OHL Western Conference Finals Preview: Erie Otters vs. Guelph Storm

Both teams have been waiting for what seems like an eternity but tonight, the Western Conference Final between the Otters and Storm begins in Guelph.

The top two teams in the west during the regular season, Erie and Guelph had a back-and-forth-battle for the number one spot in the West with the Storm, tying for the league lead with 52 wins. Guelph came out on top by two points and earned home rink advantage for the duration of their playoff run.

The two teams met five times during the regular season. The Storm got the best of the Otters in the season series with a record of 3-1-1-0. The two losses came in Erie in November. The overtime loss is where Connor McDavid sniped a highlight reel game winning goal.

Much like the Otters, the Storm have dispatched their first two playoff opponents with ease, knocking out Plymouth and London with 4-1 series victories in each.

With the exception of a 5-0 loss in December, the Otters have played the Storm pretty evenly throughout the season. This matchup features the two best teams in the league and should burn down the barns right to the very end.

What to watch for.

Devin Williams. He is the key to the Otters success in the post season so far. In the past series vs. Sault Ste. Marie, the Otters netminder gave up a grand total of three goals in four games, including two shutout victories. Coach Kris Knoblauch will continue to ride Williams for as long as he can. Meanwhile, Oscar Dansk, who everyone thought was the Otters number one guy throughout the season, will continue to ride the bench while the 2014 Draft Eligible Williams has the reigns. If Williams continues his dominance, the Otters will have a difficult time losing this series.

Players to watch.

Besides Williams, Connor McDavid will be the one to watch. He has used his skill to devastate the Storm earlier in the year. Not only that, this is the first time McDavid (as well as the rest of the Otters) has played in an OHL playoff series as big as this. He has shone on the world stage before so he should have no problem bringing that experience here. All eyes will be on the wunderkind throughout the series. McDavid has four goals and 10 assists in nine games during the postseason.

Look for McDavid to shine on the big stage yet again.

For Guelph, it will be Columbus Blue Jackets first round draft pick Kerby Rychel. Rychel was acquired mid-season by the Storm from the Windsor Spitfires and immediately put his playmaking abilities on show. He is a dangerous winger with an underrated shot. The Otters will need to prevent Rychel from making plays in order to keep the pressure off Devin Williams. Rychel has two goals and eleven assists in ten playoff games.

Rychel’s hot hands can potentially be deadly for the Otters.

Goaltending for the Storm will be another 2014 draft eligible, Justin Nichols. Nichols hasn’t been tested too tremendously in this postseason, but was remarkably consistent throughout the regular season. He has a 2.77 GAA and a .919 save percentage through ten games this postseason.

Series prediction.

This one goes down to the wire. I will say the Otters. In seven. In triple overtime.

Now it’s your turn. Vote in the poll below.

Random notes.

Puck drops for the series in Guelph tonight at 7:05. Otters Press Box will be at all home games during the series, beginning Monday. You can follow @RealJeffSnyder and @theZothman for information throughout the series.

Images from the Ontario Hockey League were used in this report.

OHL Playoffs Round Two Preview: Erie Otters vs. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

After about a week of waiting, the #3 seed Erie Otters return to the ice tonight as they head to #2 seed Sault Ste. Marie to take on the Greyhounds for the second round of the OHL playoffs.

The Otters will start this series on the road as the first round of the postseason produced no upsets in the Western Conference, with the top four seeds winning their respective series. The Otters dispatched the Saginaw Spirit in five games, including three which went to overtime. The West Division champion Greyhounds needed five games to send the Owen Sound Attack packing.

Erie should have their young playoff jitters under control. Lack of postseason experience showed throughout the first round. Never was it more evident in Game 3 of the series. The Otters sloppy play in their own end and a lackluster performance by G Oscar Dansk resulted in the Otters only loss in the series. They were able to rebound the next two games in the opponents rink and take care of the Spirit, thanks to series heroics from Dane Fox and Michael Curtis.

The Soo had a much easier time in their first round series. With exception of an overtime loss in the first game, the Soo overpowered the Attack, winning each game by  two goals or more.

