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OHL Saginaw Spirit

Zhugin's Hat-Trick Not Enough, Spirit Fall to Oshawa 6-4

October 13, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Oshawa Generals and the Saginaw Sprit on game night
Oshawa Generals and the Saginaw Sprit on game night
(Saginaw Spirit)

Oshawa, Ont. - The Saginaw Spirit were defeated by the Oshawa Generals by a score of 6-4 at the Tribute Communities Centre on Friday night. Nolan Lalonde started his first game in a Spirit uniform, stopping 26 of 30 shots. Jacob Oster made 40 saves on 44 Spirit shots for Oshawa. Valentin Zhugin scored a hat trick, and Zayne Parekh and Hunter Haight each had multi-assist nights.

Oshawa scored the game's first goal when Luca D'Amato collected the puck behind the net and backhanded a pass to the right circle. Thomas Stewart collected it on the backhand and transferred to his forehand, slotting a shot past Nolan Lalonde's blocker to put the Generals up 1-0 at 3:18 of period one.

The Generals would strike again at 13:41 after Thomas Stewart passed the puck to Ben Danford, who looked for a man near the blue line. Luca Marelli received a pass from Danford and placed a shot on goal that would pinball off a Saginaw defender and past the outstretched leg of Lalonde for Oshawa's second of the game.

The first period ended 2-0 in favor of the Generals despite being outshot 12-7 by the Spirit.

Saginaw responded in the second with two goals, both being scored by Valentin Zhugin. The first goal came at 8:26 when Lincoln Moore took a pass up the right wall from Luke McNamara and snapped a shot on goal. Oshawa goaltender Jacob Oster deflected the rebound into the middle of the ice, where Valentin Zhugin's stick was waiting to pot the Spirit's first of the game, pulling Saginaw to within one goal at 2-1.

The second of Zhugin's goals in the second was a breakaway shot after Hunter Haight collected the puck on the right boards and was able to find him waiting near the blue line. He fired a stretch pass to Zhugin, who caught the Generals on a line change and fired a shot in Oster, scoring on a rebound chance and tying the game at 2-2 seven minutes into the period.

Oshawa would get the lead back 49 seconds later when Beckett Sennecke dug the puck out of the right corner and skated behind the net. Sennecke fed a pass to Luca D'Amto wide open in the slot. D'Amato fired his shot past Lalonde and lifted the Generals to a 3-2 lead.

Oshawa would finish the third with a 3-2 despite Saginaw scoring two goals in the period. The Spirit out-shot the Generals 14-11 in the second and 26-18 overall to that point.

The third period's scoring would open up with a goal by the Generals when Matthew Buckley tapped a pass to Dylan Roobroeck down the right boards and swooped in toward the Spirit goal. Lalonde stopped his shot, but the attempted clear by the Saginaw defense ended up on the stick of Nikita Tarasevich, who slapped home Oshawa's fourth of the game, upping their lead to two.

Following a Roberto Mancini delay of game penalty that was killed, Saginaw attempted to pull the goalie in favor of the extra attacker. At 15:28 into the third, Oshawa would take advantage after Dylan Roobroeck intercepted a Saginaw pass and tipped it to Matthew Buckley. Buckley would fire a shot from the center circle to find the net and push Oshawa to a three-goal, 5-2 lead.

At 17:35, Saginaw would again send Lalonde to the bench after Oshawa's Rasmus Kumpulainen received a faceoff violation penalty. On the six-on-four power-play opportunity, Calem Mangone would fire home his second of the year on a cross-crease pass from Matyas Sapovaliv to cut the General's lead back to two.

1:10 after cutting the lead to two, Zayne Parekh would take a pass from Joey Willis at the blue line and send a wrist shot on the net. The puck would ricochet off of Oster and into the air where Valentin Zhugin was waiting to swat it in, securing his hat trick and bringing the spirit to within one goal at 5-4.

The spirit would pull Lalonde oncee more, but Oshawa sealed the game with a second empty netter by Rasmus Kumpulaien thanks to Thomas Stewart's second assist of the night.

Saginaw could not climb out of the early hole, falling to the Oshawa Generals 6-4 despite outshooting them 44-32.

The Spirit's next game is tomorrow, October 14th, against the Mississauga Steelheads. Puck drop at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre is at 3:00pm.

For more information, visit saginawspirit.com or follow the team on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

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Images from this story

Oshawa Generals and the Saginaw Sprit on game night
Oshawa Generals and the Saginaw Sprit on game night
   



Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 13, 2023


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