WEEKEND PREVIEW: EERIE HALLOWEEKEND OF HOCKEY IN ERIE
Erie, Pennsylvania – After 594 days of waiting, the Erie Otters finally got to welcome Otters fans back to the EIA last Saturday and Sunday. With nearly 6000 fans in attendance through the weekend, the return of hockey was more than a welcome sight. As the Otters finish up the tail-end of four-straight on home ice, they welcome the Flint Firebirds to town for the first time this season – looking to earn their first win of the year over their American foes. Erie hosts Flint Friday night for College I.D. / Happy Hour Night, and Saturday for Haunted Hockey Night. Both games drop puck at 7:00 P.M.
LAST TIME OUT
With the Saginaw Spirit in town last weekend, the Erie Otters opened up the doors at the Erie Insurance Arena for the first time in 594 days. On Saturday Night’s Home Opener, Brendan Hoffmann (2) opened the scoring for the hometown crowd to give the Otters a 1-0 lead after one. Saginaw’s Matyas Sapovaliv (2) and Pavel Mintyukov (1) would score in the mid-Second and early Third to give Saginaw a 2-1 lead in the late stages. Erie would start the comeback march with Elias Cohen’s (2) second against the Spirit, but Nick Wong (1) would answer less than a minute later to re-give Saginaw the lead. Now-Otters leading-scorer Brett Bressette (2) would score in the late third to tie things up, and force overtime in the Flagship City. With :17 left in the extra period, Brendan Sellan (2) would be tripped on a breakaway, and receive a penalty shot – where he would score the game-winner, 4-3.
Sunday was anything but sleepy for the two storied foes, as Saginaw would score a goal per period number (1 in 1st, 2 in the 2nd, 3 in the 3rd) enroute to a 6-4 win over the comeback-attempting Otters. After jumping out to a 1-0 lead from Noah Sedore (2), a hat trick from Dean Loukus (1,2,3) would force the play-from-behind for Erie. A pair from Brett Bressette (3,4) and Carey Terrance’s (1) first-career Ontario Hockey League goal wouldn’t be enough in the effort.
After four straight games against the Spirit, the Otters split the series record 2-2. Erie won’t faceoff with the Spirit again until Dec. 11, back here downtown – eight meetings remain between the Western Conference foes.
KNOW THE FOE
This weekend represents the 21st and 22nd All-Time Meetings between the Erie Otters and Flint Firebirds – Erie holds the all-time series record 12-5-2-1. Flint has won the last four meetings, twice in regulation (both this season) and twice in overtime. Flint holds the series record this season (2-0) in the first two of 12 meetings between the American enemies.
On Wednesday Night, the Saginaw Spirit and Firebirds, did rivalry battle for the CHL TV Game of the Week. Despite Amadeus Lombardi’s (1) first career OHL goal, the Spirit continued their hot streak with a 4-1 win. Luke Cavallin took the loss with 15 saves on 19 shots, and Nathaniel Day suited up in his first game in cleanup duty.
Both teams come in off a loss, so anticipate a noticeable hunger out of the gate. Friday will be Erie’s first game since playing at home on Sunday, giving the team plenty of time for rest and preparation – especially for an injury-ridden Otters team.
SPOOKTACULAR HALLOWEEKEND
It’s the last true home weekend for the Otters until the end of November, as they host back-to-back game nights. On Friday night, the Otters host their first of seven Happy Hour / College I.D. Night Friday games. College students with a valid student I.D. receive a game ticket for just $10. From 6 P.M. until 10 minutes remain in the first period, 21+ fans can purchase a 12 oz. Bud Light draft for just $2 (pres. by Erie Beer). The first 1000 fans through the doors at the game will also receive a 25th Anniversary Otters Stadium Cup (pres. by Rebich Investments) – part of a Friday Giveaway series.
On Saturday night, the holiday fun gets going as the EIA turns spooky for the Otters’ Haunted Hockey night. Fans are encouraged to dress in their costumes as the team hosts Trick-or-Treating around the arena concourse before the game. With plenty of Halloween fun and atmosphere in the arena, it is the perfect precursor to the Halloweekend. Single Game Tickets are on-sale for the final games of October NOW!
