Resilient Otters Season Ends with Overtime Loss, Future Bright in Erie
Erie, Pennsylvania – Do-or-die time for the Erie Otters. With backs against the wall coming home, the Erie Otters and its core of young playoff players would get to learn what elimination-style pressure would be like on Tuesday night. A rare long break allowed both Erie and Kitchener some time to rest and recover ahead of the hugely decisive game six, with the latter having an opportunity to prepare for the Round 2 foes of London with a win. With Ben Gaudreau playing as good of hockey as he has in his OHL career, and a rowdy fan base waiting for a reason to go crazy, this wouldn’t be any ordinary Tuesday night in Erie.
A less-than-ideal start to the contest would see Eduard Sale (2, PPG) strike just under three minutes into the contest to put the Rangers up 1-0. In a lower-shooting first period, Erie would hang around long enough to find an opportunity to strike, as Dylan Edwards (6) would knot things up with 15:31 gone by in the period. Just :31 later, Eduard Sale (3) would strike back with his second goal of the night to put the Rangers back in front, 2-1. This would be where scoring would end, as Kitchener would lead 2-1 and in shots 8-7.
The Rangers would grab the first goal of the second period, as game five overtime hero Trent Swick (2) would find the back of the net 6:27 into the period. Needing a spark with half the game gone by, Carey Terrance (2) would deliver with 13:28 gone by to make it a one-goal game. Erie would outshoot the Rangers 15-10, but it would be a 3-2 Kitchener lead after 40.
Looking to prevent their season from ending in the third period, Erie would need a goal to get things knotted up. With Kitchener playing keep-away for most of the period, a late power play would give the Otters a spark late. With a wildly redirected shot from Pano Fimis (4, PPG) we would be tied with under three minutes remaining. We would require overtime for the third time in the series. With shots favoring Kitchener 5-3, Luke Ellinas (4, GWG) would send the Rangers into Round 2 against the London Knights. Erie would fall 4-3 in overtime, and 4-2 in the series. A tremendous Otters season comes to an end.
At the conclusion of this week, the Erie Otters will partake in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection Draft – holding the 10th overall pick for the first time since drafting Carey Terrance in 2021. For the second-straight year, Erie’s coverage of the OHL Draft is presented by Voodoo Brewing Company, with the Erie brewpub hosting a draft watch party on Friday night at 7 P.M. for all fans. The night will include tremendous food and drink specials, and a lively environment looking ahead to the future stars of the Erie Otters. Rounds 1-3 will take place on Friday, and pick up with Rounds 4-15 on Saturday morning.