Otters take the spirit out of Saginaw in 6-4 win
Erie, Pennsylvania – The Otters jumped back into the win column Friday night with a 6-4 win over the Saginaw Spirit, fueled by a five-goal surge in the first period. Alex DeBrincat scored four points and Erie had three players with two points in the game.
Offense was the basis of the first period of the Otters. Saginaw started the scoring with a goal from Jesse Barwell just over two minutes in, but Erie exploded from there. DeBrincat tied the game shy of two minutes later on a rebound from Kyle Pettit and Cory Genovese. Another minute later, Taylor Raddysh gave the Otters the lead out of a scramble in front of the net.
With Kurtis MacDermid in the box for interference on the game’s first penalty, the Spirit had two monstrous chances in a row to tie it. Travis Dermott took away a chance with an open net before Daniel Dekoning slid across the crease to make the save. With the penalty barely over, Dylan Strome gave the Otters a two-goal lead at the exact middle of the period. The Otters drew the second power play of the night and MacDermid scored his sixth of the season for the 4-1 Erie lead.
Just under five minutes to go, Patrick Murphy fed the puck to Strome, who passed to Nick Betz for Betz’s 14th goal of the season and the fifth for the Otters. Saginaw scored with three minutes to go, and the Otters took at 5-2 lead into the locker room.
If offense started the Otters off, defense kept them going in the second. Genovese stopped the Spirit from close range, poking the puck away. With the Otters on the power play, Saginaw had a 2-on-1 opportunity. Bennett put the puck on the net, grabbed his own rebound, and tried again, but Dekoning slid across the crease and sent the puck away with his pad.
Back on the power play, MacDermid had another chance but Jake Paterson slid across his own crease to keep MacDermid out. But he couldn’t keep Dermott off the board from the point for the 6-2 Otters lead. Paterson robbed Raddysh on his way out of the box for what looked like a bigger Otters lead. Dermott was called for holding at the horn, and Saginaw had a man advantage going into the third.
While the Otters killed the penalty, the Spirit didn’t stay off the scoreboard long. Keaton Middleton made it 6-3, and Jacob Ringuette gave the Spirit another. Dylan Strome had another huge chance on a breakaway, but his first shot went high and he was robbed on his own rebound. Paterson made another big save on Pettit, keeping the score to the 6-4 final.
DeBrincat finished the night with three assists and a goal, with Strome, Raddysh, and Betz all with two point nights. MacDermid’s goal sets his career-high at six goals, and he’s only one point away from matching his high of 17.
The Otters stay at home Saturday night to welcome the Oshawa Generals to their Christmas Extravaganza.
The Iron Workers Local Union No. 3 Ironmen of the Game:
3. Travis Dermott – 1G
2. Nick Betz – 1G, 1A
1. Alex DeBrincat – 1G, 3A
