OHL Erie Otters

Depth Scoring, 37 Saves for Lalonde Lift Erie "Blade Brigade" to 5-3 Win

Published on March 4, 2023 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Erie Otters News Release


Erie, Pennsylvania - For one-night-only, the Erie Blades come to life at the Erie Insurance Arena as the Erie Otters honored the beloved former team. Wearing specialty Blades era jerseys, the Erie Otters would host the Peterborough Petes for the first time this season - welcoming in a number of familiar faces like former Otter Connor Lockhart, former Flint Firebird Brennan Othmann, and a top Eastern Conference team in the Petes. Erie would look for their first win of March, and continue their pursuits of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

With a raucous crowd of old-time hockey fans in attendance, the Erie Otters/Blades would hit the ice looking to give the Erie faithful something to cheer for. 4:34 in, the unlikely hero of the frame would be Alex Messier (2) to open scoring with his second career-goal. Outside of the goal, Erie would take a 10-9 shot advantage over the Petes, and hold a 1-0 lead after 20.

The second period would prove to be the busiest of the game, as the two teams would swap goals, shots, and flares for the dramatic. Avery Hayes (37) would open scoring 3:28 into the new frame to put Peterborough on the board, and be followed inline by Jonathan Melee (8) just over a minute later. Before the period had even started, Peterborough would grab a 2-1 lead. At the game's halfway mark, Elias Cohen (15) would knot things up for Erie, and immediately be capitalized on by Alexis Daviault (4) to suddenly put the Otters up in the game, 3-2. Before the frame could end, Connor Lockhart (25) would knot things up on the power play with 18:47 gone by, and make it a 3-3 game after 40.

In the third period, Nolan Lalonde would play a masterful 20 minutes - stopping all 13 shots fired on net by the Peterborough contingent would lead the way for Erie. On the opposing end, Malcolm Spence (14) would net the game's winning goal near the halfway mark of the third on a breakaway beauty. The goal would give Spence his third career game-winner. With the net empty and a desperate Peterborough bunch coming out of a timeout, Liam Gilmartin (15) would sink the empty-netter from the defensive blue line to notch the victory 5-3 for Erie. The victory would give Erie its 20th of the season, and leave a crowd of 5033 with fond memories of hockey's past and future.

The final three-in-three of the season comes to a close for the Erie Otters tomorrow afternoon in Hamilton as they battle the Bulldogs for the second time this week. Originally scheduled for a 2:00 P.M. puck drop, the game will now be played at 4:00 P.M. from the FirstOntario Centre. Erie will then look ahead to a pair of games in the Mitten State next time they take the ice.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 4, 2023


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