Erie’s big night capped with win
ERIE, Pa. – The Erie Otters marked the refurbishment of their home rink by doubling the North Bay Battalion 8-4 in Ontario Hockey League action Saturday night.
Connor Brown and Dane Fox each had two goals and two assists and Andre Burakovsky registered one goal and four assists before a record crowd of 5,711 in the home opener at the renovated Erie Insurance Arena. Connor McDavid had one goal and one assist, while Michael Curtis and Jake Evans contributed a goal apiece.
Goaltender Oscar Dansk made 16 saves for Erie, which has a won-lost-extended record of 3-2-1 for seven points and is tied for third place in the Midwest Division.
Matt MacLeod and Nick Paul each scored one goal and added one assist for the Battalion, which also got goals from Mark Raycroft and Brandon Robinson. Vincent Praplan recorded three assists, while goaltender Brendan O’Neill faced 38 shots.
The Battalion is 4-4-0 for eight points, in a three-way tie with the Mississauga Steelheads and Sudbury Wolves for first place in the Central Division. The Troops face Mississauga at 2 p.m. Sunday in the last of nine straight road games before their home opener in the renovated Memorial Gardens on Friday night.
The Otters, wearing special-occasion sweaters and socks featuring a yellow colour scheme with blue and white trim, carried a 4-3 lead into the final period and reeled off three straight goals to put the game away. Curtis scored on a trickler at 6:59, Evans struck from the top of the left-wing circle at 8:48 and Brown netted his team-leading sixth goal of the season from the mid slot at 9:45.
Robinson scored on the power play at 15:10, delivering a drive from the left point. It was the second goal in two games for Robinson, who also connected in a 4-2 loss to the Niagara IceDogs on Thursday night.
McDavid completed the scoring at 18:44, four seconds after an Erie penalty expired.
The Otters scored three goals in the first 3:53 of the second period to forge a 4-1 lead, with Fox slipping home a power-play tally 22 seconds into the frame and Burakovsky swooping across the top of the right circle to wire a high shot past O’Neill 29 seconds later. Fox struck for another power-play goal when he took a cross-ice pass from Adam Pelech and blasted a shot from high on the right wing.
Raycroft lofted home a shot from the high slot at 5:46, and Paul pulled the Troops within a goal 38 seconds later, cashing his own rebound after a pass from Barclay Goodrow. It was the second goal for defenceman Raycroft, who scored his first OHL goal in a season-opening 5-2 loss Sept. 20 to the Kingston Frontenacs.
MacLeod scored at 4:37 of the first period after Praplan drove deep down the left wing and put the puck to MacLeod at the left front of the crease. His short-side shot was fumbled by Dansk, and the puck flipped over his glove into the net. MacLeod also opened the scoring at Niagara.
Brown replied with the man advantage at 12:51. Fox fired a shot off the end boards, and the rebound went to Brown for a conversion from the left lip of the crease.
The game at Mississauga can be seen live in North Bay on TVCogeco Cable 12.
BATTALION BULLETS: The Otters’ home building underwent $47 million U.S. in renovations. There are 13 new private boxes, all double-sized, and a new media box, as well as spacious and well lit concourses, new dressing rooms, new kitchens and a new main entrance … Seven thousand miniature models of the building were given away … Ceremonies delayed the game 27 minutes from the scheduled 7 p.m. start … Erie’s previous regular-season attendance record was 5,639 for a meeting with the Guelph Storm on Jan. 29, 2005. The playoff record is 5,654, on May 6, 2002, for Game 3 of the OHL final against the Barrie Colts. Hockey capacity now is 6,833 … The Otters, previously the Niagara Falls Thunder, played their inaugural game as Erie in 1996 against the host North Bay Centennials, winning 8-2. Erie’s last game against the Centennials was a 3-0 road victory Nov. 3, 2001 … The Battalion went 1-for-4 on the power play. Erie was 3-for-3 … Goodrow’s assist gives him 169 points, including 97 goals, in 258 games, tied with Sam Carrick for ninth place in franchise history … Opening line combinations included Paul centring left winger Robinson and right winger Goodrow, Mike Amadio pivoting left winger Praplan and right winger MacLeod and Jamie Lewis pivoting Jared Steege on left wing and right winger Calvin Gomes. Brett McKenzie centred left winger Blake Clarke and right winger Alex Henriksson … The Battalion was without Kyle Wood, Dylan Blujus, Zach Bell, Mike Baird, Mathew Santos and Brenden Miller, who was absent for personal reasons.
