OHL Saginaw Spirit

Spirit Visit Rangers Thursday Night in CHL Top-10 Matchup

Published on January 4, 2024 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Kitchener, Ont. - The Saginaw Spirit (22-10-0-1) will take on the Kitchener Rangers (26-9-2-0) for the third time this year at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium on Thursday, January 4th. Saginaw is currently ranked 5th in CHL Top-10 Rankings while Kitchener is ranked 3rd.

Tonight's game:

Puck drop is at 7:00 pm

Broadcast:

Television: CHL TV, CHL App, OHL Action Pak Ch. 468

Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com

Last Time:

The Saginaw Spirit took on the Soo Greyhounds at GFL Memorial Gardens on Sunday, December 31st. Marco Mignosa for the Greyhounds was the sole goal scorer in the first period but Michael Misa and Sebastien Gervais answered in the second to make the game 2-1. However, the Soo's Jack Beck scored the tying goal to make the game 2-2 going into the third period. Michael Misa scored yet another goal only 24 second into the third with Ethan Hay scoring a goal of his own to make it 4-2. Jack Beck scored another goal to make the game 4-3 in the last few minutes of the game The Spirit's defense remained strong though and defeated the Greyhounds 4-3 in their house. Andrew Oke was the starting goaltender for the Spirit, saving 23 of 26 shots on goal.

The Kitchener Rangers won in a close matchup against the Oshawa Generals on Monday, January 1st at the Tribute Communities Centre. Luke Torrance was the first to score for the Generals but Adrian Misaljevic soon responded scoring for the Rangers. Matthew Buckley opened up the third period scoring the last goal for Oshawa and breaking the tie. Rangers Simon Motew and Antonino Pugliese scored the last two goals to give Kitchener a 3-2 victory. Tristan Malboeuf was the starting goaltender for the Rangers and saved 16 of 18 shots on goal.

Last Matchup:

The Saginaw Spirit and Kitchener Rangers have split the season series so far, with their last meeting being on Saturday, October 7th, at the Dow Event Center. Hunter Haight picked up the hat trick while Matyas Sapovaliv, Calem Mangone, Valentin Zhugin, and Lincoln Moore all scored their first goals of the season. Aiden Young scored his first OHL goal of his career. Hunter Brzustewicz and Adrian Misaljevic were the only two goal scorers for Kitchener. Andrew Oke started in net for the Spirit and saved 21 of 23 shots on net.

Players to Watch:

Zayne Parekh continues to lead the Spirit in points (45) and assists (32). Parekh is still second among OHL defensemen in points, assists, and goals (13). Michael Misa leads Saginaw in goals scored (17) followed by Hunter Haight (15). Andrew Oke continues to lead the Spirit in all major goaltending categories with a 2.91 goals against average (GAA) which places him 4th among all OHL goaltenders, a .896 save percentage (SV%), and 14 wins.

Kitchener has the top three point leaders in the OHL. Hunter Brzustewicz leads the OHL in points (58) and in assists (51). Matthew Sop follows Brzustewicz in points (56) but also leads the OHL in goals (31). Carson Rehkopf is third in the OHL in points (55) and fourth in assists (34). Carson Rehkopf (Team Canada) and Filip Mešár (Team Slovakia) are currently away at the IIHF World Junior Championship. Jackson Parsons leads in all major goaltending categories for the Rangers with a 2.82 GAA, second in the OHL, .904 SV%, fourth in the OHL, and 17 wins.

Saginaw currently has seven (7) 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).

Kitchener currently has four (4) players tied to the National Hockey League (NHL), including Carson Rehkopf (Seattle), Filip Mešár (Montreal), Hunter Brzustewicz (Vancouver) and Matthew Andonovski (Ottawa).

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 4, 2024


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