Spirit rises to face Erie
An all-American, Ontario Hockey League showdown begins tonight when the eighth-place Saginaw Spirit takes on the top-seeded Erie Otters in Game 1 of a best-of-seven Western Conference playoff series.
Saginaw finished a whopping 59 points behind league-leading Erie during the regular season.
The Spirit managed 56 points from a record of 24-36-8. The 105 points that the Otters put up were the result of a 52-15-1 record.
Saginaw went 4-7-2 over its final 13 games of the regular season under interim coach Moe Mantha, who had been coaching the French River Rapids of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
This marks the 11th straight OHL playoff appearance for Saginaw.
Of note, Saginaw played Erie even during the regular season with a 2-2 record thanks in no small part to goaltender Evan Cormier. A former NOJHL goalie, Cormier played in all four games for Saginaw against Erie and stopped 140 of 150 shots in winning twice.
Erie heads into the series led by 111-point scorer Dylan Strome and 51-goal shooter Alex DeBrincat.