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OHL Saginaw Spirit

Spirit Wrap Regular Season Series with Guelph Friday Night

March 15, 2024 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Guelph, Ont. - The Saginaw Spirit (46-15-1-1) look to finish the season sweep over the Guelph Storm (29-27-5-1) on Friday evening on March 15th at the Sleeman Centre.

Tonight's Game:

Puck drop is at 7:30 PM

Broadcast:

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

Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com

Last Time:

Saginaw's last game was against the Guelph Storm on March 9th, when they took a 6-0 win in regulation. The Spirit scored a single goal in the first and second periods before rattling off four goals in less than nine minutes in the third, sealing the victory. Josh Bloom scored twice, Michael Misa finished with three points (1G, 2A), and Alex Christopoulos netted the final goal for Saginaw at 8:09 into the third. Andrew Oke started for Saginaw, recording his second shutout of the season on a perfect 22 for 22 nights between the pipes.

Guelph last played on March 14th, where the Storm scored five unanswered enroute to a 5-1 victory over the Windsor Spitfires. Windsor scored first on a short-handed goal before the Storm responded with one of their own, entering the second knotted up at one. Guelph then let loose, scoring three times in the second and adding one more in the third, sealing the 5-1 victory. Jake Karabela collected three points (2G, 1A), Jett Luchanko got credit for three assists, and leading scorer Braeden Bowman scored his 33rd of the year and added an assist in a two-point affair. Brayden Gillespie started for the Storm, turning away 20 of 21 shots in his 23rd win of the season.

This Season:

In the pair's three previous matchups, Saginaw has won each time, making them (9-9-1-1) against the Storm over the past five years.

The first game was a 5-2 Saginaw home game, in which Owen Beck (1G, 2A) and Zayne Parekh (2G, 1A) both notched three-point nights, with Guelph's Braeden Bowman collecting two power-play points (1G, 1A). Brayden Gillespie started for the Storm in this game, saving 32 of 37, while Nolan Lalonde guarded Sagianw's blue paint, snatching 17 of 19.

Saginaw repeated their 5-2 win over the Guelph Storm again on March 3rd, this time on the road at the Sleeman Centre. Jorian Donovan showed up for the Spirit, netting two goals and two assists in a massive four-point affair. Josh Bloom and Braden Haché both collected two assists, and Braeden Bowman netted two goals for the Guelph Storm, getting to his 31st of the season. Brayden Gillespie started for the Storm, saving 24 of 28, while Nolan Lalonde grabbed 15 of 17 shots in the win.

The most recent meeting was 6-0 romp at the Dow Event Center, where Josh Bloom scored twice, Michael Misa finished with three points (1G, 2A), and Alex Christopoulos netted the final goal for Saginaw at 8:09 into the third. Damian Slavik guarded the Guelph blue paint with 28 saves on 34 shots, while Andrew Oke started for Saginaw, recording his second shutout of the season on a perfect 22 for 22 nights between the pipes.

Players to Watch:

Zayne Parekh continues his stellar draft-eligible season, leading the Spirit in points with 87 (first among all OHL defensemen) and assists with 56 (tied for fifth in the OHL). Owen Beck leads Saginaw in goals (33) and has produced 42 points (17G, 25A) in 27 games. Beck is also currently in the midst of a 15-game points streak (the third-longest active streak in the OHL) where the Montreal draft pick has collected 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points. Matayas Sapovaliv continues to be invaluable for Saginaw, currently holding a 54.5% faceoff percentage, all while providing 1.12 points per game. Andrew Oke leads the team in all major goaltending categories, including a 2.92 goals-against average (GAA) (third in the OHL), a .891 save percentage (SV%), 26 wins, and just recently notched his second shutout of the year.

Jett Luchanko leads the Storm in points (67) and assists (47), scoring 20 goals from his center position. Braeden Bowman is the team's leading goal scorer, providing 33 tallies, including 14, via the powerplay. Leo Serlin has been the Storm's most productive rookie this season. The Guelph winger has contributed nine goals and ten assists for 19 points in his debut season. Damian Slavik and Brayden Gillespie co-captain the Storm's goaltending this season, with Slavik holding a 2.95 GAA, a .895 SV%, and 6 wins through 18 games, while Gillispie holds a 3.12 GAA (tied for seventh in the OHL), a .898 SV%, 23 wins, and 1 shutout through 48 games this season.

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).

Guelph currently has six (6) players tied to the National Hockey League (NHL), including Jake Karabela (Washington), Matthew Poitras (Boston), Vilmer Alriksson (Vancouver), Michael Buchinger (St. Louis), Cam Allen (Washington), and Chandler Romeo (Ottawa).

Check out the Saginaw Spirit Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 15, 2024


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