Season Series

The Otters and Greyhounds met just twice during the regular season. Erie got the upper-hand in the first meeting on Nov. 15 with the Otters cruising to a 3-0 victory at Erie Insurance Arena. Dylan Strome, Patrick Murphy, and Dane Fox were the goal scorers as the Otters peppered Soo netminder Matt Murray with 33 shots in the victory. Devin Williams stopped 18 shots en rout to the shutout.

The second time around, it was all Greyhounds. The Soo blew out the Otters 8-2. Bryan Moore netted a hat-trick in the rout. Oscar Dansk was chased after allowing six goals.

It will be hard to gauge just how this series will turn out just based on the two sample of these teams meetings this season. That said, it will come down to individual performances.

Players to Watch

For Erie, it will be on the shoulders of the always clutch Dane Fox. The Canucks prospect led all of the CHL in goals this season with 64 and is known to score when his team needs it most. Playing on a line with Connor Brown and Connor McDavid definitely helps Fox get loose and be in the right place at the right time to net markers. He netted two out of the three game-winning goals in overtime against Saginaw. Expect a few goals from the circles from Fox.

Dane Fox has six goals and six assists in five games this postseason,

Expect Andre Burakovsky to keep up his stellar play. The winger scored goals in four out of five games in the previous series, including two two-goal games. He has six total this postseason so far.

Goaltending may be Erie’s biggest question mark. Devin Williams held his own in the last series with Saginaw, while Oscar Dansk rode the struggle bus in his only start of the series. However, as Victor Fernandes of the Erie Times-News reported earlier in the week, head coach Kris Knoblauch is planning on sticking with the two goaltender system. It will be interesting to see how Dansk responds after struggling hard the past couple of months.

For the Soo, it will be all about the defense, most notably Edmonton Oilers first-round pick Darnell Nurse. The nephew of former Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb, Nurse has been a standout on the back end ever since breaking into the league. He is one of the top defenders in league and can contribute to the offensive game as well. The Otters need to solve the Soo defense to advance to the conference championship.

Nurse has two goals and five assists this postseason.

Prediction

It will be a hard-fought series, but the Otters will come away with another victory. Erie in six.

MAKE YOUR PREDICTION: Vote in the poll below.

The Otters begin the series on the road in Sault Ste. Marie tonight at 7:07 p.m. Otters Press Box will be at Game 3, which is scheduled for Monday at 7:05. Keep following Otters Press Box for updates. You can also follow @RealJeffSnyder and @theZothman for Twitter updates.

 

 

 

Otters Interview Room : 3/22/14

What an exciting game last night. In this edition of the Otters Interview Room, we have Dane Fox, Coach Knoblauch, Devin Williams, and a special appearance by Travis Dermott.

Dane Fox:

Kris Knoblauch:

Devin Williams:

Travis Dermott:

 

OHL Playoffs Round One: Erie vs Saginaw

After a few days of waiting, the Erie Otters (52-14-2-0) found out their opponent for the first round of the postseason will be the Saginaw Spirit (33-30-4-1).

Erie holds the third seed in the Western Conference. Saginaw holds the sixth. The Otters were 3-1-0-0 against the Spirit in the regular season with one of those victories coming in a shootout. Erie’s only loss was in the third game of the season when Saginaw beat them 2-1 at the Dow Event Center on September 25. The Otters have outscored the Spirit 11-9 in those four contests this season.

Erie is coming off a record setting season in all aspects of play. As a team, Erie set the franchise record for most points in a season (106), wins in a season (52), goals scored in a season (312), and  fewest goals allowed in a season (170).

Individuals shined brightly during the regular season. The Otters boasted three of the leagues top four scorers. Connor Brown set the team record for assists (83) and points (128). The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect earned the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy as the leagues top scorer as well as the Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy as the top scoring right winger.

Brown led the league with 128 points during the regular season.

Dane Fox set the franchise record for goals in a season with 64. He added 43 assists to bring his point total to 107. Before this season, no Otter ever accumulated more than 99 points in a campaign.

