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Erie Otters

Erie Otters Announce 2024-25 Ontario Hockey League Schedule

June 17, 2024 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Erie Otters News Release


Erie, Pennsylvania - On Tuesday morning, the Ontario Hockey League unveiled the full 2023-24 season schedule for all 20 member teams, as the Erie Otters look ahead to one of their most anticipated seasons in years.

Season 28 in Erie Otters' team-history presents a well-balanced schedule of home game dates, allowing for fans to maximize their time at the EIA throughout the entire seven-month season. While sticking with traditions like the School Day game and New Year's Rockin' Eve, fans will also notice a few new changes to the schedule in 2024-25. These modifications include the most home games ever played in team-history in March (8), a game on Thanksgiving Eve for the first time ever, and a new opponent in the Brampton Steelheads - who relocated from Mississauga at the start of the offseason.

The 2024-25 edition of the Erie Otters starts with plenty of excitement - playoff leading-scorers Pano Fimis, Sam Alfano, and Dylan Edwards will all return alongside highly-touted NHL prospect Carey Terrance, while the dynamic young guns of Malcolm Spence (3rd season) and Matthew Schaefer (2nd season) will look to showcase their developed skills and abilities in their NHL Draft-eligible season. 10th overall pick Tyler Challenger will begin his Otters' journey with his rookie debut in September. Under the tutelage of tenured head coach Stan Butler - who led Erie to its first post-season appearance since 2017 last season - Erie will look to be a competitor at the top of the league's Western Conference, and a return to the playoffs.

The countdown officially begins to the 2024-25 season for the Erie Otters, with 102 days separating today and the season opener on September 27 at the Kitchener Rangers - Erie's bitter playoff opponent last post-season. Officially unveiled on Thursday, June 13, the Erie Otters will open the new season on Saturday, September 28 for the first game in franchise-history against the newly-founded Brampton Steelheads - extending Erie's new tradition of September home openers.

October starts with a memorable - or, Memorial! - road weekend as the Otters travel to rival London to take on the OHL champion and Memorial Cup runner-ups Knights on Friday, October 4 before heading west to Saginaw to take on the Memorial Cup champion Saginaw Spirit on Saturday, October 5. Erie will then play a trio of home games on Friday the 11th against the North Bay Battalion, Saturday the 12th against 2024 OHL Priority Selection Draft first-overall pick Ethan Belchetz and his Windsor Spitfires, and Thursday the 17th for the only home game of the season against the Kingston Frontenacs. Four-straight road games will take Erie to Flint (19th), London (20th), Barrie (24th) and Kitchener (25th) before hosting the Rangers on Saturday the 26th. No shortage of highly-anticipated opponents in the spookiest month of the year!

Erie's only trip of the regular season to Brantford opens up November on Friday, November 1, before concluding its season-series with Barrie at home on Saturday the 2nd. A pair of road games against familiar foes in southeast Ontario will take the Otters to Niagara (7th) and Guelph (8th) before hosting Sarnia on Saturday the 9th to close the weekend. It's a new-look road to Sault Ste. Marie for the Otters in 2024, as the trip to the Soo will now begin the West Division swing as opposed to closing the Northern Swing; Erie will head to Soo (13th), Saginaw (15th), and Flint (16th) to close out the season's road obligations against their furthest foes in the Western Conference. November closes out with five-straight home games for Erie, taking on Brampton on Wednesday the 20th, Sault Ste. Marie on Friday the 22nd, Kitchener on Saturday the 23rd, Owen Sound on Wednesday the 27th, and Flint on Saturday the 30th. Otters' fans may be aware of the addition of a game on Thanksgiving Eve in place of on Thanksgiving Day. While a number of fans have been able to make Thanksgiving Night hockey a tradition, we have heard the needs of fans looking for an opportunity to gather with their families without having to alter the holiday. We hope this new tradition will allow for even more time for families to celebrate and maximize their time together before and on Thanksgiving. November will be tied for the most games in a month for the Otters (13), and second-most home dates (7) during the season.

While the Otters will be home for Christmas, the team will be on the road for the first four games of the final month of 2024. Taking on North Bay on Thursday, December 5, the Otters will embark on the new look Northern Swing that includes Sudbury (6th) and Brampton (8th), before closing out road travels for the year at Windsor (12th). The Memorial Cup champs will come to Erie for the first time on Saturday the 14th for a standalone game, before Erie closes out its pre-holiday portion of the schedule against the rival London Knights for the first time at home on Wednesday the 18th. After the stockings are taken down and ol' Saint Nick has returned to the North Pole, Erie will push toward 2025 with games against Guelph (28th) and the New Year's Eve game against Brantford (31st).

Happy New Year! The 2025 portion of the season begins the same as the 2024 half did - on the road at Kitchener on January 3. Erie will then host Windsor on Saturday the 4th, travel to Guelph, and return home for a pair of contests hosting Saginaw for the last time on Friday the 10th, and Sarnia on Saturday the 11th. This season, due to scheduling conflicts at the Erie Insurance Arena, the Otters will not be hosting the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day game. As a result, Erie will hit the road for its Eastern Swing against Ottawa (17th), Peterborough (18th), and Kingston (19th). Back home for a pair, Erie will host Niagara on Friday the 24th, and Kitchener on Saturday the 25th, before taking a quick swing up to Niagara (26th). January closes with Erie's first trip to Owen Sound (29th) before saying so long, London for its final trip to the Forest City (31st).

