What: Erie Otters (32-27-5-2) at Guelph Storm (33-29-3-1)

When: Today, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Sleeman Centre – Guelph, Ontario

On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)

Players to watch

Erie – C Zack Torquato (30 goals, 60 assists, 90 points), C Greg McKegg (36-46-82, 16 power-play goals), C Mike Cazzola (36-46-82), RW Anthony Luciani (35-29-64), G Adam Courchaine (11-7-0-0 record, 2.89 goals-against average, .917 save percentage, 2 shutouts in 19 games with Otters)

Guelph – RW Taylor Beck (39-52-91, 16 PPG), C Peter Holland (28-48-76), C Michael Latta (33-39-72), C Mathew Sisca (35-30-65), D Adam Comrie (13-25-38)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters (71 points) are tied for sixth with Saginaw in the Western Conference, one point ahead of eighth-place Guelph. The Otters can finish as high as sixth or as low as eighth. … They are guaranteed a first-round playoff series against one of the top three seeds – Windsor, London or Kitchener. … Torquato is the fifth player in the franchise’s 14-year history to record 90 points in a season – Cory Pecker (99 in 2001-02), Rob Hisey (96 in 2003-04), Colin Pepperall (91 in 1997-98) and Brad Boyes (90 in 2000-01). … McKegg and Cazzola have moved into the top 10 on the single-season points list. … Both also are tied for eighth on the franchise’s single-season goals list. … Torquato (tied for fourth), McKegg (tied for 10^th) and Cazzola (tied for 10^th) rank among the OHL’s top 12 in scoring. … McKegg, Cazzola and Luciani are among the top 20 in goals. … Torquato needs one goal to set a new single-season career high. … Luciani has 11 goals in his last nine games. … RW Shawn Szydlowski (20-25-45) has one point in his last four games. He needs three goals and one point to match his single-season career highs in both categories. … Courchaine has followed an eight-game unbeaten streak with three straight losses (4.66 GAA, .865 save pct.). … The Otters have an 11-17-3-2 record heading into their final regular-season road game.

Guelph – The Storm have secured their 18^th straight playoff berth. … They have a four-game winning streak and eight wins in 11 games. … Beck ranks fourth in scoring and tied for eighth in goals. … The Storm trail 3-2 in the six-game season series with the Otters. But Guelph won the last two meetings, most recently a 4-1 win Erie March 3. … The Storm have been outscored by 12 goals this season (253-241). … They rank in the league’s bottom half in goals against.

Up next: vs. London (Saturday, 7 p.m.)

- Victor Fernandes

What: No. 5 Canisius (15-14-5, 13-11-4 AHA) at No. 4 Mercyhurst (15-18-3, 15-10-3)

When: Friday through Sunday, 7:05 p.m.*

Where: Mercyhurst Ice Center

On the air: www.b2livetv.com, www.ErieRadio.com (Internet radio), WQLN-TV (tape delay)#

Ryan Zapolski (Contributed/Mercyhurst College)

Players to watch

Mercyhurst – G Ryan Zapolski (15-15-3 record, 2.72 goals-against average, .919 save percentage, 2 shutouts), F Mike Gurtler (14-15-29), F Brandon Coccimiglio (14-13-27), F Grant Blakey (10-15-25), F Scott Pitt (6-18-24)

Canisius – F Cory Conacher (20-29-49), F Vincent Scarsella (11-25-36), F Josh Heidinger (9-24-33), D Carl Hudson (13-19-32), F Dave Kostuch (13-12-25)

