Erie Otters (18-40-3-5) at Guelph Storm (38-23-1-4)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Sleeman Centre – Guelph, Ontario
On the air: WJET-AM/1400, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)*
Upcoming schedule: Saturday vs. Guelph, 7 p.m. (season finale)
What to expect: The Otters enter the final weekend of the season tied with the 2007-08 club (18-46-2-2) for the third-fewest, single-season wins in the franchise’s 17-year history. They currently have the fourth-worst, single-season winning percentage (.333) in franchise history, behind only the 2011-12 club (.191), 2006-07 club (.243) and 2007-08 club (.294). … The Otters have topped 300 goals against for the second straight season and fourth time in the past seven years. … The Otters have clinched the No. 2 pick in the OHL Priority Selection April 6. Ottawa (16-43-0-5) will have the No. 1 pick. … Otters C Connor McDavid (25 goals, 37 assists, 62 points) entered Thursday trailing Sarnia RW Nikolay Goldobin (27-36-63) by one point for the league’s rookie scoring title. McDavid leads his counterpart by one assist and trails him by two in goals. The Sting faced Oshawa at home Thursday night. … McDavid needs one point to set a new franchise mark for points by a rookie in a season. He’s tied with Tim Connolly, who had 62 points in the 1997-98 season. McDavid already has broken the club’s mark for assists by a rookie in a season originally held by Brad Boyes (36 in 1998-99). … RW Connor Brown (26-41-67) could finish the season among the league’s top 20 scorers. … C Jake Evans (5-11-16) remained on crutches for Wednesday night’s loss to London at Erie Insurance Arena. … The Otters are holding a raffle as part of their annual Mario Lemieux Foundation Night. Tickets are $5 for one, $20 for five and $50 for 15 and will be drawn Saturday night. The list of 15 prizes include a framed Lemieux sweater signed by 15 players from his fantasy camp and sweaters signed by Lemieux, a Hockey Hall of Famer and Penguins co-owner, and current Penguins Evgeni Malkin and James Neal. … Guelph stands four points behind Midwest Division rival Kitchener with two games left. The Storm need to sweep the Otters this weekend and Rangers losses in Sault Ste. Marie and Saginaw this weekend to clinch the fourth seed and home-ice advantage in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. … The Storm are fourth in the league with 247 goals scored despite having one player among the top 20 in goals (RW Scott Kosmachuk, 33) and no players among the top 20 in points.
* Saturday’s game will air on WFNN-AM/1330

- Victor Fernandes

Former Erie Otters captain Brad Boyes, now a 7-year NHL veteran who signed a 1-year contract with the New York Islanders this past summer, shared his thoughts earlier this week on the lockout and the state of negotiations between the league’s owners and Players Association:

On when the season could start:
I honestly have no idea. I’m trying to stay as involved and up to date as I can. I’ve been to a few meetings. Hopefully I’m going to try to be at some meetings this week in New York to get a better sense of it. But to tell you I have an answer for that or anybody does, I’d think they’re lying. It’s pure speculation. I can’t even guess right now. I don’t even have a good guess. It could be a week. It could be two months. It all depends on where we’re at. I think I’ve got a pretty good idea where we’re at. But it depends on where the owners are at and what they want to do, how long they want to hold it for.

On possibly losing the whole season:
I don’t think we’re concerned about that right now. I think there is a deal to be had. It’s just a matter of both sides agreeing to it. We’ve got to prepare for the worst obviously. But right now, it’s trying to get that deal done. I think there is some optimism, but again when is that going to happen. Nobody really knows.

