OHL Saginaw Spirit

Spirit Fall to Division Rival Sting, 8-2

Published on January 28, 2023 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Sarnia Sting's Nolan Dillingham versus Saginaw Spirit's Lincoln Moore
Sarnia Sting's Nolan Dillingham versus Saginaw Spirit's Lincoln Moore
(Saginaw Spirit, Credit: Eric Young)

Saginaw, Mich. - The Saginaw Spirit (24-17-2-0) fell 8-2 to the Sarnia Sting (22-14-4-2) Saturday, January 28, at the Dow Event Center.

The game started with Saginaw scoring at 1:57. Michael Misa started the play by giving Dean Loukus the puck. From there, the forward lost control of the puck but Matyas Sapovaliv was behind him and fired a shot at Surzycia. The goaltender was able to get a piece of it, but the puck landed behind him and Sapovalivpushed it in to make it 1-0.

Saginaw went to the powerplay first after Nolan Dillingham was called for interference at 7:23 in the opening period. The Spirit were unable to score on the chance despite several shots.

Sarnia got their first man-advantage after Hunter Haight committed a tripping penalty at 12:15 in the first frame. Late in the powerplay, the Sting tied the game at one apiece at 14:05.

Sandis Vilmanis passed to Marko Sikic on the left of the zone. The initial shot was stopped by Lennox, but Ethan Ritchie's slammed home the rebound for his eighth of the season.

The Sting took the lead at 16:22 in the opening frame. Sasha Pastujov got Marko Sikic the puck to Lennox's right. Much like the previous goal, Sikic fired a shot that was turned away to the left. Luca DelBelBelluz recovered the puck and wristed a shot past Lennox's glove for his 21st goal of the season.

At the end of the first period, each team managed 11 shots but Sarnia led the game, 2-1.

The second period opened with Saginaw going down a skater as Zayne Parekh was called for hooking at 1:53. Sarnia was unable to score despite several shots.

Christian Kyrou committed a slashing penalty at 6:16 in the second frame, giving the Spirit a powerplay chance. The Sting held the Spirit scoreless on the chance.

Sarnia added to their lead at 12:10 in the middle period. Christian Kyrou got the puck to Luca DelBelBelluz in the Sting's zone. Sasha Pastujov received a pass from DelBelBelluz and skated into the zone on a breakaway. The Anaheim Ducks prospect shot the puck past Lennox's blocker for his 25th of the season.

The Spirit went down a skater after Roberto Mancini was called for hooking with 50 seconds remaining in the second frame. The penalty continued into the third period.

The second period ended with Sarnia holding a 20-15 shot advantage and a 3-1 lead.

The third period started with Saginaw still down a skater after Mancini's penalty. The Sting converted on the chance with a goal just 68 seconds in. Marcus Limpar-Lantz passed to Christian Kyrou at the top of the circles. The Boston Bruins pick ripped a shot over the top of Lennox for his third goal of the season.

Sarnia would begin to pour it on in the third period. Ryan Mast would add his third of the season just two minutes later to make it 5-1 Sting. After the goal, Spirit goaltender Tristan Lennox was replaced by Andrew Oke.

Luca DelBelBelluz would add his second of the game with a shot at 6:48 of the 3rd, Marko Sikic and Sasha Pastujov found assists on the goal that made it 6-1.

The Sting added to their lead at 9:58 in the final period. Christian Kyrou's shot trickled past Oke to make it 7-1 Sania.

Sarnia scored a powerplay goal at 13:24 in the final frame after Bode Stewart was called for cross checking at 11:50. Ethan Del Mastro scored his fourth goal of the season after he shot the puck through Oke's legs. Sasha Pastujov and Ty Voit earned assists on the play.

Saginaw got their second goal of the game courtesy of Lincoln Moore at 19:16 of the third period. The winger got his fourth goal of the season after he beat Surzycia on his glove side to make it 8-2 Sarnia.

At the end of the game, Sarnia defeated Saginaw 8-2 with a 37-22 shot advantage. The Spirit fall to 24-17-2-0 on the season with their seventh straight loss. 5,086 fans made their way to the Dow Events Center on Saturday night.

Saginaw stays at home as they host the Barrie Colts Sunday, January 29. Puck drop is at 5:30 p.m. and tickets are available at Ticketmaster, the Saginaw Spirit Store (6321 State Street), Dow Event Center Box Office, and by phone at (989) 497-7747.

Sunday's game is Saginaw's pride night. The Spirit will be wearing pride themed warmup jerseys, and will be auctioning them off after the game. The proceeds will go to the Great Lakes Bay Pride organization. Join us at 4:00 in the Budweiser Red Room for a live DJ and a pride drawstring giveaway.

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics

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Images from this story

Sarnia Sting's Nolan Dillingham versus Saginaw Spirit's Lincoln Moore
Sarnia Sting's Nolan Dillingham versus Saginaw Spirit's Lincoln Moore
(Eric Young)		   



Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 28, 2023


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