OHL Erie Otters

Taylor Raddysh Propels Otters to 9-3 Victory, Round 2

Published on March 30, 2017 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Erie Otters News Release


The Otters entered Wednesday night with a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Sarnia Sting. With Game 4 played in Erie due to the unusual 1-2-2-1-1 format for the OHL's best regular season team, the Otters had a chance to close out the first round in Erie. Justin Fazio, who missed the past two games of the series, was in net again for Sarnia. The Otters' offense would not be denied, however, and they skated to a 9-3 victory and a second round playoff berth.

Early in the first period, Erie's Darren Raddysh appeared to score on the power play from the point; after video review, the on-ice officials determined the puck never crossed the goal line. The Otters responded to that revelation with two goals in short order: Anthony Cirelli chipped the puck over Fazio's glove during a scramble to put his team on the board once again; then, Dylan Strome walked through the Sarnia defenders and put a shot through Fazio's five-hole, increasing the Otters' lead to two. Less than three minutes later, Haydn Hopkins, recently recalled from his junior team by the Otters, banged in the rebound off Fazio's pad to make it 3-0. It was clear the Otters didn't want to leave the game's outcome in doubt, as they scored twice more before the end of the first: Strome out-waited Fazio to slip the puck by his pad, and TJ Fergus scored his first career playoff goal a shift later. Franco Sproviero got one back late in the period for the Sting, but the Otters headed into the second period with a comfortable 5-1 lead.

Strome took a puck up high at the start of the second period; while he skated to the bench for attention from the Otters' trainers, Sarnia-with a five-on-four advantage in the Otters' zone-scored to make it 5-2. It would be the only goal scored in the period: the Otters, playing with a three-goal lead, locked down defensively as they allowed just six shots through the second period.

Sarnia's Jaden Lindo scored in the first minutes of the third period to make it a close 5-3 game. After the goal, the Otters' offense reemerged and quickly found the back of the net twice: Kyle Maksimovich entered Sarnia's zone with speed, caught Taylor Raddysh's pass, and put the puck over Fazio's glove; then, Darren Raddysh took a slapshot from the point that beat the traffic and Fazio to make it 7-3. Taylor Raddysh scored shorthanded shortly thereafter, and Dylan Strome completed his hat-trick with five minutes remaining to close out the Otters' 9-3 victory.

For the Otters, Taylor Raddysh scored a goal and notched four assists; Dylan Strome scored a hat-trick; Alex DeBrincat recorded four assists; and Kyle Maksimovich scored a goal and an assist. Troy Timpano made 16 saves on 19 shots in the victory.

Jaden Lindo was credited with a goal and assist for the Sting, and Justin Fazio made 34 saves on 43 shots in the loss.

The Otters closed out round one of the playoffs against the Sarnia Sting, sweeping the series 4-0. They're the first team to advance to the second round of the playoffs; they'll await the outcomes of the other playoff series and face the lowest seeded team in the conference semi-finals.

Check out the Erie Otters Statistics

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



Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 30, 2017


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