Spirit close seven-game home stand with Otters
Saginaw, Mich. – The Saginaw Spirit (35-13-0-1) will host the Erie Otters (23-23-4-0) on Saturday, February 10th, at the Dow Event Center. This is the last of Saginaw’s seven game home stretch before going up north to take on the Soo Greyhounds on Sunday.
Tonight’s Game:
Puck drop is at 7:05 pm. Tonight’s game is Mental Health Awareness Night in conjunction with the Barb Smith Suicide Resource and Response Network. Tabling and resources will be available in the Budweiser Red Room prior to the game.
Tickets:
Phone: (989) 497-7747
In-Person: Saginaw Spirit Store (6321 State St.), Dow Event Center Box Office
Broadcast:
Television: CHL TV, CHL App, OHL Action Pak Ch. 468
Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com
Last Time:
The Saginaw Spirit welcomed the Owen Sound Attack to the Dow Event Center on Friday, February 9th. The Spirit opened the scoring with a Michael Misa goal midway through the first period. The second period saw a total of five goals between the two teams. Two goals came from Saginaw’s Owen Beck and Zayne Parekh while Cedric Guindon scored two goals for Owen Sound, along with Sam Sedley. Sam McCue and Owen Beck scored the last two goals in regulation, sending the game into overtime. Zayne Parekh scored the game-winning goal to give the Spirit a 5-4 victory in overtime. Andrew Oke started in net for Saginaw, saving 24 of 28 shots while Carter George started for Owen Sound, saving 47 of 52 shots.
The Erie Otters took on the Sarnia Sting on Friday, February 9th, at the Progressive Auto Sales Arena. It was a high scoring match-up, with Sarnia Sting jumping out to a 4-0 lead. Tyson Doucette scored two goals alongside Sean Doherty who scored the other two for Sarnia. Erie was finally able to get on the board with both Wesley Royston and Sam Alfano scoring to make the game 4-2 going into the third. Easton Wainwright scored early for the Sting but Dylan Edwards and Spencer Sova soon responded for the Otters. Cooper Way sealed the deal scoring on an empty net to secure a 6-4 victory for Sarnia. Jacob Gibbons started in net for Erie, saving 8 of 12 shots before being replaced by Charlie Burns who saved 16 of 17 shots on goal. Nick Surzycia started in net for the Sting, stopping 42 of 46.
Last Matchup:
The last time the Saginaw Spirit and the Erie Otters faced each other was on November 17th and the Erie Insurance Arena. Former Spirit forward Dean Loukus scored the first goal of the game, followed by Calem Mangone to give Saginaw a 2-0 lead. Spencer Sova and Matthew Schaefer scored the next two goals for the Otters, and only goals for Erie. Michael Misa scored the last goal of the game to give the Spirit a 3-2 victory. Andrew Oke saved 38 of 40 shots on goal for Sagina while Ben Gaudreau saved 18 of 21 shots on goal for Erie.
Players to Watch:
The Spirit are led by defenseman Zayne Parekh in (72), assists (47), and goals (25, along with Michael Misa). Parekh is also first among OHL blueliners in points and goals. Josh Bloom has more career goals against the Otters than anyone else on the Spirit squad with six. Matyas Sapovaliv has the most assists against Erie with 14. Andrew Oke is the leading goaltender for the Spirit, with a 3.08 goals against average (GAA), .887 save percentage (SV%), and 21 wins, which is tied for fourth in the OHL. Meanwhile, Nolan Lalonde’s personal win streak sits at 13 victories.
Pano Fimis leads the Erie Otters in points (56) and is tied in assists (39) with Malcolm Spence. Carey Terrance leads the Otters in goals (26) with four game-winners. Spencer Sova has the most goals against the Spirit with seven while Brett Bressette has the most assists with eight. Ben Gaudreau leads Erie in all major goaltending categories with a 3.31 GAA, a .889 SV%, and 21 wins, tied for fourth in the OHL. Charlie Burns is the only goaltender on the team with a shutout as well.
Saginaw currently has ten players tied to the National Hockey League (NHL), including Joey Willis (Nashville), Josh Bloom (Vancouver), Matyas Sapovaliv (Vegas), Hunter Haight (Minnesota), Owen Beck (Montreal), Ethan Hay (Tampa Bay), Braden Haché (Florida), Jorian Donovan (Ottawa), Rodwin Dionicio (Anaheim), and Nolan Lalonde (Columbus, FA).
The Erie Otters currently have three players tied to the National Hockey League (NHL), including Carey Terrance (Anaheim), Martin Misiak (Chicago), and Ben Gaudreau (San Jose).
