No. 2 Spirit set for 2019 OHL western conference semi finals battle against No. 3 Soo Greyhounds Friday night

Saginaw, MI: 

 

The Saginaw Spirit (No. 2 seed) will host the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (No. 3 seed) with home ice advantage in the 2019 Ontario Hockey League western conference semi-finals (best-of -seven series) with game-1 face off set for 7:05 pm on Friday April 5, inside the Dow Event Center in downtown Saginaw, followed by game-2 just two days later for a 5:30 pm face off at the Dow on Sunday afternoon. 

 

The Greyhounds advanced after eliminating the Owen Sound Attack (4-games-to-1) with a 7-4 victory in game-5 of the 2019 OHL western conference playoffs (best-of-seven) series at GFL Memorial Gardens in Sault Ste. Marie this past Friday night. 

 

The Soo and the Spirit have an even head-to-head record in eight meetings this year with the Greyhounds winning 4-games and the Spirit winning 4-games. 

 

Saginaw opened the 2019 OHL regular season with a 5-2 home victory over the Greyhounds on Sep. 19, while the Soo returned the favor with a 6-3 victory over Saginaw at GFL Memorial Gardens on Oct. 17, earlier this season. The two west division rivals would go on to swap wins in the next two meetings with Saginaw holding serve in a 5-3 home victory over the Soo on Nov. 11, then dropping a home game following a 7-4 loss to the Soo on Dec. 1, at the Dow.

 

The Spirit would go on to win the next two meetings up at the GFL Memorial Gardens, picking up a 4-2 road victory on Dec. 28, followed by a 5-3 road win on Feb. 27, before the Greyhounds closed out the regular season series with a pair of victories in the final two meetings; taking a 2-1 overtime decision from the Spirit at the Dow on Mar. 14, before handing the Spirit a 5-2 loss in a game which meant nothing in the standings up in the Soo on Mar. 17, just a couple of days later. 

 

Saginaw will travel up to the Soo for game-3 on Tuesday April 9, and game-4 on Thursday April 11, with both games set for a 7:07 pm face off at the GFL Memorial Gardens. Game-5 (if necessary) will return to Saginaw the very next night for a 7:05 pm face off on Friday night April 12, while game-6 (if necessary) will be back up in the Soo on Sunday April 14, with a 7:07 pm face off, before returning to Saginaw for the final game-7 (if necessary) for a 7:05 pm face off at the Dow on Tuesday April 16, in downtown Saginaw. 

 

The winner will advance to the OHL western conference finals to take on the winner of the other western conference semi final series between the London Knights (No. 1 seed) and the Guelph Storm (No. 4 seed) which kicks off at Budweiser Gardens in London, ON Friday night as well.