OHL Erie Otters

Otters Defeat IceDogs, 5-1

Published on September 15, 2011 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Erie Otters News Release


St. Catharines, Ont. - A strong all-around performance by the Erie Otters catapulted the squad to an exhibition 5-1 win over the Niagara IceDogs in St. Catharines Thursday night.

The Otters were led by *Chris Marchese* and *Chris Festarini *in the victory. Marchese tallied a goal and two assists to complete a fantastic preseason, while Festarini was 18 seconds shy of a shutout in stopping 35 IceDogs shots.

*Brett Thompson* put the Otters on the board 5:35 into the contest with a power play goal. The overage forward took a drop pass from *Connor Brown*and fired a shot from the right circle just below the crossbar to give the Otters a 1-0 lead.

With the Otters shorthanded, Marchese scored a beautiful goal to double their lead. Marchese forced a turnover from Shayne Rover and fired a shot from a sharp angle at the bottom of the left circle that rang off the crossbar past Mike Gallardi. The goal was Marchese's third of the preseason.

The second period was a parade to the penalty box for Erie, but the Otters were able to secure the lone tally of the period as *Derek Holden* ripped a slap shot from the top of the left circle nearly three minutes into the period to give the Otters a three-goal lead.

Festarini starred for the remainder of the period, shutting the door on several Niagara power plays and stopping all 17 shots during the second to keep it a 3-0 Otters lead after 40 minutes of play.

The Otters picked up where they left off six minutes, 22 seconds into the third as *Mike Cazzola* tapped in a one-timer pass from Thompson to make it a 4-0 game.

With just over a minute remaining, the Otters received a glimpse of their bright future as 2011 second round pick *Jake Evans* won the facebook and muscled the puck to an open *Mac McDonnell* at the side of the crease. McDonnell lifted the puck over the left pad of Dalton McGrath for a five-goal Otters lead.

The lone blemish of the night for Erie came with 18.5 seconds remaining, as Jesse Miller broke the shutout for the IceDogs.

Special teams shined for the Otters, as they were 2-for-4 on the power play and killed off eight penalties against the IceDogs.

The Otters begin the regular season Friday, September 23 against Nail Yakupov and the Sarnia Sting at 7:00 p.m. Fans can listen to all the action on Fox Sports Radio AM 1330 The Fan.

The Otters return to Erie for their home opener Saturday, October 1 against the Oshawa Generals. The first 3,000 fans receive a magnetic schedule courtesy of Springhill Suites, Your Hometown Pharmacy and Presto Cleaning. There will also be a post-game meet-and-greet with the Erie Otters. Fans can purchase tickets to the home opener and all other games through the Erie Civic Center Box Office, online at OttersHockey.com or by calling 814-452-4857.

Check out the Erie Otters Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Ontario Hockey League Stories from September 15, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central