Spirit visit former playoff foe Greyhounds Friday night
Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. – The Saginaw Spirit (0-0-1-0) visit the Soo Greyhounds (0-0-0-0) on Friday night in a rematch of their 2024 second-round playoff series. Tonight’s contest serves as the Greyhounds’ home opener in the 2024-25 season.
Tonight’s Game:
Puck drop is at 7:07pm
Broadcast:
Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com – Pregame coverage beginning at 6:50pm
TV: CHL TV, CHL App, OHK Action Pak 445 / 668 West, Rogers TV
Leading into tonight:
Only one of the two teams in tonight’s contest has seen regular season action so far, with the Spirit taking a 5-4 overtime loss to the Windsor Spitfires on Wednesday night. Michael Misa scored his first two goals of the season, Will Bishop and Justin Cloutier each added their first, and Andrew Oke made 39 saves as the Spirit managed to steal a point.
The Soo Greyhounds finished their preseason action with a 1-3-0-0 record, having lost the final three. Rookie Brady Smith led the Greyhounds in scoring with six assists in five games. Former third-overall OHL Priority Selection Brady Martin followed behind in his second preseason with a goal and three assists for four points.
Last season:
A thrilling back-and-forth regular season series was a sign of more to come in the playoffs. Saginaw met the Soo eight times, posting a 3-4-0-1 record. In the playoffs, Saginaw claimed victory in a seven-game series that saw three shutouts, and OT thriller, and quite a bit of dislike for one another. Soo native and current overage player Calem Mangone scored three game-winners in the series, including Game 5’s OT winner and the deciding goal in Game 7.
Players to watch:
For the second consecutive season, 2025 NHL Draft eligible Michael Misa scored the first two goals of Saginaw’s season. He also went an impressive 19/30 from the faceoff circle in the opening game of the OHL’s calendar. Calem Mangone set career highs across the board last season (22G-41A–63P) in 62 regular season games. He wasn’t just a menace to the Greyhounds in the playoffs, but last year’s regular season as well. Mangone found the scoresheet in seven of eight games against the Soo (3G-4A–7P). The lone game he couldn’t find any points was no trouble for the Spirit – they beat the Greyhounds 9-2 at GFL Memorial Gardens in their last meeting before the playoffs. The Spirit will still be without Zayne Parekh, who is engaged in preseason action with the Calgary Flames.
The Greyhounds will rely on a combination of experienced grit and youthful speed in the 2024-25 season. Defenseman Andrew Gibson was a second-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 2023. He followed a trade to the Nashville Predators by asserting himself as one of the elite two-way defenders in the OHL last season. He logged 12G-32A–44P and used his nearly 6’4″, 210lb frame to limit scoring chances with the best of them. Brady Martin, after his rookie season was cut short due to injury, looks to take the league by storm in 2024-25. With 10G-18A–38P in 52 games, a full schedule should allow Martin to take the second step that is expected of him.
Saginaw’s NHL drafted players:
- Joey Willis (NSH)
- Ethan Hay (TB)
- Zayne Parekh (CGY)
- Igor Chernyshov (SJ)
Soo’s NHL drafted players:
- Owen Allard (UTA)
- Andrew Gibson (NSH)
- Landon Miller (DET)
