Saginaw Spirit forward Dimian Zhilkin received a multi-game suspension for his cross-check to the face of his opponent last weekend.
On Saturday, when the Saginaw Spirit lost 4-1 to the Brampton Steelheads, they found themselves shorthanded two players by the end of the first period. Both Hayden Barch and Dimian Zhilkin were given game misconduct penalties for separate plays in which they got a little too aggressive.
Zhilkin was assessed a five-minute major for cross-checking late in the first period when he got his stick up in the face of the Steelheads player.
He took a bump while battling for the puck, and clearly acted instinctively to defend himself with the second Brampton player coming in. However, you must always be in control of your stick, and Zhilkin made an extremely costly error with that cross-check to the face.
The OHL’s Department of Player Safety has stepped in and issued a three-game suspension on the Saginaw forward.
The suspension couldn’t have come at a worse time. The Spirit face off against the London Knights and Kitchener Rangers this weekend, two tough opponents they will have to deal with without their third-best scorer on the team.
Zhilkin’s 15 goals are second-most on the team, trailing Nikita Klepov. His 45 penalty minutes are the most amongst Saginaw players. He may not be big in stature, but he plays a very pesty, physical game. He’s great at getting under his opponents’ skin because he operates like a bee on the ice, swarming around constantly to steal pucks and create quick-strike offensive chances.
Zhilkin will also miss Saginaw’s game on Dec. 17 against another tough opponent, the Soo Greyhounds. He’s eligible to return on Dec. 20, when the Spirit hosts the Oshawa Generals.
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