On the negotiations:
You’re going to come to a resolution at some point anyway. It just depends on when (both sides) are willing to give in. If that’s the point, and we both know when that point is, then obviously we could have gotten the deal months ago hypothetically. You can always get the deal done if they’ll accept what we’re offering or we’re willing to accept what they offer. But at this point, we’re not doing that. We don’t believe it’s a fair deal. As a player, until the owners are willing to accept a fair deal that works for both sides and not just the owners, then we’re going to be sitting here for awhile. It’s tough. It’s not to say it’s in the owners’ hands. But they are theoretically the ones with the power. They’re the ones that control whether we play or not. I think the proposals that we’ve given have been very forward thinking and frankly work for both sides. That’s what we’re willing to do. We’re just looking for a fair deal. We’re not trying to have the wool pulled over our eyes like last time (following the loss of the 2004-05 season). The players made huge concessions and the owners got what they wanted. Now they want what they want again. It’s a matter of figuring out the system -

On the lockout’s potential damage to the league:
I think there’s at least a sense that we’re not playing right now. We’re not getting on TV. You’ve got a massive media market (like New York City). We’re not taking advantage of it – I was reading something the other day that the same thing happened with the Rangers in ’94. The lockout in ’95, that took a lot of steam away from that momentum (from their Stanley Cup championship in 1994).
It will hurt. It’s just a matter of how much we’re willing to get those fans (back). You’ve got to come to a deal (so) that this stuff is not going to happen again. If we agree to the things that they’re proposing, five to seven years down the road it’s going to be the exact same thing. Itt’s just going to keep going over and over and perpetuate itself until there’s a system in place that’s good for both sides and is not going to continue to hurt the game and help both the big-market and small-market teams.

- Victor Fernandes

Erie Otters coach Robbie Ftorek often doesn’t rave about a player with only five games of OHL experience. But he’s already gushing about No. 1 pick Connor McDavid. Ftorek compares him to current NHL players Brad Boyes and Ryan O’Reilly, two of the most revered players in Otters’ history.
Here’s what Ftorek said earlier today (without me asking specifically about McDavid):
“The fans really need to come out and watch Connor McDavid play, watch his abilities. I think people in Ottawa and the people in Kingston that didn’t come out (this past weekend), it’s too bad for them because that’s the only time they’re going to get a chance to see that kid play this year.
He really is a very talented young man. It doesn’t matter if he scores or produces points or anything. But you just sit back and watch him for the game, and watch what he does, and watch his speed and his creativity, and watch the discipline that he plays with, I think you’ll understand why Sherry (Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager) is so excited about having him here. We’re excited about having him here. He does play on a different level from everybody else. That doesn’t happen a lot. You don’t get to see that a lot.
We’ve had a few guys here, (Boyes) and (O’Reilly) and some of the other guys. But this guy is a little different than even those two guys. You don’t get that too often. He’s something to see.”

- Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters will hold the 10th annual Champions for Education Golf Tournament Sept. 12 at 11 a.m. at Peek’n Peak Resort and Spa’s Lower Course in Findley Lake, N.Y. In past years, the event kicked off the OHL club’s week-long training camp at the end of August. But the Otters are moving camp to an undetermined location in Ontario later this month because of ongoing renovations at Erie Insurance Arena.
The shotgun tournament costs $150 per player, and includes a GPS-equipped golf cart, lunch, snacks and beverages on the course, dinner following the round, prizes and more. Participants will play with current or former Otters.
The event benefits the Brad Boyes Scholarship, which is awarded annually to a local male high school athlete who excels on and off the playing field, as well as the educational needs of former Otters and numerous charities. Call Sean Newsham at (814) 455-7779 to register.

London, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that goaltender Michael Houser of the London Knights is the 2011-12 recipient of the Red Tilson Trophy awarded to the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player of the Year as voted by the writers and broadcasters that cover the league.

Houser played an incredible 62 games between the pipes for the first place Knights backstopping the club to their fifth Hamilton Spectator Trophy as the OHL’s top regular season team. Also named the OHL’s Goaltender of the Year, Houser posted a record of 46-15-0-1 tying the OHL single season record for most wins by a goaltender set by Andrew Engelage of the OHL Champion Windsor Spitfires in 2009.

“It’s a huge honour,” said Houser. “There are a lot of great players in the league, especially this year, and it is nice to be recognized. It’s an award that I couldn’t have won without the teammates in front of me. They play hard every night and they make my job a lot easier. A lot of thanks go out to them.”