Connor McDavid came just one point shy of the century mark. However, the 17-year-old played in just 56 games this season, mainly due to being away while playing internationally. His slick hands have earned him international attention. Look for him to turn it up to eleven for the playoffs.

Andre Burakovsky had a stellar season as well. The first-round draft pick of the Washington Capitals showed off his wicked shot, netting 41 goals in 57 games. The additions of Michael Curtis, Brendan Gaunce, and Dylan Strome have also boosted the offense.

The Otters defense has done a complete 180 from previous years. The additions of Travis Dermott, Kurtis MacDermid, and Cory Genovese have kept the opponents shot totals low. Mainstay’s Adam Pelech and Spencer Abraham contributed thoroughly on offense this season. Look for that to continue in the postseason.

The year was also kind to goaltenders Oscar Dansk and Devin Williams. As mentioned previously, the netminding duo let in a mere 170 goals combined this year. That earned them the Dave Pinkley Trophy for fewest goals against. Both showed they are more than capable of being between the pipes whenever called upon.

Dansk went 29-9-1-0 on the season. He was the league’s top goaltender with a 2.39 GAA and a .909 save percentage in 42 games. Dansk gave up a total of 96 goals this season. He backstopped Team Sweden to a silver medal at the IIHF World Junior Championships in January.

Williams had a breakout season. After spending two seasons playing second fiddle to Ramis Sadikov and Dansk, Williams showed that he is more than capable as a potential number one goaltender. Williams allowed a league low 72 goals in 31 games this season while going 23-5-1-0. He was the 14th ranked North American goaltender in the latest rankings from NHL Central Scouting in January.

Expect Dansk to get the nod for all but one game of this series. Williams is a Saginaw native and head coach Kris Knoblauch will most likely give him a playoff start in his hometown.

In contrast to the Otters massive offensive production, Saginaw scored 254 goals this season. They had no players in the top 20 in scoring. However, team chemistry has boosted this squad to where they are.

The Spirit are led by Kristoff Kontos. The overage forward had 25 goals and 50 assists during the regular season. Another player to watch will be Eric Locke. The Buffalo Sabres prospect was limited to 48 games this season but was  very productive when he did play. Locke had 26 goals and 34 assists with a plus-14 rating.

On the blueline, Justin Sefton and Jesse Graham have been huge producers on both ends of the ice. Sefton had 16 goals on the season, including a team leading 11 on the power play. Graham was acquired from Niagara about mid-way through the campaign. He totaled 54 points on the season, including 37 while with the Spirit, which tied him with Sefton for the team lead. A team with offense on the back end can be lethal. The Otters need to contain these two talents to be successful.

Sefton had 11 goals on the power play this season.

The goaltending duties have been split by Jake Paterson and Nikita Serebryakov. Paterson handled the majority of the load this season, going 24-18-2-0 in 45 games. Paterson had a 3.41 GAA and a .906 save percentage. Serebryakov was shaky at best this year, going 9-12-2-1 with a 3.53 GAA and a .897 save percentage. Paterson should be the go-to-guy for Saginaw in this series.

The Spirit come into this series playing with a heavy heart. Forward Terry Trafford apparently took his own life just last week. The entire league paid tribute to Trafford over the weekend, holding a moment of silence in every rink. Needless to say, the Spirit should be coming out and playing with a ton of heart. They’re going to try to keep this season going as long as the can.

PREDICTION:

The Otters high powered offense will be too much for the Spirit. Erie will win the series in five games. The line of Brown-McDavid-Fox will pepper Paterson and/or Serebryakov the entire series. Even though the Spirit have played well against the Otters this season, the defense and goaltending tandem of Dansk and Williams will over power Saginaw quickly. Erie will be moving on to the second round.

