Spirit look to widen series lead against Flint in Game 2

SAGINAW, Mich. (WNEM) - The Saginaw Spirit (1-0) play game two of the first round of the playoffs against the Flint Firebirds (0-1) Friday, March 31, at the Dow Event Center.

Tonight’s Game:

Puck drop is at 7:05 p.m.

Tickets:

Ticketmaster

Phone: (989) 497-7747

In-Person: Saginaw Spirit Store (6321 State St.), Dow Event Center Box Office

Broadcast:

Television: CHL TV, CHL App, OHL Action Pak Ch. 470

Radio: 100.5 FM WSGW, WSGW.com

The Series So Far:

The Spirit took the series opener in decisive fashion on Thursday night with a 7-1 win. After Riley Piercey scored the opening goal just over a minute into the game, the Spirit responded with seven unanswered goals from the likes of Mitchell Smith, Joey Willis, Hunter Haight, Zayne Parekh and Michael Misa. Matyas Sapovaliv and Dean Loukus each added a trio of assists, and Tristan Lennox made 34 saves. The Firebirds made a goaltending swap mid-game, as Will Cranley relieved Nathan Day after four goals on ten shots.

Players to Watch:

Dean Loukus led the Spirit in scoring against Flint during the regular season, and his talents carried over into the playoffs in Game 1. The Calumet, Mich. native had 12 points (5G, 7A) against the Firebirds in the regular season, and was an offensive catalyst for the Spirit with a trio of assists last night. And while Tristan Lennox didn’t spend Thursday night holding his team in the game, a 34 save on 35 shot performance shows that he’s in peak form. In his playoff career, Lennox owns a 2.79 GAA and .920SV% with three wins.

Amadeus Lombardi finished the season leading Flint in all scoring aspects (45G, 57A, 102P) and broke the record for most assists and points in one season by a Firebird. While he wasn’t able to fully flex his offensive muscles last night, Lombardi managed an assist on the lone Flint goal and was noticeable in all three zones. With 44 games played and 18 wins in the regular season, Will Cranley held top goaltending marks for Flint by posting a 3.87 GAA and an .884 SV%. He entered last night’s game in relief of Nathan Day and stopped seven of ten shots in 34:02.

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).

Flint has six (6) players linked to the NHL, including Braeden Kressler (Toronto, FA), Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg), Gavin Hayes (Chicago), Will Cranley (St Louis), Amadeus Lombardi (Detroit), and Artem Guryev (San Jose).