The penultimate month of the regular season features a near-even split of home and road contests, starting off with the latter as Erie travels to Sarnia on February 1st. The annual School Day Game returns on Tuesday the 4th with the Guelph Storm in town, before Erie takes its final trip to Brampton (7th). Erie will then host Sudbury for the only time this season on Saturday the 8th, and welcome Niagara to town on Wednesday the 12th. Three-straight on the road see Erie play back to back in Owen Sound to close its road games at the Bayshore (14th, 15th), and then spend Canada's Family Day in Oshawa (17th). Oshawa will return the favor by coming to town for the only time on Friday the 21st, leading up to the lone Saturday home game against London on the 22nd. The shortest month of the year concludes with a quick trip to the Niagara region to take on the IceDogs (27th).

For the first time in team-history, Erie will play eight home games in the final month of the season - surpassing the previous home record of seven games back in 2021-22. March begins with four-straight at home against Flint on Saturday, March 1, and the only home meeting of the season against the Peterborough Petes on Sunday the 2nd. Owen Sound's final trip to the Flagship City will take place on Friday the 7th and Saturday the 8th to close the homestand. Erie will play its final games out west as it travels to Windsor (11th) and Sarnia (12th) before returning home on Saturday the 15th against Niagara, and Sunday the 16th against Guelph. The final road game of the regular season for Erie will be up to Guelph (21st), before the weekend and season closes with Ottawa's only trip to Erie on Saturday the 22nd, and the most-fitting battle to end to the regular season - hosting London on Sunday the 23rd. From there, it'll be determined if the Otters are in the playoffs, who their opponent will be, and when they'll bring playoff hockey back to downtown Erie once again!

Senior Vice President of Business Operations Chad Westerburg spoke with great regard on the excitement from a hockey and community standpoint for the team's 28th Season

"As we approach the new season of Otters hockey, fans should expect all-new giveaways, unique and exciting promotions, and theme nights. We are pleased with our schedule for this upcoming season as we look to host 24 home games on either Fridays or Saturdays." said Westerburg, "I encourage new and familiar faces to show their support this season and continue to show why we have the best fans in the league."

The full promotional schedule, including day-specific themes, theme nights, and giveaways will be released in the coming weeks by the organization.

2024-25 SCHEDULE:

September:

27 - at Kitchener

28 - vs. Brampton

October:

4 - at London

5 - at Saginaw

11 - vs. North Bay

12 - vs. Windsor

17 - vs. Kingston

19 - at Flint

20 - at London

24 - at Barrie

25 - at Kitchener

26 - vs. Kitchener

November:

1 - at Brantford

2 - vs. Barrie

7 - at Niagara

8 - at Guelph

9 - vs. Sarnia

13 - at Soo

15 - at Saginaw

16 - at Flint

20 - vs. Brampton

22 - vs. Soo

23 - vs. Kitchener

27 - vs. Owen Sound

30 - vs. Flint

December:

5 - at North Bay

6 - at Sudbury

8 - at Brampton

12 - at Windsor

14 - vs. Saginaw

18 - vs. London

28 - vs. Guelph

31 - vs. Brantford

January:

3 - at Kitchener

4 - vs. Windsor

8 - at Guelph

10 - vs. Saginaw

11 - vs. Sarnia

17 - at Ottawa

18 - at Peterborough

19 - at Kingston

24 - vs. Niagara

25 - vs. Kitchener

26 - at Niagara

29 - at Owen Sound

31 - at London

February:

1 - at Sarnia

4 - vs. Guelph (11 A.M.)

7 - at Brampton

8 - vs. Sudbury

12 - vs. Niagara

14 - at Owen Sound

15 - at Owen Sound

17 - at Oshawa

21 - vs. Oshawa

22 - vs. London

27 - at Niagara

March:

1 - vs. Flint

2 - vs. Peterborough

7 - vs. Owen Sound

8 - vs. Owen Sound

11 - at Windsor

12 - at Sarnia

15 - vs. Niagara

16 - vs. Guelph

21 - at Guelph

22 - vs. Ottawa

23 - vs. London

QUICK FACTS:

Home Games per Day of Week:

Monday - 0

Tuesday - 2

Wednesday - 4

Thursday - 1

Friday - 6

Saturday - 18

Sunday - 3

Home Games per Month:

September - 1

October - 4

November - 7

December - 4

January - 5

February - 5

March - 8

Home Games (and total) against Opponents:

Western Conference - 21 (42)

Guelph - 3 (6)

Kitchener - 3 (6)

London - 3 (6)

Owen Sound - 3 (6)

Flint - 2 (4)

Saginaw - 2 (4)

Sarnia - 2 (4)

Windsor - 2 (4)

Sault Ste. Marie - 1 (2)

Eastern Conference - 13 (26)

Niagara - 3 (6)

Brampton - 2 (4)

Barrie - 1 (2)

Brantford - 1 (2)

Kingston - 1 (2)

North Bay - 1 (2)

Oshawa - 1 (2)

Ottawa - 1 (2)

Peterborough - 1 (2)

Sudbury - 1 (2)

Fans will once again be able to keep up with the Otters at home or on the road for all 68 games through OHL Live on CHL TV and the league's largest radio network, the Otters Radio Network.

The Erie Otters are ecstatic to return the top tier of amateur hockey in the world to downtown Erie for the 28th season and reignite the best fan base in the OHL. Don't miss a single moment of this highly-anticipated year of Otters Hockey: 2024-25 Full Season Tickets are on-sale now for as low as $12/game.

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