The Saginaw Spirit have advanced to the Memorial Cup Final and will have a final dance against their OHL rivals — the London Knights.
After defeating the Moose Jaw Warriors in game one of the Memorial Cup round robin, the Saginaw Spirit were able to find a way to do it again in the all-important semi-final game. Saginaw defeated Moose Jaw by a score of 7-1, and the Spirit's fourth line was a large factor in this one.
The Spirit were able to get out to a hot start as they did against Moose Jaw in their first matchup, as Ethan Hay found the back of the net just 3:03 into the first period. The fourth line had a pressure-filled shift, and Sebastian Gervais was able to find the Tampa Bay Lightning prospect in the slot for the goal.
This was Hay's first of the Memorial Cup, and it couldn't have come at a better time.
Just four minutes later, Jagger Firkus and the Moose Jaw Warriors struck back with a goal of their own. Firkus was able to intercept a high saucer pass off the stick of Saginaw forward Joey Willis, and score on an odd-man break.
Next, there would be six unanswered goals from the Saginaw Spirit.
Braden Hache and Owen Beck would each score one early in the second period. Hache's goal was a hard shot that deflected off an opponent's stick and into the net, and Beck's goal was a result of a phenomenal pass by Josh Bloom and a precise shot from the Canadiens prospect.
Following this, the Spirit's fourth line would tally three more goals — in addition to Ethan Hay's first period goal.
Lincoln Moore and Sebastian Gervais each put up a marker, while Ethan Hay put up his second of the night. All four of the fourth line's goals were a result of hard work below the goal line, relentless pressure, and finding each other in tight areas.
Moore, Gervais, and Hay each had zero points in this tournament ahead of this game, and they didn't play a whole lot through the round robin. In this game, they forced head coach Chris Lazary to keep putting them back on the ice, and they delivered.
After a somewhat quiet start to the Memorial Cup, Rodwin Dionicio also stepped up in this game. The Anaheim Ducks prospect tallied a goal and three helpers in Saginaw's win, after leading his team in points through the OHL Playoffs.
Dionicio impacts the game in a similar way that Zayne Parekh does. Both blueliners create offence relentlessly and they are able to be difference makers on the scoreboard. In this game, Dionicio did just that. He was moving the puck intelligently in this game, resulting in pucks ending up in the back of the net.
The Saginaw Spirit will continue onto the Memorial Cup final, where they will face the London Knights once again.
The Spirit have lost more than they've won against the Knights, but if anyone knows what it takes to beat the OHL Champs, it is Saginaw. The Spirit lost to London 4-2 in the final round robin game, but Saginaw kept it close until the very end.
Saginaw will need to get contributions throughout their lineup — like they did in this game — if they are going to beat the London Knights. Michael Simpson has been rock-solid in the crease, and Saginaw needs to find a way to solve him.
Saginaw will take on the London Knights on the biggest stage in major junior hockey — the Memorial Cup finals. The game will go down on Sunday, June 2nd, at the DOW Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan.