In Front of Nearly 5500, Erie Earns Point in Fifth-Straight Game in OTL
Erie, Pennsylvania – Four-straight wins for the Erie Otters would propel the team to a mark they hadn’t been to yet this season – above .500. Taking a three-unanswered goals comeback win Friday night against the Sudbury Wolves, the Otters would down the Eastern Conference’s top team and pick up their second win of the season on home ice. Saturday would see the team welcome in a familiar Flint team, who the Otters downed in the shootout eight days prior in the Vehicle City. Coming off a close loss to the Guelph Storm the night prior, Flint would hope to turn their luck around of late.
A slow-starting first frame for either side would eventually ramp up into an Erie-dominated period, as the Otters would outshoot the Firebirds 14-7. The Otters would net the first goal of the night as Brett Bressette (2) would score a highlight-reel goal from a terrific Sam Alfano feed. The Otters would lead for over 10 minutes, before Coulson Pitre (6) would score the first of a bookended night of goals. With a 1-1 game after 20, the Otters would look to regain momentum heading into the second.
The score would remain much of the same headed into the middle frame, but a four-on-four opportunity would jumpstart Carey Terrance (13) as the streak of goal-scoring success for the third-year Otter would continue. This goal would come 9:01 into the period, and put Erie back on top. Near the end of the frame, it would once again be the Firebirds who would close out scoring in the period, as Nolan Dann (6) would strike with just over two minutes left. Flint would outshoot Erie 12-9 in the second, but remain deadlocked in a 2-2 game.
Period three would prove to be the tightest of the game, but it wouldn’t start that way. Erie would take the lead just :50 into the penultimate period of the game from Sam Alfano (8), and hold onto the lead for the near-entirety of the closing 20. With Flint’s offense doing just enough to stick around for the majority of the third, they would eventually be rewarded. With just under four minutes remaining, Gavin Hayes (11) would be the hero of Flint as he would knot the game up at 3-3. Flint would outshoot Erie 11-10 in the final regulation period, and force overtime in The Flagship City.
The Overtime period would feature Erie possession for nearly the entirety of the frame, but would not see many shots from the Otters. Meanwhile, the Flint attack would lead to three shots, and ultimately the game-winning goal from Coulson Pitre (7) for his second of the night, and to give Erie its first loss of November.
Erie will have their longest reprieve from games in some time, as the team won’t hit the ice against an opponent again until Friday evening. Next weekend will serve as the final two games of the Otters four-straight home games, but the middle portion of seven of eight being at the EIA. Erie will host Saginaw on Friday night for Children’s Grief Awareness Night (pres. by Highmark Caring Place), and the rival London Knights on Saturday for Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Night. The first 1500 fans at the latter contest will receive a free “gloves off” Owain Johnston Bobblehead (pres. by Rebich Investments). Fans are also encouraged to bring new, packaged socks to the game to participate in the team’s third-annual charity sock toss (benefitting Community Shelter Services).
