Sports stats



OHL Saginaw Spirit

Preview: Spirit Host Coors Light I-75 Divide Rival Firebirds Sunday

December 30, 2018 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


The Dow Event Center, home of the Saginaw Spirit
The Dow Event Center, home of the Saginaw Spirit
(Saginaw Spirit)

Saginaw, MI - After extending their points streak to seven games, giving prominence to back-to-back wins to kick off the second half of the 2018-19 season, the Saginaw Spirit renew the Coors Light I-75 Divide Cup on Sunday at The Dow Event Center.

Having compiled a record of 11 wins and one overtime loss in the last 12 meetings dating back to last year against in-state rival, Flint Firebirds, puck drop for Game four of the regular-season series is at 5:35 p.m.

Listen live on the flagship WSGW 100.5 FM Talk & Sports and fmtalk1005.com with Joey Battaino and Dennis Desrosiers. Pre-game coverage starts 15 minutes before puck drop.

Paw Patrol characters Chase, Marshall, Rubble and Skye will be at the Budweiser Red Room tomorrow from 4:00-7:00 p.m. for meet-and-greet and photo opportunities.

Fans are also encouraged to bring their skates and join the Spirit players for a postgame skate. Tickets for children 12 and younger are available for $5, courtesy of Covenant HealthCare.

The Spirit returned home Saturday following a much needed 4-2 road win over OHL West Division leader Sault Ste. Marie Greyhound to lessen the points difference in the race for the West Division crown.

Making their way back to The Dow after a two-week long hiatus, Saginaw won its third consecutive game against the Erie Otters, with six different players scoring for the 6-4 decision.

Beginning on December 9, Saginaw has captured 13 of a possible 14 points to ascend to fourth place in the Western Conference standings at 44 points, one shy of third behind the Guelph Storm.

Since the promotion of Chris Lazary to head coach, the Spirit are one win away from notching double-digits in a month's span, losing just twice in regulation and falling short once in both overtime and shootout.

Sunday marks the second time this season in which Saginaw has hosted the Firebirds and fourth time the two Michigan-based clubs square off. The most recent encounter saw the Spirit score four goals en route to a decisive win on November 14 at the Dort Federal Event Center.

One game after making his return to the lineup for the first time since December 6, Detroit Red Wings prospect Brady Gilmour got the scoring started for Saginaw on Saturday at 13:31 in the first period.

Now joining 10 other Spirit players in surpassing the 20-point feat, Gilmour has the fifth-most assists (14) on the team and even cracked the starting line alongside Danny Katic and Camaryn Baber.

Gilmour wasn't the only one to make an impact in just a short amount of time. Overage defenseman Reagan O'Grady collected two points and second-star honors after being away for the majority of December with an upper body setback.

Scoring the insurance goal at 6:24 in the third period was Katic, who also assisted on the Gilmour goal for his second multi-point outing of the season. The third-year forward has gained four goals and five assists for nine points this season.

Trailing 3-2 in the early going of the second frame, the Spirit would rejuvenate and score four unanswered goals, including two on the power play, as captain Damien Giroux and second-year forward Nicholas Porco each picked up their 15th of the year.

Porco has scored four goals against the Otters in the series played while Giroux, the 2018 Minnesota Wild draft prospect, has the second-highest plus-minus rating (+9) and sixth-most points (27) among all Spirit players.

Three other players for Saginaw in Cole Coskey, Cole Perfetti and Bode Wilde finished with two points in the Erie win. Coskey was among 29 players auditioning for a roster spot on Team USA earlier this month in the 2019 International Ice Hockey Federation Work Junior Championship.

Stretching out a seven-game points streak, Coskey would also obtain the game-winning goal over Sault Ste. Marie this past Friday to take sole possession of the most goals (16) scored by a Spirit player. Perfetti currently ranks in the top-10 in goals (15), assists (14) and points (29) among OHL rookies this season.

Signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the New York Islanders on December 3, Wilde is tied for the second most assists (27) and is fourth in points (36) by a league blueliner in just 29 games played.

The two assists on Saturday by Wilde earned him his 13th multi-point performance this season. Fellow 2018 Islanders draft pick Blade Jenkins' seventh goal in nine games tied the score a third time against the Otters in the midway point of the second period, sitting only behind Coskey and Wilde for the most points (35) by a Spirit player.

2018 Arizona Coyotes fourth rounder Ivan Prosvetov has won five straight games in net, stopping 31 of Erie's 35 shots to improve his goals against average (GAA) to 3.32 with a .894 save percentage (SAV%),

On special teams, the Spirit have the league's 13th best man-down unit, killing a combined eight penalties the last two games. The power play is fourth-best with 30 goals scored for a 25 percent success rate.

The Firebirds are embracing their two wins over the last three games, wrapping up a two-game home stand on Saturday with a 5-2 triumph over West Division foe Windsor Spitfires.

The pair of victories propelled Flint into the double-digit points column through 37 games, but remain in 10th place in the Western Conference standings, 17 points behind the Otters and 21 behind the Spitfires.

Recently celebrating his two-month anniversary as head coach of the Firebirds, former Philadelphia Flyers forward Eric Wellwood has been at the helm for all of Flint's five wins this season, including back-to-back drubbings on November 7 and 9 against the Sarnia Sting and the Soo, respectively.

At 28 years old, Wellwood played four seasons with the Spitfires where he led the charge in wining two straight OHL Memorial Cup championships in 2009 and 2010. Wellwood's playing career ended in 2014 after professional stints with the Flyers and AHL Adirondack Phantoms.

Two Firebirds players have eclipsed the 30-point marker at this point of the season in Dallas Stars first rounder Ty Dellandrea (33) and 19-year-old forward Jake Durham (37).

Dellandrea, who was selected 13th in the 2018 NHL Draft, leads the team in assists (20) while sitting third in goals scored (13). Durham's three goals in three games have him ranked first (20) in that major offensive category.

Other notable standouts include 2017 OHL Priority Selection tenth overall pick Ethan Keppen, who's at 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points, as well as 18-year-old forward Eric Uba at 14 goals and 12 assists for 26 points.

The Firebirds have split the goaltending duties between Emanuel Vella and Luke Cavallin. With the pair playing in every game this season outside of three, Vella leads the race in total saves (644) and total shots faced (741).

Vella, an overager, has a goals against average (GAA) of 5.06 and a .869 save percentage (SAV%), while Cavallin has a record of 2-12-1-0 in 19 appearances.

On special teams, Flint is ranked 18th in the OHL on the power play with 18 goals scored on 121 opportunities for a 14.9 percent success rate. The Firebirds are 19th on the power play with 45 goals allowed for a 69 percent success rate.

There will be a combined nine players on the ice Saturday with their rights owned by NHL teams. For the Firebirds, it'll be Dellandrea (Dallas), Dennis Busby (Arizona) and Fedor Gordeev (Toronto).

Defenseman Reilly Webb (Detroit), Gilmour (Detroit), Prosvetov (Arizona), Jenkins (NY Islanders), Wilde (NY Islanders) and Giroux (Minnesota) will represent Saginaw.

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.

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics




Images from this story

The Dow Event Center, home of the Saginaw Spirit
The Dow Event Center, home of the Saginaw Spirit
   



Ontario Hockey League Stories from December 30, 2018


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central