Erie, Penn. – The Saginaw Spirit (18-7-2-0) defeated the Erie Otters (11-11-0-3) after seven unanswered goals to win 8-3 Tuesday, December 6, at Erie Insurance Arena in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Six Spirit players had two or more points, including Minnesota Wild prospect Hunter Haight, who earned two goals and two assists on the night. Andrew Oke, who was recently named to the World Junior Camp Roster, made 24 saves on 27 shots for Saginaw. Nolan Lalonde went 25 for Erie.
The game opened with Saginaw on the penalty kill after Roberto Mancini took a tripping penalty at 7:04. The Spirt showed off their league-leading penalty kill by denying the Otters a goal on the chance.
Erie went on the powerplay again after Luke McNamara was called for tripping at 10:48 in the first frame. Unlike the first, the Otters converted on the chance by scoring at 12:12. Spencer Sova took a wrist shot at the top of the left circle and earned his 13th goal of the season after Christian Kyrou passed to him from the right side. Brett Bressette earned an assist on the play.
The Otters extended their lead to two just under a minute later at 13:08 in the opening period. Sam Alfano started the play by giving Christian Kyrou the puck on the left side of the zone. From there, Kyrou fired a shot towards Elias Cohen who deflected the puck off his skate into the net past Oke for his 11th goal of the season.
The first period ended with Erie leading 2-0 and leading shots, 13-9.
The second period started with Saginaw answering back with a goal at 1:50. Michael Misa passed to Zayne Parekh who was waiting on the left near the goaltender. Hunter Haight received the puck next, and took a wrist shot directly in front of Lalonde for his fifth goal of the season.
The Otters answer back with a goal at 6:12 of the second frame. Artyom Kulakov scored his first goal of the season after he received a pass from Malcom Spence who was between the circles. Kaleb Smith earned an assist on the play.
The Spirit scored their second goal of the night at 9:52 in the middle period. Zayne Parekh received the puck from Nic Sima, skated our from behind the net and snapped home his eighth goal of the season. Hunter Haight earned his second point on the night with an assist on the play.
Saginaw tied the game at 3-3 with a goal at 11:56 in the middle frame. Hunter Haight potted a rebounded shot from Calem Mangone to earn his sixth goal of the season. Cam Gauvreau earned an assist on the play.
Lincoln Moore took the lead for the Spirit at 12:50 in the second period. Theo Hill started the play by giving Luke McNamara the puck on the right side of the zone. McNamara skated behind the net and passed out front where Moore was waiting. The rookie chipped a backhanded shot over the shoulder of Lalonde for his third goal of the season.
Saginaw got their first powerplay chance after Carey Terrance committed a holding penalty at 17:51 in the middle frame. The Otters successfully killed off the chance.
After 40 minutes, the Spirit led the game 4-3 and Erie led shots, 20-19.
The third period opened with the Otters on the man-advantage after Calem Mangone took a cross checking penalty at 2:06. The Spirit were able to kill off the chance.
Saginaw extended their lead with a goal at 7:24 in the final period. Matyas Sapovaliv passed to the slot where Dean Loukus was waiting. From there, Loukus took a shot for a rebound and Roberto Mancini buried the loose puck for his seventh goal of the season.
The Spirit continued to score with another goal at 10:03 of the 3rd period. Mitchell Smith gave the puck to Luke McNamara who sped past two Erie players and into the zone. From there, the center scored past Lalonde’s glove for his fourth of the season.
Michael Misa potted a goal for Saginaw at 12:46 in the third frame. The 15-year-old deflected a pass from Hunter Haight for his 15th goal of the season. Mitchell Smith earned an assist on the goal.
Nic Sima scored the final goal for the Spirit at 14:26 in the final frame. The winger tipped a shot from PJ Forgione which sailed past Lalonde for his fourth of the season. Luke McNamara was credited with an assist on the play.
At the end of 60 minutes, the Spirit claimed an 8-3 victory and outshot the Otters 33-27. With the win, Saginaw improves to 18-7-2-0.
The Spirit continue their road trip Thursday, December 8, as they take on the Barrie Colts at the Saldon Arena in Barrie, Ontario. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.
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