Spirit head North to take on rival Hounds
By Matthew Wesolowski
Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. – The Saginaw Spirit (24-14-2-0) start a two-game road trip by facing off against the Soo Greyhounds (13-16-7-4) at GFL Memorial Gardens on Wednesday night.
Tonight’s Game:
Puck drop is at 7:07 p.m.
Broadcast:
Television: CHL TV, CHL App
Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com
Last Time:
Saginaw lost 4-3 against the Kitchener Rangers Sunday, January 15, at the Dow Event Center. Hunter Haight scored a goal and an assist, and Michael Misa earned two assists in the loss. The Spirit are in the midst of a four-game winless streak for the first time this season.
The Soo defeated the Sudbury Wolves 3-2 in a shootout Sunday, January 15, at Sudbury Community Arena. Kalvyn Watson scored the shootout winner and picked up an assist on Brenden Sirizzotti’s goal in regulation. Caeden Carrlisle tied the game for the Soo in the third period, and Samuel Ivanov made 40 saves on 42 shots in his tenth win of the season.
This Season:
The Greyhounds and the Spirit have faced off three times this season, with Saginaw winning two of the three games played. In each game, regulation was not enough to find a winner.
On November 12, Saginaw won in overtime at home courtesy of T-Bone Codd. Pavel Mintyukov scored two goals including the one that sent the game to OT with just 16 seconds left in regulation. Mark Durante scored two goals and Tyler Savard earned two assists for the Soo.
On December 2, the Greyhounds won 4-3 in Sault Ste Marie. Michael Misa earned two assists and Hunter Haight had one goal and an assist for Saginaw. Kalvyn Watson scored all four goals that night, including the game winner for the Soo.
Their most recent meeting on December 29 saw the Spirit win yet another overtime game 5-4 in Saginaw. Pavel Mintyukov earned two assists and scored the OT-winner for Saginaw on a feed from Michael Misa. Bryce McConnell-Barker earned two assists for the Greyhounds.
Players to Watch:
Minnesota Wild prospect Hunter Haight has three goals and seven assists for ten points in the last seven games for the Spirit. He will skate in his 100th OHL game tonight. Dean Loukus has four points in his last three games, including two goals against Windsor on January 12. 2025 draft eligible Michael Misa leads all OHL rookies in scoring, and leads Saginaw in goals (20), assists (24), and points (44). In just two games against the Greyhounds this season, Misa has five points (1G, 4A). Tristan Lennox’s 3.07 goals against average (GAA) and .888 save percentage (SV%) are the best for Spirit goaltenders.
New York Rangers prospect Bryce McConnell-Barker has the most points (48) and goals (21) for the Greyhounds. He has five points in the last four games. Vancouver Canucks prospect Kirill Kudryavtsev and McConnell-Barker both share the lead in assists (27) for the Soo. The defensemen also has five assists in the last four games. Kalvyn Watson has terrorized the Spirit this season, scoring six goals and an assist in three games against them. Charlie Schenkel’s 3.00 GAA and .912 SV% leads goaltenders for the Hounds. Along with Saginaw’s Tristan Lennox, Schenkel is one of six OHL goaltenders tied for the shutout lead (2).
Saginaw has three (3) players drafted into the National Hockey League (NHL), including Matyas Sapovaliv (Vegas), Tristan Lennox (New York Islanders), and Hunter Haight (Minnesota).
The Soo has two (2) players drafted into the NHL, including Bryce McConnell-Barker (New York Rangers) and Kirill Kudryavtsev (Vancouver).
