Saginaw Spirit | |
---|---|
City: | Saginaw, Michigan |
League: | Ontario Hockey League |
Conference: | Western |
Division: | West |
Founded: | 2002 –03 |
Home Arena: | The Dow Event Center |
Colours: | Midnight blue, red, silver, white and yellow |
Head Coach: | Todd Watson |
General Manager: | Todd Watson |
Affiliate(s): | Leamington Flyers |
Franchise history | |
1943–47: | St. Catharines Falcons |
1947–62: | St. Catharines Teepees |
1962–76: | St. Catharines Black Hawks |
1976–82: | Niagara Falls Flyers |
1982–02: | North Bay Centennials |
2002–: | Saginaw Spirit |
The Saginaw Spirit is a junior ice hockey team based in Saginaw, Michigan. They are members of the West Division of the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), one of the leagues of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL).
History
The Saginaw Spirit were born when Dick Garber, the owner of several local automobile dealerships, purchased the North Bay Centennials and moved the team to Saginaw after the 2001–02 season, renaming it the Saginaw Spirit.
The team traces its roots back to St. Catharines, Ontario, where it played as the Falcons, Teepees, and Black Hawks from 1943–1976. It won two Memorial Cup championships as the Teepees, in 1954 and 1960. In 1976, the franchise moved to nearby Niagara Falls, where it was known as the Flyers. In 1982, the team was moved again, this time to North Bay, and renamed the Centennials, where it remained until moving to Saginaw in 2002.
The Spirit have done extensive promotions in the Mid-Michigan area, increasing their fan base and season ticket-holder numbers. The Spirit have one of the highest attendance rates in the Ontario Hockey League.
After three rebuilding seasons the Spirit clinched their first playoff berth on March 2, 2006, but lost in the first round to the Guelph Storm. They made the playoffs the following two seasons, but lost to the division rival Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds both times, in six games in 2007 and in four games in 2008. In 2009, the Spirit won their first playoff series since relocating to Saginaw, sweeping Guelph in four games. They were then swept in the second round by the London Knights.
Coaches
The first coach in Saginaw Spirit history was Dennis Desrosiers. He was well known to local fans, with many years of hockey experience in Michigan. As a player he spent 10 years for the Saginaw Gears (IHL), and spent time coaching the Flint Generals, Saginaw Generals & Kalamazoo Wings all in Michigan. In total, there have been four coaches in Saginaw Spirit history to date.
List of coaches. Numbers of seasons in parentheses.
- 2002–03 - Dennis Desrosiers (2)
- 2003–04 - Dennis Desrosiers / Moe Mantha
- 2004–05 - Doug Lidster / Bob Mancini
- 2005–07 - Bob Mancini (3)
- 2007–present - Todd Watson
Players
<font="+1">See complete list of all List of Saginaw Spirit alumni.
Award winners
- 2003–04 - Patrick McNeill, Jack Ferguson Award -1st overall OHL Priority Draft Selection
- 2005–06 - Ryan Daniels, F.W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy -Best Rookie GAA
- 2005–06 - Craig Goslin, OHL Executive of the Year
- 2006–07 - Tom Pyatt, William Hanley Trophy -Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year
- 2006–07 - Craig Goslin, OHL Executive of the Year
NHL alumni
Since 2002 the Saginaw Spirit have graduated eight players who have played in the National Hockey League.
