 3 – 1 NB (Total Shots: 19 – 10)
Calem Mangone got his second goal of the game as he tipped Xander Velliaris’s shot from the blueline into the back of the North Bay net. Velliaris and James Guo picked up the assists as Saginaw took a 4-1 lead 4:11 into the second period.
Michael Misa extended the Spirit lead as he dangled around a North Bay defender and buried a backhand shot past McIvor. Calem Mangone and Zayne Parekh recorded the assists midway through the period.
Saginaw continued to add on as Igor Chernyshov spun around and swept the loose puck into the back of the Battalion net. Dima Zhilkin and Zayne Parekh got the assists which gave the Spirit a 6-1 lead.
With 1:07 left in the period, Jacob Therrien sniped the puck over the shoulder of Papineau to cut the Saginaw lead to 6-2. Bronson Ride and Zach Wigle were credited with the assists.
After 2: SAG 6 – 2 NB (2nd Period Shots: 15 – 11 Totals Shots: 34 – 21)
The Battalion opened the scoring in the third as Zach Wigle buried a shot while on a breakaway. Zach Wilson and Jonathan Kapageridis tallied the assists.
Igor Chernyshov responded 1:10 later as he fired a shot off the post and into the back of the net. Michael Misa got the assist as Saginaw went up 7-3.
Zayne Parekh made it an 8-3 game as he banked a shot off the back of Lisson from behind the net. Carson Harmer and Calem Mangone tallied the assists on Parekh’s record-setting 30th goal. Parekh’s marker also brought him even with his career-high of 96 points on the year.
FINAL: SAG 8 – 3 NB (3rd Period Shots: 10 – 9 Total Shots: 44 – 30)
Powerplays: SAG 0/3 NB 0/5
Goaltenders: SAG Kaleb Papineau (27 Saves / 30 Shots W) NB Mike McIvor (22 Saves / 27 Shots L) Jack Lisson (14 Saves / 17 Shots)
Saginaw travels to Flint to face the Firebirds on Wednesday, March 5th. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM.
Photo: Stuart McLeod