Houser is just the fifth goaltender to receive the prestigious Red Tilson Trophy following Andrew Raycroft (Kingston 2000), Bill Harrington (Kitchener 1952), Glenn Hall (Windsor 1951), and Gil Mayer (Barrie 1949). He is also the fifth member of the Knights to win the award following Corey Perry in 2005, Jason Allison in 1994, Dave Simpson in 1982, and Dennis Maruk in 1975. The 19-year-old native of Wexford, PA, is also just the third American-born player to win the award following David Legwand (Plymouth 1998), and Pat Peake (Detroit 1993).

“We’re honoured to have had Michael on our team once again this season,” said Knights General Manager and Head Coach Mark Hunter. “He’s a leader both on and off the ice and is definitely one of our hardest workers setting an example for the rest of the team. Houser is one of the biggest reasons we finished first overall and have made it all the way to the Rogers OHL Championship Series and we’re pleased to see him receive the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player of the Year.”

Undrafted into the OHL, Houser joined the Knights prior to the 2009-10 season and has already played in 141 regular season contests. His 62 games played led all OHL goaltenders this season while his 1862 saves was also the league’s top mark. He finished second with six shutout victories while his goals-against-average of 2.47 was third-best in the league, and his save percentage of .925 ranked fourth overall.

In this year’s Western Conference Coaches Poll, he appeared in three categories and was considered the Best Shootout Goalie, the second Hardest Worker, and the third Best Puckhandling goalie. This season Houser stopped at least 30 shots in 36 different games including six games with 40 or more saves.

The Red Tilson Trophy is the most prestigious individual award presented by the Ontario Hockey League. Accredited media were asked to select their top three choices from the 20 nominees representing all 20 member clubs. Players received five points for a first place selection, three points for second place and one point for a third place selection.

In the 80 ballots collected, Houser received 182 points in the voting process and was listed as the number one selection on 30 of the submitted ballots. OHL Top Scorer Michael Sgarbossa of the Sudbury Wolves finished in second place with 164 voting points, ahead of Tyler Toffoli of the Ottawa 67’s who received 106 voting points, and Mark Visentin of the Niagara IceDogs who received 104 voting points.

The trophy is named in honour of Albert “Red” Tilson, who was killed in action in Europe during World War II. Tilson was the OHA scoring champion for the 1942-43 season after scoring 19 goals and 38 assists for 57 points in 22 games with the Oshawa Generals.

Other winners of the Red Tilson Trophy include Frank Mahovlich (Toronto 1957), Mike Foligno (Sudbury, 1979), Doug Gilmour (Cornwall 1983), Eric Lindros (Oshawa 1991), Brian Campbell (Ottawa 1999), Brad Boyes (Erie 2001 & 2002), Corey Locke (Ottawa 2003 & 2004), John Tavares (Oshawa 2007), Cody Hodgson (Brampton 2009), Tyler Seguin (Plymouth 2010), and Ryan Ellis (Windsor 2011).

Houser will be the OHL’s nominee for the Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year Award presented at the CHL Awards Ceremony during the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup in Shawinigan.

- From OHL news release

Erie Otters defenseman Adam Pelech has been awarded the Bobby Smith Trophy as the OHL’s scholastic player of the year, the league announced Thursday. Pelech, the Otters’ first honoree since Brad Boyes in the 1999-2000 season, also earned the Ivan Tennant Memorial Award as the league’s top high school student. He is the first player in OHL history to capture both awards.
Pelech has a 95-percent average at McDowell and had 20 points in 44 games after recovering from a fractured wrist this season. His older brother, Matt, was named the league’s first recipient of the high school award while playing for Sarnia in 2005.

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that Brandon Saad of the Saginaw Spirit is the 2011-12 recipient of the William Hanley Trophy awarded to the OHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Player.

Saad, a 19-year-old from Gibsonia, PA, scored 34 goals and 42 assists for 76 points in just 44 games while recording just 38 penalty minutes in his second OHL season with the Spirit. He becomes the second member of the Spirit to win the award following current Tampa Bay Lightning forward Tom Pyatt who received the honour in 2006-07.

