Spirit head into Niagara to close weekend against IceDogs
St. Catharines, Ont. – The Saginaw Spirit (10-7-0-1) visit the Niagara IceDogs (4-10-4-1) for a cross-conference matchup at the Meridian Centre on Saturday, November 18th, 2023.
Tonight’s Game:
Puck drop is at 7:00 pm
Broadcast:
Television: CHL TV, CHL App, OHL Action Pak Ch. 470
Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com
Last Time:
Saginaw defeated the Erie Otters by a score of 3-2 at the Erie Insurance Arena on November 17th. Dean Loukus scored his fifth of the year, and Calem Mangone added his sixth. After the Erie Otters tied the game at two, Micheal Misa scored his tenth of the year, assisted by newly acquired Rodwin Dionicio and Hunter Haight in the game’s final minute. The Spirit went with Andrew Oke for the start, where he posted 38 saves on 40 shots for Saginaw’s sixth win in a row.
Niagara fell to the Guelph Storm at the Sleeman Centre by a score of 3-2 on November 17th. Ryan Roobroeck scored unassisted for his sixth of the year, and Kevin He added his ninth of the season with assists by Zakary Lavoie and Gavin Bryant. Marcus Vandenberg started for the IceDogs, saving 32 of 35.
Last Season:
Last season, Saginaw and Niagara played two games, with the road team emerging victorious on both occasions. At the Dow Event Center on October 2nd, 2022, the IceDogs ran away with a 7-2 victory highlighted by Daniel Michaud’s three-point night (2G, 1A) and Declan Waddick’s two-point night (1G, 1A). Now-Spirit defenseman Rodwin Dionicio had a goal in this game while still with the team that drafted him.
Game two, November 17, 2022, saw Saginaw grab a 3-2 win at the Meridian Centre. Theo Hill, Zayne Parekh, and Sebastien Gervais all record goals for the Spirit, helping them to split the season series. Parekh’s goal was the first of his OHL career.
Players to Watch:
Saginaw continues to be led by Zayne Parekh, whose 22 points and 16 assists lead both team categories. Michael Misa leads the team in goals (10), tying him for seventeenth in the OHL. On November 16th, the Spirit made a series of trades to acquire defenseman Rodwin Dionicio and winger Alex Christopoulos from the Windsor Spitfires. Dionicio got his first assist with Saginaw last night, and Andrew Oke continues to lead all Saginaw goaltending categories, including seven wins, a .908 save percentage (SV%), and a 2.61 goals against average (GAA).
Mathieu Paris leads Niagara in points with 13 and assists with eight (8). Two of Paris’s goals are shorthanded this year, tying him for second in the OHL. Kevin He leads the Ice Dogs in goals (8), and Owen Flores leads the team in all major goaltending categories, sporting three wins, a 3.27 GAA, and a .909 SV%, as well as one shutout on the year on October 14th against Kingston.
Saginaw has seven players drafted or signed to National Hockey League (NHL) teams, including Joey Willis (Nashville), Matyas Sapovaliv (Vegas), Hunter Haight (Minnesota), Ethan Hay (Tampa Bay), Braden Haché (Florida), Rodwin Dionicio (Anaheim), and free agent Nolan Lalonde (Columbus).
Niagara has one player drafted into the National Hockey League (NHL) in defenseman Daniil Sobolev (Montreal).