Make your prediction. Vote in the poll below:

Otters Press Box will be at the first two games of the series at Erie Insurance Arena on Friday and Saturday. For Friday’s game, Jeff Snyder will be handling the in-game blog and live tweeting. You can follow him at @RealJeffSnyder. For Saturday, Spencer Zoth will be handling the in-game blog and live tweeting. You can follow him at @theZothman. Check Otters Press Box regularly for content and updates before the puck drops Friday night.

Images from the Ontario Hockey League website were used in this article.

Otters Interview Room: Post-game at Plymouth 3/14/2014

In this edition of the interview room, we speak to head coach Kris Knoblauch, C Brendan Gaunce, and C Connor McDavid following the Erie Otters 10-1 victory over the Plymouth Whalers on Friday.

Kris Knoblauch:

Brendan Gaunce:

Connor McDavid:

In-game: Erie Otters at Plymouth Whalers 3/14/2014

Hi everybody and welcome to our first road edition of the Otters Press Box In-Game Blog. Trying a top-down format to minimize scrolling each refresh.

Developing stories: Plymouth going with a young line-up tonight with scratches including Ryan Hartman and Carter Sandlak. The Whalers are locked into the eighth seed and can’t advance any higher. Zack Bowman starts in net for them.

In-Game:

Erie 10 Plymouth 1

Shots: Erie 54 Plymouth 25

PP: Erie 3-5 Plymouth 0-5

3 Stars:

3. Curtis

2. McDavid

1. Gaunce

THIRD PERIOD:

That’s it. Another double digit goal total vs. Plymouth. Erie wins 10-1.

Penalty killed. Less than one to play

Devin Williams was credited with an assist on Fox’s goal.

Evans ended up in the box after chirping some Whalers. Erie on the PK.

Another goal as Evans buries a rebound in-front of the net. 10-1

Curtis finishes some tic-tac-toe passing with a wrister from the slot. Otters up 9-1

Dane Fox blows a slapper from the left circle by Bowman. 63rd of the year. 8-1 Otters.

Betz and Addesi get coincidental minors. 4-on-4 hockey.

Erie keeping the puck in the Plymouth end most of the frame. They’ve been peppering Bowman the whole period. Still haven’t got one by him.

Still 7-1 with 13:22 remaining.

Plymouth back at full-strength.

We’re back for the third. Erie has a 1:04 PP to start the frame.

SECOND PERIOD:

Period ends. Otters up 7-1. Offensive onslaught.

Otters to the PP as Betz is released. 15.8 to play in the second.

PK ends as Francesco Vilardi is sent off for hooking Brendan Gaunce. 4-on-4 hockey.

Otters back to the PK as Betz is sent off for interference.

Otters goal reads Gaunce (28) from Wood.

Gaunce nets his second of the night on a two on one with Travis Wood. 7-1.

Otters 6th goal reads Abraham (8) from Burakovsky and Curtis.

Otters 5th goal read McDavid (27) from Brown and Pelech

Otters 4th goal reads McDavid (26) from Gaunce

6-1 as Spencer Abraham nets his eighth of the year on the PP.

McDavid nets his 2nd of the period. 5-1 Otters.

Another penalty to Plymouth as Alex Peters gets the gate for hooking.

Cullen Mercer got 2 for checking to the head. Erie on a PP.

Now Troy Donnay is released from the box and immediately gets into a scrap with Nick Malysa. Both get 5 for fighting.

McDavid with a slick shorthanded goal. 4-1 Erie.

Otters getting a ton of offense on each PK. Many shots and a ton of time of possession.

Troy Donnay sent off for a check to the head. A minor. Erie back to the PK.

Penalty killed.

Otters to the PK as Betz is sent off for charging.

Otters goal reads Gaunce (20) from Wood at 2:50.

Gaunce jams away and stuffs one past Bowman. Otters lead 3-1

Puck drops. We’re back underway at Compuware. Erie immediately kills penalty.

FIRST PERIOD:

That’s the end of the first. Otters lead 2-1. Plymouth with a 0:02 PP to start the 2nd.

Otters back to the PK as Jake Evans is sent off  for tripping.

Otters goal reads Curtis (26) from Donnay and Strome at 16:17.

