Second year Spirit forward Max Grondin beat 2016 draft pick, goal tender Tyler Masternak with a wrist shot on the glove-side to give Team White a 4-3 overtime victory over Team Blue in the annual Saginaw Spirit Blue/White game Wednesday evening at the Dow Event Center in downtown Saginaw, MI.
Team White had jumped out to an early lead when 2017 third round pick, forward Ryan Stepien buried a rebound goal at 6:26 of the first period for a 1-0 Team White lead. Veteran Spirit defenseman Keaton Middleton (a fourth round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2016 NHL draft) assisted on the goal.
Team Blue answered when second year Spirit forward Ginanluca Fuoco tied the game at 1-goal apiece on an assist from another second year Spirit forward, D.J. Busdeker midway through the second period.
The boys in Blue did it again when 2017 Detroit Red Wings draft pick Brady Gilmour beat 2016 Spirit third round pick Cameron Lamour with assists coming from 2017 top draft pick Nicholos Porco and second year Spirit forward Damien Giroux for a 2-1 Team Blue lead at 13:56 of the second period.
Spirit 2017 third round pick Camaryn Baber scored late in the second period to give Team Blue a 3-1 lead.
Stepien got Team White to within 2-goals of Team Blue with his second of the game early in the third period to make it a 3-2 game, before second year Spirit forward Danny Katic tied the game at 3-goals apiece late in the third period to set the stage for Grondin's overtime heroics.
Veteran Spirit goal tender Evan Cormier (a fourth round pick of the New Jersey Devils in the 2016 NHL draft) and Masternak shared duties between the pipes for Team Blue, while Lamour and second year Spirit goal tender Brendan Bonello split time for Team White, who outshot Team Blue by a margin of 54-33 Wednesday night.
New Spirit head coach Troy Smith now has the unenviable task of trimming his roster down before the Spirit open the 2017-18 exhibition season with a home game against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds this Saturday night, Sep. 2, at the Dow Event Center.
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Aug 31, 2017
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