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OHL Erie Otters

Cazzola Stings Sarnia with Hat Trick in 8-2 Win

March 6, 2011 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Erie Otters News Release


Mike Cazzola scored a hat trick to lead the Erie Otters (36-26-1-1) to an 8-2 win over the Sarnia Sting in front of 4,651 fans at Tullio Arena Sunday afternoon. The win was the fourth straight for the Otters, and put the team 10 games above .500 for the first time since the end of the 2001-02 season.

The Otters put the pressure on the Sting early and never relented. Shawn Szydlowski opened up the scoring at 3:45 with his 38th goal of the season as he streaked into to the right of the near circle and fired his patented wrist shot over the glove of Troy Passingham for the goal.

Cazzola scored his first goal of the game 49 seconds later as Adam Pelech hit the speedy forward with a perfect pass for a breakaway, and Cazzola fired a shot through Passingham's glove side at 4:34.

Greg McKegg then got on the board at 16:27 as he followed up on a rebound left from an Andrew Yogan shot to give the Otters a 3-0 lead, and Yogan his first point of the season. Cazzola completed the first period scoring with his second goal of the game at 19:37.

Nick Latta was able to put Sarnia on the board at 9:37 of the second, but the Otters answered quickly as Brett Thompson put in a rebound from a Derek Holden shot 33 seconds later for his 42nd goal of the season.

McKegg then added his second of the game with a power play marker. The captain poked the puck into the net after Passingham fumbled the shot from the point by Holden, giving McKegg his team leading 46th goal of the season. The goal tied McKegg for second on the team's single-season scoring list with Mike Blunden, who sniped 46 pucks into opposing nets during the 2005-06 season.

Kale Kerbashian scored 4:32 into the third period after deflecting a shot by Jack Kuzmyk, but the Otters were able to regain their five-goal lead on Cazzola's hat trick goal at 10:40. Cazzola fired a shot from the far circle after the expiration of an Otters power play for his first hat trick since Feb. 24, 2010 against Owen Sound.

Connor Crisp scored the final goal of the game for the Otters as he floated a backhand shot off the back of Passingham for his fourth tally of the season at 11:53.

McKegg had two goals and two assists for the Otters, while Szydlowski pitched in with a goal and two assists and Adam Pelech, Anthony Luciani and Derek Holden each had a pair of assists. Chris Festarini made 29 saves to earn his fourth straight win.

The Otters return home Friday night at 7:00 p.m. against the Plymouth Whalers in a game that could determine who receives home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. It's the final $5 Friday of the season, with those that show a valid, current student ID at the Box Office able to get into Friday's game for $5.

Individual tickets for the 2011 OHL Playoffs will go on sale starting at 10:00 a.m. Monday morning at all outlets. Tickets can be ordered through Ticketmaster, the Civic Center Box Office, online at ottershockey.com or by calling 814-452-4857.

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