Michael Curtis tips-in a Troy Donnay shot. 2-1 Otters

“Whaaaaaaallleerrrrrrrrrrrrrssssssss goooooooooooaaaaaaallllllllllll” reads Lorentz (27) from Yetman and Dunda.

Whalers answer right back as Zach Lorentz snaps one by Williams. Tied at 1.

Otters PP goal reads Burakovsky (39) from Fox.

Andre Burakovsky continues his goal scoring streak netting a PP goal. 1-0 Otters.

Alex Peters is the Whaler who received the penalty.

Otters back to the PP as Yannick Rathgeb slashes Dylan Strome. Still scoreless at the media timeout.

Both teams full strength.

Otters kill the first penalty as Fox returns.

MacDermid gets the gate for boarding. Erie now down 2 men.

Dane Fox is sent off for slashing. First look at the PK tonight.

Good PK by Plymouth. Both teams full strength.

McDavid tripped up by Connor Sills. Otters to the PP.

Puck drops. We’re underway here at Compuware Arena

Lines:

Erie:

Forwards:

Fox-McDavid-Brown

*Burakovsky-Gaunce-Wigle

Curtis-Strome-Evans

Wood-Murphy-Betz

Defense:

*Pelech-Genovese

Dermott-Donnay

MacDermid-Abraham

Goaltender: Williams

Scratches: Felker, Pettit (upper-body), Raddysh, Maksimovich, Dekoning

Plymouth:

Forwards:

*Mistele-Vilardi-Hiddink

Mercer-Crus Rydberg-Sills

Addesi-Lorentz-Yetman

Dunda-Vanderwiel-Scognamiglio

Defense:

Peters-Wesley

Henderson-Malysa

*DiCarlo-Rathgeb

Goaltender: Bowman

Scratches: Jones, Chatham, Hartman, Sandlak, Cucuruto.

Otters in Plymouth For Penultimate Regular Season Contest

Setting the stage.

The Erie Otters (50-14-2-0) close up the road portion of their regular season tonight in Plymouth, facing a Whalers team which they have found much success against.

The Otters are playing their second game against Plymouth in as many weeks. The Otters came up with an 11-2 rout over the Whalers on what was a night of magic in the offensive zone. Erie netted three goals within the first four minutes of the contest, chasing reigning CHL Goaltender of the Week Alex Nedeljkovic. His backup Zack Bowman didn’t fare any better, letting in eight more goals. The highlight of the game was a Connor McDavid goal which has been posted countless times on various sports websites (including this one).

Erie then proceeded to put up more goals in the ensuing contests against Windsor and Kitchener, winning both games by scores of 6-1 and 7-3 respectively. The Otters are coming off a 3-2 win last night in Windsor, which featured two markers, including the game winner from OHL leading scorer Connor Brown.

The Whalers (27-32-0-7) have gone 2-2-0-0 since the rout last Wednesday. They are coming off a 2-1 loss to Owen Sound last night, after the game was pushed back from Wednesday due to poor travel conditions.

Both teams are locked into a playoff spot. The Whalers are guaranteed the eighth seed in the West. The Otters need to win both games and hope Guelph loses twice in regulation for a shot at the number one seed. If the Otters lost both games, there is chance London can jump them for third.

What to watch for.

Look for both teams to be a little winded from the quick turnaround after playing on the road last night. The OHL’s travel schedule is notoriously brutal and spending hours on these coach buses could potentially effect play.

However, look for the Otters to continue the scoring onslaught against a Whalers squad they have outscored by a total of 18-5 in three contests this season. Connor Brown and Connor McDavid should continue to stay hot. Add-in Dane Fox and this first line may be unstoppable against the lowly Whalers defense.

The goaltending question. It should be Devin Williams getting the call tonight for Erie as Oscar Dansk picked up the win last night in Windsor. Alex Nedeljkovic should get a chance at redemption for last week’s game at Erie Insurance Arena and get the start in-front of his home crowd at Compuware Arena tonight.

Players to watch.

