Game Preview: Saginaw Spirit at Brantford Bulldogs
OHL Saginaw Spirit

Game Preview: Saginaw Spirit at Brantford Bulldogs

Published on March 6, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Brantford, Ont. - Coming off an exciting comeback win, the Saginaw Spirit (23-31-3-4) look to keep the momentum against the Eastern Conference leaders, the Brantford Bulldogs (42-9-7-2), for a Friday night matchup at the TD Civic Centre.

Today's Game:

Puck drop is at 7:00 pm.

Broadcast:

Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com

TV: FloHockey, YouTube, X, Facebook

Last Game:

Last night, the Spirit erased a four-goal deficit to defeat the Niagara IceDogs 5-4 in the shootout. Niagara built a commanding 4-0 lead early in the third period, but Saginaw mounted a dramatic comeback with goals from Ryan Hanrahan, Nikita Klepov (shorthanded), Jacob Cloutier, and Carson Harmer, who tied the game with just over a minute remaining. After a scoreless overtime, Spirit captain Dima Zhilkin scored the lone goal in the shootout to secure the win.

The Bulldogs are also coming off a win last night, defeating the Barrie Colts 5-3 thanks to standout performances from Adam Jiricek and Cooper Dennis, who each set new franchise marks in the victory. The win helped the Bulldogs maintain their position atop the East Division as they continue their push toward the OHL playoffs.

This Season:

This marks the second and final meeting of the season between the Spirit and the Bulldogs.

In the first meeting between the two teams back on November 2nd, the Bulldogs took a 6-2 win over the Spirit at the Dow Event Center.

Players to Watch:

Dima Zhilkin's assist in regulation on Thursday night extended his active point streak to six games. In that stretch, the Spirit captain has scored ten points (4G-6A). Zhilkin's 33 goals this season have him tied for 7th in the league and second amongst Spirit stakers. He is one game away from tying his longest scoring streak of the season (13 points over seven games from January 3 to January 22).

Nikita Klepov also extended a scoring streak with 12 points over his last five games. Klepov has taken control of the lead in OHL scoring in this stretch with a total of 87 points (35G-52A) this season. He is two goals from tying Cole Perfetti (2018-19) for most goals by a Spirit rookie (37), after already overtaking the rookie assist and point records earlier this season.

Saginaw's NHL Drafted Players: Jacob Cloutier (WPG)

Adam Jiricek's two goals last night broke Nathan Staios' (2021-22) single-season record for goals by a Bulldogs defenseman. Jiricek's 51 points (17G-34A) are good for fourth best amongst OHL blueliners. He has been a key presence for the Bulldogs, specifically on the power play this season, with 21 of his 34 assists coming on the man advantage.

Cooper Dennis also hit a milestone last night with his 32nd goal of the season, becoming the most ever by a first-year Bulldog. Dennis holds 32G-35A--67P in his first OHL season and leads the league with a +42 rating. He is coming into this matchup with multi-point games in his last two appearances, with three goals and two assists over those games.

Brantford's NHL Drafted Players: Adam Benak (MIN), Jett Luchanko (PHI), Charlie Paquette (DAL), Jake O'Brien (SEA), Parker Holmes (CHI), Marek

Vanacker (CHI), Adam Jiricek (STL), Owen Protz (MTL), Edison Engle (WPG), Ben Danford (TOR), Ryerson Leenders (BUF)

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 6, 2026


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