Spirit meet Rangers on St. Patrick’s Day
By Matthew Wesolowski
Kitchener, Ont. – The Saginaw Spirit (34-24-3-2) face off against the Kitchener Rangers (30-28-4-0) Friday, March 17, at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.
Tonight’s Game:
Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.
Broadcast:
Television: CHL TV, CHL App, Rogers TV, OHL Action Pak Ch. 470
Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com
Last Time:
Saginaw lost 6-5 in overtime to the Windsor Spitfires Wednesday, March 15, at the WFCU Centre. Spirit Captain Mitchell Smith recorded his first career hat trick while Dean Loukus earned three assists. Tristan Lennox started for the Spirit, stopping 17 of 23 shots faced.
Kitchener lost 6-3 to the Sarnia Sting Sunday, March 12, at the Progressive Auto Sales Arena in Sarnia, Ontario. Lleyton Moore netted a goal and two assists and Hunter Brzustewicz potted a goal and assist for the Rangers.
This Season:
This is the fourth and final matchup between the two teams, with Kitchener winning two of the three games played. In the most recent game, which was played on January 15, saw the Rangers win in Saginaw. In that game, Michael Misa earned two assists while Hunter Haight scored a goal and an assist for Saginaw. Tristan Lennox stopped 32 of 36 shots faced for the Spirit. Reid Valade scored two goals and Hunter Brzustewicz earned two helpers for Kitchener. Marcus Vandenberg earned a win for the Rangers by stopping 34 of 37 shots faced.
Players to Watch:
Dean Loukus has been deadly for Saginaw, scoring six points (2G, 4A) in his last four games. The Michigan native leads his team in points (56) and assists (39). Matyas Sapovaliv has the most goals (25) of any Spirit player. Tristan Lennox has the best goals against average (GAA) for Saginaw with a 3.15. Andrew Oke holds the highest save percentage (SV%) for his team with a .893.
Kitchener’s Francesco Pinelli has the most points (84) while Francesco Arcuri has the most goals (45). Hunter Brzustewicz leads the Rangers in assists (48). Marco Cosantini holds top goaltending marks for Kitchener, posting a 3.24 GAA and an .898 SV%.
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).
Kitchener has six (6) players drafted into the NHL, including Francesco Arcuri (Dallas), Danny Zhilkin (Winnipeg), Filip Mesar (Montreal), Francesco Pinelli (Los Angeles), Tomas Hamara (Ottawa), and Roman Schmidt (Tampa Bay).
