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OHL Saginaw Spirit

Spirit Face Road Test Wednesday in Soo

November 3, 2021 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Saginaw, MI - The Saginaw Spirit return to the ice Wednesday evening against the Soo Greyhound in a battle between the top two team in the West Division. The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. at the GFL Memorial Gardens in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

Wednesday marks the Spirit's first game in the province of Ontario in 606 days after the COVID-19 pandemic stalled the 2019-20 OHL season. The Hounds have a five-point lead in the West Division coming into tonight's matchup, but the Spirit have five games in hand on their northern rival.

The West Division has gone through these two teams, with Saginaw and the Soo each clinching back-to-back division championships dating back to the 2016-17 season.

Saginaw is back in action for the first time in six days after a 4-1 win over the Flint Firebirds on Oct. 27. Rookie goaltender Andrew Oke made 27 saves and Grand Blanc native Dalton Duhart scored twice for the Spirit. The Spirit killed all nine power plays against them and scored two shorthanded goals, including the game-winning goal scored by Buffalo Sabres prospect Josh Bloom, who extended his point streak to four-straight games with the second period goal.

The Soo have played nearly twice the number of games that Saginaw has since the beginning of the season. The early season grind caught up to them Saturday with a 4-1 defeat in Guelph. Calgary Flames prospect Rory Kerins had the only goal for the Greyhounds on the evening. It was the first time this season the Greyhounds had been held to less than two goals in a game.

The Greyhounds boast three of the four OHL top scores in Kerins (7-9-16pts), Cole MacKay (6-11-17pts), and Tye Kartye (10-7-17pts).

Specialty teams is sure to play a key role in tonight's game, with the two top end personnel's going head-to-head. The Spirit lead the OHL in penalty killing, going 28-30 on the kill this season, while the Soo are second in the OHL on the power play. The Hounds have scored 16 times on 52 chances with the man advantage this season (30.8%). Saginaw's two shorthanded tallies Wednesday was the first time they accomplished that since Feb. 1, 2020 in a 6-3 win over Erie.

Saginaw was 6-1-0-0 against the Hounds during the 2019-20 season, with their only blemish coming in a 6-4 loss at home. The Spirit have won their last three meetings with the Hounds at GFL Memorial Gardens and five of the last six games in their building.

The Spirit return home to The Dow Event Center Saturday, Nov. 6 for their 14th annual First Responders Night presented by Fisher Companies against the Sarnia Sting. Team Fire and Team Police will drop the puck for their charity game at 4:00 p.m. while the Spirit and Sting faceoff at 7:05 p.m. For tickets and more information, log on to www.saginawspirit.com and don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from November 3, 2021


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