Coming into a season with high hopes from the media and fans, the Saginaw Spirit opened their 2023-24 regular season with a win and a loss over the weekend (Sept. 29 and 30) against the Kitchener Rangers and Sarnia Sting.
With players like Michael Misa and Zayne Parekh and a mix of veteran players, the Spirit have high hopes of making a run at the Robertson Cup and making it to the Memorial Cup which is going to be held in Saginaw in 2024.
Misa’s Hot Start Not Enough to Lead Spirit to Win vs. Kitchener
In the regular season opener against Kitchener, the excitement for the second year of Misa did not take long to show, with the 16-year-old scoring two powerplay goals within the first two minutes of the game. At the end of the first period, the Spirit held a 2-0 lead but were unable to build off that in the second period.
In the second period, the Rangers started the period off quickly with a goal just over a minute in and tied the game before the end of the period at two. The third period was yet another period that saw a quick goal with the Rangers being able to take the lead 22 seconds in. But the Spirit quickly responded with a goal of their own when Hunter Haight tied the game back up at three.
The game stayed tied until just over two minutes remaining in regulation when the Rangers scored on a fluke play to take the lead and eventually win the game.
Misa and Parekh were major bright spots for the Spirit, both showing off their offensive games. Parekh is regarded as one of the top defensemen prospects in the coming 2024 NHL Draft and showed why he is, constantly being around the play in the offensive zone whether it be from the point or jumping into rushes and down low in the zone. Goaltender Andrew Oke was also solid in net for the Spirit, stopping 25 of the 29 shots he faced against the Rangers.
Spirit Bounce Back For Home Opener Win Against Sarnia
The Spirit bounced back from the loss against Kitchener when they returned home for their home opener against Sarnia on Saturday night (Sept. 30). The first two periods of the game were a back-and-forth battle between the two teams, with both goaltenders playing solid games for their respective teams.
Related: Spirit Earned Memorial Cup Season with Hard Work & Excellence
The Spirit opened the scoring halfway through the second period, with Joey Willis scoring the first home goal of the season 9:38 into the period off assists from Haight and Calem Mangone. The goal seemed to give the team energy and momentum, leading to more offensive tempo and chances. These chances led to the Spirit scoring once again just over two minutes after Willis opened the scoring when Jacob Cloutier scored the first Ontario Hockey League (OHL) goal of his career. The goal came off of a two-on-one rush that led to a delayed penalty being called but Cloutier was able to follow up on the play and score to give the Spirit a 2-0 lead.
The Sting finally got on the board with just under five minutes left in the second period when Tyson Doucette got a wrist shot by Oke to get the Sting within one by the end of the second period.
The third period saw both teams have numerous chances in the offensive zone, with the Spirit having a few on their powerplay but were unable to cash in on them. Oke protected the Spirit lead with solid play in between the pipes for the second night in a row. By the end of the game, they were able to hold onto a 2-1 lead for a home-opening win.
Other Game Notes
- Pakech showed off his offensive prowess in both games over the weekend. He jumped into numerous rushes and in deep in the offensive zone throughout the two games.
- Misa was used in all aspects of the game over the weekend, spending a lot of time on both the powerplay and penalty kill units.
- Saginaw’s penalty kill is sitting at a 100% success rate, killing off a total of eight penalties against Kitchener and Sarnia.
What’s On Tap For the Spirit
The Spirit will be off until they welcome in Kitchener on Oct. 7 to the Dow Event Center for a rematch from Friday (Sept. 29).
Sign up for our NHL Prospects & Draft Substack newsletter
