Otters stumble in preseason finale
Erie concluded its preseason schedule versus the Hamilton Bulldogs in Burlington, Ontario. The Otters ended up dropping their third straight game, losing to Hamilton 4-2.
The Otters struggled in the first period in their previous two preseason games, and that would be the same case in this one, as Hamilton would jump on Erie early. Joesph Mizzi set the tone for the Bulldogs with an unassisted goal just under three minutes into the game. Then it was Stephen Harper’s turn at 13:00 with assists from Jack Hanley and Matthew Strome, the younger brother of Erie’s Dylan Strome.
Hamilton continued its onslaught in the second period when Brody Morris got one past Devin Williams to make it 3-0 Hamilton. Fedor Gordeev would score the Bulldogs’ fourth goal of game against Williams. Jake Lawr would replace Williams midway through the second period.
Erie would get on the board in the third when Jakob Mayenschein, the Otter’s second pick in the 2015 import draft, scored his first goal for his new team. Riley MacRae would add another goal for the Otters with under five minutes left to play, but it would be too little to late for Erie, as they would lose the game 4-2.
The Otters finished their preseason schedule with a 1-3 record. They will open their regular season on Thursday at the Windsor Spitfires. Puck drop is at 7:05.
