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OHL Erie Otters

Spence Extends Scoring-Streak to Four Games in Loss at Kitchener

October 26, 2024 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Erie Otters News Release


Kitchener, Ontario - Nearly a month ago, the Ontario Hockey League season started for the Erie Otters and Kitchener Rangers on Friday, September 27 - with the Otters opening the year with a 5-2 victory. Nearly a month later, the same two teams would play at the same arena for their second meeting of the season. Since that opening night loss to Erie, the Rangers would come into Friday night's game with only one additional regulation loss, shooting toward the top of the Western Conference standings. Erie, on the other hand, comes in winners of four of their last five games, including a dramatic 2-1 victory on Thursday night in Barrie for the Canadian Hockey League Game of the Week. With two teams flying high heading into the Friday affair, it would be a test of the wills in the Midwest Division.

Less than a minute into the opening frame of the game, Trent Swick (5) would score his first of the year against the Otters - only :49 into the period. Bad would turn to worse for the Otters as the game would evolve, as the Rangers would capitalize three times on their nine shots in the first, seeing leading-scorer Adrian Misaljevic (7) and Matthew Hlacar (1) get numbers in their respective goal columns. Erie's best opportunity of the period would come late in it, as Pano Fimis would find a feed in front, but send it just high and wide. Despite shots being just 9-7 in favor of the Rangers through 20, a disastrous start to the season would see Erie trail 3-0 on the road.

It would take nearly half of the second period for offense to get started, but once Erie earned its first power play of the evening, they would start to show signs of life. While the man-advantage would be unsuccessful by mere ticks of the clock, their efforts would result in the first goal for Erie courtesy of Gabriel Frasca (3) with 8:24 gone by. After another six minutes of struggle, the Otters offense would once again deliver as Malcolm Spence (5) would continue his recent offensive success to get Erie down by just a goal. With a power play on the other side of the Otters' goal, Kitchener would retake a two-goal lead as Andrew Vermeulen (2) would beat Charlie Burns. As Erie would record shot #13 of the game for themselves, the Rangers would find a 13-shot period in the middle frame for a 22-13 shot advantage through 40 minutes, up 4-2.

Erie's comeback efforts would be dashed in the third period, as the Otters would never come closer than to the one-goal disadvantage of the third. Despite three power play opportunities in the final frame, it would once again be all-Kitchener offensively. The Rangers would find two goals, courtesy of Luke Ellinas (7) and Matthew Hlacar (2) to secure a big-time win on home ice, 6-2. Erie would finish 0/4 on the power play, and 2/3 on the penalty kill in the loss.

After four-straight on the road, Erie will return home on Saturday, October 26 to close out the month with a battle against the Kitchener Rangers for the Halloween Spooktacular game, featuring a FREE Otters Pillowcase to the first 1500 fans as well as pregame trick-or-treating in-arena with over a dozen local organizations. This contest will also close out the first three-in-three of the season for the team, as they head into the month of November, and a battle on Friday the 1st at Brantford.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 26, 2024


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