OHL Saginaw Spirit

Saginaw Wows Crowd In 6-5 Overtime Win

Published on March 14, 2015 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


The Plymouth Whalers travelled to the Dow Event Center on Hockey for the Homeless Night as the Michigan teams went head to head in a very important game for the Spirit. Before the game Saginaw honored overage defensemen Jake Ringuette for his five seasons, 246 games, 13 goals, 45 assists and 58 points for the Spirit. The Spirit put the large Saginaw crowd on their feet after the home team took a 6-5-overtime victory against the Whalers, thanks to a game-winning goal by Jesse Barwell.

The Spirit and Whalers recorded a fairly even-matched first period, with each team throwing a tally on the board before the buzzer sounded. Plymouth opened the game's scoring after Sonny Milano snuck the puck past Saginaw's starting goaltender Evan Cormier with the help of Mathieu Henderson and Vincent Scognamiglio. Defenseman Jake Ringuette reminded the Spirit crowd just how thankful they are to have him when he tied the game at 16:09 of the period, netting his 9th goal of the season. Jesse Barwell and Dylan Sadowy were credited with the assists on the play. Shots on net after the first period favored the home team, as Saginaw outshot Plymouth 11-7.

The Whalers outskated the Saginaw Spirit for a majority of the second period, securing a two-goal lead until Saginaw's Artem Artemov beat Plymouth's starting goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic. Vincent Scognamiglio made it a 2-1 game 4:23 into the period, with Sonny Milano and Sean Callaghan on the assists. Will Bitten followed suit of Scognamiglio and found the back of the net off a rebound, cushioning the Whalers two-goal lead. Bitten's goal came at the 9:11 mark and was assisted by Yannick Rathgeb. It wasn't until the later end of the period that Saginaw stopped Plymouth's scoring and cut into the Whalers lead. Spirit's Artem Artemov beat Nedeljkovic at 15:31 of the period, netting his 13th goal of the season and making it a 3-2 game in favor of the Whalers. The Whalers led shots on goal in the second period, outshooting Saginaw 10-8.

The Saginaw Spirit and Plymouth Whalers put the Saginaw crowd at the edge of their seat during the third period. Saginaw's Jesse Barwell tied the game 3-3 at 1:07 of the third period with the help of Mitch Stephens, on his 10th goal of the season. Mathew Campagna regained the Plymouth lead at the 9:05 mark, with Vincent Scognamiglio and Sonny Milano assisting the play. The teams exchanged goals yet again when Saginaw's Blake Clarke tied the game at four, with Dylan Sadowy and Vladislav Kodola being credited with the assists. Plymouth made it a 5-4 game when Mathieu Henderson netted a goal at 16:41 of the period. The Spirit pulled starting goaltender Evan Cormier in hopes of tying the game for the fourth time of the night. Vladislav Kodola was able to do just that for Saginaw, after the Spirit center ripped home his 6th goal of the season, making it a 5-5 game with 30 seconds left in the third period.

The teams headed into 5 minutes of overtime with some 4-on-4 hockey with the Whalers and Spirit looking to secure a win. Saginaw's Jesse Barwell netted the game winning goal, his second of the night and 11th of the season 2:52 into overtime, finishing the game with a 6-5 victory over the Spirit's in-state rival. Final shots on goal favored the home team 31-26.

Sunday the Spirit will be in Plymouth as they take on the Whalers for a 2:00 p.m. game at Compuware Arena. Saginaw will continue on their road endeavors on March 20th as they head to the Budweiser Gardens to face off against the London Knights. Puck is scheduled to drop at 7:30 p.m. These games can be heard on the flagship station of the Saginaw Spirit FM Talk and Sports WSGW 100.5. The Spirit will be back in action on Saturday, March 21st for their last regular season game at the Dow Event Center as they play host to the Kitchener Rangers. Puck is scheduled to drop at 7:11 p.m.

Applebee's Three Stars

1.Jake Ringuette - Saginaw

2.Jesse Barwell - Saginaw

3.Mitch Stephens - Saginaw

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 14, 2015


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