Otters Score 7 in Dominant Victory
Erie continued its recent string of crushing victories by defeating Sarnia, recently ranked #10 on CHL power rankings, 7-2 at the Erie Insurance Arena.
The beginning of the first period saw Sarnia penning Erie into their defensive zone, putting several difficult shots on Otters goaltender Troy Timpano, who turned them aside. Erie scored first despite Sarnia’s quick pace through the first half of the period. Kyle Pettit, coming from the box off a hooking penalty, caught a stretch pass from Darren Raddysh for a breakaway on Sarnia goaltender Justin Fazio. Pettit put a hard shot over Fazio’s glove hand to give Erie a 1-0 lead, which was increased minutes later as Brett Neumann scored during an Otters powerplay, capitalizing on a loose puck in front of the net. Erie’s Taylor Raddysh scored on a deflection in front of Fazio, and the Otters secured a commanding 3-0 lead to close out the 1st period. Both teams played a physical game through the period.
Erie wouldn’t wait long to increase their lead in the second. Vanya Lodnia, coming off the Otters bench, took a long pass from Darren Raddysh to spring for a breakaway. Lodnia put the shot five-hole for his fifth of the season to put the Otters up 4-0 early in the period. Alex DeBrincat scored at 8:13, chasing Fazio from Sarnia’s goal in favor of Aidan Hughes, but Sarnia answered back quickly when Jordan Ernst rifled a hard slap shot over Troy Timpano’s blocker to make it 5-1. Unable to keep up with Erie’s speed, Sarnia upped their physical play in the corner and along the boards. This resulted in two separate Sarnia penalties for checking from behind and blindsiding, however, and the Otters maintained their 5-1 lead heading into the third.
Sarnia’s Jeff King took a hard shot that drifted through traffic and into the Erie net to open the third period. The Otters, not a team to let the game get away from them, scored two more goals to put the result beyond doubt. Patrick Fellows jammed in a loose puck, and Alex DeBrincat scored on a one-timer to secure a 7-2 win for Erie.
Brett Neumann had a goal and two assists, and Alex DeBrincat scored two goals and one assist for Erie. Troy Timpano, starting his third consecutive game, made 30 saves on 32 shots for the Otters win. Erie’s Darren Raddysh took a five minute major penalty and a game misconduct for checking to the head, which could be grounds for an OHL suspension. Justin Fazio was pulled from the Sarnia net after surrendering 5 goals on 12 shots; Aidan Hughes manned the net in relief, making 14 saves on 16 shots in Sarnia’s loss.
Erie goes on the road to face the Guelph Storm on Friday, October 14, where they look to continue their three-game winning-streak.
