OHL Erie Otters

Otters Fall in Game Five

Published on April 30, 2015 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Erie Otters News Release


Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario - The Greyhounds broke a 1-1 tie at the beginning of the third period and, despite pressure from the Otters, took game five 4-2 to force game six in the Western Conference Final Thursday night. Devin Williams made 36 saves in the loss. 

Nick Baptiste picked up right where he left off with the game's opening goal 2:06 into the first period to give the Otters an early lead. The Otters had another early chance, but the Greyhounds defense was able to break up the play to keep the Otters from a two-goal lead. Goaltending went back and forth with both Brandon Halverson and Williams making key saves for their teams.

Kyle Maksimovich was called with the game's first penalty and the Greyhounds had the man advantage just over halfway through the period. Jared McCann tied the game barely 30 seconds into the power play at 12:09. Travis Dermott was called for high sticking not even a minute later, but Williams came up big again and again to keep the Soo from taking the lead.

The Otters killed a late penalty for too many men at the beginning of the second before having to kill a holding penalty to Remi Elie. It looked as thought the Greyhounds were about to take the lead when the Otters defense took over, breaking up the play to keep the score tied at one.

Sault Ste. Marie was able to kill off the first Otters power play, nearly scoring on a two-on-one opportunity. Nick Betz and Connor McDavid flew in on Halverson, but Betz's shot went just wide to the right, holding onto the tie. At the other end, Williams made three massive saves in a row, closing out the second period still tied at one despite the Greyhounds outshooting the Otters 28-13 through 40 minutes.

Where the Otters kicked off the first period, the Greyhounds had their turn in the third with Michael Bunting grabbing the puck and finding an opening to give the Soo their first lead of the night. A two-on-one with McDavid and Dermott caught Halverson off guard and Dermott was able to regain the tie under two minutes later. 

The Otters killed another penalty for too many men on the ice, but not long after the penalty expired, Bryan Moore gave the Greyhounds back the lead, making it 3-2 with 7:05 to go. Erie put pressure on the Greyhounds with time winding down before pulling Williams for the extra attacker. 

Anthony DeAngelo was called for delay of game, putting the Otters on a six-on-four advantage to end the game. Halverson made save after save before the puck was knocked out of the zone and Gabe Guertler put a shorthanded goal into the empty net to close out the game with under two seconds to go.

With an assist on Dermott's goal, McDavid ties the Otters record for points in a series with 14 - a record he set in the semi-final series with London. The Otters captain also has notched a point in every game of the 2015 playoffs, along with at least a point in his previous four games. 

The Otters head back to Erie Saturday night where they'll host game six at Erie Insurance Arena at 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m.

The Iron Workers Local Union No. 3 Ironmen of the Game:

1. Devin Williams - 36 saves

2. Bryan Moore - 1G

3. Sergey Tolchinsky - 2A

Check out the Erie Otters Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from April 30, 2015


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