WEEKEND PREVIEW: Divisional Match-ups Galore

ERIE, Pa. — With the offseason rust knocked off, the Otters are eying their first win of the 2025-26 season in a busy upcoming weekend. Erie fell in its first two games of the season to Guelph and Kitchener, unable to complete the late-game rally in each contest but showed fight to battle back after taking the first punch.

Now with a pair of games under their belt, the Otters look to right the ship against two familiar foes with one road and one home game on the slate. The action starts Friday night as Erie travels up to Kitchener, an immediate chance to avenge the 3-1 loss Saturday night. The next night, the Otters host last year’s Memorial Cup champions, the London Knights, in the first chapter of the Sweet Caroline rivalry of the season.

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 fell behind in both of their games to start the season, though they made a strong push at the end of each to come back from multi-goal deficits. In the season opener in Guelph, the Storm got on the board right out of the gate three minutes in, and tallied the first three goals of the game. It wasn’t until Brett Hammond came through on the powerplay at the halfway point of regulation that the Otters found the back of the net to give Erie some life. Coming out of the second intermission, the Otters’ forecheck created pressure on the Storm’s powerplay breakout, creating a breakaway chance for Hammond who netted his second goal of the night. However, Guelph was able to defend the one-goal lead for the next 15 minutes before adding an insurance goal to put the game on ice.

After a scoreless first period in the home opener, the Rangers broke through for two goals in the second period. On the box score, the teams were evenly matched through the first 40 minutes. But once the puck dropped for the third period, the Otters pressure was relentless in searching for the tying goals. Outshooting the Rangers 12-2 in the final frame, Garrett Frazer finally broke through for Erie with 10 minutes remaining in regulation. Despite the ice tilt for most of the period, Kitchener’s Jason Schaubel stood tall to keep the Otters at bay.

WHO LET THE DOGS OUT

On Saturday, we celebrate our four-legged friends on Pucks and Paws Night. We’ll commemorate all things pups as the Otters welcome the rival London Knights to town for the first time this season. We’ll be celebrating our team dog Caroline’s birthday on a night filled with four-legged fun.

WHO TO WATCH

Brett Hammond was an offensive driver for Erie in its opening weekend, not only leading the team in points from his two goals but also registering 11 shots on goal across the two games. Hammond, who entered the season with seven goals and 10 assists in his career, could be poised for a larger role in the season if his offensive confidence continues to show.

Noah Erliden started both games for the Otters in net, posting a .875 save percentage and 3.06 goals against average coming out of the weekend. Despite the early deficits in both games, Erliden’s play kept the game in reach for the Otters, stopping 31 shots in the first two periods of those games. Additionally, the Otters’ penalty kill was a bright spot to start the year, killing off seven of eight powerplay opportunities in their first two games with Erliden in goal.

KNOW THE FOE

The Otters won’t need too much of a refresher on the Rangers, as they’ll look to avenge their loss from Saturday. Matheas Stark was the first star of the contest, scoring a shorthanded and empty net goal, while also assisting on Haeden Ellis’ opening goal as well. Schaubel was the game’s second star, stopping 29 of 30 Erie shots on goal and weathering the storm in the third period to preserve the Rangers’ lead. The 2-0-0-0 Rangers started their season with an overtime win over Brantford, coming back from a 3-0 deficit with a three-goal third period. The Rangers top players in Cameron Arquette and Tanner Lam stepped up to complete the comeback, recording three and two points in the win, respectively.

London enters the weekend looking to secure its first win as well following an overtime loss to Owen and regulation defeat at the hands of Windsor. Despite jumping out to a 2-0 lead off goals from Jaxon Cover and Cohen Bidgood and outshooting the Sound 47-28, the Knights kept the door open for the Sound by giving them eight powerplay opportunities. The penalties proved to be costly for London, as Owen both tied and won the game while on the man advantage. The Knights didn’t fare any better in their contest against Windsor the following night, as penalties continued to plague them late in the game. A powerplay goal from Logan Hawery tied the game halfway through the second period, but the Spitfires cashed in on a powerplay late in the frame to put them ahead for good in the 4-1 loss.

HOW TO WATCH, LISTEN, & FOLLOW ALONG

he new home of Otters hockey is Flo Hockey!

Delivering a high-quality viewing experience, Flo Hockey provides access to more than 700 OHL games, and games from the QMJHL, AHL, ECHL and more, streamed across a range of platforms including PC and Tablet on Safari and Google Chrome web browsers, as well as iOS and Android mobile devices.

Fans can also see the NHL’s stars of tomorrow on the Amazon Fire, Apple TV and Roku platforms – right from the comfort of their homes!

For more information, head to flohockey.tv!

:

• PC and/or Tablet on Safari and Google Chrome web browsers
• iOS / Android mobile devices.
• Amazon Fire
• Apple TV
• Roku platforms

Flo Hockey 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 flohockey.tv.

 

LISTEN

Listen to Otters Hockey all across Erie County with iHeart Media Erie and the Otters broadcast network!

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.

• 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.

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

Erie has its first three-game week of the season, on the road for two and hosting one in between. Starting in Peterborough, the Otters take on the Petes at 7:05 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2. They’ll get a day off between games and before taking on the Ottawa 67’s at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon at the EIA, and cap off the weekend with a trip up to Kingston for a Sunday matinee game at 2:05 p.m.