Spirit back in win column with impressive 5-1 victory over Mississauga

 

The Saginaw Spirit (9-4-3-1) moved back into the win column with a convincing 5-1 victory over the visiting Mississauga Steelheads (10-6-2-0) in front of 2,746 at the Dow Event Center in downtown Saginaw tonight. 

 

The Spirit jumped out to an early lead when second year forward D.J. Busdeker (4) scored a wrap-around goal with assists coming from Brady Gilmour and Bode Wilde for a 1-0 Saginaw lead at 5:26 of the first period, before the Steelheads responded later in the period when Nicholas Canade (2) knotted the game with his second goal of the season at the 18:37 mark, sending the two teams into the first intermission tied at 1-goal apiece.

 

Second year Spirit forward Ryan Stepien (1) managed to give Saginaw the lead early in the middle frame with his first goal of the season with assists coming from Albert Michnac and Aidan Prueter for a 2-1 Spirit lead at 4:43 of the second period. 

 

Saginaw would cling to a 1-goal lead until midway through the third when a Steelheads' holding penalty opened the door for Saginaw forward Cole Coskey (8) who picked up the loose puck off the face off and buried a power play goal, his eighth tally of the season, with an assist coming from Blade Jenkins, extending the Spirit lead to 3-1 at 9:27 of the final period.

 

The Spirit added to its lead while on the penalty kill just a few minutes later when Saginaw over age defenseman Reagan O'Grady (who was traded to Saginaw from Mississauga earlier this year) banged home a Nicholas Porco rebound off the post for a shorthanded goal, with Porco picking up an assist for a 4-1 Saginaw lead at 12:12 of the third period, before Jenkins (5) wrapped up the Saginaw scoring with his fifth goal of the season on an assist from Busdeker for a 5-1 Spirit lead at 18:54 of the final period.

 

Spirit goal tender Ivan Prosvetov stopped 30 of the 31 shots he faced in between the pipes for Saginaw tonight, while his counterpart from Mississauga, Jacob Ingham turned away 26 of the 31 shots he saw in net for Mississauga. 

 

The Spirit will be right back at it in less than 24-hours when the Soo Greyhounds come to town for a 7:05 pm face off right back here at the Dow tomorrow night.