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OHL Saginaw Spirit

Preview: Spirit, Greyhounds Meet Thursday with West Division Championship on the Line

March 14, 2019 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Sarnia, ON - The Saginaw Spirit wrap up a three-game road swing tonight at the Progressive Auto Sales Arena as they face the Sarnia Sting.

Tuesday marks the final of a six-game regular-season series between the Spirit and third-place Ontario Hockey League West Division Sting.

Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. (EST).

Sarnia currently holds the seventh spot in the OHL Western Conference playoff race and would play Saginaw in the first round if the standings hold true by next week.

The Spirit lost the last meeting in Sarnia on February 18 in a shootout, 7-6.

Broadcast, Watch Party & Ticket Info

Listen live on the flagship WSGW 100.5 FM Talk & Sports and fmtalk1005.com with Joey Battaino and Dennis Desrosiers. Pre-game coverage starts at 6:50 p.m. (EST).

*NOTE* Tonight due to a scheduling conflict, Buffalo Wild Wings at 2690 Tittabawassee Road will not be able to show the Spirit vs Sting Game. Buffalo Wild Wings will be showing the Saginaw High Varsity Basketball State Quarterfinal Game, Best of luck Boys!

To purchase your tickets for all Saginaw home games, call (989) 497-7747, visit saginawspirit.com, or by visiting the Saginaw Spirit Store at 5789 State Street, Saginaw, MI.

Last Time Out

Saginaw rookie Cole Perfetti scored all four goals Saturday in the 4-1 win over the London Knights at the Budweiser Gardens.

In their second win against London this season, the Spirit finished with just 23 shots on goal, but would celebrate Perfetti's first career hat trick en route to their eighth straight win since February 21.

Saginaw continues to close the gap for first place in the Western Conference standings with four points behind the Knights.

The Spirit have also tied a franchise record for most wins in a single-season at 44 and is seven points away from notching the first 100-point season in the team's 17-year history.

Spirit Standouts

Perfetti, the former 2018 OHL Priority Selection fifth overall pick, has points in eight of the last nine games after Saturday's four-goal outing. Perfetti leads all first-year players in goals (35) as well as points (70) and was named the OHL West Division Academic Player of the Month for February.

2017 Florida Panthers first-round (10th overall) draft pick Owen Tippett assisted on three of Perfetti's goals Saturday. Tippett has points in 13 of the last 15 games and is second on the team in both goals (32) and points (69).

2018 Arizona Coyotes fourth-round goaltending prospect Ivan Prsovetov made 47 saves Saturday en route to his 35th win this season. The former CHL Import Draft first-rounder has a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.96 and a 0.909 save percentage (SAV%).

Ryan McLeod, drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the second round in 2018, assisted on one of Perfetti's goals after snapping a nine-game stretch without a goal last Friday. Hitting twine for the first time since February 13, McLeod would also notch his first point in four games and first point in the month of March on the game-winner against the Storm.

Since scoring his first-career goal on December 8 in his debut with the Spirit, rookie forward Ethan Cardwell has picked up five goals in the last four games. The 16-year-old registered two on March 2 at home against the Kingston Frontenacs.

2018 New York Islanders second-round (41st overall) draft pick Bode Wilde saw his seven-game point streak snapped on Friday in Guelph. However, Wilde is still tied for first among all OHL defensemen this season in power-play goals (9) while sitting third in goals (19), assists (49) and points (68).

Second-year forward Camaryn Baber, the native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, has recorded nine points in the last seven games, including four assists on March 2. Those nine points account for nearly half of his season total of 21.

19-year-old defenseman Hayden Davis made his return to the Spirit lineup Friday after missing all of the month of February with a lower-body injury. The former 2015 first-round (13th overall) pick by the Niagara IceDogs has one goal and 13 assists for 14 points on the season.

On special teams, the Spirit have the league's sixth-best power play unit on 51 goals for a 23.8 percent success rate this season. The penalty kill is ranked third overall with 37 goals allowed for an 83.1 percent success rate.

Sarnia Scouting Report

The Sting have played two games since March 3, winning against Niagara and losing to the Soo Greyhounds, to sit five points behind the Owen Sound Attack for sixth place in the Western Conference standings.

With four games remaining on the schedule, Sarnia isn't guaranteed a playoff berth yet as they possess a one-point and three-point advantage of the Windsor Spitfires and Erie Otters, respectively.

2017 CHL Import Draft first-rounder Hugo Leufvenius leads the team in goals (35) and points (76), this season. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Ryan McGregor maintains a club-high 48 assists.

Cameron Lamour, the former Spirit draft pick in 2016, has compiled a goals-against average (GAA) of 4.57 with a 0.856 save percentage (SAV%) in 28 games with the Sting since being traded last December.

On special teams, Sarnia is ranked 11th in the OHL on the penalty kill this season with 56 goals allowed for an 78.0 percent success rate. The Sting have the 13th-best man-up unit with 55 goals scored for a 20.7 percent success rate.

Featured NHL Prospects

There will be a combined 10 players on the ice Wednesday with their rights owned by NHL teams. For the Sting, it'll be McGregor (Toronto) and Mitch Eliot (Vancouver - signed as a free agent).

Blade Jenkins (NY Islanders - signed), Brady Gilmour (Detroit), Reilly Webb (Detroit), Damien Giroux (Minnesota), Prosvetov (Arizona), Tippett (Florida - signed), McLeod (Edmonton) and Wilde (NY Islanders) will represent Saginaw.

Looking Ahead

The Spirit return to The Dow Event Center on Thursday as they host Sault Ste. Marie at 7:05 p.m. (EST).

It'll be the seventh of an eight-game regular-season series between Saginaw and second-place OHL West Division Greyhounds.

Upper-level seating tickets to students and military personnel are available for $5, courtesy of Reder Landscaping, in this week's Ticket Rush event.

Bay City's Steve Armstrong and the 25 cent Beer Band will be playing in the Budweiser Red Room prior to puck drop beginning at 5:30 p.m. (EST).

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 14, 2019


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