KYROU’S NATURAL HAT TRICK CAPS SIX-UNANSWERED IN OTTERS FOURTH-STRAIGHT WIN
Erie, Pennsylvania – The streak-snapping Erie Otters would welcome the Kitchener Rangers to town to finish out their second-straight three-in-three. Riding off three straight regulations wins against three teams who’d all won four-straight games, Erie would look to grab their own fourth-straight win. Nolan Lalonde, who made his return on Friday night against Kitchener, would get the start in net once again, looking to lead Erie back to the promised land.
Kitchener would control the first two shots of the game, but it would be the Otters who would strike for the first of the night, as Noah Sedore (1) would grab his first goal of the season. Kitchener would lose Reid Vallade for the game with a slewfooting penalty, and Erie would grab a five minute major power play. Unable to convert, the Rangers would grab momentum. 13:12 into the game, Mitchell Martin (6) would assure goals in back-to-back games against Erie to make it a 1-1 game. Before the period would come to an end, Erie would go back on the power play. It would be here that Matthew Sop (2) would score shorthanded with 1:29 remaining in the period to give Kitchener a 2-1 lead after 20. Erie would lead 11-5 in shots.
Erie would continue to shoot as the second period would start, but continue to be blocked by Kitchener’s Marco Costantini. The third unanswered goal for the Kitchener Rangers would come across, as Filip Mesar (4) would score in his first game against the Erie Otters this season. Erie would remain down 3-1 for the majority of the period, but things would turn around in the final minute. On four-on-four hockey, Erie’s Spencer Sova and Malcolm Spence would fire shots on net that would be stopped by Costantini, but put away by Carey Terrance (4) to give the Otters a one-goal game heading into the third. Kitchener would lead 3-2, but Erie would take momentum into the final frame, leading in shots 28-12.
In an unbelievable script-flip in period three, the Erie Otters would grab five goals in the third period and six-unanswered for the second night in the row. It would be Carey Terrance (5) again to start the period :41 in, as he’d put Erie in a tied game. In an incredible individual effort, the ensuing three goals would come for Christian Kyrou (3,4,5) as he would score his first-career Hat Trick (a natural hat trick!) to put Erie ahead 6-3. The game would not end just yet; Kaleb Smith would put the cherry on top for the Otters as he would score with less than 12 seconds to go.
The Otters sweep the three-in-three weekend, winning their fourth-straight game in convincing fashion. In the weekend, the Otters would grab 20 total goals. The month of October comes to an end with Halloween, and the Erie Otters look ahead to the new month with plenty of home games on the horizon. Erie will head to London on Friday night, before returning home for Military Appreciation Night (pres. by UPMC Health Plan & UPMC Hamot) against the North Bay Battalion.