Saginaw takes Soo to school
Sault Ste. Marie product Nick Porco potted his 20th goal of the season and added an assist as the Saginaw Spirit out-scored the Soo Greyhounds 5-3 tonight en route to a well-deserved Ontario Hockey League victory.
Simply put, a big, strong Saginaw squad out-skated and out-muscled the Soo before an anxious crowd of just over 4,000 followers at GFL Memorial Gardens.
Zack Trott staked the Soo to an early 1-0 lead but it was mostly all Saginaw after that. The Spirit scored five straight goals to take a 5-1 lead before the humbled Hounds responded twice in the final two minutes of the match to make the score close.
Besides Porco and his 20th tally of the season, Albert Michnac, Brady Gilmour, Damien Giroux and overage defenseman Reagan O’Grady also scored for Saginaw, which moved into a second-place tie with the Soo by virtue of the verdict.
Both teams have 85 points with eight games to play in the regular season and are now tied for second place in the OHL’s Western Conference.
Saginaw has a record of 40-15-5 and the Soo is 39-14-7.
The rising Spirit has a remarkable record of 29-6-3 since Chris Lazary took over as head coach from the fired Troy Smith 22 games into the 2018-2019 season.
Besides Trott’s early score, Sault Ste. Marie product Cole MacKay and reserve defenseman Robert Calisti also scored for the Soo in tonight’s defeat.
PHOTO: Sault Ste. Marie product Nick Porco (middle) and teammates Albert Michnac and Justin Murray of the Saginaw Spirit.
Well, they should win. They loaded up at the deadline.
If the Soo meets Saginaw in the playoffs, I like the Greyhounds’ chances in opening on the road. This is rebuilding year, all the pressures on the Spirit. May the best team win.