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OHL Saginaw Spirit

Eagles Nest Notes

February 23, 2009 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


The Saginaw Spirit are soaring towards the playoffs! The Spirit clinched a playoff birth in the 2009 OHL post-season this weekend, with a 2-1-0-0 record in a three game series advancing their regular season record to 32-21-2-4. It will mark the fourth consecutive season the Spirit have enjoyed a post-season appearance.

The race is on for playoff seeding, with the Spirit leading a pack of Western Conference teams in the quest for home ice advantage. Saginaw (70 points) is sitting in third place, with the fourth place Plymouth Whalers (67 points) and fifth place Guelph Storm (67 points) closing in. The Whalers take the edge over the Storm in the rankings due to a better win total. The sixth place Erie Otters (63 points) are 6-3-0-1 in their last ten games and are in position to challenge for a top seed if they continue to play the way they have been. The seventh place Sarnia Sting (62 points) are a point behind the Otters, and four points ahead of the eighth place Owen Sound Attack (58 points). The Kitchener Rangers (53 points) are in ninth place and if the post season started tomorrow they would be wrapping up their year. However, the Rangers are only five points behind the eight place seed with nine games remaining to play.

The teams at the bottom of the playoff rankings will have a tough battle in the first round, taking on either the first place Windsor Spitfires (105 points) or the second place London Knights (85 points). The OHL playoff bracket systems pits the first place team against the eighth place team, the second place team against the seventh place team and so on. The top four teams of the conference earn home ice advantage in the first round, best-of-seven series. The Spirit have nine games remaining in the regular season, with three this weekend. They host the Whalers Wednesday night, then the Owen Sound Attack Saturday before heading to Windsor for a Sunday matinee match-up against the Spitfires.

Week 23 Recap

The Spirit bested the Erie Otters 6-4 last Friday. First star of the game Tyler Murovich tallied two goals and two assists in the effort, with Cody Sol notching his first OHL career goal. Nick Crawford, Ryan Schnell, and T.J. Brodie also chipped in on the scoring. Third star Joe Pleckaitis earned three assists and Edward Pasquale posted 46 saves on 50 shots in the effort.

The Spirit reeled off their second consecutive win against the Guelph Storm, a 4-3 overtime decision, last Saturday. Jack Combs earned the first star of the game with a regulation goal and the game winning overtime goal. Chris Chappell earned the second star with two goals of his own. Edward Pasquale notched 31 saves on 34 shots.

The team wrapped up their three game weekend with a match-up against the Plymouth Whalers last Sunday. The Spirit lost 4-1 in regulation, with Jack Combs notching an unassisted empty net goal. Edward Pasquale earned 41 saves on 44 shots.

Week 24 Preview

Saginaw starts out their next series with a re-match against the Whalers Wednesday night (7:11 PM) at TheDow Event Center. The Spirit host the Owen Sound Attack Saturday night (7:11 PM) then square off against the Windsor Spitfires Sunday afternoon (2:00 PM) in Windsor, Ontario.

Plymouth Whalers

The Whalers are one of the hottest teams in the OHL right now. The team was 6-11-2 in November until General Manager and Head Coach Mike Vellucci returned to the bench. They've posted a record of 25-12-3 since then. The team edged past the Guelph Storm in the rankings with their win over the Spirit last Sunday, and are now in fourth place with 67 points and a record of 31-23-5-0.

The Whalers and Spirit enjoy what is arguable one of the top rivalries in the league. The two Michigan based teams have played seven of their eight game season series already this year, with Wednesday's match-up the final game. The Whalers lead the series 6-1-0-0, with the Spirit taking the first contest of the series 3-2 on October 12th and gaining a point in overtime with a 4-3 OT loss on February 11th.

Center Chris Terry (34G 39A) and overage center Matt Caria (22G 50A) are two of the premier point producers in the league with a combined 145 points on the season. Caria leads the Whalers squad when facing off against the Spirit, with 2 goals and 9 assists in 8 games, 1 goal and 6 assists in a Whalers uniform. Ryan Hayes (23G 17A) has tallied 4 goals and 5 assists in 7 games against the Spirit, with Terry notching 6 goals and 2 assists in 5 games.

Goalie Matt Hackett is a big reason for the Whalers climb up the rankings, posting a 2.94 goals against average and 0.916 save percentage in 46 games. He has played in all but one of their seven games against the Spirit this season.

Owen Sound Attack

The Attack are in eighth place with 58 points and a record of 22-23-7-7. The Attack bested one of the top teams in the league, the Brampton Battalion, last Saturday in a 6-3 contest. Saturday's contest marks the first time of the season the Attack visit TheDow Event Center of Saginaw, and they visit the Spirit again for a re-match on March 12th. The Spirit stymied the Attack in the first game of their four game season series this year, a 3-2 overtime decision on November 19th in Owen Sound.

Center Joey Hishon (33G 40A) is the big point producer on the Attack's offense, with 73 points tallied in 58 games. Averaging 1.26 points per game, the 91-born sophomore posted his second hat trick of the season against the Battalion last Saturday. Winger Mike Lomas (22G 25A), winger Andrew Wilkins (17G 30A), and center Marcus Carroll (23G 23A) round out the offense.

On the defensive side of things, blueliner Paul Bezzo (1G 11A) is the current plus/minus leader with a plus-10 in 58 games while David Kolomatis (17G 25A) chips in on the point production. The Attack roster boasts one of the top goalie tandems in the league, with Dallas Stars pick Tyler Beskorowany posting a 3.67 goals against average and 0.900 save percentage in 32 games and rookie netminder Scott Stajer earning a 3.59 goals against average and 0.905 save percentage in 30 games.

Windsor Spitfires

The Spitfires are the 'IT' team this season, having posted an astonishing 105 points in 59 games. With nine games remaining in their regular season schedule, the Spitfires have suffered only six regulation losses. They have a record of 52-6-0-1. The first place Spitfires squared off against the second place London Knights last Friday, with Windsor taking the 6-3 decision.

The Spitfires roster boasts more NHL drafted prospects than any other team in the league. On the offense, Calgary Flames pick Greg Nemisz (34G 36A), New Jersey Devils pick Adam Henrique (25G 30A), Los Angeles Kings prospect Andrei Loktionov (17G 35A), Toronto Maples Leafs pick Dale Mitchell (26G 31A) and Chicago Blackhawks prospect Richard Greenop (4G 4A) are major factors. New Jersey Devils pick Harry Young (7G 2A), St. Louis prospect Mark Cundari (9G 18A) and Blackhawks pick Ben Shutron (6G 25A) anchor the defense with Blackhawks drafted goalie Josh Unice providing depth in net.

Standout sophomores Taylor Hall (36G 44A) and Ryan Ellis (19G 59A) lead the team's offensive production, with Hall tops in goal scoring and Ellis tops in assists production. NHL scouts are keeping an eye on both talented players, with 91-born defenseman Ellis eligible for this summers NHL Entry Draft and late birthday 91-born forward Hall eligible for the 2010 draft.

The Spitfires also made a splash in the hockey world today with the official signing of top hockey prospect Cam Fowler. The defenseman is currently playing in the United States Development U-18 Program and is slated to join the Spitfires next season. Many experts have billed Fowler the top defenseman eligible for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Get your Tickets!

Tickets are still available for the two Spirit home games this week. For tickets, please contact the Official Saginaw Spirit Ticket and Merchandise Store at 989-497-7747 or visit 5789 State Street in Saginaw.

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 23, 2009


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