Game Preview: Saginaw Spirit at Niagara IceDogs
OHL Saginaw Spirit

Game Preview: Saginaw Spirit at Niagara IceDogs

Published on March 5, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Saginaw, Mich. - The Saginaw Spirit (22-31-3-4) visit the Niagara IceDogs (29-25-4-1) on March 5th, 2026, at the Meridian Center.

Tonight's Game:

Puck drop is at 7:00 pm.

Broadcast:

Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com

TV: FloHockey

Last Game:

The Saginaw Spirit hosted the Peterborough Petes on Saturday, February 28th, taking a much-needed two points with a 5-2 win. Graydon Jones opened the scoring for the Spirit, but it would be a third-period rally led by Levi Harper that would give the Spirit the win. Stepan Shurygin posted 47 saves in the victory.

The Niagara IceDogs last played on March 1st, visiting the North Bay Battalion at the Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens. Despite putting up 21 shots on net, the IceDogs would get shut out, losing 5-0 on the road.

This Season:

This is the second and final meeting between the two clubs, with game one being on September 26th, 2025. The IceDogs took the win in game one, winning 5-4 in the shootout. Ethan Czata picked up two goals and an assist for Niagara to be named the first star of the game, and Ryan Hanrahan had a two-point night for the Spirit in the loss.

Players to Watch:

Leading the OHL in points this season is Nikita Klepov, who now has 85 (34G-51A) in 59 games played. Klepov is currently riding a four-game point streak, totaling 10 points (2G-8A) dating back to February 21st. In his first game against the IceDogs earlier this season, Klepov picked up two goals for Saginaw and was named the second star of the game. Since NHL Central Scouting ranked Klepov 16th among draft-eligible North Americans on January 12th, he has the most points in the OHL (11G-24A-35P in 19GP).

Spirit goaltender Stepan Shurygin was named first star of the game Saturday night, stopping 47 of 49 against the Petes in the 5-2 win. Shurygin leads the league in games played this season with 51, as well as in saves with 1489. His performance against the Petes was his fifth with 40 or more saves this season, and he's won all five of those games.

Picking up his 80th point of the season after picking up four assists against the Petes is Egor Barabanov, who is now tied for seventh in scoring in the OHL. Barabanov now has 26 goals and 54 assists in 60 games this season for Saginaw, with two of those assists coming against the IceDogs in September.

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

Riley Patterson leads the Niagara IceDogs in scoring so far this season, with 75 points (35G-40A) in 52 games. Patterson was drafted in the fourth round by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2024 NHL Draft and is four points away from his 200th career OHL point. Against the Spirit this season, Patterson has two assists in one game played.

Since being acquired by the IceDogs from the Kitchener Rangers, defenseman Jakub Chromiak has picked up 15 points (2G-13A) in 22 games. Chromiak has 39 points (8G-31A) in 60 games this season, and is tied for 15th in scoring among OHL defenseman.

Also joining the blue line for the IceDogs this season is Haoxi Wang, who was picked up from Oshawa earlier this season. Wang has had nine points (1G-8A) in 22 games since joining the IceDogs, and was drafted 33rd overall in the 2025 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks.

Niagara's NHL-Drafted Players: Ethan Czata (TB), Riley Patterson (VAN), Noah Read (ANA), Haoxi Wang (SJ)

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 5, 2026


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