The Saginaw Spirit returned to action for an early weekend set of games on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3 in hopes of ending a three-game losing streak. The streak would be pushed to four with a loss to the Erie Otters before taking on one of if not the hottest teams in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in the Mississauga Steelheads, pulling out a 6-5 win to end the losing streak at four.
Game Results
Nov. 2 vs Erie Otters: 6-5 loss (4-7-0-1)
Nov. 3 vs Mississauga Steelheads: 6-5 win (5-7-0-1)
Nov. 2 vs Erie Otters
The Spirit welcomed the Otters to Saginaw with goaltender Andrew Oke making his return to the crease after being out with an injury. The game did not go as planned for Oke as he was pulled after giving up four goals on 19 shots faced in just over a period of play. He looked a little rusty throughout the 21-plus minutes he was in the net, expectedly so for the time he had been away from playing.
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The Spirit showed off their powerplay, which sits towards the top of the OHL, early on in the game, scoring within the first minute thanks to a faceoff win leading to 2024 draft-eligible defenseman Zayne Parekh finding the back of the net to give the team an early lead. A back-and-forth period that saw numerous mix-ups between the two teams led to a 3-2 Otters lead thanks to a couple of late-period goals that Oke probably wishes he had back with them not being the strongest of shots that beat him.
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The first period was a period in which the Spirit started with the majority of the energy, but the Otters eventually caught up with them and took advantage of the chances they had in the offensive zone. On the flip side, the Spirit found themselves unable to cash in on the numerous chances they had on Otters’ goaltender and San Jose Sharks prospect Ben Gaudreau.
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The second and third periods saw the Spirit’s penalty kill be put to the test five times due to some undisciplined play by the team. The penalty kill was able to kill off three of the penalties but was done in by the two powerplay goals they did allow to the Otters. The bright spots in the game for the Spirit ended up being the play of their big-name players in Michael Misa, who continued to play more like the player who earned himself exceptional status last season, the aforementioned Parekh, and Valentin Zhugin who added two goals in their eventual 6-5 loss to the Otters.
Nov. 3 vs Mississauga Steelheads
Michael Misa finally got to go head-to-head with older brother and 2024 draft-eligible forward Luke Misa when the Spirit took on the Steelheads, who came into the game as one of the hottest teams in the OHL having won seven of their previous nine games. While the first period looked like the Spirit could be headed towards their fifth straight loss having given up two early goals to Mississauga (the elder Misa tallied assists on both goals), they battled back in the second period to get themselves back into the game.
The comeback by the Spirit was spear-headed by the 16-year-old phenom thanks to a powerplay goal that came less than five minutes into the second period. But that would be just the beginning of a busy period for both teams as the Spirit took the lead from the Steelheads less than ten minutes into the period thanks to an offensive barrage. The offensive play led to goals from Sebastien Gervais and PJ Forgione. The goals marked both players’ first goals of the 2023-24 season.
The momentum built off the three early period goals ended prematurely thanks to a goal that Nolan Lalonde and the team defense would want back that beat him five-hole thanks to a defensive lapse. Misa added his second goal of the game less than a minute after the Steelheads tied the game at three. Even though the Spirit powerplay had two more chances in the period, they could not get any pressure in the offensive zone thanks to a solid penalty kill by the Steelheads. With the Spirit believing they were headed to the locker room with a lead, the Steelheads scored a back-breaking last-minute goal with 40 seconds left in the period to tie the game at four going into the final frame.
The Spirit controlled the play for the majority of the third period, leading to a 6-4 lead thanks to a big forecheck by Joey Willis that ended up with a turnover and a pass to Calem Mangone to give the Spirit a 5-4 lead before yet another powerplay goal thanks to superb puck movement from the first powerplay unit and a goal by Vegas Golden Knights prospect Matyas Sapovaliv. A big-time penalty kill with just over nine minutes left helped preserve the team’s lead until the Steelheads got themselves within one with three minutes left in the game. Even with a spotty game going, Lalonde made numerous saves in the closing minutes to preserve a 6-5 win to finally end the Spirit’s losing streak.
What’s Next For the Spirit
The Spirit head to Sarnia for a mid-day tilt on Nov. 7 before returning home the following day for a battle against the Flint Firebirds in the year-long battle for the I-75 Divide Cup. The Spirit wrap up the week against the Windsor Spitfires on Nov. 11.