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OHL Erie Otters

Penalty Kill Goes 5/5, Gilmartin Scores Twice on Special Teams in Loss at Sudbury

February 17, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Erie Otters News Release


Sudbury, Ontario - The snowy city of Sudbury would play host to the Erie Otters in the middle game of their three-in-three in the northernmost reaches of the OHL. Friday night would be the first time since December 2019 that Erie and the Sudbury Wolves would meet; the last team the Otters hadn't seen in the post-pandemic era. Battling a playoff-chasing Wolves squad, Erie would hope to channel the same grit and energy they'd brought to a major Thursday night upset at the North Bay Memorial Gardens. Erie would go into the game without overage forward Elias Cohen, who was released from the hospital after taking a hard hit into the boards against the North Bay Battalion. Without one of their captains, Erie would look to rally and win for him.

The opening frame would see no shots for either side in the first four minutes. Erie would go on the first power play of the evening for a too-many-men against Sudbury, but the Wolves would strike shorthanded on their first shot of the game from Nathan Villeneuve (8) for his first-career undermanned goal. Erie wouldn't trail for long, as Liam Gilmartin (11) would snipe a point-blank shot into the back of the net just :23 later to make it a 1-1 game. From this point forward, action would normalize with opportunities on either side of the ice. After back-to-back kills for the Otters, Erie would take their first lead of the night in the final minute of the period. Malcolm Spence and Carey Terrance (24) would connect on a tip-drill in front of the net, tying the goal-scorer for the team-lead in points at 37. Erie would take a 2-1 lead into the second period, leading in shots 10-8.

Sudbury would dominate the second period against the Otters, taking a 20-4 shots advantage in the period. From the 20 shots fired, the Wolves would score four-unanswered goals from Evan Konyen (13) 3:09 in, back-to-back shorthanded goals in :23 from Nick DeGrazia (23) and Marc Boudreau (9), and an unfortunate bounce off the goal post and back to give Evan Konyen (14) his second of the night. Erie would finally get on the board to close out the period, coincidentally, shorthanded thanks to Liam Gilmartin (12). Gilmartin's second special teams goal of the night would give Erie momentum heading into the third, looking for a comeback down 5-3. Sudbury would lead in shots 28-14.

The game control from the second would carry over to period three, as Sudbury would outshoot Erie 11-5 and add another three goals in the final 20. Just :68 into the frame, Quentin Musty (16) would retake a three-goal lead for the Wolves with a lucky goal from a vertical block and a backward bounce. 3:01 later, rookie Kieron Walton (8) would make it 7-3 for Sudbury, and before the game's end, David Goyette (32) would shoot a one-timer to the back of the net. Erie would be outshot in the game 39-19, and fall in the game 8-3. Erie would find a silver-lining in penalty kill perfection - going 5/5 undermanned.

The final game of the Otters' northern Ontario three-in-three will take them to Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday night for their final meeting of the season with the team directly above them in the Western Conference standings, the Soo Greyhounds. This game will represent Erie's final against the intraconference foe this season, after a 4-2 win on home on Thanksgiving at the Erie Insurance Arena. It will also be the sixth-straight road game for the Otters, who will close out their stretch of eight-straight away with trips to Owen Sound and Barrie in the middle of next week.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 17, 2023


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