Series Preview: Sting vs. Otters
Western Conference Quarter-finals
After mustering a mere 17 wins last season, the youngest team in the Ontario Hockey League finished the 2014-15 regular season with 65 points, securing the 7th seed in a very competitive Western Conference.
The Sarnia Sting and the second seed, Erie Otters get underway with Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarter-finals on Thursday night at the Erie Insurance Arena in Pennsylvania. Game 2 of the series is slated for Friday night in Erie, before the teams return to the RBC Centre on Sunday to play Game 3 in front of the Sting faithful.
Complete Series Schedule:
•Thurs., March 26 at Erie 7:00
•Fri., March 27 at Erie 7:00
•Sun., March 29 at Sarnia 7:05
•Tues., March 31 at Sarnia 7:05
•Fri., April 3 at Erie 7:00 *
•Sun., April 5 at Sarnia 7:05 *
•Tues., April 7 at Erie 7:00 *
* Indicates games that will be played if necessary
The two teams have met four times this season with the Otters coming out on top in three of the four contests. Sarnia’s lone victory over Erie came in dramatic fashion on January 8th at the RBC Centre, with rookie defenceman, Jakob Chychrun scoring the game-winning-goal at 19:57 of period three. Game Story
Sting Notes:
Nikita Korostelev: Korostelev finished the regular season with a team high in goals (24) and points (53). The draft-eligible winger has 1G 1 A in 3 games played against the Otters this season.
Pavel Zacha: In 37 games played this season, Zacha finished the year with 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points. Zacha will be playing in his first career OHL playoff series against the Otters.
Hayden Hodgson: The former Erie Otter had a career year with the Sting, finishing with 23 goals and 38 points. Hodgson had 4 points in 3 games last weekend including 3 goals.
Jordan Kyrou: Kyrou finished the regular season 8th in OHL rookie scoring with 13 goals and 23 assists for 36 points. The rookie had 2 late goals in the January 8th comeback win over Erie.
10+ Goal scorers: 13 different Sarnia Sting skaters finished the season with 10 or more goals. Only the Soo Greyhounds (14) and the Oshawa Generals (14) had more players reach this feat.
Otters Notes:
Connor McDavid: The projected 1st overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft finished the regular season with 120 PTS in only 47 games played (2.55 PPG). McDavid also won a Gold medal while representing Canada at the World Juniors.
Dylan Strome: With 6 points in Erie’s final regular season home game, Strome passed London’s Mitch Marner, capturing the OHL scoring title. He finished the season with 45G & 84 A for a total of 129 points.
Alex Debrincat: Debrincat was one of only 2 OHL players to reach the 50-goal plateau this season. He led the OHL rookie scoring race with 51 goals and 104 points.
Ticketing Information:
- Tickets for Game 3 & Game 4 at the RBC Centre are now available online – CLICK HERE
- The RBC Centre Box Office is open daily (March 25-31), starting at 9:00 AM. Stop by or call to secure your seats (519) 541-1717