“It’s an honor to win any award and be recognized by the league,” commented Saad. “I’m excited about the news and happy to win the award and accept this award on behalf of the Saginaw Spirit and my teammates.”

The Spirit captain led all OHL players with 1.73 points-per-game after beginning the season with the Chicago Blackhawks who selected him in the second round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Upon his return to Saginaw he immediately produced an eight-game point-streak and received OHL Player of the Week honours following his second week in action ending October 23. That week included his first career five-point game where he scored a career-high four goals October 20 as first star of a 5-2 win over the Brampton Battalion.

A member of the U.S National Junior Team at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship, Saad recorded 21 multi-point games this season and had the fourth longest point-streak in the league at 16 games between January 15 and February 24. He also finished with the sixth-best plus-minus rating in the OHL with a mark of plus-35.

“Brandon has been an outstanding player for the Spirit organization,” said Head Coach Greg Gilbert. “His commitment both on and off the ice exemplifies the type of player and person he is. His passion for the game and his leadership for our club have been second to none. He plays each game with determination and respect, not only for the game itself, but for his team and opponents. He is a true leader.”

The William Hanley Trophy is awarded each year based on a selection by the 20 General Managers of the Ontario Hockey League. Teams are not permitted to vote for their own candidate with players receiving five points for a first place vote, three points for a second place vote, and one point for a third place vote. The trophy is presented by the OHL to commemorate William Hanley, former Secretary-Manager of the Ontario Hockey Association for over 25 years.

“Since his first day in Saginaw, Brandon Saad has displayed an extraordinary commitment to doing things right, both on and off the ice,” said Craig Goslin, Spirit Managing Partner, President and Governor. “Whether communicating with his teammates or visiting sick kids in a local hospital or doing a community appearance, his approach is consistently conducted with class and respect for others. Our franchise has certainly been the recipient of an outstanding future NHL hockey player and an outstanding person as well.”

Saad received 45 points in the voting process ahead of Tobias Rieder of the Kitchener Rangers who received 38 voting points, and Freddie Hamilton of the Niagara IceDogs who finished in third place with 31 voting points.

Former winners of the William Hanley Trophy include Wayne Gretzky (Sault Ste. Marie 1977-78), Brian Campbell (Ottawa 1998-99), Brad Boyes (Erie 2000-01 and 2001-02), Jeff Carter (Sault Ste. Marie 2004-05), Wojtek Wolski (Brampton 2005-06), and Cody Hodgson (Brampton 2008-09). Last season OHL top scorer Jason Akeson of the Kitchener Rangers claimed the award, while Ryan Spooner won the award in 2009-10 as a member of the Peterborough Petes.

Saad will be presented with the William Hanley Trophy at the 2011-12 OHL Awards Ceremony set for Tuesday June 5 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. He will also be the OHL’s nominee for Sportsman of the Year at the Annual CHL Awards.

- From OHL news release

The Erie Otters couldn’t snap their long losing streak, even with Brad Boyes in attendance.

The Niagara IceDogs erased a two-goal deficit with a four-goal barrage in the second period to hand the Otters their seventh straight loss, 6-4, in front of 3,076 at Tullio Arena on Wednesday night.

Andrew Agozzino, Joel Wigle, Freddie Hamilton and Ryan Strome scored in the decisive period for the IceDogs (6-6-0-1), which turned a 3-1 deficit into a 5-3 lead.

Dougie Hamilton led the IceDogs with a goal and two assists. Agozzino had two goals while Freddie Hamilton and Strome had two points apiece.

A surprise visit from Boyes, the Buffalo Sabres forward and most revered player in Otters’ franchise history, seemed to inspire the home team. The Otters overcame Agozzino’s goal 1:15 into the game by scoring three straight goals, starting with Brett Cook’s tying goal at the 4:04 mark of the period.

Cook turned assists from Greg McKegg and Brett Thompson into his second goal of the season. Then the Otters scored twice in less than three minutes late in the period to take a 3-1 lead into the intermission.

