OHL Erie Otters

Otters Weekend Action

Published on February 5, 2009 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Erie Otters News Release


The Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League get back into action this weekend with home games on Friday and Saturday at the Tullio Arena against Sault Ste. Marie and Saginaw respectively.

Friday at 7 p.m. against the Greyhounds the first 1,000 fans into the game receive a free appetizer card from Smokey Bones. Saturday at 7 p.m. against the Spirit it's Turn Back the Clock Night presented by Arlington Lawn Care. Enjoy a celebration of the 1983-84 Erie Golden Blades ACHL Championship with former team members and the first 1,000 receive a commemorative Championship photo. Plus, get your fill of $1 Smith's Hot Dogs!

Tickets for both games are available at the Civic Center Box Office, all Erie-area Ticketmaster locations, on-line at www.ottershockey.com or by calling 814-452-4857.

The Otters enter weekend action coming off a three-game sweep of their action last week to improve to 26-23-2-0 on the season. The weekend success moved the Otters to fifth in the Western Conference standings, five points behind Guelph for fourth and one point up on Plymouth and Sarnia who are tied for sixth.

Andrew Yogan paced the Otters offense in the three games collecting three goals and four assists. The highlight of the weekend for the 17 year-old forward was a career-high six-point game (two goals and four assists) against Oshawa on Friday at the Tullio Arena. Shawn Szydlowski also enjoyed a big weekend, registering his second career hat trick against the Generals on Friday and finishing with four goals and two assists in the three games.

The Greyhounds arrive at the Tullio Arena Friday night sitting in the basement of the Western Conference standings with a 16-32-2-1 record and in the midst of an eight-game losing streak (prior to a game Thursday night against the Niagara IceDogs) overall and an eight-game road losing streak.

Overage forward Matthew Lyall leads the Greyhounds in scoring with 16 goals and 19 assists for 35 points in 51 games while former Otters prospect Jordan Nolan has collected 14 goals and 16 assists for 30 points in 50 games. Veteran defenseman Michael Quesnele has provided offense from the blue line with a team-leading 23 assists in 51 games.

The Spirit make their second and final visit to the Tullio Arena on Saturday looking to hold off the Otters in their pursuit of playoff positioning. The Spirit sport a record of 29-17-0-3 (prior to a home game Friday against Belleville) to sit third in the Western Conference standings, seven points up on Erie.

The Spirit has been hot lately posting three consecutive victories and has won six straight on the road.

Overage forwards Chris Chappell and Jack Combs are the offensive leaders for the Spirit. Chappell is in the midst of a breakout season with new career highs in all offensive categories. The 20 year-old winger is tied for sixth in OHL scoring with 26 goals and 29 assists for 55 points in 49 games. Combs, a 100-point player last season, is second in Spirit scoring with 22 goals and 30 assists for 52 points in 43 games. Former Otters forward Jordan Skellett has been a fairly regular contributor offensively for the Spirit with 12 goals and 18 assists for 30 points in 38 games.

The Spirit won the first two games of the four-game season series, including a narrow 3-2 home victory on December 13th. In all, the Otters have lost 12 straight times to Saginaw dating back to December 28, 2005.

Check out the Erie Otters Statistics

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



Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 5, 2009


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