Game Preview: Saginaw Spirit vs North Bay Battalion
OHL Saginaw Spirit

Game Preview: Saginaw Spirit vs North Bay Battalion

Published on November 8, 2025 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Saginaw, Mich. - The Saginaw Spirit (6-7-3-2) host the North Bay Battalion (8-9-0-0) on Saturday, November 8th, 2025, at the Dow Event Center.

Tonight's Game:

Puck drop is at 7:05pm.

The Spirit celebrate Eras Night on Saturday, presented by the University of Michigan-Flint. Kanin Wren will perform her Taylor Swift Experience in the Jolt Celebration Club at 5:30pm.

Broadcast:

Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com

TV: FloHockey

Last Game:

The Saginaw Spirit fell 5-2 to the Kitchener Rangers last night at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. Nikita Klepov (five games) and Levi Harper (seven games) extended their respective point streaks, and Carson Harmer picked up his third goal of the season. Stepan Shurygin stopped 35 of 39 shots in the loss.

The North Bay Battalion faced off against the Flint Firebirds last night at the Dort Financial Center. Adrian Manzo had his first multi-point game this season with two assists, and 16-year-old Jax Pereira scored his second of the season in a 9-3 to the Firebirds.

This Season:

This will be the first of two matchups this season between the Spirit and the Battalion, with the second coming next Sunday at North Bay. Last season, the Spirit beat the Battalion twice, with Dima Zhilkin scoring a goal and an assist in a 5-1 victory at the Dow Event Center in February.

Players to Watch:

Egor Barabanov scored his eighth goal of the season last night against the Kitchener Rangers, giving him 24 points (8G-16A) in 18 games this season with the Spirit. Barabanov received a "B" rating from the NHL Central Scouting report last month and sits at ninth overall in points in the OHL.

Spirit goaltender Stepan Shurygin has continued held Saginaw in last night's contest at Kitchener with 35 saves. Shurygin leads the OHL in games played this season with 16, minutes with 902 and in saves with 436.

Rookie Levi Harper has been a point-per-game defenseman this season with 18 points (6G-12A) in 18 games. Harper extended his scoring streak (2G-6A) to seven games last night with an assist in the 5-2 loss to the Kitchener Rangers. His 18 points are already the ninth-most in a single season in team history. He can tie Graydon Jones (19P, 54GP, 2024-2025) with a point tonight against the Battalion.

Saginaw's NHL Drafted Players:

Jacob Cloutier (WPG), Miroslav Satan (WSH)

Battalion rookie Evgeny Dubrovtsev picked up his seventh point of the season last night with an assist, giving him two points in two games to start the month of November. The 17-year-old has two goals and five assists so far this season and was drafted 17th overall by the North Bay Battalion in 2025.

Rookie Jax Pereira adds to the youth of the Battalion with three points (2G-1A) in five games this season. The 16-year-old center scored his second of the season last night against the Firebirds, his second point in three games since returning to the lineup on October 30th.

The Battalion are led in scoring by 2026 NHL Draft eligible Ryder Cali. The former Soo Greyhound has 11 points (7G-4A) in 13 games this season and received a 'B' rating from NHL Central Scouting's preliminary ranking, but hasn't seen action since October 25th at Brampton.

Brandt Harper, the older brother of Levi Harper, backs the blueline for the Battalion with seven points in 17 games this season. Harper had 16 points (3G-13A) in 58 games last season in the USHL and signed with the Battalion on June 6th as a free agent. Brandt and Levi play each other for the first time this season in tonight's matchup.

North Bay's NHL Drafted Players:

Ethan Procyszyn (ANA), Shamar Moses (FLA), Lirim Amidovski (MIN)

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from November 8, 2025


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