Rookie winger Sondre Olden scored his team-leading fifth goal of the season, this one on the power play, on assists from Connor Brown and Kris Grant to snap the 1-1 tie with 5:31 left in the first. Then first-round pick Stephen Harper scored his second goal on an assist from Brown with 2:14 left in the period.

But things fell apart for the Otters in the second, as the IceDogs scored four goals to take a 5-3 lead.

Agozzino scored his second goal of the night, this time with the man advantage, at the 6:42 mark. Then the IceDogs capitalized on sloppy play from the Otters’ power play to take a two-goal lead.

Freddie Hamilton scored short-handed on an assist from David Pacan with 6:33 left in the period. Then a mix-up in front of Otters goaltender Tyson Teichmann led to Strome’s short-handed goal 10 seconds later. Erie rebounded early in the third with a short-handed goal, as Thompson and McKegg teamed to pull the Otters within 5-4 at the 2:45 mark while the IceDogs were on a 5-minute power play. But the IceDogs responded on the same power play, with Dougie Hamilton scoring 57 seconds later.

- Victor Fernandes

The Buffalo Sabres have added another former Erie Otter into their organization.

Shawn Szydlowski has signed a NHL entry-level contract with the Sabres. He will report to the AHL’s Portland Pirates, where he rejoins Mark Jeanneret, the Otters’ former play-by-play broadcaster and media relations director. He’s the Pirates’ play-by-play voice and director of communications and team services.

The Sabres already have former Otters Brad Boyes, Tim Connolly and Steve Montador on the roster.

Szydlowski, 20, an undrafted free-agent forward, set career highs with 41 goals, 37 assists and 78 points in his final season with the Otters. He finished his four-year career ranked fifth in franchise history with 94 goals and sixth in points with 197. Szydlowski attended an Ottawa Senators’ rookie camp before this season. The Pirates played at the Providence Bruins on Friday night.

He joins three current and former Otters – forwards Anthony Luciani (Florida Panthers) and Greg McKegg (Toronto Maple Leafs) and defenseman David Shields (St. Louis Blues) – to earn deals the past few weeks. Defenseman Tyler Hostetter signed with the Philadelphia Flyers before the 2009-10 season.

In other Otters’ news, Otters forward Andrew Yogan has signed an amateur tryout contract with the Connecticut Whale, the New York Rangers’ AHL affiliate. Yogan trained with the club during his rehabilitation from shoulder surgery. The Whale faced the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Friday.

Yogan, the Rangers’ fourth-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, had three goals and four points in 10 games this season. He has 55 goals and 108 points in 174 OHL games with the Otters and Spitfires.

Luciani, who was assigned to the AHL’s Rochester Americans, was expected to make his professional debut on Friday night against the Binghamton Senators. He could face McKegg Saturday night, when Rochester meets the Toronto Marlies in Toronto. The Peoria Rivermen (Shields) and Adirondack Phantoms (Hostetter) faced the Chicago Wolves and Manchester Monarchs on Friday night.

- Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League are proud to announce that right wing Shawn Szydlowski has signed an entry-level contract with the National Hockey League’s Buffalo Sabres.

Szydlowski completed his Otters career sixth in all-time point scoring with 197 and tied for fifth in goals with 94. He scored a career-high of 41 goals in his overage campaign, and was an invite to Ottawa Senators rookie camp before the season.

The native of Michigan was initially drafted in the 10th round of the 2006 OHL Priority Selection by the Otters. His father, Steve, played professionally for three seasons, including the 1985-86 season with the Erie Golden Blades of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League.

Szydlowski is expected to report to the American Hockey League’s Portland Pirates, where he will reunite with former Otters play-by-play broadcaster Mark Jeanneret. Former Otters Brad Boyes, Tim Connolly and Steve Montador all play for the Sabres, making up the largest contingent of Otters alumni within the NHL. Earlier in the week, Otters forwards Anthony Luciani and Greg McKegg signed pro contracts with the NHL’s Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs, respectively.

- From Erie Otters news release