For Erie, watch out for Brendan Gaunce. Ever since becoming the anchor of the third line, the Otters as a team have become that much more powerful. Gaunce can play exceptionally at both ends of the ice. Even though the move to the checking line has seen a decrease in scoring from the Vancouver Canucks prospect, the production of the line as a whole has increased significantly.

On the back end, look for the veteran Spencer Abraham to contribute to the offense in some way tonight. Abraham is a smooth skater and can join the rush easily. He has seven goals and 27 assists this season. His play in the defensive zone should be stellar as well.

Abraham should contribute offensively tonight.

For Plymouth, take a look at Carter Sandlak. The son of former NHL’er and current Anaheim Ducks scout Jim Sandlak, the hockey genes bleed through the sweater of this overager. Sandlak has 24 goals and 23 assists this year. He also isn’t afraid to drop the gloves. In fact, just searching his name on YouTube will give the viewer a barrage of  fisticuffs. Look for the tough guy to contribute in multiple ways tonight.

On the back end, look for Alex Peters. Despite being absolutely humiliated by McDavid last week, Peters is actually one of the leagues better defensemen. He was ranked 36th among North American skaters in the latest NHL Central Scouting rankings for the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He is a -2 on the season where many his teammates have ratings of -10 or worse. Offensively, he has three goals and five assists in 48 games this season. At 6’3″, 207 lbs., look for Peters to use all of his frame to stop the Otters tonight.

Peters was ranked 36th among North American skaters in the most recent ranking from NHL Central Scouting.

Random notes.

Otters Press Box hits the road for a rare away game. You can follow all the action on the in-game blog starting with the puck drop at 7:00. You can also follow Twitter updates from Jeff Snyder at @RealJeffSnyder. Check Otters Press Box regularly for updates leading up to tonight’s contest.

Photo credits from the Ontario Hockey League.

Otters Interview Room 3/11/2014

At Otters practice this afternoon, I caught up with head coach Kris Knoblauch, captain Connor Brown, and C Connor McDavid.

Here’s Knoblauch speaking about the final three games of the year. He also reacts to the Rich Peverley situation in Dallas last night.

)

Brown talks about the end to his record setting regular season.

)

McDavid weighs in on potentially hitting the century mark.

)

McDavid Named OHL Player of the Week

Erie Otters C Connor McDavid has already received a ton of attention for his efforts of the past week. Today, the Ontario Hockey League awarded him for his exceptional play, naming him the Player of the Week.

McDavid netted four goals and added seven assists. The impressive week was highlighted when the 17-year-old scored this goal against the Plymouth Whalers, receiving international attention:

McDavid has 25 goals and 68 assists for 93 points, good for third on the Otters. He has only played in 53 games, largely due to playing in the IIHF World Junior Championship for Canada in late December-early January.

McDavid is third on the Otters in scoring this season.

The phenom will look to become the third Otter in history to hit the century mark in scoring (Connor Brown and Dane Fox obtained the feat earlier this season) as the playoff bound Otters play three straight games to end the season beginning Thursday in Windsor.

McDavid’s Filthy Goal Circles the Web

Last night, we witnessed an absolutely unreal goal from Connor McDavid in the Otters 11-2 win over Plymouth.

The wunderkind undressed defenseman Alex Peters and then absolutely froze goaltender Zack Bowman for his 22nd goal of the year.

The goal has been circling the web as of this morning, with thanks to an article about McDavid on the popular sports website, Deadspin.

Here is the link to the highlights of last nights game from Craig Smylie and JET 24 Sports. McDavid’s goal is at the 2:05 mark. (The video counts down, so the goal is about :50 in.)

http://www.yourerie.com/story/d/story/otters-score-11-in-win-over-plymouth-3-5-14/18807/Aj01QC9040KNO0RyUOWBWg

UPDATE: Here’s a better video of the goal:

Also, here is the article from Deadspin’s Barry Petchesky:

 http://deadspin.com/this-is-why-connor-mcdavid-is-hockeys-next-big-thing-1537732220

And just think, we get another year of McDavid here in Erie.