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Post by donjohnson on Apr 11, 2023 8:28:12 GMT -5
I would be perfectly fine with not having another series against Flint for a long time  Just proud of the team for bouncing back after the Game 6 disaster. Happy for Mitchell Smith with the primary assist on the winning goal and the empty net goal. I don't think anyone wanted to win this series on either team more than he did. When all is said and done he will have only been captain for a couple months, but he might be one of my favorites. Sarnia is going to be a heavy favorite and even if Saginaw gets swept and gets blown out every game I'm still proud of this group. Both teams really left it all out there. This Flint series combined with all the games we had to play against Flint last season because of covid makes me want to switch to the Eastern conference next year so we only have to play them twice. |
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Post by spiritfan8 on Apr 11, 2023 8:38:11 GMT -5
This was a true team win. But IMO nobody stepped up bigger than Matyas Sapovaliv and Mitchell Smith. The rookies carried the day for the first couple of games (and good on them!!) but it was tough slogging after that. Sapo and Smith put the team on their backs. They simply refused to give up, even when a lot of us were quietly looking to next year. The lessons the team learned in this series were incalculable. Certainly hoping for a good series w Sarnia, but this is gravy folks. From January on, this team showed us what they’re made of, and it was pure gold to watch.
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Post by Bthumme on Apr 11, 2023 13:28:27 GMT -5
I owe all Saginaw fans a big apology for forcing a game 7. I was with my dad for Game 6, in OT, and I told him explicitly "Right here, this is the shift it ends. You are going to see why Misa is exceptional, he's going to feed it to Sapovaliv for a one-timer to end the game here". My wife told me "don't jinx it", and then 15 seconds the game ended. I received a very big death stare from my wife. So I will take the fall for game 6.
Kudos to the team for the effort yesterday. They found just enough in the tank to grind it out. I think Flint was the better team top to bottom, with the best player on the ice (Lombardi). Sarnia will be tough but not insurmountable.
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Post by donjohnson on Apr 11, 2023 16:39:09 GMT -5
Funny bthumme...I was ready to take the blame for game 7 as I decided to wear my jersey. It usually wins on the road but rarely wins at home. Once again, I proved to myself that I have zero control over the outcome.
I'm going to disagree with you that Flint was a better team top to bottom. Certainly Lombardi was better than anyone on the ice and it wasn't even close but after him, I struggle to see where Flint is better than us position by position. Sure, they're bigger and older but flat out skill level, I'd take Haight, Sapo, Willis, and Misa easily over the 4 forwards that Flint puts out. Defensively, while Kuzmin and Guyreyv are better stay at home defenders, I'll take the two-way play of Smith and Parekh any day of the week. Finally, goaltending isn't even close...Day looked good at times but Lennox is in a totally different class that either Day or Cranley. Flint was very good at blocking shots and faceoffs...if they're just average at those two things, we win easily in 5 games.
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Post by eric8199 on Apr 12, 2023 11:22:57 GMT -5
Funny bthumme...I was ready to take the blame for game 7 as I decided to wear my jersey. It usually wins on the road but rarely wins at home. Once again, I proved to myself that I have zero control over the outcome. I'm going to disagree with you that Flint was a better team top to bottom. Certainly Lombardi was better than anyone on the ice and it wasn't even close but after him, I struggle to see where Flint is better than us position by position. Sure, they're bigger and older but flat out skill level, I'd take Haight, Sapo, Willis, and Misa easily over the 4 forwards that Flint puts out. Defensively, while Kuzmin and Guyreyv are better stay at home defenders, I'll take the two-way play of Smith and Parekh any day of the week. Finally, goaltending isn't even close...Day looked good at times but Lennox is in a totally different class that either Day or Cranley. Flint was very good at blocking shots and faceoffs...if they're just average at those two things, we win easily in 5 games. As big of a pain in the rear as Piercey is, he was also a major factor in the playoffs, not surprisingly. Not only is he a physical presence and not afraid to go after someone, but he's also got a lot of skill and can turn it on at any time. He can be a liability, but more often he's a benefit, and the fact that he was in the mind of so many Spirit fans shows that he was a major factor, love him or hate him. I also think Giroux needs some credit. He's not his brother, but he's able to turn it on in key moments and score goals late, and he's also great at drawing penalties. He definitely cost us a few this series. |
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Post by aj0512 on Apr 12, 2023 11:49:28 GMT -5
Piercey is one of those guys you'd love to have on your team, but hate playing against. I also noticed all the Flint fans around me booing Parekh every time he had the puck. Love it lol. Giroux will be a very good OA for Flint next year. One area we'll need to improve on in the Sarnia series is getting some more production from the bottom six forwards.
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Post by donjohnson on Apr 12, 2023 13:37:15 GMT -5
Piercey is a solid hockey player and I'm guessing a really good teammate but he was an absolute non-factor this series from a hockey standpoint. He (apparently) decided to take on the role of instigator and try to get in everyone's heads. He finished with 1g and 1a which is a total nothing-burger in a 7game series, didn't seem to rattle any of the young players, and made a critical mistake with his penalty on Parekh which led to the winning goal.
Giroux is a pest and I can't believe he and Damian are brothers because while Damian was a gritty hard worker, he played a clean game. Giroux is always looking for that dirty play or cheap shot near the goal...sure, that type of play is going to lead to goals (he scored 3 in this series) but he's not going to become a 1.25pts per game type of player. He is what he is.
Totally agree aj0512 on the getting more production from the bottom six...we're going to have to roll more lines when we are in Sarnia or the guys will be gassed by the time they get back to the Dow. Laz was pretty much running out two lines against Flint and I don't have a problem with that because it's what we needed to do. Against Sarnia, they have too much offensive talent and if our guys are tired, they're going to run circles around us and end the series early. I'd like to see a little more Lincoln Moore and maybe even Bode Stewart out there and some Phillips on defense to spell some of these guys. It's a gamble for sure but it will be good experience for Moore and Stewart for next year.
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Post by MidlandSpiritFan on Apr 12, 2023 19:37:55 GMT -5
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Post by eric8199 on Apr 12, 2023 21:52:07 GMT -5
Giroux is a pest and I can't believe he and Damian are brothers because while Damian was a gritty hard worker, he played a clean game. Giroux is always looking for that dirty play or cheap shot near the goal...sure, that type of play is going to lead to goals (he scored 3 in this series) but he's not going to become a 1.25pts per game type of player. He is what he is. I think if Giroux played on any other team he'd play a different type of game. I think his style is what they want in Flint. I think it's what the fans want and I think it's what the coaching staff wants. It's old-time hockey, except that it's not old times anymore. Oh, and I disagree with you about Piercey. You're right on the stats, but stats aren't everything. He served a purpose and he had an effect. |
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