Otters Win Fifth-Straight, Down London 6-3 Behind Gilmartin’s Homecoming Winner
November 4, 2022 – Ontario Hockey League (OHL) – Erie Otters News Release
London, Ontario – Nearly a month passed between the thrilling Erie Otters home opener against the London Knights, and Friday night’s trip to the Budweiser Gardens in London. Since that 3-1 victory at the EIA for the Otters, Erie would continue to find success, bringing the longest current winning-streak in the Ontario Hockey League into their 14th game of the year. With four-straight wins, and a 7-4-0-2 record, the Otters felt confident on what they were growing into. On the opposing side of the ice, London had grown from a winless start to the season to 5-2 in their last seven games. With two hot, Midwest Division rivals meeting to kickoff the first weekend of November, anything could be in the cards.
The goaltenders would shine as the offense would pick up in the late stages of the first period, with Nolan Lalonde stopping 10/10 for the Erie Otters, while Brett Brochu saved all eight shots he faced for London. Both teams would have two opportunities on the power play, but be unable to find the success to strike for first blood. After the opening frame, the game would remain the same as it started, stuck in a 0-0 game. London would lead in shots, 10-8.
After a scoreless first period, the offenses would come alive in the second period – and ironically, it would be all from Defensemen. On the man-advantage to start the period, Spencer Sova (5) would fire a clean shot from the blue line through traffic to break the scorelessness just 2:27 into the new period. With another power play immediately due up for Erie, Christian Kyrou (6) would steal a puck in the near corner, work to the front of the net, and put away an unassisted goal to put Erie up 2-0 just 1:22 later. London would finally make it on the scoresheet, on their own Power Play, as Logan Mailloux (3) would put a goal from the top of the right circle in. In the final minutes of the second, Nathan Sauder (1) would rip a shot immediately off a faceoff win that would have eyes to the front of the net to make it a 3-1 Erie after 40 minutes of play. This lead would come despite London outshooting Erie, 20-16.
The third period would be one of absolute bedlam, as the two teams would combine for an additional five goals. The former London Knight Liam Gilmartin (5) would score the eventual game-winning goal 8:46 into the final frame to put Erie up 4-1. On the power play, Logan Mailloux (4) would once again keep the London Knights in the fight, but the decision to pull the goalie would lead to an empty-net goal for Noah Sedore (2) with 11:43 gone by. From there, absolute chaos would erupt as each team would start grabbing sparring partners, throwing hits, and ultimately showcasing what rivalry games truly are all about. When the smoke would clear, Landon Sim (3) would make it a two-goal London deficit to stick around, but Carey Terrance (6) would strike the final killing blow in the empty-net to give Erie a 6-3 win, despite being outshot 29-24.
With the win, the Otters have five-straight wins for the first time since the 2016-17 OHL Championship season, their first win at London since February 2019, and an 8-4-0-2 record. Erie has scored 26 goals in the last four games.
After back-to-back weekends of three games in three days, Erie will close out the first weekend of November with just two games played, as the team returns home for a Saturday night battle with the North Bay Battalion. Saturday will represent Erie’s annual Military Appreciation Night (pres. by UPMC Health Plan & UPMC Hamot), as the team was able to work alongside partner businesses and organizations in the Erie community to donate thousands of tickets to military organizations in the area. The team will wear one-night-only specialty warm-up jerseys that will be auctioned off after the game; all proceeds from the auction will benefit Disabled American Veterans Chapter 73 of Erie and Crawford Counties.
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