NW PA AHEC WEEKEND PREVIEW: Honoring a Legend, Celebrating the Future
Erie, Pennsylvania – 2025 is now over a week old, and the Erie Otters look to kickstart their winning ways in the new year.
The Otters will start this week off on the road on Wednesday against their divisional foe, Guelph Storm, before returning home for a weekend stint.
On Friday, a giant rolls into town. After celebrating the legendary alumni Connor McDavid, the Otters will play the Saginaw Spirit in front of a sold out crowd.
The Otters will finish their week with the Sarnia Sting on Saturday, when they will also celebrate Youth Sports.
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
The Otters finished 2024 strong with a 5-4 win over the Brantford Bulldogs at home on Tuesday.
Erie would fall on the road against the Kitchener Rangers 3-1 before returning home to face the Windsor Spitfires in a thrilling back-and-forth game where the Otters would eventually fall 7-5.
A HISTORIC WEEKEND INSIDE THE ARENA
On Friday night, the Otters will celebrate Connor McDavid’s legendary career by raising the iconic #97 to the rafters to commemorate the greatest Otter alumni to ever do it. McDavid Jersey Retirement Night (pres. by Rebich Investments & Erie Apparel) has already sold out, and ALL fans in attendance will receive a limited-edition commemorative giveaway to remember this historic night.
To continue our weekend of celebrations, Saturday night is Youth Sports Night (pres. by Rebich Investments), and we welcome the future generation of sports superstars to come to the Erie Insurance Arena! The first 1500 fans to enter will receive a FREE Ty Henry Bobblehead, and there will be in-game activations to recognize our youth athletes.
WHO TO WATCH
Carey Terrance returns from the IIHF World Junior Championship with another gold medal in tow. After being named a back-to-back World Junior champion, Terrance is expected to return to the Otters by Friday. While representing Team USA, Terrance scored two goals in seven games and played in every game for his country.
On a four-game point streak through the new year is Martin Misiak! The Slovakian winger has six points in his last four games, with one goal and five assists, including an assist on the game-winner against the Brantford Bulldogs.
KNOW THE FOE
The Guelph Storm have won one of their last three games, beating the Owen Sound Attack in a 2-0 shutout while falling 9-5 to the Windsor Spitfires and 4-3 to the Kitchener Rangers. Players to watch for the Storm include Charlie Paquette, who picked up two goals and three assists across last week’s three games, and Thomas Budnick, with two goals and one assist on the week as well as Second Star honors against Owen Sound.
The Saginaw Spirit have won their last three games, most recently defeating the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 5-0. Players to watch for the Spirit include Carson Harmer, who earned a hat trick against the Niagara IceDogs as well as one goal against both the Ottawa 67’s and the Soo Greyhounds, and Kristian Epperson, with three goals and four assists across his last two games.
The Sarnia Sting won two of their last three games, defeating the Brantford Bulldogs 4-1 and the London Knights in overtime 4-3 after falling to the Knights 9-3. Players to watch for the Sting include goaltender Nick Surzycia, who earned back-to-back First Star honors against the Bulldogs and the victory against the Knights, and Dylan Luecke, with the game-winner against the Brantford Bulldogs and another goal in the Sting’s victory over London.
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!
Fans in Northeast and Southwest Ohio now 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
It’s an away trip coming up for the Otters, and they’ll have no time to rest. On Friday, the Otters will travel to play the Ottawa 67’s for the first time this season.
They’ll get right back to the road on Saturday to face the Peterborough Petes, also for the first time this season, and finally finish their week against the Kingston Frontenacs. The last Erie and Kingston matchup in October went to extra periods, where the Otters were able to claw out a 2-1 victory.
