WEEKEND PREVIEW: Home for the Weekend

Erie, Pennsylvania. — It feels good to be home! The Erie Otters (and their fans!) get the luxury of a two-game weekend at home for the first time this season, matching up against the Ottawa 67’s and Niagara IceDogs at the Erie Insurance Arena!

The puck is set to drop on home ice at 7 p.m. each night, Friday’s contest being the Otters first and only welcome of the Ottawa 67’s this season. For Erie’s second night of Otters hockey, Niagara will find themselves back in the EIA, as the Otters hope to best the IceDogs for the second time this season!

AHEC YEAH!

NWPA AHEC’s Weekend Preview brings the latest news, promotions, and what YOU need to know before YOU go further into 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

Saturday’s battle against Barrie would prove to be a challenge. Barrie opened the night strong, firing early and often on Erie goaltender Noah Erliden until Brad Gardiner broke the ice midway through the first to make it 1-0 Colts. The Otters wasted no time responding, Ritter Coombs tied things up at 1-1not even two minutes later. That goal sparked Erie’s offense, which pressed hard in the closing minutes and earned a 5-on-3 advantage, but despite several close chances, the period ended even, Erie leading 12-10 in shots. The second period saw Barrie regain control. After killing off an early penalty, the Colts capitalized on their own power play as Kashawn Aitcheson gave them a 2-1 edge. Late in the frame, Cole Beaudoin added to the lead, making it 3-1 heading into the third. Erliden stood tall through heavy pressure, turning away multiple high-danger chances to keep Erie within reach as Barrie outshot the Otters 26-20 through two.In the third, Erie held Barrie’s attack to the perimeter and managed a few strong penalty kills, but midway through, Aitcheson struck again on the power play to extend the Colts’ lead to 4-1. The Otters found life late when Cal Hughes buried a power-play goal to make it 4-2, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap. Barrie sealed the 4-2 win, outshooting Erie 46-29 on the night. 

The Erie Otters closed out their road trip Sunday with their first of six meetings against the division rival Owen Sound Attack. The game featured familiar faces, as newly acquired Otter Michael Dec faced his former team, while ex-Otter Wesley Royston suited up for the Attack. Looking to bounce back from a tough loss in Barrie, Erie struck first when Dylan Edwards buried a rebound to make it 1-0. Owen Sound’s Tristan Delisle (PPG, 11) quickly tied it, sending the game into the first intermission knotted 1-1 with Erie up in shots 11-8. Just six seconds into the second, Brett Hammond converted on the carry-over power play to give Erie a 2-1 edge. The Attack would answer, however, as Delisle netted his second before Pierce Mbuyi and Cole Zurawski scored to make it 4-2 heading into the third. The Attack carried their momentum through the final frame, piling on four more goals. Nicholas Sykora and Harry Nansi extended the lead before Zurawski completed his hat trick to make it 8-2. Erie’s Julius Saari tallied his first OHL goal late, but Owen Sound took the 8-3 win, outshooting the Otters 39-30.

Skate, Snack, Support

The Erie Insurance Arena will kick off the weekend at home with a 3-2-1 Friday game, where fans can enjoy $3 Labatt Blue Light, $2 hot dogs, and $1 popcorn until the start of the third period. Additionally, Saturday evening is Military Appreciation Night (pres. by Your Central Western PA Toyota Dealer)! Before the start of the match, we will see the Otters take the ice in specialty warm-up jerseys, which will be auctioned off on Dash at the close of the game! Proceeds from the auction will go to DAV, a nonprofit organization devoted to providing free assistance and advocacy for veterans. 

WHO TO WATCH

Just recently named the 26th captain of the Erie Otters this past Wednesday, Gabriel Frasca has some major star-power and is surely a name frequenting oppositions scouting reports. Frasca has earned himself the status of a leader not only on, but off the ice as well. He currently leads the team in points with 16, combining six goals with ten assists. 

Additionally, Julius Saari, is coming out of this past weekend with his first goal in the OHL! Lighting the lamp for Erie late in the game Sunday evening, Saari was able to give the Otters a good push in the final minutes of a tough game, and hopefully can carry this momentum into this weekend’s pair of games at home!

KNOW THE FOE

Coming up on Friday, the 67’s, out of Canada’s capital, will take the ice in Erie for the first and last time this season. The 67’s have been having a good season thus far, with 10 wins and five losses, Ottawa currently sits at third in the Eastern conference, right behind the IceDogs. On the 67’s watchlist, we’ve got a couple names in rotation when it comes to offensive efforts, Cooper Foster and Jasper Kuhta each have tallied 9 goals this season and combined for 27 total points between the two of them. On the opposite end of the ice however, it is goaltender Ryder Fetterolf making a name for himself. Currently, Fetterolf is leading the OHL in shutouts, sits at second for goals against average, and third in save percentage.

The following night, the Niagara IceDogs will be returning to Erie, the teams having split their two-game matchup last time they met in October. Since the two teams last meeting, the IceDogs went on to have a four-game win streak, finally having their luck ended this past weekend by North Bay. Itching to get back in the win column, the IceDogs will be ready to put up a fight in Erie. A notable name to look out for on Niagara’s side is forward, Kevin He. In his fourth season in the OHL, He has racked up 9 goals and 11 assists on the season, leading the team in points with 20. Ryan Roobroeck is another player to watch this weekend. He follows right behind He in points, with 9 goals of his own and 8 assists this season. Roobroeck also is second in the OHL (along 3 others) for power play goals this season with 5. 

HOW TO WATCH, LISTEN, & FOLLOW ALONG

The 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 the 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

The Otters are back on the road next weekend for a three-part mission up north, taking on North Bay on Thursday, Sudbury Friday, and Oshawa on Sunday before heading back to Erie.