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Erie Otters

Otters Hold off Owen Sound

December 3, 2014 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Erie Otters News Release


Erie, Pennsylvania - The Otters jumped back into the win column Wednesday night with a 4-3 win over the Owen Sound Attack. Nick Baptiste had two goals in the win, and Dylan Strome and Travis Dermott both had two points in the game.

After a scoreless eight minutes, Zach Nastasiuk put Owen Sound up 1-0 on the power play. While it looked like the Otters had a couple of nice chances, Owen Sound goalie Jack Flinn made key stops for the Attack. But with the Attack doubling the Otters shots 10-5 for the period, it was Owen Sound who scored next, taking a two-goal lead from Chris Bigras. Cory Genovese was called for interference and unsportsmanlike conduct with 49 seconds to go in the period, putting Erie on a four-minute penalty kill to go into the second period.

The penalty kill to start the second ended up giving the Otters all of the momentum they needed. Quentin Maksimovich put his body on the line with a huge block before the Otters woke up, keeping the puck away from Daniel Dekoning as much as possible.

Baptiste scored his first goal as an Otter six and a half minutes into the period with help from linemates Strome and Alex DeBrincat. But Erie was nowhere near finished. Quentin Maksimovich's second of the season was the Otters' second of the night, tying the game. Two minutes later, with Erie on the power play, Baptiste's second of the night gave the Otters the lead. With the end of the period approaching, a tight battle in front of Flinn saw the puck sneak into the goal and the Otters took a two-goal lead from Kyle Pettit into intermission.

Erie didn't let off the gas to start the third. A monstrous effort by the Otters in front of the net ended with Flinn robbing more than one player in an Erie sweater. DeBrincat, surrounded by the Attack, tried a cross-ice pass but the puck went to Owen Sound instead. The puck flew towards the net, but Dekoning made a big glove save, keeping the Attack from pulling within one.

The Otters had to kill another double minor late in the third with Nick Betz in the box for spearing after a scrum in the far corner of the Owen Sound zone. Barely halfway through, Dermott joined Betz in the box for delay of game. Erie was closing in on killing the 5-on-3, but Kyle Platzer found the side of the net and cut the Otters lead to one. Erie killed the remainder of the double minor before Owen Sound called Flinn to the bench for the extra attacker. Betz went wide on the empty net before he was called for high-sticking, closing out the closing 5.5 seconds in the box before the horn sounded on the Otters 4-3 win.

The game marked Baptiste's seventh and eighth goals of the season as well as his first two in an Otters uniform since being traded Nov. 24. Dekoning is still perfect in his starts for the season, moving to 9-0-0-0 with a shutout as well. Maksimovich ends a nine-game scoreless streak with his game-tying goal in the second period.

Erie heads on the road for the weekend, taking on Belleville on Saturday and Oshawa on Sunday.

The Iron Worker's Local Union No. 3 Ironmen of the Game:

3. Dekoning - 32 saves

2. Kyle Platzer - 1G, 2A

1. Nick Baptiste - 2G

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from December 3, 2014


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