The Erie Otters endured two close calls this weekend.
After a one-goal loss to Niagara on Friday, the Otters lost 2-1 in overtime to Peterborough in front of 3,524 at Tullio Arena on Saturday night.
Petes winger Lino Martschini scored 3 minutes, 8 seconds into overtime to send the Otters (5-36-2-1) to London on Sunday with a 10-game losing streak.
The Otters and Petes played to a scoreless tie in the opening period. But the Otters had a chance to take control early in the game. Derek Mathers knee-to-knee hit on Otters winger Dane Fox, which briefly shook up Fox, led to Mathers’ game misconduct and a five-minute power play for the Otters.
Yet the Otters managed only three shots on goal during the extended man advantage. The teams finished the period with 10 shots on goal apiece. Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov and the Petes’ Mike Morrison traded saves in the opening half of the second period as well.
But the Otters’ Dane Fox snapped the tie. His shot from a tight angle along the side of the net caromed off Morrison and trickled into the net to hand the Otters a 1-0 lead with 6:35 left in the period. Connor Brown and Sondre Olden had assists.
Meanwhile, Sadikov stopped the Petes (21-18-3-3) on all 15 shots in the period. But he couldn’t stop Nick Ritchie’s tying goal 37 seconds into the third. Alan Quine turned a blocked shot at the Petes’ blue line into a centering pass to Ritchie for the goal.
Sadikov and Morrison stood tall for the rest of the period, with Sadikov stopping 11-of-12 in the third. But Martschini’s shot slipped past Sadikov and tucked into the left corner of the net to keep the Otters winless in the second half of the season.
Sadikov finished with 39 saves while Morrison stopped 28-of-29 shots. Former Otter Andrew Yogan, who had two goals in the Petes’ home win against the Otters last month, had no points and was a minus-1 in his first game in Erie since being traded in August.
The Otters face off against London – and former teammates Brett Cook, Greg McKegg and Tyson Teichmann – at John Labatt Centre on Sunday at 2 p.m. Fox and Troy Donnay play against the Knights for the first time since the trade earlier this month.
- Victor Fernandes
SUMMARY
Petes 2, Otters 1 (OT)
Peterborough 0 0 1 1 — 2
Erie 0 1 0 0 — 1
1st Period — None. Penalties — Glass (E) high sticking, 1:39; Mathers (P) 5-min. kneeing, 10:03; Mathers (P) game misconduct, 10:03; Erie, too many men (served by McDonnell), 19:10.
2nd Period — 1. Erie, Dane Fox 17 (Brown, Olden), 13:25. Penalties — Donnay (E) roughing, 1:18; Hatcher (P) hooking, 17:14.
3rd Period — 2. Peterborough, Nick Ritchie 10 (Quine), :37. Penalties — None.
Overtime — 3. Peterborough, Lino Martschini 12 (unassisted), 3:08. Penalties — None.
Shots on goal — Peterborough, 10-15-12-4—41; Erie, 10-9-8-2—29.
Goaltenders — Peterborough, Mike Morrison 8-12-2-3 (29 shots, 28 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 3-17-2-1 (41 shots, 39 saves).
Power plays — Peterborough (0-3), Erie (0-2).
Referees — Ben Wilson, Jason Goldenberg. Linesmen — Ryan Wilson, Rick Janco.
Attendance — 3,524.
Three stars
* Ramis Sadikov, Otters (39 saves) ** Dane Fox, Otters (goal) *** Mike Morrison, Petes (28 saves)
