Otters break record in 4-3 shootout win
The Erie Otters were able to pick up their franchise-record seventh straight victory to begin the season with a 4-3 shootout victory against the Peterborough Petes at the Peterborough Memorial Centre.
Erie had scored the first goal in its first seven games of the season and outscored opponents 9-3 in the first period, but the first 20 minutes of this game belonged to Peterborough. The Petes got on the board first when Greg Betzold spun one in past Devin Williams at 14:45. Peterborough wouldn’t stop there, as they pressured the Otters throughout the entire period, leading in shots on goal 17-7. One of their final shots in the period was off the stick of Matthew Timms. His tough-angled shot found the net and the Petes led 2-0 after the first period of play.
Erie would respond in a big way in the second period beginning with Patrick Fellows. Fellows had been a healthy scratch the past two games, but he was put in the lineup for this game and made his opportunity count. His first goal of the season came under two minutes in and cut the Petes lead in half 2-1. Erie would dominate possession in the following minutes, which would lead to another goal. This time it was Alex DeBrincat with his OHL-leading 11th goal of the year and the score was knotted up at 2 with fewer than nine minutes to play. DeBrincat’s name would show up again on the score sheet for the period, however, as he and Dylan Strome would set up Taylor Raddysh for his fourth goal of the season and put Erie up for the first time in the game with 3:03 remaining. The period would end with the score 3-2 and the Otters outshooting the Petes 18-5 in the frame.
Peterborough would get the first good chance to score in the third period and they would take advantage. Erie was caught for too many men on the ice and Peterborough scored on the man-advantage courtesy of Adam Timleck. His third of the season tied the game up at three. The Otters would have two chances of their own on the power play, but they would come up empty on both with just over five minutes left to play. The final minutes would see no score change, and the game went to overtime.
The Otters would control the overtime period with seven shots to Peterborough’s zero, but the game would go to the shootout regardless. Peterborough’s Hunter Garlant went first but was denied by Williams. Dylan Strome buried one for Erie to follow. Williams would stop the Petes’ next shooter Betzold, and then it was DeBrincat who would close it out by scoring next for Erie. The Otters are now 2-0 in shootouts this season, with the team’s last shootout win coming on October 3 in the home opener against Flint.
Erie will return to action tomorrow at 7 p.m. in an OHL Finals rematch with the Oshawa Generals in Oshawa.
The Local Iron Workers Union No. 3 Ironmen of the game:
1) Alex DeBrincat – 1 G, 1 A, 1 SOG
2) Hunter Garlent – 2 A
3) Jonathan Ang – 1 A