Fast facts

Mercyhurst – The winner earns a spot in the AHA semifinals, set for March 19 at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y. … The Lakers swept Canisius in the 2008 quarterfinals, improving their all-time playoff record against the Golden Griffins to 4-2. … The Lakers host the quarterfinals for the third straight season. They swept Army in 2009 to improve to 11-1 in this round. … They earned home-ice advantage in the series by three points over the Golden Griffins in the regular-season standings. …  The Lakers lost three of four games in the season series, including both games at MIC. … Tonight’s game is the 63^rd between these teams meet – the most against any opponent in the Lakers’ 23-year history. Mercyhurst leads 34-19-9. … Coach Rick Gotkin (399-270-52 record in 22 seasons) needs a win to become the 36^th men’s coach to reach 400 victories. He ranks ninth among active coaches. … Zapolski, an Erie native, set a Lakers’ single-season record with 1,025 saves and moved into third with 2,282 career saves. He leads the nation in saves and ranks 14^th with a .919 save percentage. … Gurtler has points in seven of his last nine games (seven goals, 12 points). He’s tied for the national lead with four short-handed goals… The line of Gurtler, Blakey and F Derek Elliott (7-12-19) has combined for 31 points in the last nine games. … Cameron snapped a six-game scoring drought with a goal last Saturday at Connecticut. … Blakey’s eight-game point streak ended in that game. … The Lakers are 8-5-1 at home this season after posting a 12-2-1 record in 2008-09. … The Lakers are 0-6 in one-goal games.

Cory Conacher (Contributed/Canisius College)

Canisius – Conacher leads the conference and ranks second nationally in scoring. … He headlines an offense that ranks 11^th nationally at3.38 goals per game. … Scarsella, who joins Conacher on the No. 1 line, ranks among the AHA’s top 10 in scoring. … Hudson ranks first in the conference and second nationally in scoring by defensemen and leads the nation’s sixth-ranked power play (21.9 percent) with 10 goals. … D Dave Cianfrini, older brother of Erie Otters D Paul Cianfrini, has six goals, 13 points and a minus-12 rating in 34 games as a senior. … Junior F Eric Rex, a Fairview native who played for the Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets (United States Hockey League) before joining the Golden Griffins, has two points (both goals) in nine games as a junior. … Canisius is tied for 43^rd nationally in scoring defense (3.32 goals per game), nine spots behind the Lakers (3.00).

* Game 3 on Sunday – if necessary    # Will air Monday

- Victor Fernandes

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Portland, Maine – The Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League and the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League announced Thursday that they have extended their affiliation agreement.

The Pirates are currently in the second year of their original deal with the Sabres. The new extension is a long-term agreement that reaffirms the commitment between the two franchises.

“Lyman (Bullard, the Pirates chairman/governor) and I are thrilled to share this great news with our fans, our sponsors and the entire community, who have experienced firsthand, over the past two seasons, the quality and exciting style of Buffalo Sabres hockey at the AHL level at the Cumberland County Civic Center,” Pirates managing owner/chief executive officer Brian Petrovek said. “Greater Portland has embraced a group of world class players, coaches and team staff who have been and continue to be outstanding professionals and people both on and off the ice. We’re looking forward to our future together with high hopes and expectations as we continue to do our part to help develop future Buffalo Sabres and compete for Calder Cup championships.”

Mark Jeanneret, the Erie Otters’ former director of media relations and play-by-play announcer, is in his first season as the Pirates’ director of communications and team services.

- From Buffalo Sabres-Portland Pirates release

Sault Ste. Marie ended the Erie Otters‘ hopes of capturing the No. 5 seed in the OHL’s Western Conference playoffs with a 3-2 win against Saginaw Wednesday night. The Otters can finish as high as sixth and as low as eighth.

The Otters enter Friday night’s game in Guelph tied for sixth with the Spirit and three points ahead of No. 8 Guelph. Erie and Saginaw have two games left apiece. The Storm have three games left, starting with Thursday night’s game against Sarnia.

- Victor Fernandes

BU players celebrate Hockey East title (Contributed/Boston University)

A new hockey tradition is growing at Boston University.

Last Sunday, the 5-year-old women’s program captured its first Hockey East championship and earned its first NCAA tournament berth. On Saturday, the Terriers will play in their first NCAA playoff game.

“We’ve got a storied tradition on the men’s side,” coach Brian Durocher said of the men’s team, which won its fifth NCAA Division I championship in 2009. “All the young ladies who are part of this program were extremely proud to make their own statement in the history of Boston University hockey.”

But the Terriers women’s team isn’t satisfied. Now they want their first NCAA Tournament win.

