WEEKEND PREVIEW: Eastward Bound

ERIE, Pa. — The first win of the year is in the books for the Erie Otters as the team was able to defeat the reigning Memorial Cup champion London Knights on Saturday night in Erie. Following a tough loss Friday in Kitchener, this was a much needed victory to get the Otters headed in the right direction before they make their first overnight trip of the 2025-26 season.

The Otters are headed east as they will take on the Peterborough Petes Thursday at the Peterborough Memorial Centre before an off-day Friday. Erie will then conclude their weekend with a back-to-back beginning in the Canadian capital of Ottawa on Saturday afternoon and a Sunday matinee in Kingston to wrap-up the trip.

AHEC YEAH!

NWPA AHEC’s Weekend Preview brings the latest news, promotions, and what YOU need to know before YOU go in further the new year.

 

Northwest Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center is a non-profit organization committed to helping communities in Northwest Pennsylvania meet their primary health care needs and enhance the quality of health in our region especially the rural and underserved communities.

 

‘AHEC’ maintains partnerships with community, government, and educational agencies and institutions that will connect students to careers, professionals to communities and communities to better health.

 

Head to nwpaahec.org to learn more or to apply!

 LAST TIME OUT

Erie would begin their weekend in Kitchener with a battle with the Rangers. In a back and forth affair, a late surge from a group of returning Rangers would see them outscore the Otters 4-1 in the third and defeat Erie by a final of 5-2. Erie would see both Cal Hughes and Tyler Challenger score their first goals of the season in the losing effort.

The weekend would conclude Saturday at the Erie Insurance Arena with the season’s first tilt with the rival London Knights. Erie would start strong with Hughes netting his second in as many games before the Knights would respond. Mclean Agrette would pick up his first OHL goal as Erie and London would continue to battle. Needing a goal late, the Otters would be able to count on Gabriel Frasca to tie the game and send it to overtime. In the extra frame it would be the Caledon, ON native again to strike and give Erie their first victory of the new season, the perfect building block heading into a long road trip.

 

BACK ON THE BUS

The Otters are on the road for the third time this season as they head East for their first overnight trip of the season. This is a great opportunity for the team to get away and take care of business away from the EIA as they search for their first road win of the early season.

WHO TO WATCH

Gabriel Frasca has carried the load offensively for the Otters to start the season. The team leader in points with six, the Caledon, ON native has picked up at least a point in every game this season. Coming off of a two-goal game Saturday, the Otters will look to Frasca to lead the way on the trip.

Cal Hughes has been another player off to a strong start for Erie as he looks to bring the momentum from his first big weekend of the year into the road trip. Hughes scored his first of the year in Erie’s loss in Kitchener and also added the Otters’ first of the game in the win over London. The Boston University commit is a player the Otters will need to count on as they hope to pick up crucial points.

KNOW THE FOE

The Petes enter the weekend playing .500 hockey. A young group with a sprinkle of veterans, Peterborough is building in the right direction following a tough 2024-25 season. Leading the way for the Petes offensively are Leon Kolarik, Francis Parish and the newly acquired Matthew Soto each with four points on the young season. This is a young group who is looking to build toward an exciting future and should provide a tough test for an Otters team hoping to capitalize on a big win.

The 67’s are one of the hottest teams in the league to start the season. Following a tough end to the regular season, the barber-poles have started to turn things around to begin this season. Ottawa has only played three games heading into the weekend and will not take the ice until Saturday when the Otters come to town. Ottawa is lead by a veteran presence with a solid core of youngsters. Rookie Thomas Vandenberg leads the way with six points, including a hattrick in his first OHL game. This infusion of youth has spared vets like Cooper Foster and Filip Ekberg who are off to relatively slow starts. Ottawa will provide a very tough test for the Otters on Saturday afternoon as they look to keep their hot start rolling.

The Otters will conclude the trip taking on a new-look Kingston Frontenacs team. Though there are some familiar faces such as Tyler Hopkins and Jacob Battaglia this is a team that is built on youth and hope for the future. Kingston is off to a solid start to the season and a big reason for this is their solid young goaltending. Rookie Gavin Betts has been great so far and alongside Matthew Minchak, this will be a tough tandem to beat. Up front they are led by Andrew Kuzma who has begun with over a point per game and defenseman Vann Williamson who has collected five assists through the first four games. One of the Eastern Conference’s more consistent clubs will be a tough test for the Otters Sunday afternoon.

HOW TO WATCH, LISTEN, & FOLLOW ALONG

he new home of Otters hockey is Flo Hockey!

Delivering a high-quality viewing experience, Flo Hockey provides access to more than 700 OHL games, and games from the QMJHL, AHL, ECHL and more, streamed across a range of platforms including PC and Tablet on Safari and Google Chrome web browsers, as well as iOS and Android mobile devices.

Fans can also see the NHL’s stars of tomorrow on the Amazon Fire, Apple TV and Roku platforms – right from the comfort of their homes!

For more information, head to flohockey.tv!

:

• PC and/or Tablet on Safari and Google Chrome web browsers
• iOS / Android mobile devices.
• Amazon Fire
• Apple TV
• Roku platforms

Flo Hockey 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 flohockey.tv.

 

LISTEN

Listen to Otters Hockey all across Erie County with iHeart Media Erie and the Otters broadcast network!

Every game can feel like a home game as a fan with the Otters Radio Network. With live-game broadcasts of all 68 Regular Season games, fans can always hear the action as it happens. Thanks to the Broadcast Home for Otters Hockey, iHeart Media Erie, fans can listen to every game LIVE on the iHeart App from ANYWHERE in the world! From Pennsylvania to Transylvania and everywhere in between, you’ll always be in range to hear Otters Hockey.

• 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 96.7 FM/1400 AM in Erie and surrounding communities of NWPA, or can be livestreamed worldwide on the iHeart App.

FOLLOW ALONG

If you want to follow along in-real-time to the weekend’s games, 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

The Otters will hit the road on Friday October 10 for their first visit of the season to Canada Life Place in London to battle the Knights. Then they will return home on Saturday, October 11 at 7 P.M. for Oktoberfest against the Sudbury Wolves. For tickets and more information, head to Ottershockey.com.