OHL Saginaw Spirit

Spirit Weekly Preview Presented by Yeo & Yeo: February 24th, 25th, and 26th

February 23, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Saginaw Spirit defenseman Mitchell Smith
Saginaw Spirit defenseman Mitchell Smith
(Saginaw Spirit)

The Spirit are fresh off a four-game road trip for the ages, winning all four and jumping eight points in the standings. It was clear from the first puck drop that this would be a special trip. On Wednesday night in Sault Ste. Marie, rookie Bodie Stewart scored his first OHL goal in a 6-2 win against the Greyhounds. Not long after, Zayne Parekh scored a pair of goals to establish a new record for goals by a U17 defenseman (20). Two nights later, the Spirit climbed into 4th place in the Western Conference with a 4-2 win in Guelph. A 3-2 win in Owen Sound on Saturday gave them room in the standings, and Monday's 3-1 victory in Mississauga put the exclamation point on a solid body of work.

Quick Hits:

- Saginaw Spirit (30-21-2-1)

- 3rd in the West Division

- 4th in the Western Conference

- Last week: 4-0-0-0

- Team Stats

Spirit by the Numbers

Saginaw outscored their opponents 16-7 over the course of the last four games. Matyas Sapovaliv lead the way with five goals over the course of the road trip, including the game-winner in Owen Sound. Hunter Haight had another consistent weekend, scoring two goals, adding three assists, and finding the score sheet in all four contests.

The driving force of Saginaw's offense, however, was overage defenseman Mitchell Smith. He arrived at the 100 point plateau of his OHL career Wednesday in Sault Ste. Marie with a goal and two assists (one of which came on Zayne Parekh's record-setting goal). By time the bus pulled back into the Dow Event Center on Monday night, Smith had a goal and seven assists in his back pocket.

Last but certainly not least come the Spirit netminders. Tristan Lennox earned goaltender of the week honors after a trio of wins, a 2.00 GAA, and .926 SV% on the week. Following his partner's example, Andrew Oke hauled the Spirit to a 3-1 victory against Mississauga on Monday. Oke made 31 saves while his team was outshot 32-15, claiming his first victory since December 6th.

Game by Game

Friday, February 24th vs. North Bay - Covenant Kids Night

Ice Blast weekend kicks off with the Zooperstars, bounce houses, and a visit from the Eastern Conference's 2nd place Battalion. In their first meeting in North Bay on December 11th, the Spirit fell 4-2 despite a 38-20 shot advantage. North Bay goaltender Dom DiVincentiis made 36 saves to earn first-star honors.

In the months since then, it's been much of the same stellar play from the Battalion. They've scored the third-most goals (228) and allowed the third-fewest goals against (155) in the entire OHL for an impressive +73 goal differential. Edmonton Oilers 6th round pick Matvey Petrov leads the way with 77 points (24G, 53A) and currently sits 5th in OHL scoring. Goaltender Dom DiVincentiis sit's second in the league with a .914 SV%, while he leads the league with a 2.45 GAA and 29 wins.

Saturday, February 25th vs. Sarnia - Credit Union Night

The Sarnia Sting visit the Dow Event Center one last time on Saturday night after claiming wins in both prior visits this season. After the Spirit claimed all three games at the Progressive Auto Sales Arena, they look to avoid being swept on home ice by the very same team.

Sarnia has steadily improved their roster as the season has gone on, culminating with the additions of Luca Del Bel Belluz and Ethan Del Mastro at the trade deadline. Sasha Pastujov has 54 points (19G, 35A) in just 31 games since arriving in Sarnia from the Guelph Storm. Ty Voit is having a career-best 81-point season, and leads the OHL with 65 assists this season.

Sunday, February 26th @ Flint

One last regular-season trip down I75 awaits Saginaw on Sunday. A 4:00 matinee with the Firebirds caps the season series, which Saginaw currently leads 5-2. A 5-4 win on February first brought the Spirit their fourth Coors Light I75 Divide Cup.

The Firebirds have struggled in 2023, sliding into 7th place in the Western Conference. They're 3-5-2-0 in their last ten games, but still a lethal opponent. Detroit Red Wings draft pick Amadeus Lombardi has surged up to 4th in the OHL's scoring race with 79 points (37G, 42A), a career-high across the board. He's on a 13-game point streak that has lasted nearly a month and seen him score 12 goals and 14 assists for 28 points.

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics




Images from this story

Saginaw Spirit defenseman Mitchell Smith
Saginaw Spirit defenseman Mitchell Smith
   



Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 23, 2023


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