OHL Saginaw Spirit

Coors Light I-75 Divide Cup Series Continues in Flint Saturday Night

December 9, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Flint, Mich. - The Saginaw Spirit (16-9-0-1) visit the Flint Firebirds (13-11-2-1) for the fifth Coors Light I-75 Divide Cup game on Saturday, December 9th, at the Dort Financial Center. The Spirit currently hold a 3-1 series lead after a win on November 22nd.

Tonight's Game:

Puck drop is at 7:00 PM

Broadcast:

Television: CHL TV, CHL App, OHL Action Pak Ch. 468

Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com

Last Time:

Saginaw fell to London on Friday, December 8th, 7-3 at Budweiser Gardens. London jumped out to a 4-0 lead early in the first period, with Saginaw getting back two of their own, supplemented by a fifth Knights goal. Both teams scored a goal in the second, with London scoring the lone goal in the third. Hunter Haight netted a highlight reel goal and an assist in a two-point night, Rodwin Dionicio scored in a third straight game, and Alex Christopoulos scored his eighth of the year. Andrew Oke and Nolan Lalonde combined for 29 saves on 36 shots in the loss.

Flint lost to Kingston 4-3 in overtime on December 3rd while visiting the Frontenacs at Leon's Centre. The Firebirds entered the first intermission up 2-1, surrendered two straight goals in the second period, and then scored early into the third period to tie the game falling in overtime. Gavin Hayes and Braeden Kressler provided two-point nights, including a powerplay goal apiece. Nathan Aspinall added his sixth goal of the year while Jacob Brown started for the Firebirds, stopping 26 of 30 in the overtime loss.

Last Matchup:

Saginaw and Flint last met on November 22nd at the Dort Financial Center. The Spirit scored five first-period goals enroute to a 6-3 win.

Rodwin Dionicio scored two goals, and Michael Misa also collected a two-point night (1G, 1A). Matyas Sapovaliv amassed three primary assists while Joey Willis had the first four-point night of his career (4A). Zayne Parekh furthered the Spirit lead with a short-handed goal, and Andrew Oke manned the crease for Saginaw, saving 25 of the 28 Firebird shots.

Gavin Hayes scored his fifteenth of the year, Jeremy Martin collected his sixth, and Blake Smith added his first as a member of the Flint Firebirds. Simon Slavicek amassed two assists, and Nathan Day protected the crease for Flint, stopping 12 of 18 shots.

Players to Watch:

Zayne Parekh leads the Spirit in points (36) and assists (26), putting him 2nd among OHL defensemen in scoring and third in assists. Michael Misa leads the team in goals (13), with six coming on the powerplay. Matyas Sapovaliv is on a seven-game point streak, racking up 16 points, including five goals and eleven assists. Andrew Oke leads the team hosts in all major categories with a 2.71 goals against average (GAA), putting him second in the OHL, a .905 save percentage (SV%), and 11 wins.

Gavin Hayes leads the Firebirds in points (35) and goals (19) while adding 16 assists. Zacharie Giroux and Braeden Kressler co-lead Flint with 19 assists, while rookie Jeremy Martin's six goals are tied for sixth among all OHL rookies. Nathan Day leads the Firebirds in all major goaltending categories with a 3.70 GAA, a .872 SV%, and 11 wins, tying him for seventh place in the OHL.

Saginaw currently has seven (7) players tied to the National Hockey League (NHL), including Joey Willis (Nashville), Matyas Sapovaliv (Vegas), Hunter Haight (Minnesota), Ethan Hay (Tampa Bay), Braden Haché (Florida), Rodwin Dionicio (Anaheim) and Nolan Lalonde (Columbus, FA).

Flint currently has five (5) players tied to the NHL, including Coulson Pitre (Anaheim), Braeden Kressler (Toronto, FA), Gavin Hayes (Chicago), Tristan Bertucci (Dallas), and Nathan Day (Edmonton).

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from December 9, 2023


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