Memorial Cup: Start crucial as hosts get in win column early

 SAGINAW, MICH – It got dicey, but the Memorial Cup hosts are in the win column after the opening day of the 2024 tournament.

A 4-0 lead through 30 minutes evaporated in a 90 second stretch late in the second period and the Saginaw Spirit would eventually hold on after trading third period goals with the Moose Jaw Warriors to pick up a 5-4 victory over the Western Hockey League champs.

“We started well,” said Saginaw coach Chris Lazary following the victory. “It’s hard for the Western League team with the time change coming in. It’s a real tough game for them, their first game of the tournament and that really benefited us early.”

For the Warriors, Mark O’Leary called the slow start “too much to overcome.”

“We were just slow all over the ice,” O’Leary said. “They were first to loose pucks. Even when we got going in the right direction, we were one and done. We had one guy around it instead of two and if you do that, you’re not going to win many puck battles. That, coupled with some puck management issues, it got real sloppy there and the more sloppy it got, we got stubborn. Turnovers through the neutral zone and slow to jump to pucks is a bad recipe.”

The Spirit controlled play throughout much of the opening period, outshooting the visitors 17-7 and taking a 1-0 lead on a goal late in the frame.

Nic Sima opened the scoring for the Spirit in the late stages of the opening period as he beat Warriors goaltender Jackson Unger on a deflection of a shot from the high slot with 33 seconds to go in the frame.

Saginaw made it a 2-0 game 2:13 into the second period as Montreal Canadiens prospect Owen Beck beat Unger with a shot from the left faceoff circle on an attempted back-door pass that deflected off Moose Jaw defenceman Denton Mateychuk in close.

The home side then added to the lead as 2024 NHL draft prospect Zayne Parekh took a shot from the high slot that handcuffed Unger stick side at 7:28.

Ottawa Senators prospect Jorian Donovan then made it a 4-0 game as he beat Unger glove side on a shot from the right faceoff circle at 9:04.

Moose Jaw stormed back late in the period as the WHL champs scored three times in a 95 second span to cap off the period.

Brayden Yager made it a 4-1 game at 18:11 as he beat Spirit starter Andrew Oke on a shot from the right faceoff circle after taking a pass from Matthew Savoie below the goalline.

Mateychuk then cut the Spirit lead to 4-2 at 18:48 when he beat Oke from the slot glove side.

Moose Jaw made it a one-goal game with 14 seconds to go in the period as Yager capped off a passing play with Mateychuk and Jagger Firkus from the left circle where he beat Oke for his second goal of the night.

Just 1:52 into the third period, overage forward Josh Bloom made it s 5-3 game as he beat Unger in close on a rebound.

The Warriors again made it a one-goal game as Savoie beat Oke from the left circle on a one-timer with 2:47 to go but couldn’t find the equalizer.

Parekh had a goal and two assists for the Spirit in the victory.

Beck added a goal and an assist while Alex Christopoulos assisted on a pair of goals.

Playing his first game since being injured in game two of Saginaw’s second round playoff series against Sault Ste. Marie, Oke stopped 22 shots.

Yager had two goals and an assist while Mateychuk finished the night with a goal and two assists to pace the Warriors offensively. Savoie added one of each in the loss.

Unger made 31 saves in the loss.

Saginaw returns to action on Sunday night as they face the Quebec Maritime Junior League’s Drummondville Voltigeurs while Moose Jaw plays Monday night against the OHL-champion London Knights.

Saturday’s action will see Drummondville take on London.

Game Notes

Lines

Saginaw
Josh Bloom-Owen Beck-Alex Christopoulos
Joey Willis-Matyas Sapovaliv-Calem Mangone
Michael Misa-Hunter Haight-Nic Sima
Sebastien Gervais-Ethan Hay-Lincoln Moore
Jorian Donovan-James Guo
Braden Hache-Zayne Parekh
Rodwin Dionicio-Will Bishop
Andrew Oke
Nolan Lalonde

Moose Jaw

Martin Rysavy-Brayden Yager-Jagger Firkus

Lynden Lakovic-Matthew Savoie-Atley Calvert

Ethan Semeniuk-Brayden Schuurman-Rilen Kovacevic

Pavel McKenzie-Owen Barge-Ethan Hughes

Devon Mateychuk-Kalem Parker

Lucas Benton-Cosmo Wilson

Aiden Ziprick-Vojtech Port

Jackson Unger

Dimitri Fortin

Scratches

Saginaw – Kaleb Papineau, Josh Glavin, Graydon Jones, Carson Harmer, Liam Storch, P.J. Forgione, Jacob Cloutier, Aidan Castle

Moose Jaw – Evan May, Brady Ness, Landen McFadden, Connor Schmidt, Noah Degenstein, Max Finley