Otters roll to 8-4 win at First Niagara Center
Buffalo, New York – The Otters had six players with a multi-point night in the 8-4 victory over the Niagara IceDogs at First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York. Alex DeBrincat scored two goals and Connor McDavid picked up a goal and three assists as the Otters advanced to 9-0-0-1 on the season.
Scoring opened up after a flurry in front of the Niagara net ended in a stoppage and a review. The Otters ended up on the winning side of the call, with DeBrincat netting his first of the night from Nick Betz and McDavid, Betz picking up his first point in his first game back from suspension. Niagara tied the game at 10:39 with a goal on a redirection by Jordan Maletta. The game wasn’t tied for a full minute before DeBrincat scored his second of the night, again from Betz and McDavid, to put the Otters up by one.
Cody Payne took a pass from Mitchell Fitzsmorris alone in front of the net to once again tie the game, but Kurtis MacDermid answered on the power play to put the Otters back on top with help from Patrick Murphy and Dylan Strome. One goal wasn’t enough for MacDermid who put one home just over three minutes later for his second of the night, this time from McDavid and DeBrincat to close out the period.
The second period started off quickly with Troy Donnay scoring his second of the season 1:16 in from Mason Marchment. Niagara had a huge chance on the power play to gain a little momentum, but before the IceDogs could pick up the rebound to the side of Devin Williams, McDavid grabbed the puck and drove into the offensive zone, nearly scoring shorthanded.
The Otters had another close call with Marchment finding Strome alone in front of the net, but it was Murphy’s first of the season that gave the Otters a four-goal lead just over halfway through the period. Niagara relieved Brent Moran after Murphy’s goal in favor of Buffalo native Stephen Dhillon to finish the second.
Graham Knott scored three minutes and fifteen seconds into the third to cut the Otters’ lead to 6-3, but the three-goal difference was short-lived. The Buffalo crowd exploded four and a half minutes into the third period when McDavid put the Otters up 7-3, Jesse Saban and Betz picking up the assists. Shaun Bily scored his first OHL goal at 12:11, bringing the Otters their eighth goal of the game.
Maletta scored his second goal of the night with just under five minutes to go, but it was too late for the IceDogs. Erie, who led Niagara 38-19 in shots, finished out the night with an 8-4 win.
With a goal and three assists for McDavid and two assists for Strome, both have at least a point in all 10 of the Otters’ games this season. DeBrincat has a goal in two games in a row, and MacDermid’s two goals match his season total for the 2013-14 season. Murphy is one point behind his 2013-14 total, and Betz had thee assists in his first game back from his five-game suspension.
The Otters head on the road to Sault Ste. Marie to take on the second-place Greyhounds on Friday before playing the Wolves in Sudbury on Saturday.
The Iron Workers Local Union No. 3 Hardest Working 3 Stars of the Game:
3. Kurtis MacDermid – 2G
2. Alex DeBrincat – 2G, 1A
1. Connor McDavid – 1G, 3A
