NW PA AHEC PLAYOFF PREVIEW: Singin’ Sweet Caroline into the Second Round
Erie, Pennsylvania – The Erie Otters defeated the Saginaw Spirit in five games, but the job isn’t done yet. Round Two has come ringing, and Erie is ready to answer the call.
It seems only fitting that after taking down the reigning Memorial Cup champions, the Erie Otters move on to a seven-game series against the runner-ups and reigning OHL champions – the London Knights.
The London Knights will host the first two games of the series on Thursday, April 10 and Saturday, April 12 before the Otters will return home for Games Three and Four to be played on Tuesday, April 15 and Thursday, April 17. If necessary, London will host Game Five on Friday, April 18, back to Erie on Sunday, April 20 for Game Six, and a final duel at London on Tuesday, April 22 for Game Seven.
AHEC YEAH!
NWPA AHEC’s Playoff Preview brings the latest news, promotions, and what YOU need to know before YOU go into the playoffs.
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!
REGULAR SEASON RECAP
The London Knights are no stranger to the Otters. As divisional rivals, these two teams duke it out on the regular. Across six meetings in the 2024-25 regular season, Erie had a 2-4 record against the Knights, winning their first and last meetings.
Most notably, the Otters finished their regular season with a 6-4 victory over the London Knights, stunning the regular season champs and leading the Erie Insurance Arena in a Sweet Caroline singalong. In Erie’s regular season sendoff, two players scored their first OHL goals – Kayden Edwards and Oliver Phillips – to propel Erie into a 6-4 win.
PLAYOFF HISTORY
You may be experiencing some déjà vu, Otters Nation, because the last time these two teams met in the playoffs, Erie would go on to win the J. Ross Robertson Cup. In the famous 2016-17 season, the Otters downed the Knights in seven, defeating them in overtime with a 4-3 final thanks to Otters legend Warren Foegele.
AROUND THE ARENA
Round Two comes home on Tuesday and Thursday! The Otters are counting on YOU, Otters Nation, to pack the EIA and help send the Knights home packing.
To match the intensity of the second round, the Erie Otters and Erie Insurance Arena have teamed up to extend our season’s 3-2-1 Friday specials to BOTH guaranteed home games. Come out and enjoy $3 Labatt Blue Light drafts, $2 hot dogs, and $1 popcorn until the start of the third period.
WHO TO WATCH
With 32 goals scored in just five games, it’s hard to say who not to watch! Our senior leadership has certainly shone in Erie’s Round One bout against the Saginaw Spirit.
Martin Misiak has certainly stunned the OHL with not one, but TWO hat tricks against the reigning Memorial Cup champs. With a total of 12 points, seven goals and five assists, the Chicago Blackhawks prospect leads the Otters’ postseason run.
Never one to be left behind, Pano Fimis has a playoff hat trick under his belt as well! In Erie’s 9-5 win, Fimis secured his hat trick along with two additional assists for a five-point game.
KNOW THE FOE
The London Knights swept the Owen Sound Attack in four straight games, with final scores of 6-1, 6-3, 7-4, and 8-4. Leading scorers for the Knights include Denver Barker, with five goals and seven assists across the first series, and Easton Cowan, trailing behind Barker with four goals and five assists. Knights’ rookie, Noah Read, notably picked up a hat trick in Game Four to send London through the Round Two.
London goaltender Austin Elliott has pitched an impressive .858 SAV%, with 79 saves off of 91 shots in his first four games.
The London Knights are no stranger to the OHL playoffs, having won the J. Ross Robertson Cup last year and falling just short of the Memorial Cup as well, losing to the Saginaw Spirit. In the last ten years, the London Knights have won the OHL Championship five times, and the Memorial Cup twice.
HOW TO WATCH, LISTEN, & FOLLOW ALONG
WATCH:
“OHL Live” is the Ontario Hockey League’s broadcast home on 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!
All Erie Otters away playoff games will also be simulcast on Facebook Live on the Erie Otters Hockey Club Facebook Page. Please see the team social media for more details.
Fans in Northeast and Southwest Ohio have the opportunity to watch tape-delayed Erie Otters home broadcasts as a part of the team’s new partnership with Rock Entertainment Sports Network. Check the programming schedule on your local Gray Media station for more information.
LISTEN:
Listen to Otters Hockey all across Lake Erie on the league’s largest radio network! The Otters Radio Network gives fans the most-accessible and highest-quality way to experience every moment of Otters’ game night – from pregame to postgame.
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.
The Otters Radio Network is larger than ever before on terrestrial & digital radio – from Southeast Michigan to Southwest New York!
- 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.
- Media One Radio Group – Ohio (Ashtabula, OH) is home to Otters Hockey in Ohio on ESPN 970 WFUN. 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.
- Media One Radio Group – New York (Jamestown, NY) is home to Otters Hockey in New York State on Legends 1340 WKSN. Games can be heard on terrestrial radio on 1340 AM in Jamestown and surrounding communities of Southwest New York and NWPA, or can be livestreamed worldwide on WKSN’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.
Fans can also listen to the game on any of the Otters’ four radio-homes on the Listen Live page. The Otters Hockey Pregame Show starts 20 minutes prior to puck drop, hosted by the Otters broadcast team of Shawn Bednard and Trevor Kubeja.
Make sure to tune in weekdays from 11 A.M. to 5 P.M. on Fox Sports 1330, Happi 92.7 FM, WERG 90.5 FM, 106.3 FM WCTL, Kinzua County 104.3 FM (Warren, PA), Channel 98.9 FM & Sunny 105.7 FM (Corry, PA), FOX Sports Radio Oil City 1120 & 104.1 FM (Oil City), ESPN 970 WFUN (Ashtabula, OH), WKSN 1340 AM & WQFX 103.1 (Jamestown, NY), and ESPN Radio MRSN (Flint, MI) to hear the ‘Otters Daily Update’, giving you all the insight on your Otters.
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
If the Otters can get it done in four, Erie will move on to the conference finals. If necessary, Game Five will return to London on Friday. Should the series continue, Erie will host Game Six on Easter Sunday before finishing Game Seven in London on Tuesday.
