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OHL Saginaw Spirit

Spirit Meet Firebirds in Flint for Final Regular Season Matchup

March 6, 2024 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Flint, Mich. - The 2023-24 Coors Light I-75 Divide Cup series will come to a close as the Saginaw Spirit (44-15-0-1) travel south to take on the Flint Firebirds (26-29-3-1) on Wednesday, March 6th, at the Dort Financial Center.

The Spirit have a chance to match the team's single-season win record of 45, set during the 2018-19 season (45-17-3-3).

Tonight's Game:

Puck drop is at 7:00pm.

Broadcast:

Television: CHL TV, CHL App, OHL Action Pak Ch. 470

Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com

Last Time:

The Spirit faced the Guelph Storm at the Sleeman Centre on Sunday, March 3rd. Hunter Haight scored the first goal of the game, one worthy of ESPN's Top Ten that evening. Braeden Bowman scored the first goal for the Storm early in the second but two goals coming from Jorian Donovan and Alex Christopoulos gave the Spirit a 3-1 lead going into the third. Bowman scored another goal for Guelph but a second goal from Jorian Donovan and an empty netter from Owen Beck gave the Saginaw Spirit a 5-2. Nolan Lalonde stopped 15 of 17 shots on goal for the Spirit.

The Flint Firebirds hosted the London Knights at the Dort Financial Center on Saturday, March 2nd. London jumped out to a 3-0 lead with three goals coming from Kasper Halttunen, Max McCue, and Sam O'Reilly. Gavin Ewles scored his third goal of the season followed by a Connor Clattenburg goal to cut Flint's deficit to one. Max McCue scored the last goal of the second period to make the game 4-2 going into the third period. Simon Slavicek scored a last-minute goal for the Firebirds, but the Knights would ultimately win, 4-3. Jacob Brown started in net for Flint, saving 33 of 37 shots.

This Season:

The Saginaw Spirit have already claimed the I-75 Divide Cup after defeating the Flint Firebirds 5-3 on Thursday, December 14th. However, the last time Saginaw and Flint met was on February 21st at the Dow Event Center. Matyas Sapovaliv scored the first goal of the game in the first period followed by Owen Beck and Aidan Castle scoring in the second. Alex Christopoulos was credited with an assist on all three of these goals for the Spirit as well. Jeremy Martin scored the first and only goal of the game for Flint as Saginaw would win 3-1. Nolan Lalonde saved 27 of 28 shots on goals for the Spirit while Nathan Day saved 34 of 37 shots on goal for the Firebirds.

Players to Watch:

Zayne Parekh has had a stellar season, leading Saginaw in points with 85 (first among OHL defensemen) and in assists with 56 (fourth in the OHL and second among OHL defensemen). Parekh's additional 30 goals place him first among OHL defensemen and second on the team behind Montreal prospect Owen Beck (32). Beck is also on a 12-game point streak, collecting 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points. Andrew Oke continues to lead the Spirit in all major goaltending categories, including a 3.01 goals against average (GAA), a .886 save percentage (SV%), 25 wins, and one shutout.

Oliver Peer leads the Flint Firebirds in points (69), goals (32), and assists (37). Peer also has the most power play goals (6) and assists (14) on the team as well. Nolan Dann is second on the team in points with 57 (24G, 33A) followed by Coulson Pitre with 50 (26G, 24A). Edmonton prospect Nathan Day leads the Firebirds in all major goaltending categories, including a 3.77 GAA, a .866 SV%, and 22 wins.

Saginaw currently has ten (10) players tied to the National Hockey League (NHL), including Joey Willis (Nashville), Josh Bloom (Vancouver), Matyas Sapovaliv (Vegas), Hunter Haight (Minnesota), Owen Back (Montreal), Ethan Hay (Tampa Bay), Braden Haché (Florida), Jorian Donovan (Ottawa), Rodwin Dionicio (Anaheim) and Nolan Lalonde (Columbus, FA).

Flint currently has three (3) players tied to the National Hockey League (NHL), including Coulson Pitre (Anaheim), Tristan Bertucci (Dallas), and Nathan Day (Edmonton).

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 6, 2024


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