The Saginaw Spirit began their playoff season this past week (March 25-31) by taking on the Owen Sound Attack twice over the weekend. Thanks to a few of their veteran players, they now have a 2-0 series lead against the Attack.
Game Results
March 28: 6-4 W (1-0 series lead)
March 30: 5-2 W (2-0 series lead)
Oke Bounces Back From Rough Game 1
While the Spirit won both games to start the series, goalie Andrew Oke had a tough start to the playoffs. In the first game of the series, he seemed off his game a bit and allowed a couple of weak goals to the Attack, including one that came with under five seconds remaining in the game.
But in the second game of the series, he matched the number-one North American goalie, Carter George, step-for-step. With both teams registering 37 shots on net, Oke got the better of George and had a strong bounce-back game. He was not challenged a lot early on in the game by the Attack, but when he was, he looked strong in between the pipes for the Spirit.
He came up the biggest when the Spirit were on the penalty kill. There were several instances where Oke made some big-time saves on point-blank, high-danger area shot attempts by the Attack and helped keep the Spirit penalty kill perfect on the night (they killed off all four penalties in the game). With Oke bouncing back in Game 2 of the series, the Spirit offence was able to get themselves going once again as well.
Beck & Bloom Lead the Charge
While London Knights forward Easton Cowan has been in the spotlight for his lengthy point streak, and deservedly so, Montreal Canadiens prospect Owen Beck has quietly put together his own impressive point streak, which continued in the first two games of the series. Tallying six points in the first two contests, Beck has now extended his point streak to 22 games. While known for having a strong shot, his playmaking ability and strong forechecking were fully on display for the Spirit over the weekend.
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Beck wasn’t the only NHL prospect with a strong first two games for the Spirit, as his fellow linemate Josh Bloom helped lead the way offensively. Not only was he strong in five-on-five play, but he also recorded a shorthanded goal as well (Game 2). He also caused havoc, whether it be on the forecheck in the offensive zone or playing strong defensively; Bloom was a force to be reckoned with, which has been a common theme since he returned to the Spirit earlier on in the season. While Bloom and Beck were leading the way offensively, the third player of their line, Alex Christopoulos, also played a key role in the two wins for the Spirit, and their line was the best line over the weekend for either team.
Special Teams Were Special
With the Spirit being one of the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) best teams on both the powerplay and penalty kill in the regular season, they have been able to translate that into the playoffs so far. While the powerplay only cashed in twice in five attempts (both goals coming in Game 2), the unit looked strong with several high-danger and quality scoring chances. The biggest reason they were unable to cash in on these opportunities was due to George playing a strong game in the net for the Attack.
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On the other hand, the Spirit penalty kill was perfect on the weekend, killing off all seven man-advantages the Attack had in the two games. Between timely blocked shots and good defensive positioning, the Spirit kept the Attack powerplay off-balance and was unable to score. The strong play helped lead to Bloom’s shorthanded goal in Game 2 and helped the Spirit get off and running toward the end of the first period.
What’s Next for the Spirit
The Spirit hit the road for Games 3 and 4 in Owen Sound as they look to close out the series and the Attack’s season on both April 1 and 3.