Game Preview: Saginaw Spirit vs London Knights
Published on February 7, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release
Saginaw, Mich. - The Saginaw Spirit (18-25-3-4) host the London Knights (29-16-4-1) on February 7th, 2025, at the Dow Event Center.
Tonight's Game:
Puck drop is at 7:05pm.
The Spirit host their 18th annual Shocks and Saves charity game on Saturday, presented by the Pulse3 Endowment. The charity game, featuring Detroit Red Wings alumni like Darren McCarty, Jiri Fischer, Kirk Maltby and more, begins at 3:50pm.
Broadcast:
Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com
TV: FloHockey
Last Game:
The Saginaw Spirit hosted the Erie Otters at the Dow Event Center last night, taking a 4-1 win. Drew Roscoe opened the scoring with his first OHL goal, and Egor Barabanov picked up the game-winner and his 60th point of the season. Stepan Shurygin stopped 25 of 26 and was named the third star of the game.
The London Knights completed the comeback against the Niagara IceDogs last night, winning 5-4 in overtime after going down 3-0 in the first period. Jessie Nurmi and Ryan Brown both had multi-goal games in the win, and Sebastien Gatto stopped 32 of 28 Niagara shots.
This Season:
This is the fourth meeting of the season between the Saginaw Spirit and the London Knights. The two teams split back-to-back meetings in November, and London won the most recent matchup at Canada Life Place, 5-3 on December 12th for the 2-1-0-0 advantage in the season series.
Players to Watch:
Carson Harmer and Brody Pepoy have both found the back of the net against the Knights this season, with both of them having a three-point night on November 28th in a 4-2 Spirit win. Harmer was named the first star of the game with two goals and an assist, and has five points (2G-3A) in three games against London, leading Saginaw in scoring against the Knights. Pepoy ended a 12-game goal draught with his highlight-reel marker last night against the Otters. He has four points (2G-2A) in the season series against London.
Egor Barabanov picked up his 60th point of the season last night with the game-winning goal against the Otters. Barabanov had 16 points (5G-11A) in 14 games to start the new year, and is tied for tenth in OHL scoring so far this season with 21 goals and 39 assists in 50 games.
Saginaw's NHL-Drafted Players: Jacob Cloutier (WPG)
Braiden Clark picked up his 22nd point (12G-10A) of the season last night with an assist on the game-tying goal in the third period against Niagara. Clark leads the Knights against the Spirit this season with six points (4G-2A) in three games. Sitting behind Clark with five points against the Spirit this season is Jaxon Cover, who has two goals and three assists in three games. Cover sits fifth overall in rookie scoring this season with 36 points (15G-21A) in 49 games, and he picked up his first career hat trick last month against the Peterborough Petes.
Leading the London Knights in scoring this season is Ryan Brown, who has 42 points (17G-25A) in 49 games. Brown was acquired by the club before the trade deadline last month from Sarnia, and in 15 games with the Knights has 19 points (11G-8A). Despite 49 games played so far, Brown will be playing the Spirit for the first time this season tonight.
New York Islanders prospect Jesse Nurmi has been a major boost for the Knights since returning from the pro ranks, with 19 points (11G-8A) in 14 games back in the OHL. The 20-year-old Finnish forward spent the first 12 games of this season with the Worcester Railers of the ECHL, scoring his first two professional points (1G-1A).
London's NHL-Drafted Players: Jesse Nurmi (NYI), William Nicholl (EDM), Henry Brzustewicz (LA), Linus Funck (COL), Aleksei Medvedev (VAN)
Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 7, 2026
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- Barrie Colts Defeat Brampton Steelheads 4-1 on the Road - Barrie Colts
- Game Preview: Kitchener Rangers at Niagara IceDogs - February 7th, 2026 - Kitchener Rangers
- Game Preview: Saginaw Spirit vs London Knights - Saginaw Spirit
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