After a slow start, the Saginaw Spirit have caught fire.
By: Blake Metiva
The Saginaw Spirit are soaring above the competition and separating themselves as a top dog in the Ontario Hockey League. After a slow start losing eight of their first 12 games, the Spirit have been on fire. Since their 6-5 loss to the Erie Otters on Nov. 2, the Spirit have rattled off an astounding 40 wins and only six losses. They sit 2nd in the Ontario Hockey League – only a few points behind the league-leading and well-known London Knights.
The Spirit are led by their captain Braden Hache and assistant captains Hunter Haight and Joey Willis. Alongside their captains are talented top prospects like Zayne Parekh: a defenseman who broke the franchise point scoring record (for a defender) and a top prospect in this summer’s upcoming NHL Entry Draft. Another standout is the sixth player to be granted exceptional status in Ontario Hockey League history: Michael Misa. Misa was able to play at age 15 instead of 16 due to his advanced skill.
The team is also loaded with players already drafted by NHL franchises: Forwards Matyas Sapovaliv (Las Vegas Golden Knights), Ethan Hay (Tampa Bay Lightning), Josh Bloom (Vancouver Canucks), Owen Beck (Montreal Canadiens), Defenseman Jorian Donovan (Ottawa Senators) and Rodwin Dionicio (Anaheim Ducks), and goaltender Nolan Lalonde (Columbus Blue Jackets).
In May the Spirit will be hosting the Canadian Hockey League’s Memorial Cup. The Cup will feature four teams. The Saginaw Spirit will be the host team, competing with champions of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), the Western Hockey League (WHL), and the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The tournament is played in a round-robin format – a type of competition in which all participants play each other. After the round-robin group stage, the top three teams enter a knockout stage. The team finishing first in the group stage advances automatically to the championship game. The teams finishing second and third play each other in a semi-final matchup.
Host teams have performed on opposite ends of the spectrum since the 2020 and 2021 cups were canceled. In the 2022 edition of the Memorial Cup the host, Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL, finished first in the round-robin. They defeated the Hamilton Bulldogs of the OHL in the final by a score of 6-3 to win the Cup. In last year’s edition, the host, The Kamloops Blazers of the WHL, finished at the bottom of the round-robin with two points. How will The Spirit fair in the cup? Only time will tell.
