(3) Sarnia Sting (41-18-5-4) vs. (4) Saginaw Spirit (36-27-3-2)
Fans can expect two things when the Saginaw Spirit and Sarnia Sting go head-to-head – lots of goals, and no lead being secure.
The fun between the divisional opponents spans back to pre-Covid days, with a wild 11-8 Spirit victory in Sarnia during the Sting’s Teddy Bear Toss night in December 2019. Interesting outcomes carried over into 2021-22, with the Sting putting up a 10-spot on the Spirit on Mar. 2, 2022, scoring four times in the final five minutes of the third period to blow open a game that had once been a 6-6 tie. The Spirit exacted their revenge later that month, trailing 8-4 with three minutes remaining in the third period, only to score four times to force overtime and win 9-8 on Dalton Duhart’s fourth goal of the contest.
The high-scoring fun between the Sting and the Spirit continued this past season, with the clubs averaging over a combined eight goals per-game over their six meetings.
The Sting enter second round play off a six-game series win over the Guelph Storm, with Nashville Predators prospect Nolan Burke scoring two overtime winners in the set that required Sarnia to come-from-behind in three of their four victories. They’ll face a Spirit team that advanced after a hard-fought Game 7 victory over the rival Flint Firebirds on Monday night.
“We’re going to try to get the jump on them at the start – hopefully they’re a little bit tired still – and try to get a stranglehold on the series early like we did last series,” Burke told the Sarnia Observer’s Mark Malone.
The Sting won their first round series with just three players in their lineup – Ethan Del Mastro, Luca Del Bel Belluz and former OHL champion Brenden Anderson – who have advanced in the playoffs previously.
“For a lot of us to finally get the first one away, I think it’s going to make it easier for the next one, hopefully,” Burke added. “We’re going to have some experience in closing some things out. I think that’ll be crucial for the next round and hopefully the next few rounds.”
The Sting will have overage captain Nolan Dillingham back in their lineup tonight as he returns from a four-game suspension.
The recently-named hosts of the 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Kia, Saginaw got the job done in Game 7 thanks to a first star effort from Vegas Golden Knights prospect Matyas Sapovaliv. The big centreman had struggled in the face-off circle at various points of the first round series against Flint, but was the best player on the ice in the deciding game, going 16-for-26 at the dot with two goals and two assists.
Hometown product and Spirit captain Mitchell Smith was also a key contributor in the first round, recording nine points (4-5–9) in seven games. He set up Sapovaliv for the game-winner on Monday before hitting the empty net to put things out of reach.
“He was probably our best player overall,” Spirit head coach Chris Lazary said of Smith. “Some nights he is playing 35 minutes right now. He’s a hometown kid and there was no way he was ending his career in Game 7 against Flint. You could just see it in his eyes. He was a monster in the series.”
The Spirit boast two of the OHL’s top newcomers in exceptional status star Michael Misa, who finished his first season with a league-best 56 points (22-34–56) among his peers. Blueliner Zayne Parekh set a new OHL record for 16-year-old blueliners, scoring 21 goals from the blue line. He scored four times in Saginaw’s first round series.
New York Islanders prospect Tristan Lennox counters San Jose Sharks prospect Ben Gaudreau in the Sarnia crease as two of the OHL’s top goaltenders square off.
The Spirit last reached the Western Conference Championship Series in 2019, falling in seven games to the Guelph Storm while Sarnia looks to advance to the third round of the OHL Playoffs for the first time in their 29-year history.
Season Series:
Series tied 3-3
Oct. 7 – SAG 7 at SAR 4
Nov. 11 – SAG 4 at SAR 3 OT
Nov. 25 – SAG 4 at SAR 1
Dec. 3 – SAR 6 at SAG 3
Jan. 28 – SAR 8 at SAG 2
Feb. 25 – SAR 6 at SAG 1
Playoff History:
This will be Sarnia and Saginaw’s second meeting in the OHL Playoffs.
2019 SAG def SAR 4-0– 1st round / 2012 SAG def. SAR 4-2 – 1st round
Schedule:
Game 1 — April 14 — SAG @ SAR — 7:05pm
Game 2 — April 16 — SAG @ SAR — 2:05pm
Game 3 — April 18 — SAR @ SAG — 7:05pm
Game 4 — April 20 — SAR @ SAG — 7:05pm
Game 5* — April 22 — SAG @ SAR — 7:05pm
Game 6* — April 23 — SAR @ SAG — 5:30pm
Game 7* — April 25 — SAG @ SAR — 7:05pm
*if necessary