- Cody Bass
- Paul Bissonnette
- Matt Corrente
- Ryan O'Marra
- Geoff Platt
- Tom Pyatt
- Chris Thorburn
- Jan Mursak
Current squad
Roster updated as of June 1st, 2010
Goaltenders | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number | Player | Glove | Acquired | NHL Draft | Place of birth | |
1 | Tadeas Galansky | L | Saginaw Spirit 2009 | 2010 | Czech Republic | |
80 | Edward Pasquale O/A | L | Trade BLV 2007 | ATL 2009 | Toronto, Ontario | |
Defensemen | ||||||
Number | Player | Shoots | Acquired | NHL Draft | Place of birth | |
Matt Ashman O/A | R | Trade LON 2010 | Undrafted | London, Ontario | ||
2 | Brad Walch | L | Saginaw Spirit 2007 | Undrafted | Saginaw, Michigan | |
14 | Alex Lepkowski | L | Saginaw Spirit 2009 | 2011 | West Seneca, New York | |
17 | Joe Underwood O/A | R | Trade GUE 2007 | Undrafted | Canton, Michigan | |
21 | Ryan O'Connor | R | Trade BAR 2009 | 2010 | Hamilton, Ontario | |
27 | Frank Schumacher | L | Saginaw Spirit 2009 | 2012 | Brighton, Michigan | |
41 | Cody Sol | L | Saginaw Spirit 2007 | ATL 2009 | Woodstock, Ontario | |
44 | Matt Braun | R | Saginaw Spirit 2008 | 2010 | Mississauga, Ontario | |
70 | Peter Hermengildo | R | Trade SUD 2009 | Undrafted | Thornhill, Ontario | |
77 | Dalton Young | Free Agent 2010 | 2011 | Marysville, Michigan |
Forwards | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number | Player | Shoots | Position | Acquired | NHL Draft | Place of birth | |
5 | Garrett Ross | L | LW | Free Agent 2009 | 2010 | Dearborn, Michigan | |
9 | Sloan Stewart | R | RW | Saginaw Spirit 2007 | Undrafted | Guelph, Ontario | |
14 | Jordan Szwarz - A | R | RW | Saginaw Spirit 2007 | PHX 2009 | Burlington, Ontario | |
15 | Anthony Camara | L | LW | Saginaw Spirit 2009 | 2011 | Toronto, Ontario | |
19 | Michael Kantor | R | RW | Free Agent 2010 | 2010 | Lake Forest, Illinois | |
20 | Mitch Fillman | R | RW | Free Agent 2007 | Undrafted | Oakville, Ontario | |
22 | Dylan Fitze | R | RW | Saginaw Spirit 2008 | 2011 | Peterborough, Ontario | |
24 | Ivan Telegin | L | C | Saginaw Spirit 2009 | 2010 | Novokuznetsk, Russia | |
25 | Josh Shalla | L | LW | Trade GUE 2009 | 2010 | Whitby, Ontario | |
67 | Barry Sanderson O/A | R | C | Trade NIA 2008 | Undrafted | Dearborn, Michigan | |
89 | Vincent Trocheck | R | C | Saginaw Spirit 2009 | 2011 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
93 | Michael Sgarbossa | L | C | Trade BAR 2009 | 2010 | Campbellville, Ontario |
Team records
Team records for a single season | ||
Statistic | Total | Season |
---|---|---|
Most points | 91 | 2006–07 |
Most wins | 44 | 2006–07 |
Most goals for | 291 | 2006–07 |
Least goals for | 150 | 2004–05 |
Least goals against | 217 | 2006–07 |
Most goals against | 275 | 2002–03 |
Individual player records for a single season | |||
Statistic | Player | Total | Season |
---|---|---|---|
Most goals | Ryan McDonough | 45 | 2007–08 |
Most assists | Jordan Skellett | 62 | 2009–10 |
Most points | Jack Combs | 100 | 2007–08 |
Most points, rookie | Jan Mursak | 80 | 2006–07 |
Most points, defenseman | Patrick McNeill | 77 | 2006–07 |
Best GAA, goalie | Ryan Daniels | 2.94 | 2006–07 |
Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played |
Season-by-season results
Regular season
Legend: OTL = Overtime loss, SL = Shootout loss
Season | Games | Won | Lost | Tied | OTL | SL | Points | Pct % | Goals For |
Goals Against |
Standing |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002–03 | 68 | 11 | 45 | 5 | 7 | – | 34 | 0.250 | 158 | 275 | 5th West |
2003–04 | 68 | 16 | 45 | 3 | 4 | – | 39 | 0.287 | 161 | 228 | 5th West |
2004–05 | 68 | 18 | 42 | 4 | 4 | – | 44 | 0.324 | 150 | 260 | 4th West |
2005–06 | 68 | 36 | 30 | – | 2 | 0 | 74 | 0.544 | 242 | 246 | 2nd West |
2006–07 | 68 | 44 | 21 | – | 0 | 3 | 91 | 0.669 | 291 | 217 | 2nd West |
2007–08 | 68 | 33 | 25 | – | 8 | 2 | 76 | 0.559 | 234 | 231 | 4th West |
2008–09 | 68 | 36 | 24 | – | 4 | 4 | 80 | 0.588 | 235 | 219 | 2nd West |
2009–10 | 68 | 34 | 27 | – | 4 | 3 | 75 | 0.551 | 240 | 230 | 4th West |
Playoffs
- 2002–03 Out of playoffs.