The No. 8 Terriers are on a roll heading into Saturday’s quarterfinal matchup with No. 1 Mercyhurst. The Terriers beat Boston College and No. 7 New Hampshire – the teams that ended the Terriers’ season in the Hockey East tournament the past two seasons – to reach the title game against No.9 Connecticut. Then sophomore defenseman Tara Watchorn’s shot from the blue line capped the Terriers’ 2-1 overtime win.

Brian Durocher (Contributed/Boston University)

“We’ll walk in there (to Mercyhurst) with great pride,” Durocher said. “We now need to go in there (against Mercyhurst) and try to be loose.” He wasted no time in making sure his team isn’t “content with having a (conference) championship,” Durocher said. “My job is to start to push their buttons early.”

Durocher has pushed buttons all season. The Terriers struggled early this season with holding leads.

The Terriers lost or tied 17 of their first 31 games. But a 2-1 win against Northeastern on Feb. 14 sparked BU’s current six-game winning streak, in which they outscored opponents 16-4.

“Definitely from the neck down, we were not a bad team,” Durocher said. “The record didn’t indicate that because from the neck down we were a little bit soft or a little bit unprepared. … In February and March, we’ve decided to take care of business in our end and hope we’re good enough to get goals.”

Now the Lakers are ready to face the up-tempo Lakers.

“They’ve been there. They are led by great people,” Durocher said. “Mercyhurst plays at a real high pace. When that happens, you definitely have to be ready with your legs. And more than anything else, you’ve got to be ready from the neck up.”

– Victor Fernandes

Mercyhurst College officials have announced a ticket pre-sale for this weekend’s Atlantic Hockey Association men’s hockey quarterfinal series between Canisius and Mercyhurst at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. The teams will play Friday and Saturday with each game facing off at 7:05 p.m. If the teams split the first two games, they will meet Sunday at 7:05 p.m.

Fans who wish to attend the games can purchase tickets beginning Thursday in MIC. The pre-sale will run Thursday from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m., and tickets will also be on sale Friday from 9 a.m. through 4 p.m. Tickets will also be available at the door one and a half hour prior to each contest.  Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children/students for each game. No tournament passes will be available. There are no complimentary tickets available, and Mercyhurst President’s cards will not be honored.

For more information about tickets, please contact ice center director David Leisering at (814) 824-2277.

- From Mercyhurst news release

Erie Otters forward Andrew Yogan’s season could end prematurely – again.

Yogan has been fitted with a permanent cast on his fractured left foot, which he injured blocking a shot against Guelph in a March 3 game at Tullio Arena. The boot was too big for Yogan’s foot, athletic trainer David Stickney said. The permanent cast will keep his foot in place, Stickney said.

Coach Robbie Ftorek said “the way (Yogan) walked put pressure, stress on where (his foot) was broken.”

Stickney didn’t rule out Yogan returning this season. Ftorek wasn’t as positive about the prognosis. He said Yogan’s season possibly is over. “It doesn’t look too good for him,” Ftorek said.

It was originally believed that Yogan fractured his left leg. Ftorek and Stickney confirmed the foot injury on Tuesday. Stickney said it ordinarily takes three to six weeks for this type of injury to heal, “depending on what type of break it is, where it is.” Yogan was evaluated Tuesday by Dr. David Babins, the team’s orthopedic physician. But Stickney said he didn’t know what type of fracture Yogan suffered.

The Otters complete the OHL’s regular-season schedule with games against Guelph and London this weekend. They are expected to begin the Western Conference playoffs the following weekend.

Yogan’s return “depends on how long it takes him to heal, how long it takes him to get back into playing shape,” Stickney said. Yogan’s 2008-09 season, his first with the Otters, was cut short by a concussion suffered Feb. 13, 2009, in London. He ranks fifth on the 2009-10 team in goals (25) and points (55).

In other Otters’ injury news, defensemen Tyler Hostetter and David Shields suffered undisclosed strains in Saturday’s game at Owen Sound. Both missed Tuesday’s practice at Ice Center of Erie. But they should be able to skate Wednesday, Ftorek said.

- Victor Fernandes