Alfano Scores 41st in Loss at Home

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OHL Erie Otters

Alfano Scores 41st in Loss at Home

March 23, 2025 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Erie Otters News Release


Erie, Pennsylvania - The penultimate game of the 2024-25 Erie Otters regular season would take place on Saturday evening, as the team would host the Ottawa 67's for Tiki Luau Night (pres. by Rebich Investments). With a 67's team fighting for its playoff lives, they would need a win in Erie to keep pace with the 8-seed. As for Erie, while the playoff dates, opponent, and positioning would all be decided, this weekend's games would be about building consistent winning habits into the post-season. Erie would also look to sweep the season-series over Ottawa.

The puck would drop with the Ottawa 67's drawing first blood. Player Chris Barlas (13) would score in the first two minutes which would make the game off to a rough start for Erie's Otters. The puck would continually be passed back and forth and neither team would make any progress. A fight would break out as tension would build towards the ten minute mark leading to a power play for the Erie Otters. With only 30 seconds left on the power play the Otters would be swimming for a goal to level the score but remained unsuccessful. Only a few minutes later Ottawa's Cooper Foster (18) would score, making the score 2-0. Less than 5 seconds later Alexis Daviault had a goal from the halfway line that was dismissed by refs and left the stadium in an uproar. Tension would continue to build between the players and a fight seemed to be approaching.The puck would be handed back and forth amounting to nothing. In the last 5 seconds Ottawa would grant the otters a power play going into the next period, and with that the first period would come to a close with the score being Ottawa 2-0.

The puck dropped in the second with one minute and fifty seconds left in the power play, no goals would be made. As time went on the battle of the goal line would continue, both goalies kept wills of steel defecting shot after shot until Luca Pinelli (37) broke the still with his thirty-seventh goal on the season. Erie then began to put more offensive plays together and put shots on goal up to twelve for Erie and eighteen for the sixty-sevens. Shots continued to be fired toward the Otters goal and with seven minutes left Ottawa still led Erie three to nothing. Otters would mount another power-play attack with three minutes left in the second period. The otters would spend much time near Ottawa's goal but would be stopped once again with rock-solid defence by the players on the opposite side. Final score of the second would still be 3-0 in favor of Ottawa.

The puck dropped with each team fighting for the puck. Erie had their first penalty kill of the game when Ottawa took their shot with Will Gerrior (30) finding his way to the goal. Erie with not much time passing got put back on the penalty kill Noah Erliden losing the puck and Jack Dever (9) striking. Erie changed goalies, putting Charlie Burns in the game. Erie got no breaks, getting put back on the penalty kill for 5 minutes and on top of that Wesley Royston got a game misconduct. Four players from each team would be sent to the box within the span of a minute, with four being assessed game misconducts, including Erie's Wesley Royston and Ty Henry, and Ottawa's Matthew Mayich and Luca Pinelli. In the chaos of both team's colliding, Caden Kelly (11) scored to put the 67's up 6-0. With four players in the box each and four-on-four play on the ice, Sam Alfano (41) got a breakaway getting the Otters first goal of the night. Ottawa would not allow the Erie momentum to last with Chase Yanni (7) finding the back of the net to make it 7-1. Play would tick to a close and the game would end with Ottawa handing the Erie Otters a 7-1 loss.

The 2024-25 Ontario Hockey League regular season comes to an end on Sunday afternoon with Fan Appreciation Night (pres. by Plyler Entry Systems) against the rival London Knights. The first 1500 fans in the building will receive a free 2024-25 Team Poster (pres. by Plyler Entry Systems), and there will be opportunities to win giveaways all night. Next stop following: the 2025 Ontario Hockey League post-season.

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