By Blake Metiva
The Saginaw Spirit will open the Ontario Hockey League season against the Windsor Spitfires at the Dow Event Center on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 7:05 p.m.
The Spirit will raise two championship banners before the game in commemoration of their 2023-24 season, in which they won the OHL’s Western Division and the Canadian Hockey League’s Memorial Cup.
The club returned a majority of its big-name talent that propelled it to an improbable Memorial Cup victory, including top defenseman Zayne Parekh and forwards Michael Misa, Ethan Hay, Caleb Mangone, Nic Sima and goaltender Andrew Oke. The Spirit also added talent, including import forward Igor Chernyshov and first-round pick Damian Zhilkin.
The Spitfires will look to cause an upset in the opener after finishing last in the Western Conference last season, earning a meager 44 points (18-42-5-3). The Spitfires loaded up during the offseason, bringing in two first overall selections in Ethan Belchatz and Michael Newlove, defenseman Tnias Mathurin, and forward Ilya Protas. They also return top forward Liam Greentree and goaltender Joey Costanzo.A limited number of tickets are still available, but they are selling fast.
