Preview: Spirit Face IceDogs Thursday to Begin Road Trip
October 3, 2019 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release
St. Catharines, ON. - The Saginaw Spirit head out for their first extended road trip of the season to face the Niagara IceDogs Thursday evening for the second time this season. The puck drop is at 7:00 p.m at the Meridian Centre. This is the first of three straight games on the road.
Fans can tune into the action live on 100.5 Newsradio WSGW, www.wsgw.com, and iHeartRadio beginning at 6:45 p.m. with the voice of the Spirit, Joey Battaino.
We invite #SpiritNation to visit the Buffalo Wild Wings location at 2690 Tittabawassee Road in Saginaw and join the official "Watch Party" for all Spirit away games. Admission is free of charge.
Following tonight's game in Niagara, the Spirit will stay on the road for two more away games against the Erie Otters Friday and the Oshawa Generals, Sunday night. They will return home on Wednesday night to play the Peterborough Petes at 7:05 p.m at The Dow Event Center.
This past weekend, the Spirit faced off against the Sarnia Sting on the road Friday, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds on Saturday, and the Niagara IceDogs on Sunday.
The Spirit's three-game weekend included firsts for many players, including rookies Mitchell Smith, Ilya Solovyov, Roberto Mancini, and Josh Bloom scoring their first career OHL goals and Cole Perfetti notching his first goal of the season on Sunday.
On Friday, the Spirit traveled to Sarnia to play the Sting. Pulling ahead to a 9-3 win, many of the goals became a first for the players. Captain and Minnesota Wild Draft Pick Damien Giroux got his first goal of the season, first-round import draft pick Ilya Solovyov with his first OHL goal, Nick Porco with his first goal of the season, Saginaw native and rookie Mitchell Smith with his first OHL goal, and Philadelphia Flyers draft pick Mason Millman with his first goal of the season. Goalie Tristian Lennox also achieved his first OHL point with an assist on a shorthanded goal from DJ Busdeker. New York Islanders draft pick Cole Coskey and Blade Jenkins also had goals.
Coskey, 20, is riding a five-game point streak to start the 2019-20 season. The Zion, Illinois native is second on the team in scoring with seven points this season.
The Saginaw Spirit dropped a 6-4 decision to division rival, Soo Greyhounds on Saturday. Rookie Josh Bloom achieved his first OHL goal on a penalty shot and Danny Katic got his first goal of the season. Giroux earned two goals during the game, both coming on the power play.
On Sunday evening, the Spirit played the Niagara IceDogs pulling ahead to win 3-0. , Mancini and Perfetti each got their first goals. Coskey had the other goal of the game, making it his fourth of the season. Marshall Frappier earned a 26-save shutout in his Spirit debut.
Frappier was selected by Hockey Canada to compete in the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge during the 2016-17 season. In three games with Team Canada White, Frappier posted a .900 save percentage.
Frappier made his first appearance with the Spirit Sunday night against the IceDogs. He faced 26 shots but made his presence known on the team by earning his first shutout helping the Spirit win 3-0.
To purchase tickets to any Saginaw Spirit home game call (989) 497-7747, visit www.saginawspirit.com, or visit the Saginaw Spirit Store at 5789 State Street, Saginaw MI.
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Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 3, 2019
- Peterborough Wins 5-2 - North Bay Battalion
- 'Dogs Battle Hard against Spirit - Niagara IceDogs
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- Kyle MacLean Returned to Generals - Oshawa Generals
- Winning Follows Storm's Chayka - Guelph Storm
- Peterborough Petes Announce 2019-20 Leadership Group - Peterborough Petes
- The Fun Gets Started at the Aud in a Big Way this October - Kitchener Rangers
- Peterborough Petes Players of the Week for the Week Ending September 29 - Peterborough Petes
- Preview: Spirit Face IceDogs Thursday to Begin Road Trip - Saginaw Spirit
- Storm Are Proud to Announce Mark Wilson's Better Used Cars Will be the Presenting Sponsor of the 2019-20 Season - Guelph Storm
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