40-Save Night for Erliden, Five-Unanswered Third Period Powers Otters to First Home Win

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OHL Erie Otters

40-Save Night for Erliden, Five-Unanswered Third Period Powers Otters to First Home Win

October 12, 2024 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Erie Otters News Release


Erie, Pennsylvania - Looking for their first home win of the season, the Erie Otters would face their highest-ranked foe of the season in the upstart, first-place Windsor Spitfires, led by dynamic rookie forward Ethan Belchetz. After a disappointing loss on home ice on Friday night to North Bay, the Otters would come in with something to prove and looking to close out the weekend on a positive note - especially against the league's top team.

A slow start for the Otters would seemingly spell carryover doom for the previous night's result, as Nathan Gaymes (3) would score less than three minutes into the contest to give the Spitfires a 1-0 advantage. As offensive opportunities would continue to mount for the visiting team, Erie would quickly find themselves down nearly outshot by double-digits. Bad would turn to worse as Jean-Christoph Lemieux (3) would put the Spitfires up by a pair late in the period. A sudden onslaught of Otters offensive opportunities would help Erie even up shots, and find themselves on the man-advantage. The power play would carry into period two, and Erie would have a spark going into the break, despite a 2-0 deficit.

Just :09 into the new frame, Gabriel Frasca (2, PPG) would get Erie on the board, and start to turn the tide into the Erie favor. The Otters would appear to have the tying goal from Sam Alfano, but the goal would be called back, and Windsor would take the momentum away. Ilya Protas (5) would continue his impressive OHL debut to put the Spitfires up by a pair, and carry the lead through the rest of the frame. Shots would be even at 25-all after 40, but the Otters would trail 3-1.

At long last, the offense anticipated from Erie all night would show up in a big way. Dylan Edwards (4) would continue his goal-per-game pursuits to put the Otters within one just 1:58 into the third, and Wesley Royston (2) would knot things up just before the halfway mark of the period. Brett Hammond (1, GWG) would notch not only his first goal of the season, but the game's winning goal with 11:04 gone by. With the net empty on the opposing side, Nathan Sauder (1, ENG) and Wesley Royston (3, ENG) would end the night with five-unanswered Erie goals for a 6-3 win, and their first at the EIA this season. Noah Erliden would play a perfect third period, stopping 18/18 enroute to a 40-save night for the Otters, enroute to handing Windsor its first regulation loss.

Erie will now prepare for its first three-game weekend of the season, starting with the only home Thursday game in the 2024-25 campaign. This Happy Hour Thursday game will feature $2 Labatt Blue Light Drafts from 5:30 until puck drop, as well as the only home game of the year against the Kingston Frontenacs. Erie will then hit the road for a weekend pair in Flint on Saturday and London on Sunday.

About the Erie Otters:

The Erie Otters are an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1996, the Otters have a rich history of excellence both on and off the ice. The team is committed to creating memorable experiences for its fans and contributing to the growth and well-being of the Erie community.

For further information on the Erie Otters and for media inquiries, please contact Shawn Bednard at shawn.bednard@ottershockey.com or Trevor Kubeja at trevorkubeja@ottershockey.com.

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