OHL Saginaw Spirit

Spirit On The Road For Three Eastern Conference Match-Ups

Published on October 20, 2009 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


(Saginaw, MI) Week Five is in the books with the Spirit breaking even on their previous two game weekend outing. The Spirit beat the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 4-1 last Friday and then battled the Ottawa 67's to a 3-2 loss last Saturday. The Spirit are currently in fourth place in the OHL Western Conference, second in the OHL West Division, with 15 points and a record of 7-3-1-0. Week Six will see the Spirit on the road for three games, starting with a visit to the Peterborough Memorial Centre Thursday, October 22 to take on the Peterborough Petes (7:00 PM). The Spirit take on the Kingston Frontenacs Saturday, October 23 at the K-Rock Centre (7:30 PM) then finish out the trip with a Sunday matinee on October 25 against the Ottawa 67's at the Ottawa Civic Centre (2:00 PM).

Despite going 1-1-0-0 last weekend, the Spirit offense continues to soar. The team is tied with the Plymouth Whalers as the second highest scoring team in the OHL Western Conference with 47 goals in 11 outings. The Spirit and Sarnia Sting are evenly matched with the top power play squads in the league, with both teams posting 20 goals in 68 opportunities (0.294%).

On the Spirit roster, Jordan Skellett leads the team in points production and continues to grace the league's top-scorers category, tied for fourth with 20 point in 11 games. Skellett has tallied at least one point in the last eleven games and is averaging nearly two points a game. Meanwhile Josh Shalla leads the team in goal production and is tied for fourth in the league's goal scoring rankings with ten goals in 11 games. Rookie Ivan Telegin is ranked second in the league's rookie top scorers category, posting 12 goals in 11 games, and is joined in the rookie leader boards by Vince Trocheck (tied for 6th place) and Garret Ross (tied for 15th place).

On the other side of the ice, the Spirit blueline and goalie corps have allowed only 33 goals in 11 games, tied with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds as having the second best goals against ranking in the OHL Western Conference. The Spirit also lead the league in penalty minutes, with an average of 24 minutes served in the first 11 games of the season. The Spirit defense enters Week Six with the distinction of all of their skaters ranked plus-1 or higher. Goalie Anthony Peters enters the week the fifth top goalie in the league's save percentage category, with a 0.921 save percentage and 2.80 goals against average in eight games.

Saginaw Spirit at Peterborough Petes - The Saginaw Spirit start of their road swing with a 7:00 PM match-up against the Peterborough Petes Thursday, October 22. The Petes are ranked fifth in the OHL Eastern Conference with 12 points and a record of 6-7-0-0, but they enter the week on a four game losing skid. The Spirit and Petes are tied at five wins apiece in their last five season series', with the Spirit gaining a slight edge when playing in Peterborough; Saginaw is 3-2-0-0 over the last five years when playing at the Peterborough Memorial Centre.

Leading goal scorer Brett Theberge (8G 3A) and top points producer Ryan Spooner (7G 8A) drive the Petes offense, with veteran wingers Pat Daley (5G 9A), Buffalo Sabres pick Zack Kassian (3G 5A), David Quesnele (3G 3A) and Jack Walchessen (3G 3A) providing the depth up-front. Defenseman Jamie Doornbosch is a constant contributor from the blue line, and is tied for second in the leagues assist scoring category with 14 assists in 13 games. Toronto Maple Leafs pick Barron Smith and veteran Derek Holden lead the defense in the plus-minus category, with Smith posting a plus-5 and Holden a plus-4. Montreal Canadiens pick Jason Missiaen anchors the Pete's net this season; He enters the week with a 0.903 save percentage and on the league's goaltending wins leader board is tied for second with six wins in 12 games.

Saginaw Spirit at Kingston Frontenacs - The Frontenacs are garnering a lot of attention lately, rising up the OHL Eastern Conference's standings ladder in their quest for their first playoff appearance in two seasons. Kingston is ranked fourth in the conference with 14 points and a record of 7-7-0-0, but is only two points away from tying the top ranked teams in the conference. The Frontenacs host the Spirit, who are 3-2-0-0 over the last five seasons when playing in Kingston, on Friday, October 23 at 7:30 PM.

The Frontenacs have the third highest scoring offense in the conference with 45 goals in 14 games, the key factors to that being Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Nathan Moon (3G 10A), New York Rangers pick Ethan Werek (7G 5A), overager Zack Harnden (7G 5A) and veteran Michael Farrell (6G 6A). Former Spirit Andrew Clouthier now wears the Frontenac colors, posting one goal and two assists in nine games. The Frontenacs also boast a talented rookie corps, lead by their first round pick Alan Quine (2009 OHL Priority Selection), who is ranked fifth in the league's top rookie scorer category with eight points in 14 games. Other rookie point producers include Derek Froats with five points and Corey Durocher with four points, ranked 13th and 17th respectively on the league's top rookie scorers leader board. Kingston also has a lot of depth on their blue line, with the likes of top NHL prospect Erik Gudbranson (6A), Brian Lashoff (2G 3A) and San Jose Sharks pick Taylor Doherty (5A) keeping opponents offense on their heels. Dallas Stars pick Tyler Beskorowany anchors the Kingston net with a 0.908 save percentage, and enters the week tied for second in the league's total wins earned category with six wins in 12 games.

Saginaw Spirit at Ottawa 67's - The Saginaw Spirit will take on the Ottawa 67's in a re-match of last weekend's 3-2 regulation loss, with the Spirit looking to even the season series between the two teams. The Spirit lost their last game against the 67's, but in the last five years have posted a record of 7-4-0-0 against them, 3-2-0-0 when playing in Ottawa. The 67's enter the week tied for seventh place in the OHL Eastern Conference with 9 points and a record of 3-7-2-1.

Leading the team in the points department is NHL prospect Ryan Martindale, who in addition to putting up 16 points in 13 games, enters the week tied for 18th place in the league's top scorers category. Cody Lindsay (8G 7A) and Thomas Nesbitt (6G 5A) are also big contributors up front, and along with St. Louis Blues pick Anthony Nigro (2G 5A) and Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Matias Sointu (3G 3A), provide the 67's with a lot of depth at offense. Two veterans in Minnesota Wild pick Tyler Cuma and San Jose Sharks Julien Demers brings skill and leadership to a relatively young blueline. Goalie Chris Perugini has accumulated a 0.901 save percentage in 8 games played.

Next Home Game - The next Saginaw Spirit home game is set for Saturday, October 31 when the Spirit take on the 2009 CHL Memorial Cup Champion Windsor Spitfires at 7:11 PM. Tickets are on sale now - contact the Official Saginaw Spirit Ticket and Merchandise Store at 5789 State Street in Saginaw or call the store at 989-497-7747 to get your tickets!

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 20, 2009


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