Saginaw Spirit head coach Greg Gilbert was awarded OHL Coach of the Year honors on Tuesday in a press conference.
/ EarL Arms
SAGINAW -- The Ontario Hockey League today announced that Saginaw Spirit Head Coach Greg Gilbert is the 2011-12 recipient of the Matt Leyden Trophy for OHL Coach of the Year.
Gilbert joined the Spirit midway through the 2011-12 campaign and in 36 games behind the bench earned a 20-10-1-5 record for 46 points helping the Spirit climb from ninth place in the OHL’s Western Conference standings with 28 points to a fifth place finish with 74 points.
The sixth coach in club history, Gilbert becomes the first Matt Leyden Trophy winner in the Spirit’s 10-year history in Saginaw.
His presence helped spark a turnaround both offensively and defensively as the club made OHL Western Conference semis before falling in six games to the London Knights.
