OHL Saginaw Spirit

Spirit Battle Generals to 5-4 Victory

Published on January 26, 2007 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


SAGINAW, Mich. --The Saginaw Spirit began an important three-game weekend with a 5-4 win against the Oshawa Generals Friday night at the Dow Event Center in front of a sold out crowd of 5,547. The Spirit managed to contain the Generals' sixteen year-old phenom John Tavares to 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist); Tavares was fresh off a 7-point (4 goals, 3 assists) game against the Windsor Spitfires Thursday night. The Spirit's record moves to 28-17-0-2, good for 58 points and second place in the OHL West Division. The Spirit stayed on pace with the Plymouth Whalers, but managed to pass the Sarnia Sting with the victory. The 31-12-1-2 Whalers are in first place with 65 points and the 26-17-2-3 Sting are in third place with 57 points.

"Our guys came out tonight willing to do whatever it took to win the hockey game. It was a gritty effort by everyone involved and makes tomorrow's game against Windsor that much more important," said Saginaw Spirit General Manager and Head Coach Bob Mancini. "I was very proud of Tyler Haskins, Patrick Asselin, and Ryan Berard. They did an excellent job of staying on Tavares all night long."

The Spirit got on the scoreboard first as Berard scored at 6:51 in the first period, assisted by defenseman Mitch Maunu and Haskins. The Saginaw lead lasted less than 5 minutes as Oshawa took advantage with a power play goal from center Brett Parnham at the 11:31 mark, ending the first period tied at 1-1. Defenseman James DeLory and forward Dale Mitchell assisted on the goal.

The second period saw back and forth goals from each squad. It began with another quick Saginaw goal. The Spirit took advantage of an Oshawa penalty as center Ryan McDonough scored on the power play at the 3:07 mark. The goal was assisted by Asselin and Maunu. The Generals countered shortly thereafter with a goal from Tavares at the 5:21 mark, assisted by forwards Igor Gongalsky and Mitchell. Oshawa couldn't keep the momentum on its side for long when Oshawa took a penalty just over two minutes later that resulted in a Spirit power play goal from forward Tomas Zaborsky (NYR '06) at the 8:39 mark. The go ahead goal was assisted by Haskins and Williams (COL '06). Penalties continued to play a vital role in the game as the Generals took little time in tying up the score on a power play goal from forward Cal Clutterbuck at 11:11 of the period. Tavares and forward Brett MacLean assisted on the equalizer. Just as the Oshawa fans settled back into their seats, the Spirit took the lead back for the fourth time in the game with an O'Marra goal at 12:47. Williams and forward Jan Mursak (DET '06) assisted on the final goal of an action-filled period.

Saginaw's scoring stride carried into the third period where the Spirit pulled away from the visiting Generals. Saginaw's O'Marra didn't wait long to score his second goal of the game off an odd man rush. Forward Tom Pyatt (NYR '05) and defenseman Nick Crawford assisted on the insurance goal that gave Saginaw a 5-3 lead at 1:44 of the final stanza. Oshawa rounded out the scoring with another Tavares goal at 18:16 of the third period that made Spirit fans sweat a bit, but it wasn't enough as Saginaw hung on for a 5-4 win. Defenseman Trevor Koverko and Clutterbuck assisted on the goal.

Saginaw Spirit goaltender Marc-Andrè Perron stopped twenty-three shots in the effort.

"We've been struggling a bit lately and knew we had to get out to a fast start against this team. Everyone covered their assignments well, and we really put together a solid team effort. Hopefully we'll be able to keep this momentum going through the weekend and into the rest of the season," stated Williams.

The Spirit finish out the weekend with a home and home series against its division rival, the Windsor Spitfires. Saturday's home match-up will begin at 7:11 P.M., while Sunday's road rematch will take place at 2:00 P.M. The Spirit will be hosting the 2007 OHL All-Star Classic in Saginaw this Tuesday and Wednesday. For more information on the all-star event, please visit www.saginawspirit.com.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 26, 2007


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