Spirit Split Home Weekend with 7-2 Defeat to IceDogs
October 2, 2022 – Ontario Hockey League (OHL) – Saginaw Spirit News Release
Saginaw Spirit goaltender Tristan Lennox faces the Niagara IceDogs
(Saginaw Spirit)
Sagainaw, Mich. – The Saginaw Spirit dropped their first game of the 2022-23 regular season campaign by a 7-2 score on Sunday evening in front of 3,257 fans at The Dow Event Center in Riverfront Saginaw, Michigan.
Four Niagara players netted two or more points in the game.
Niagara controlled the first five minutes of the game and struck first with a goal at 2:41 of the first period. Daniel Michaud put the puck in from the left of the goaltender Andrew Oke. Anthony Agostinelli received the puck from Jacob LeBlanc who skated the puck into the zone for the play. Saginaw committed a penalty on the play and the IceDogs were able to capitalize with an extra player.
The tide shifted towards the Spirit as Pavel Mintyukov made a backhanded shot on goaltender Owen Flores. This led to a Spirit flurry in the IceDogs zone for the next couple minutes that saw multiple scoring chances for the Spirit, but unlike the night before, they were kept off the board.
Shortly after the long possession, Saginaw answered back with a goal of their own at 11:43 of the first period. Theo Hill netted his second of the season when he found a rebound in front of the goal off a point shot by Michael Misa. Roberto Mancini also earned as assists on the Hill goal.
The Spirit took advantage of a powerplay opportunity at 13:35 of the first period. Andrew Oke got the puck on a clearing attempt and pass to Josh Bloom. The Buffalo Sabres pick made a waist-high, saucer pass that landed directly on the tape of Matyas Sapovaliv. The Vegas Golden Knights prospect made no mistake by making a quick move to the backhand for his first goal of the season.
The IceDogs potted a goal courtesy of Kevin He. Daniel Michaud skated the biscuit into the zone and passed to He for his second goal of the season to tie the game at 2-2.
Niagara continued to control the game with an unassisted goal from Aidan Castle on the powerplay. Castle obtained the puck in the slot when Sapovaliv was unable to clear the puck and was knocked down. It ended up right on Castle’s stick in front of Lennox. This goal gave the IceDogs a 3-2 advantage.
The first period ended with Niagara leading the game 3-2, but with Saginaw leading the shots, 15-10.
In the second period, both teams struggled to generate offensive opportunities. 10:00 into the middle frame, the teams combined for only four shots on goal.
Owen Flores played the entire game for Niagara, making 28 saves on 30 shots.
Saginaw started Andrew Oke in net but switched to Tristan Lennox after the first period. Oke made 7 saves on 10 shots, and Lennox made 8 saves on 12 shots.
Saginaw took a cross checking penalty with five minutes left and successfully killed it off. However, just before the period ended, Niagara was able to pot a goal.
With 13 seconds left, Rodwin Dionicio scored on a one timer pass from Nolan Dann. He received the puck from Declan Waddick, who helped set up the goal.
The second period ended with the score being 4-2 and Saginaw still leading shots 22-17 after the late Niagara goal.
The third period opened with continued pressure and a goal from Niagara. Scored at 1:05, David Jesus was fed the puck from Matthew Papais who skated the puck around the net and decided to pass instead of trying a wrap-around shot. Brenden Sirizzotti passed to Papais to set-up the goal.
Niagara extended their lead on a snapshot goal at 3:47 in the third period. Jacob LeBlanc passed to Aiden Castle, who skated with Declan Waddick. Castle passed to Waddick, who shot the puck up close for the goal.
The IceDogs received their final goal courtesy of Daniel Michaud at 5:02 in the final frame. Evan Klein grabbed the puck on the right side of the net and passed in front where Michaud was waiting for the final goal of the game.
Saginaw made a good attempt to score a third time but was stopped by Flores. Luke McNamara made a shot up close to Flores’ left side but was stopped by
the blocker seven minutes in.
Two fights happened later into the period. Pasquale Zito fought Oliver Savard and Alec Leonard fought Josh Bloom. Zito and Savard both got misconducts for fighting, whereas the other players just got five-minute penalties.
A late penalty from Daniel Michaud gave the Spirit a chance but ultimately ended uneventful with a final score of 7-2. The Spirit are now 1-1-0-0 after today’s game.
The Spirit play their first road game of the 2022-2023 season in Sarina against the Sting October 7th. Puck drop is at 7:05 p.m.
Saginaw’s next home game is against the Windsor Spitfires on October 8th. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster, the Saginaw Spirit Store (6321 State Street), Dow Event Center Box Office, and by phone at (989) 497-7747.
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