OHL Saginaw Spirit

Game Day Preview: Spirit, Otters Meet in Sunday Matinee

Published on March 8, 2020 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


TV: Buffalo Wild Wings Saginaw Watch Party | OHL Action Pak | WNEM TV 5+ (3/15, 6:00 p.m.)

Radio: 100.5 Newsradio WSGW | www.wsgw.com | iHeartRadio app

Social: #SAGvsER | #SoarWithUs

Erie, PA. - Two of the top North American 2020 NHL Draft prospects share the ice Sunday, March 8 when Cole Perfetti and West Division-leading Saginaw Spirit (40-16-3-2 85 pts. 2nd in Western Conference) travel to Erie Insurance Arena in Erie, Pennsylvania to take on Jamie Drysdale and the Erie Otters (26-25-4-7 63 pts. 8th in Western Conference).  Puck drop for the third of four regular season meetings begin at 2:00 p.m.

The Spirit had doubled up the Otters in the first two contests of the season, 4-2 in Erie back on October 4 and Saginaw took down Erie 6-3 back on February 1 at The Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan.

Fans can catch all the action on 100.5 FM Newsradio WSGW and www.wsgw.com with the voice of Saginaw Spirit hockey Joey Battaino on the call.  "Countdown to Face-off" begins 15 minutes prior to puck drop.

Fans can visit the Buffalo Wild Wings location at 2690 Tittabawassee Road in Saginaw and join the official "Watch Party" for all Spirit away games. Admission is free of charge.

Saginaw won their sixth consecutive game Saturday evening on the road in an 8-6 track race against the Hamilton Bulldogs.  In the victory, the Spirit scored five or more goals for the eighth straight game, which tied a franchise record set last season.

The fourth rated 2020 North American NHL Draft prospect Perfetti extended his point streak to a career-high 11 games, after the Whitby, Ontario native dished out two assists in the victory against the Bulldogs on Saturday.  The Saginaw forward comes into play Sunday second among OHL players with 107 points in 60 games this season.  Perfetti is 12th in Saginaw Spirit team-history with 181 points in just 123 career OHL games.

Spirit captain Damien Giroux notched his 100th career OHL goal against the Hamilton Bulldogs on Saturday.  The 2018 Minnesota Wild fifth round pick become just the fourth player in team-history to reach the 100-goal plateau, behind teammate Cole Coskey (105), as well as alums Ryan McDonough (118) and Josh Shalla (119).  The goal against Hamilton was Giroux's 43rd tally of the season, just four away from Shalla's Saginaw Spirit single season record 47 goals with seven games left to play.

Cole Coskey, a 2019 seventh round draft selection by the New York Islanders, scored his 33rd goal of the season on Saturday night.  The Zion, Illinois native's third period goal on the man-power advantage cemented the win for Saginaw, after the Spirit and Bulldogs combined for 14 goals.  The Spirit have scored at least one powerplay goal in each of the last three games and have gone seven-for-13 during the three-game stretch.

Four of Saginaw's eight goals against Hamilton were scored by Spirit blueliners Bode Wilde and Ilya Solovyov, who each tallied two goals in the contest.

Wilde, the 2018 41st overall pick of the New York Islanders, brings a four-game point streak into the game against the Erie Otters.  The Plymouth, Michigan native has four goals and seven assists for 11 points in just 10 games this season, after he played 20 games with the Islanders AHL affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

Solovyov, who hails from Mogilev, Belarus, scored twice in the first period against Hamilton, the first just 54 seconds into the opening frame.  The 2019 Saginaw Spirit CHL Import Draft first round pick is 16th among OHL defenseman with 40 points this season.

Philadelphia Flyers prospect Mason Millman provided three helpers in the 8-6 victory over the Bulldogs.  In the two triumphs this season against Hamilton, Millman has dished out six assists.

The Erie Otters won their second consecutive game Saturday evening in a 4-2 road triumph over the Niagara IceDogs.  The Otters second rated shorthanded unit killed off six of Niagara's seven man-power advantages in the victory.

NHL Central Scouting's third ranked 2020 NHL Draft prospect Jamie Drysdale assisted on the first of three first period goals scored by the Erie Otters against Niagara.  The Toronto, Ontario native has nine goals and 37 assists in just 48 games this season.

Erie leading scorer Maxim Golod dished out an assist in the victory against the IceDogs on Saturday evening to extend the Concord, Ontario native's point streak to five games.  In 62 games this season, Golod scored 25 goals to go along with 53 assists for 78 points.

Whitby, Ontario native Chad Yetman notched his team-leading 42nd goal of the season in the 4-2 win over Niagara.  The Erie centerman brings a five-game point streak into the game with the Spirit and has goals in four consecutive games.

The Erie Otters have four players listed in NHL Central Scouting's 2020 NHL Draft mid-term rankings in Jamie Drysdale (3rd), Hayden Fowler (66th), Austen Swankler (200th), and Brendan Hoffmann (217th).

The Saginaw Spirit have a total of six players on their roster with NHL ties.  Ryan Suzuki (Carolina Hurricanes-signed), Blade Jenkins (NY Islanders), Cole Coskey (NY Islanders), Mason Millman (Philadelphia Flyers), Bode Wilde (NY Islanders-signed) and Damien Giroux (Minnesota Wild).

Saginaw has two players listed in the NHL Central Scouting 2020 NHL Draft Mid-term rankings, including fourth ranked prospect Cole Perfetti. Ilya Solovyov is listed as the 119th North American prospect available.

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 8, 2020


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