OCTOBER NHL SCOUTING PROSPECTUS
66 Ontario Hockey League players were included on NHL Central Scouting’s October ‘Players to Watch’ List for the 2022 NHL Draft; scheduled to take place July 7-8 in Montreal, QC. Three Otters and one Firebird were named to the watchlist for the month, earning ‘B’ (second-round candidate) and ‘C’ (fourth-round candidate) rankings.
For the Otters, defenseman Spencer Sova (‘B’), defenseman Artyom Kulakov (‘C’), and goaltender Nolan Lalonde (‘C’) were recognized, while the Firebirds saw forward Gavin Hayes (‘B’) named on the list.
For a complete list of the OHL’s 66 Players to Watch, head to OntarioHockeyLeague.com.
HOW TO WATCH, LISTEN, & FOLLOW ALONG
WATCH:
The Canadian Hockey League was diligent during the extended-offseason, resulting in the creation of the all-new CHL TV! “OHL Live” is the Ontario Hockey League’s broadcast home on the all-new CHL TV! OHL Live delivers a high-quality viewing experience while providing access to more than 700 OHL games streamed across a range of platforms including:
- PC and/or Tablet on Safari and Google Chrome web browsers
- iOS / Android mobile devices.
- Amazon Fire
- Apple TV
- Roku platforms
For less than $2/game, OHL Live provides live game action all season long, plus free-to-access video-on-demand content and a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate. For more information, head to watch.chl.ca/ohl!
LISTEN:
The all-new Otters Radio Network gives fans the most-accessible and high-quality way to experience every moment of Otters’ game night – from pregame to postgame.
Thanks to the Broadcast Home for Otters Hockey, iHeart Media Erie, fans can now listen to every game LIVE on the iHeart App from ANYWHERE in the world! From Pennsylvania to Transylvania and everywhere in between, fans are always in range to hear Otters Hockey.
The Otters Radio Network is larger than ever before on terrestrial & digital radio – from Southeast Michigan back to downtown Erie!
- iHeart Media (Erie, PA) is the Flagship Station for the Otters on WJET 1400 AM, and home to Otters Hockey in Pennsylvania. Games can be heard on terrestrial radio on 1400 AM in Erie and surrounding communities of NWPA, or can be livestreamed worldwide on the iHeart App.
- ESPN 970AM WFUN (Ashtabula, OH) is home to Otters Hockey in Ohio. Games can be heard on terrestrial radio on 970 AM in Ashtabula and surrounding communities of Northeast Ohio and NWPA, or can be livestreamed worldwide on WFUN’s website.
- ESPN Radio Michigan Regional Sports Network (Flint, MI) is home to Otters Hockey in Michigan. Games can be livestreamed worldwide on MRSN’s website or the TuneIn App.
Fans can also listen to the game on any of the Otters’ three radio-homes on the Listen Live page. The Otters Hockey Pregame Show starts 20 minutes prior to the Drop The Gloves Puck Drop, hosted by the Voice of the Otters Shawn Bednard.
FOLLOW ALONG:
If you’re on the run on this weekend and can’t make it to the games, or just want to follow along in-real-time, make sure you’re following the Otters on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. From live tweets of the action, scoring updates, photos, and highlights, Otters’ social media is the best way to keep up with the team wherever they are.
UP NEXT
For the first time this season, the Otters head to Ontario as they prepare for a three-game weekend across the border. On Thursday, November 4 they battle geographic-rival Niagara for a 7:00 P.M. puck drop, before heading to western Ontario for a Saturday/Sunday battle with the Windsor Spitfires (7:05 Sat) and Sarnia Sting (2:05 Sun).
The team finishes out its early November road stretch on Friday, November 12 in Guelph against the Storm, before returning home on Saturday, November 13 for Military Appreciation Night (pres. by UPMC Health Plan, UPMC Hamot, and Plyler Entry Systems). The Otters will be sporting specialty military-themed jerseys, as they honor the brave military men and women of our community. As part of the night, the Otters are working with the Erie community to donate over 1,500 tickets to active-duty and retired military and their families. For more information, click HERE to learn how you can get involved!
Fans will be able to watch, listen, and follow along to both games this weekend – and every game this season – on the Otters Radio Network, CHL TV, and on Otters’ social media.
For the latest Otters news, visit OttersHockey.com, or follow the team on Facebook (Facebook.com/erieottershockey), Twitter (@ErieOtters), and Instagram (@ErieOtters).
For further information on the Erie Otters and for media inquiries, please contact Shawn Bednard at [email protected].
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