Erie Strikes Early, Downs Saginaw 4-1 in Shortened Game

September 4, 2022 – Ontario Hockey League (OHL) – Erie Otters News Release

Erie, Pennsylvania – Friday night against the Hamilton Bulldogs kicked off the Erie Otters preseason, as the game ended in a shootout win for the Bulldogs, leaving the final score of the night at 6-5 Hamilton. Erie would continue to look forward to their preseason, as a game on Labor Day Sunday would reignite the rivalry between the Otters and Saginaw Spirit.

The start of the first period would be fair game for each team, but that quickly changed with the first goal of the game coming from Taeo Artichuk (1) 4:27 in. Erie’s scoring did not end there with back-to-back goals from Malcolm Spence (2) at 8:58 and Kaleb Smith (1) at 9:54. Erie would dominate, with Jacob Gibbons looking impressive in net, and the period would conclude with a 10-8 shot advantage for Erie in a 3-0 game.

Second period began with Erie on the penalty kill after cross checking from Christian Kyrou at the end of the first period. About eight minutes into the second period, tempers began to flare, sending players from both teams into the box for roughing. The scoring for Saginaw finally began at 12:57 with a goal from Luke McNamara (2). With under five minutes left, Elias Cohen (1) continued Erie’s scoring, making it a 4-1 game. Tensions continued to flare, leading to a pair of misconducts; one for either side. This would only be a sign of things to come. As the waning down moments of the period approached, more misconducts were handed down resulting in time off the ice for Erie’s Morton, Smith, and Terrance. Both teams head to the locker room down a man with the Otters leading 4-1; 18-17 in shots.

After a full cleaning of the ice, Erie and Saginaw would return to the ice for the third period, but with an issue near the Otters goal, the game was ultimately called due to poor ice conditions. Erie finished their final home preseason game against Spirit with a 4-1 win.

The Erie Otters will not return to the Erie Insurance Arena until their Home Opener on October 8th. Their upcoming preseason games are Friday and Saturday against the Niagara Ice Dogs.

• Discuss this story on the Ontario Hockey League message board…

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.