Hanrahan's First OHL Goal Helps Guide Spirit Past Otters, 5-3, on Friday
OHL Saginaw Spirit

Hanrahan's First OHL Goal Helps Guide Spirit Past Otters, 5-3, on Friday

Published on October 24, 2025 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Saginaw Spirit's Ryan Hanrahan on game night
Saginaw Spirit's Ryan Hanrahan on game night
(Saginaw Spirit)

Saginaw, Mich. - After five straight losses, a third-period push propelled the Spirit to a 5-3 win over the Erie Otters on Friday, October 24th, thanks to the effort of the Saginaw power play.

The Spirit came out firing in the opening minutes and were quickly rewarded. A pass from James Guo, just skimming the stick of Sebastian Gervais, found Carson Harmer, who buried his second goal of the season just a minute and two seconds into the game. The Spirit continued to create high-quality opportunities and put Erie netminder Noah Erliden to work. Saginaw generated multiple chances in front of the net for the rest of the period, but Erliden and the Erie defense made key plays early to keep the puck away.

Erie found a way to tie it up just over halfway through the first frame. A giveaway in the offensive zone led to a breakaway opportunity for Gabriel Frasca, taking the puck down the ice and firing a shot past the right shoulder of Stepan Shurygin to put the Otters on the board.

After 1: SAG: 1 - ER: 1 (Total Shots: 13 - 6)

The Spirit started the second period on the penalty kill and was able to ward off the Otters on the man advantage. Five minutes into the period, Nic Sima won a crucial puck battle in the neutral zone and used his speed to push past defensemen, hungry to get to the net. Sima attempted to slide the puck past Erliden, which was saved, but Ryan Hanrahan was at the back door to poke the puck in for his first OHL goal.

However, the Otters continued to push in response. Just two minutes after Hanrahan's goal, Wesley Royston found a rebound to put in the back of the net to tie the game back up. Frasca was awarded the secondary assist, earning his second point of the night for his fourth multi-point game of the season.

Tensions flared as the teams traded penalties back and forth, but both penalty kills remained strong. In the final 16 seconds of the period, the Spirit were able to force a penalty for Erie and headed into the final frame on the man advantage.

After 2: SAG: 2 - ER: 2 (2nd period shots: 11 - 13 Total shots: 24 - 19)

The Spirit didn't waste any time on the power play to start the third period. The top powerplay of Dima Zhilkin, Egor Barabanov, and Nikita Klepov had multiple high-quality chances all night and were finally rewarded on the man advantage. Zhilkin sent the puck in for Levi Harper, whose shot was deflected by Erliden, but fired back at the net by Klepov for his ninth goal of the season.

Three minutes after Klepov's goal, Gervais brought the puck into the zone, firing a shot and collecting his own rebound to flip the puck over Erliden's left shoulder. Gervais, skating in his 271st game for the Spirit to move into second in all-time games played, got the insurance goal for his third of the season.

On a Spirit power play, the Otters got two back-to-back shorthanded breakaways, which led to two big saves from Stepan Shurygin. After those saves, the Spirit established pressure in the offensive zone. Nikita Klepov and Egor Barabanov set up Zhilkin in the left circle to bury the puck in the back of the net. Since returning to the lineup on October 11th, Zhilkin has scored eight points in five games. This also marked Klepov's 20th point of the season and his fifth multi-point game.

The Otters found an answer minutes later when Alex Misiak got the puck in the slot from Luc Plante to score his second goal of the season. Erie was not able to find anything after Misiak's goal with the efforts of Stepan Shurygin and the Saginaw defense in the final minutes. The Spirit won their first game since October 4th and their first at home this season.

Final: SAG: 5 - ER: 3 (3rd period shots 15 - 16, Total shots 40 - 34)

Powerplays SAG 2/3 ER 0/4

Goaltenders: SAG Stepan Shurygin (31 saves, 34 shots), ER Noah Erliden (35 saves, 40 shots)

The Spirit are back in action on Saturday night, where they will take on the Owen Sound Attack at the Dow Event Center. The Spirit will be honoring members of the Spirit Warriors Veteran team at the game. Puck drop is set for 7:05 pm.

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics

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Images from this story

Saginaw Spirit's Ryan Hanrahan on game night
Saginaw Spirit's Ryan Hanrahan on game night
   



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