Game Preview: Saginaw Spirit at Flint Firebirds
OHL Saginaw Spirit

Game Preview: Saginaw Spirit at Flint Firebirds

Published on October 18, 2025 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Saginaw, Mich. - The Coors Light I-75 Divide Cup series continues on October 18th as the Saginaw Spirit (2-3-3-1) head to the Dort Financial Center to face off against the Flint Firebirds (3-3-1-0) for the second game in an eight-game season series.

Tonight's Game:

Puck drop is at 7:00 pm.

Broadcast:

Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com

TV: FloHockey

Last Game:

The Spirit fell 5-2 in a midweek matchup in Sault St. Marie on Wednesday night. Dima Zhilkin, who returned to the lineup last weekend, picked up an assist on Jacob Cloutier's goal to open the game. Egor Barabanov scored the second goal of the night and his sixth of the season, while Nikita Klepov picked up his team-leading 15th point of the season with the assist on Barabanov's goal. The team was unable to find the back of the net after that, despite the help of Stepan Shurygin, who stopped 27 of 31 shots in the loss.

The Firebirds have posted back-to-back shutouts, the last coming from a 3-0 win over the Oshawa Generals. Nathan Aspinall had a two-goal night, putting him at a team-leading five goals, both assisted by Jimmy Lombardi, who leads the Firebirds with six assists. Mason Vaccari has had two strong performances in the team's shutouts, posting a combined 46 shots across two games.

This Season:

This is game two of the Coors Light I-75 Divide Cup series. The Spirit fell 6-5 in overtime back on September 20th. The teams will face off six more times this season, with the next game of the series on Saturday, October 19th, at the Dow Event Center. Chase Hull scored two goals for the Firebirds, including the overtime winner. Dima Zhilkin and Egor Barabanov each had two-point nights for the Spirit.

Players to Watch:

Nikita Klepov (15 points) and Egor Barabanov (14 points) each sit in the top ten of OHL point-getters. Klepov has scored at least one point in eight of nine games played, while Barabanov has scored at least one point in seven of nine. Dima Zhilkin, who missed five games before returning to the lineup on October 11th, recorded an assist against the Soo and will be looking to contribute offensively for the Spirit. In his first two games of the season, Zhilkin scored five points (3G-2A), with a goal and an assist against the Firebird on September 20th. Stepan Shurygin has continued a strong campaign in net with 207 saves on the season, good for fourth-best in the OHL.

Goaltender Mason Vaccari has been a big presence for the Firebirds so far this season, with a 3-1-1-0 record and a .914 save percentage. His two straight shutouts earned him OHL Goaltender of the Week honors for October 6-12. Nathan Aspinall and Jimmy Lombardi have had strong games as of late for the Firebirds. Aspinall has points in each of his four games this season, and found the back of the net in three of them (5G-1A--6P). Alex Kostov has six points in his last four games, and sits tied for second on the team with Aspinall, Lombardi, and rookie winger Charlie Murata. Matthew Wang leads the Firebirds with seven points (3G-4A), but did not play in the team's last two games.

Saginaw's NHL Drafted Players:

Jacob Cloutier (WPG)

Miroslav Satan (WSH)

Flint's NHL Drafted Players:

Jimmy Lombardi (LA)

Kaden Pitre (TB)

Nathan Aspinall (NYR)

Darels Uljanskis (ANA)

Rylan Fellinger (TOR)

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 18, 2025


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