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OHL Saginaw Spirit

Spirit Battle till Final Seconds in 4-3 Loss to Otters

February 6, 2010 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


(Erie, PA) The Saginaw Spirit suffered a 4-3 loss to the Erie Otters at the Tulio Arena Saturday night, snapping a three game win streak. Michael Sgarbossa tallied two goals in the effort, the second of which came in the final six seconds of the hockey game. The Spirit have posted 55 points and a record of 25-22-4-1 in 52 games entering Sunday, where they will visit the Kitchener Rangers at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium at 2:00 PM.

The Otters tallied four goals before the Spirit got onto the scoreboard, giving them a commanding 4-0 lead going into the final minutes of the third period. Winger Anthony Luciani notched the game opening goal :54 seconds in, courtesy assists from defenseman David Shields and winger Shawn Szydlowski. Center Greg McKegg tallied the next two Erie goals, the first coming shorthanded at the 7:32 mark from Shields. McKegg gave the Otters a 3-0 lead exiting the period with a goal at 18:09, assisted by centers Mike Cazzola and Zack Torquato. The two teams would continue to battle through a scoreless second and into the third period, where Torquato would give the Otters a four goal advantage at the 4:41 mark. McKegg posted his third point of the night with an assist on the goal, which was also assisted by defenseman Derek Holden.

The Spirit went on a hardcore press late in the third period, scoring three unanswered goals to move within a goal of tying the game. Center Michael Sgarbossa broke the shutout at 9:36 in the third period with his fifteenth goal of the season, assisted by winger Josh Shalla and defenseman Joe Underwood. A Spirit power play would further reduce the deficit, with winger Jordan Skellett scoring from Shalla at the 16:24 mark to move the score to 4-2 Erie. The Spirit continued to pressure the Otters, with Sgarbossa scoring his second goal of the night from winger Michael Kantor and center Vince Trocheck in the final six seconds of play. Unfortunately, six seconds provided little if no opportunity to even up the contest and the final buzzer sounded with the Otters securing the 4-3 win.

Spirit goalie Edward Pasquale posted 25 saves in the effort.

Catch the Spirit! The team is on the road this weekend but will return to The Dow Event Center to host the Plymouth Whalers on Friday, February 12 at 7:11 PM and the Windsor Spitfires Saturday, February 13 at 7:11 PM. It's the fourth annual Saginaw Spirit Ice Blast, presented by PRIDE in Saginaw Inc. For ticket information, please contact the Spirit at 989-497-7747 or visit the Official Saginaw Spirit Ticket and Merchandise Store at 5789 State Street in Saginaw.

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