WEEKEND PREVIEW: Westward Bound

Erie, Pennsylvania — Continuing their eight-day road exhibition, the Otters will play their last game up north until November against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. The battle at GFL Memorial Gardens should be a good one with Erie fighting to take home a win and the Soo defending their home territory as the teams meet for the first time this season.

Following this midweek action in Ontario, the Otters are set to return to the U.S., taking on two OHL opponents in Michigan before returning home again on October 30th for their Halloween Spooktacular ( pres. by Rebich Investments) matchup against Guelph. Friday evening, the Otters match up in Saginaw, trying their luck against the Spirit, a rematch of last season’s Round One playoff battle, before heading to their neighbors down south, hoping to best Flint before heading home.

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

After a split pair of games, home and away the previous weekend, the Erie Otters returned home ready to earn a win in their first of two games against the Niagara IceDogs. The Otters came out on Friday night hungry. Brett Hammond putting the pressure on Niagara within the first four minutes as he buried his first of three goals for the weekend. The Otters continued to pepper the IceDogs goaltender with shots, the next boost coming for Erie within the first 30 seconds of the second period as Dylan Edwards fired one off to seal the deal for the Otters. Though Niagara was able to sneak one in at the tail end of the second, this would not be enough. Erie’s dominant performance was concluded with a shifty goal scored by Mclean Agrette in the final period, the Otters ending this victory at home 3-1.

With a quick turnaround to take on the IceDogs in their own barn the following night, the Otters grappled with Niagara for their spot in the win column. In this chippy game, where both teams found themselves in power-play trouble, it was the IceDogs to strike first in a lucky goal off a deflection. Though down 1-0 going into the second period, the Otters remained composed, Gabriel Frasca netting his fifth of the season to equalize for Erie. No more than five minutes later, it was Brett Hammond to fire in a goal to put the Otters up for the second night in a row. In this back-and-forth game, Niagara continued to gain leverage as they were able to earn a tying goal on their end, but it was Jake Murray to give Erie hope for a sweep as the newcomer scored his second of the season, putting the Otters in the lead 3-2 in the final period. This match proved to be a heartbreaker as the IceDogs’ Ryerson Edgar scored, sending the rivals into overtime, where Niagara would ultimately come out on top 4-3.

In their final matchup of the weekend, the Otters found themselves in Brampton to face off against the Steelheads, their second of five-straight games on the road. Erie came into the contest having earned three of four available points on the weekend and hoping to add to the tally. The Steelheads went on a run in the first period, going up three straight goals. The Otters were able to find their groove during the power-play with Mclean Agrette putting Erie on the board as they trailed Brampton 3-1 at the end of the first 20. The second period ensued with Erie fighting to gain footing. Brett Hammond, who was on a hot streak for the weekend, did just that, giving the Otters their shortest deficit of the night as they found themselves trailing the Steelheads by a lone goal. The Score would remain 3-2 going into the final period. Though Erie continued to fight, Brampton went on another run, concluding the game at 7-2, Steelheads.

WHO TO WATCH

Brett Hammond had a standout performance this past weekend, scoring in all three games and leading the scoring across the board for the weekend. His composure on the puck and ability to score in critical times for Erie were hugely impactful for the team, keeping the Otters in each game. With his scoring ability and stature, Hammond will be a problem for opposing teams going forward.

On the opposite end of the ice, Noah Erliden continues to prove himself. Saving 24 of 25 shots in the Otters’ win against Niagara on Friday night, Erliden has been a force in net. His efforts as the Otters’ last line of defense have been huge for the team this season and will continue to impact games for the remainder of this season.

KNOW THE FOE

The Soo Greyhounds are off to a good start this season, totaling eight wins and five losses thus far. Leading the charge offensively for the team out of Sault Ste. Marie is Jordan Charron. Charron is heading the attack with 10 goals and four assists on the season, leading the club. Another name to watch out for in Wednesday’s matchup will be Chase Reid. Though only having two goals of his own, Reid has racked up 11 assists this season, creating game-winning opportunities for the Soo in his draft-eligible season. The Greyhounds are coming off a split weekend against Sudbury, surely hoping to gain some momentum on Wednesday, going into their games at the end of the week.

The two teams hailing from Michigan will be interesting opponents for the Otters. Saginaw and Flint, having played each other this past weekend, will be fired up to take on the Otters for different reasons. Flint is coming off of two straight wins against Saginaw, hoping to right their ship on home ice. The Spirit are lead offensively by Nikita Klepov, who will be a key character for Saginaw on Friday night as he totals eight goals and 10 assists this season. Flint, coming off of their two wins against their neighbors in the “Great Lakes State,” will be hungry for a win against Erie on Saturday night. Though their scoring efforts are more widespread than Saginaw, with scoring up and down the lineup, Flint’s gritty playing style will prove them to be a tough opponent this weekend.

 

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, the Otters’ social media is the best way to keep up with the team wherever they are.

UP NEXT

The Otters are set to return to the Erie Insurance Arena on October 30th versus Guelph in their Halloween Spooktacular match (pres. by Rebich Investments)! This will conclude play for the month of October until the puck drops in Barrie on November 1st!