- 2003–04 Out of playoffs.
- 2004–05 Out of playoffs.
- 2005–06 Lost to Guelph Storm 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals.
- 2006–07 Lost to Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals.
- 2007–08 Lost to Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals.
- 2008–09 Defeated Guelph Storm 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals.
Lost to London Knights 4 games to 0 in conference semi-finals. - 2009–10 Lost to Kitchener Rangers 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals.
Uniforms and logos
The Saginaw Spirit logo depicts an American bald eagle with the colors of the Stars and Stripes along its neck, on the words "Saginaw Spirit." The uniform scheme is similar to that previously used by the U.S.A. national team. The home jerseys are white backgrounds with navy blue sleeves and red trim. The away jerseys are navy blue backgrounds with red sleeves and white trim. The Saginaw third jersey has a red background with navy blue sleeves and white trim, bearing across the chest the word "Saginaw" spelled diagonally downwards from left to right.
Mascots
Saginaw's main mascot is "Sammy Spirit," resembling an American bald eagle. The team held a vote on their website to name a new secondary mascot for the 2006–07 season. The mascot was named[1] Steagle Colbeagle the Eagle after Stephen Colbert. Colbert had promoted the contest on his show, The Colbert Report. After naming the mascot after Colbert, the Spirit won seven straight games before losing to the Sarnia Sting on October 20. Since then, The Colbert Report has featured ongoing comedy sketches related to the team, the mascot, and other teams in the Ontario Hockey League, especially the Oshawa Generals, and Oshawa, Ontario mayor John Gray.[2]
Arena
The Spirit play at Wendler Arena (capacity 5,527), which is part of The Dow Event Center complex in downtown Saginaw. The OHL All-Star Classic was hosted here in 2007. This was the first time in history that the OHL All-Star Game was hosted in an American city. The Arena was formerly home to the Saginaw Gears, Saginaw Generals, Saginaw Hawks, Saginaw Wheels and the Saginaw Lumber Kings.
- Capacity = 5,527
- Ice size = 192' x 85'
- Wendler Arena The OHL Arena & Travel Guide
Mid Michigan Spirit
The Saginaw Spirit in partnership with Meijer food stores sponsor the Mid Michigan Spirit, a women's hockey club based out of Midland, Michigan. The 16U team took second at the MAHA state tournament during the 2006-2007 season. A 16U team moved up to 19U for the 2007-2008 season and once again took second at the MAHA state tournament in Canton, Michigan on March 9, 2008.
References
- ↑ Spirit on the Colbert Report Tonight. Saginaw Spirit (2006-10-03). Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
- ↑ Sunaya Sapurji (2007-02-01). The Steagle has landed. Toronto Star. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
External links
- www.saginawspirit.com Saginaw Spirit official site
- Ontario Hockey League Official web site
- Canadian Hockey League Official web site
This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Saginaw Spirit. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA). |