Sports stats



OHL Saginaw Spirit

Spirit Visit Knights in Friday Night Rematch

December 8, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


London, Ont. - The Saginaw Spirit (16-8-0-1) travel into Ontario to face the London Knights (16-10-0-1) on Friday, December 8th at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ont.

Tonight's Game:

Puck drop is at 7:00 PM

Broadcast

Television: CHL TV, CHL App, OHL Action Pak Ch. 467

Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com

Last Time:

Saginaw's last game was a 7-5 win at home against the London Knights on December 2nd. Zayne Parekh and Joey Willis finished with three assists, while Calem Mangone also completed a three-point night (1G, 2A), including a powerplay goal. Ethan Hay scored the game-winning goal, and Nolan Lalonde protected the goal crease for the Spirit, stopping 13 of 18 in the win.

London's last game was a convincing 4-1 defeat of the Sarnia Sting on Tuesday, December 5th, at Budweiser Gardens. Jacob Julien completed a three-point night (1G, 2A), while Easton Cowan (1G, 1A) and Dever Barkey (0G, 2A) added two-point nights of their own. Rookie Jared Wooley scored his first OHL goal, and Michael Simpson started for the Knights, stopping 22 of 23 in his twelfth win of the season.

Last Matchup:

Saginaw and London last faced off on Saturday, December 2nd, at the Dow Event Center, where the Spirit walked away with a 7-5 win. Different skaters scored all twelve goals in the game. Calem Mangone (1G, 2A), Zayne Parekh (0G, 3A), and Joey Willis (0G, 3A)all finished with three-point nights. Easton Cowan and Ruslan Gazizov finished with two assists for the Knights, while Michael Simpson started for London, stopping 26 of 32. Nolan Lalonde started for the Spirit, saving 13 of 18 in his fifth win of the season.

Players to Watch:

Zayne Parekh leads the Spirit in points (36) and assists (26), putting him 2nd in the OHL points among defensemen and third in assists. Michael Misa leads the team in goals (13), with six coming on the powerplay, tying him with Matyas Sapovaliv for the team's most powerplay goals. Sapovaliv is on a five-game point streak, racking up 15 points, including five goals and ten assists. Andrew Oke leads the Spirit in all major categories with a 2.55 goals against average (GAA), putting him second in the OHL, a .909 save percentage (SV%) that is tied for fifth in the league, and 11 wins.

Denver Barkey currently leads the Knights in points (37), tying him for 6th in the OHL. His three shorthanded goals tie him for second in the league with teammate Easton Cowan and Owen Sound's Deni Goure. Kasper Halttunen leads the team in goals (19), with 11 of those goals on the powerplay, tying him for first in the OHL. Halttunen is also on a 13-game point streak where he has collected ten goals and nine assists, the third-longest streak in the league this season. Michael Simpson leads the Knights in all major goaltending categories, sporting a 2.87 GAA, .902 SV%, and 12 wins, placing him tied for second in the OHL in victories.

Saginaw currently has seven players tied to the National Hockey League (NHL), including Joey Willis (Nashville), Matyas Sapovaliv (Vegas), Hunter Haight (Minnesota), Ethan Hay (Tampa Bay), Braden Haché (Florida), Rodwin Dionicio (Anaheim) and Nolan Lalonde (Columbus, FA).

Longdon currently has nine NHL draftees, including Easton Cowan (Toronto), Kasper Halttunen (San Jose), Jacob Julien (Winnipeg), Max McCue (San Jose), Denver Barkey (Philadelphia), Landon Sim (St. Louis), Isaiah George (NY Islanders), Oliver Bonk (Philadelphia), and Jackson Edward (Boston).

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Ontario Hockey League message board...

Ontario Hockey League Stories from December 8, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central