OHL Saginaw Spirit

Spirit Greyhounds Lock Horns Again

Published on March 18, 2008 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


The Saginaw Spirit are preparing for their upcoming playoff series against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds this week. The first round match-up with the Greyhounds is one that the Spirit know all too well, as they squared off against the West Division rival in the first round of the playoffs last season.

The West Division has had its fair share of rivalries, one of the better known ones being the Saginaw Spirit and their in-state neighbors the Plymouth Whalers. The team's rivalry with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds took a new direction following an intense 2006-2007 regular season and emotional 2007 playoff series.

In the first match-up of the 2006-2007 regular season, Spirit defenseman Garrett Sinfield netted the game-winning goal, vaulting the Spirit into a one game advantage in a 5-4 triumph. The game laid the groundwork what would become a hard fought regular season series against the Greyhounds. Both teams would trade off wins, with the series going 3-3-0-0 until the Spirit capped off the regular season with two straight series wins. The Spirit were victorious with a 3-2 shootout barn-burner in Saginaw on February 25th, 2007 and took the series record to 5-3-0-0 with a 4-1 win on February 28th, 2007. Spirit alumni Tom Pyatt and current Oshawa forward Patrick Asselin accounted for 10 goals against the Greyhounds in the 2006-2007 regular season.

The Spirit entered the 2007 post season with home ice advantage courtesy of the fourth seed, while the Greyhounds ended the regular season as the fifth seed. The Spirit claimed the first game of last year's playoff series but fell short in the next three games. The team rebounded with a 7-1 demolition in Game Five, but bowed out in Game Six 4-3 in overtime. Jack Combs, along with alumni Pyatt and Patrick McNeill, each tallied 3 goals against the Greyhounds in that series. On the other bench, the Greyhounds' Josh Godfrey scored 7 goals against the Spirit, becoming known by many as the proverbial ‘Spirit Killer.'

Last year's games raised the bar of competition, as evident by the 2007-2008 regular season series. Every game this season between the two teams have left fans on the edge of their seats, with four of the last seven contests resulting in overtime. Sault Ste. Marie prevailed in the first three games but the Spirit answered with two wins of their own, 3-2 in regulation on November 10th, 2007 and 6-5 in a shootout on January 12th, 2008. The Spirit would claim their next victory over the Greyhounds in another shootout, this time a 2-1 decision on January 31st, 2008. The Greyhounds took the last game of the 2007-2008 regular season, a 3-2 overtime contest on March 15th, 2008. The 2007-2008 regular season series between the two teams concluded with the Spirit compiling an overall record of 3-3-2-0 against the Hounds, 2-2-0-0 at home and 1-1-2-0 on the road. Saginaw's lifetime mark against Sault Ste. Marie stands at 17-25-5-0.

Ryan McDonough has notched 5 goals against the Greyhounds this season, with Jack Combs, Tomas Zaborsky and Tyler Murovich each chipping in 4 goals. Sault Ste. Marie's Dustin Jeffrey has tallied 14 points against Saginaw this season and Godfrey has continued to be a constant presence against the Spirit, having posted 9 points against the red, white and blue this season, including a series high 6 goals.

This time the 2008 post-season looks a bit different, with the Greyhounds boasting home ice advantage and the second seed, while the Spirit are the underdogs with the seventh seed. If the games played this season are any indication however, then fans are in for an exciting playoff match-up experience.

McDonough has been with the Spirit going on three seasons now, and knows the history his team has with the Soo. He says the outcome of last year's series has no relevance on what will happen in the next few weeks.

"Anything can happen in the playoffs," McDonough said. "This year we have a whole different group of guys. We're the underdogs now, but I don't think last year's series can say how we'll do this time around."

The upcoming weekend will mark the third consecutive year for the Spirit to clinch a spot in the playoffs. Like McDonough, Goaltender Ryan Daniels has been a part of the playoff experience with the Spirit for all three seasons and is eager to begin the match-up against the Greyhounds.

"Obviously it's another test for our team against another quality opponent. You have to respect their team and their coaching staff as well as the history in the organization," Daniels said. "However, with a lot of new faces on our team this year, I think everybody is aware of the past history between us and will be anxious to try and redeem ourselves."

Daniels is right on target when he speaks about the rivalry and what type of players will need to show up on the ice this Friday. The upcoming playoff series will not only be a test of skill, but as Saginaw Spirit General Manager Don Edwards states, it will also be a true test of character.

"Prior to the start of any hockey season, one of the goals for every team is to make the playoffs. At this point, the true competition begins. Overall, our players have worked very hard to be in this position and deserve the opportunity," he said. "Our match-up in the first round against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds should be a hard fought series. They're a solid team with some exciting players. It will be a good test of character; both teams have battled hard against each other all year."

The Saginaw Spirit will travel to Sault Ste. Marie on Friday, March 21 to take on the Greyhounds at 7:30 PM. The team will then return home to the Dow Event Center to play the first home playoff game of the series on Saturday, March 22. The puck drops at 7:11 PM.

Season Series: The Spirit compiled a record of 3-3-2-0 against the Greyhounds this season.

Game 1 - Fri., March 21 at Sault Ste. Marie 7:30 Game 2 - Sat., March 22 at Saginaw 7:11 Game 3 - Mon., March 24 at Sault Ste. Marie 7:00 Game 4 - Wed., March 26 at Saginaw 7:11 Game 5 - Fri., March 28 at Sault Ste. Marie 7:30 * Game 6 - Sat., March 29 at Saginaw 7:11 * Game 7- Tues., April 1 at Sault Ste. Marie 7:00 *

*If Necessary

Article written by: Alison Neumeyer Saginaw Valley State University Student Saginaw Spirit PR Intern

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 18, 2008


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