Sarnia Beats Saginaw 7-4 Behind Manza’s Five Point Night
By Carl Chimenti
Matthew Manza had a career night, scoring a hat-trick along with a pair of assists to help lead the Sarnia Sting (18-33-6-1) to a 7-4 win over the Saginaw Spirit (21-29-3-4) Saturday night at the Dow Event Center.
Manza scored twice on the power play and added an empty-net goal at 19:11 of the third period. He also netted what proved to be the game-winner at 11:20 of the third with the Sting holding the man advantage.
It marked the second time this season that a Sting player recorded a hat-trick, with Jack Van Volsen accomplishing the feat January 9th in a 9-1 win over the Erie Otters at the Hive. Manza’s five points were a career high, earning him first star honors.
It was a wild third period, as both teams scored three times.
Ben Pickell and Easton Walos each contributed three points. Pickell scored his 20th and 21st of the season, becoming the second Sting player to reach the 20-goal mark, and was named third star. Walos netted his team-leading 22nd of the year.
Chase Gaughan opened the scoring in the first period with his third goal of the season. Captain Alessandro Di Iorio recorded two assists, while Hunter Solomon, Tyler Challenger, Liam Beamish, and Van Volsen each added one helper.
In goal, Patrick Quinlan was outstanding for Sarnia, making several ten-bell saves throughout the night. He stopped 38 of 42 shots, including 25 in the third period alone. Saginaw out-shot Sarnia 42-27.
Spirit rookie forward Nikita Klepov had a goal and two assists and was named second star. Carson Harmer scored twice, and rookie Levi Harper added three assists.
Both teams capitalized on the power play — Sarnia went 3-for-4, while Saginaw was 2-for-2.
The opening period featured a fast-moving pace with both teams playing wide-open hockey. Quinlan was terrific, especially with Saginaw holding a 13-6 edge in shots and generating several Grade-A chances. His best save came on a sprawling stick stop to rob Sarnia native Brody Najim, leaving Najim looking skyward in disbelief.
The Sting finally broke through at 15:53 as Manza set up Gaughan, with Solomon credited with the second assist.
Saginaw responded with a power-play goal from Jacob Cloutier (Winnipeg Jets) at 19:46 after crisp puck movement by the Spirit. Klepov and Harper assisted.
The second period belonged to Sarnia. The Sting scored three times — two on the power play — while holding an 11-4 shot advantage.
Walos gave Sarnia a 2-1 lead at 8:13 with the man advantage, burying a rebound off a Di Iorio shot. Just 21 seconds later at 8:34, Pickell made it 3-1 at even strength after a nice pass from Challenger. Beamish also assisted.
Sarnia capped off a perfect 2-for-2 power play in the period as Di Iorio once again set up Manza at 16:25, with Pickell adding the secondary assist.
