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OHL Saginaw Spirit

Coors Light I-75 Divide Cup Makes NHL Network Debut Wednesday Night

February 21, 2024 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Saginaw, Mich. - The Saginaw Spirit (39-14-0-1) continue the Coors Light I-75 Divide Cup series against the Flint Firebirds (24-25-3-1) and begin a three-game homestand at the Dow Event Center on February 21st.

Tonight's Game:

Puck drop is at 7:05 PM.

Tickets:

Ticketmaster

Phone: (989) 497-7747

In-Person: Saginaw Spirit Store (6321 State St.), Dow Event Center Box Office

Broadcast:

Television: NHL Network, CHL TV, CHL App, OHL Action Pak

Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com

Last Time:

Saginaw last played on February 18th at the North Bay Memorial Gardens, claiming a 5-3 victory over the Battalion. Saginaw opened the game by scoring four straight times, including three powerplay goals, for a 4-0 lead entering the second. North Bay scored only 15 seconds into the second and entered the third down three. After scoring twice more early in the third to bring the differential down to one, Saginaw scored halfway through the third to seal the game and leave with the 5-3 win.

Josh Bloom scored two goals in his first multi-goal game of the season, Rodwin Dionicio (1G, 1A) and Zayne Parekh (1G, 1A) both finished with two-point nights, and Owen Beck collected two assists, including on Ethan Hay's game-winning goal. Andrew Oke made the start in net grabbing 21 saves on 24 shots for his 23rd win of the year.

Flint's last game was a 3-2 home overtime win over the Windsor Spitfires on February 17th. Flint drew first blood with a goal halfway through the first, setting a 1-0 lead going into the second. The Spitfires responded in kind with a goal late into the second, setting a 1-1 tie entering the third. Both teams scored late into the third, jockeying back and forth for the lead before the buzzer and setting up overtime. On the first shot of overtime, Jimmy Lombardi laced a shot past the goaltender for the OT win.

Alex Kostov reached the double-digit goal mark, scoring his tenth of the season and Nolan Dan netted his 23rd. Jimmy Lombardi finished the game with his fourth goal of the season in overtime and Simon Slavicek collected two assists. Rookie Jacob Brown stopped 29 of 31 shots and got credit for his first OHL assist on the OT winner by Lombardi.

This Season:

Saginaw and Flint have faced off six times already this year, with Saginaw going 5-1-0-0 so far against the Firebirds. The rival's most recent matchup on December 14th ended 5-3 with Saginaw scoring three straight goals in the third to complete the victory and claim the Coors Light I-75 Divide Cup. Alex Christopoulos and Calem Mangone both scored their tenth goals of the season aided by Hunter Haight and defender PJ Forgione. Marko Stojkov and Matthew Jenken both finished with two points (1G, 1A) for Flint and Kaden Pitre finished with two assists. Nathan Day started for the Firebirds stopping 23 of 27 shots, while Andrew Oke guarded the Spirit goal.

Saginaw has outscored Flint 29 to 15 over their previous six matchups, averaging 4.83 goals per game. Saginaw is 28-16-0-0 in the last five years against flint and 12-10-0-0 while hosting the Firebirds at the Dow Event Center.

Players to Watch

Saginaw's current point leader is defensemen Zayne Parekh whose 79 points places him in a tie for third in the OHL's point race and first among all OHL defensemen. The draft eligible defenseman also leads the Spirit in assists with 52, slotting him third in the league. Parekh also currently holds an eight (8) game point streak where he has netted 13 points (5G, 8A) since February 3rd. Owen Beck holds sole possession of Saginaw's goal lead with 28 on the season. Since being acquired by Saginaw, Beck has collected 30 points (12G, 18A) in just 18 games, setting a mark of 1.67 points per game. Rodwin Dionicio is coming off a highly productive road trip, collecting 9 points (3G, 6A) in the previous three games. Both Saginaw goaltenders have continued to play inspired hockey. Andrew Oke is currently holding a 3.04 goals against average (GAA) (tied for third in the OHL), a .887 save percentage (SV%), 23 wins (fifth in the OHL), including one shutout. Nolan Lalonde continues a franchise record 15-straight game-winning streak, with his last loss coming on November 2nd.

Oliver Peer currently leads the Flint Firebirds in goals with 31 (tied for seventh in the OHL), assists with 33, and points with 64. Peer has collected 17 points (9G, 8A) in 15 games since being acquired by Flint on January 9th. The Firebirds' next closest scorer is Nolan Dann, who has collected 52 points (23G, 29A) in 50 games. Dann is currently riding a 10-game point streak where he has collected 15 points (8G, 7A) in that time frame. Alex Kostov has netted ten goals on the season, including four shorthanded goals that tie him for fourth place in the OHL. Nathan Day is the team's current leader in all major goaltending categories holding a 3.81 GAA, a .863 SV%, and 20 wins.

Saginaw currently has ten (10) players tied to the National Hockey League (NHL), including Joey Willis (Nashville), Josh Bloom (Vancouver), Matyas Sapovaliv (Vegas), Hunter Haight (Minnesota), Owen Back (Montreal), Ethan Hay (Tampa Bay), Braden Haché (Florida), Jorian Donovan (Ottawa), Rodwin Dionicio (Anaheim) and Nolan Lalonde (Columbus, FA).

Flint currently has three (3) players tied to the National Hockey League (NHL), including Coulson Pitre (Anaheim), Tristan Bertucci (Dallas), and Nathan Day (Edmonton).

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 21, 2024


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