No one can blame goaltending for the Erie Otters’ latest defeat.

Tyson Teichmann gave the Otters a chance to win with save after save – a career-high 55 in all.

Yet his teammates gave him little support at either end of the ice in a 6-3 loss to defending OHL champion Owen Sound in front of 2,409 at Tullio Arena on Saturday night. The Attack outshot the Otters 61-23 on their way to splitting the weekend doubleheader, including 47-10 in the final two periods.

Teichmann kept the game from being a rout.

The Attack built an early 1-0 lead on the Otters for the second straight night, as Brendan Childerley poked a wrap-around past goaltender Tyson Teichmann 1:28 into the opening period. But as in a 7-4 win Friday, the Otters responded.

Veteran forwards Luke Cairns and Greg McKegg, who combined for two goals and 11 points on Friday, teamed up on Cairns’ third goal in two nights to tie the score at 1 at the 3:37 mark.

Then late in the period, Sondre Olden’s hustle behind Owen Sound’s net led to fellow rookie Connor Brown’s first OHL goal. Olden deflected goaltender Jordan Binnington’s errant pass. Brown picked up the loose puck and slipped it into the open net for a 2-1 Otters’ lead with 5:44 left in the period.

The Attack tied the score at 2 on Joseph Blandisi’s rebound goal 3:41 into the second. Then the Otters’ ability to clear their defensive zone led to the tiebreaking goal with 7:42 left in the period. Daniel Catenacci scored off a scramble in front, with Jarrod Maidens and Keevin Cutting earning the assist.

The Otters were fortunate to trail only 3-2 heading into the third. Owen Sound outshot the Otters 28-5 in the middle period to build a 41-16 advantage after 40 minutes. Teichmann made several key saves, including a sprawling save in which he swatted the puck off the goal line.

He kept Erie’s deficit at a goal for most of the third period. But former Otters winger Brett Appio scored the clinching goal off a rebound to hand the Attack a 4-2 lead with 6:20 left. He had a goal and assist – his first points of the season.

Cameron Brace added an insurance goal on a breakaway less than two minutes later. Travis Wood scored for the second straight night 1:18 after Brace’s goal. Fellow rookie defenseman Liam Maaskant earned the assist for his first career point.

SUMMARY

Attack 6, Otters 3

Owen Sound  1  2  3  —  6

Erie  2  0  1  —  3

1^st Period — 1. Owen Sound, Brendan Childerley 3 (Nastasiuk, Appio), 1:28. 2. Erie, Luke Cairns 3 (McKegg, Cook), 3:37 (pp). 3. Erie, Connor Brown 1 (Olden), 14:16. Penalties — Bigras (O) hooking, 2:30; Holden (E) slashing, 10:36; Bigras (O) cross checking, 14:36; Cook (E) roughing, 18:46; Blandisi (O) roughing, 18:46; Grant (E) hooking, 19:23.

2^nd Period — 4. Owen Sound, Joseph Blandisi 3 (Petgrave, Zweep), 3:41. 5. Owen Sound, Daniel Catenacci 4 (Maidens, Cutting), 12:18. Penalties — None.

3^rd Period — 6. Owen Sound, Brett Appio 1 (Rose, Smith), 13:40. 7. Owen Sound, Cameron Brace 3 (Blandisi), 15:04. 8. Erie, Travis Wood 2 (Maaskant), 16:12. 9. Owen Sound, Mike Halmo 3 (Petgrave, Catenacci), 19:00 (en). Penalties — McGuire (E) interference, 1:30.

Shots on goal — Owen Sound, 13-28-20—61; Erie, 11-7-5—23.

Goaltenders — Owen Sound, Jordan Binnington 3-3-0-0 (23 shots, 20 saves); Erie, Tyson Teichmann 0-3-0-0 (60 shots, 55 saves).

Power plays — Owen Sound (0-3), Erie (1-2).

Referees — Bob Langdon, Joe Celestin. Linesmen — Drew Jackson, Mike Harrington.

Attendance — 2,409.

Three stars

* Joseph Blandisi, Attack (goal, assist) ** Brett Appio, Attack (goal, assist) *** Luke Cairns, Otters (goal)

Andrew Yogan, who the Erie Otters traded to the Peterborough Petes today, believes his offensive-minded game didn’t mesh well with Otters coach Robbie Ftorek’s coaching philosophy.

“I like to make some fancy moves. I like to take it to the net,” Yogan said. “He wants me to play a little bit more simple. When you’ve played the one way your whole life, that’s the way you’ve got to play.”

Otters GM Sherry Bassin said a clash between Yogan’s style and Ftorek’s philosophy possibly existed. But Bassin said Yogan wasn’t in the team’s plans as an overager. Bassin also plans to trade overage winger Brett Appio, despite praising him for “what he brings to a team. He’s a hard-nosed, hard-skating player.”

- Victor Fernandes

Brett Thompson picked the perfect time to score his first OHL playoff goal.

The veteran winger scored 8 minutes, 51 seconds into overtime to seal the Erie Otters’ 6-5 win in Game 6 in front of 4,059 at Tullio Arena on Sunday. His goal evened the series at 3-3 and forced Game 7 on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. at WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario.

Yet any momentum from the Otters’ 6-5 overtime win in a must-win Game 5 didn’t carry over into the opening period of another must-win game. The Spitfires gained control with three straight goals.

Tom Kuhnhackl scored arguably his easiest goal of the season 8:32 into the opening period. He leisurely slipped a rebound into an open net while players from both teams, including Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov, laid on the ice after a scramble for the puck to the left of the Otters’ net.

Then the Spitfires scored twice – both by Taylor Carnevale – in less than 3 minutes late in the period to take a commanding 3-0 lead. He fired a rebound past Sadikov a second or two before the net kicked off its supports for a 2-0 lead with 5:09 left. He scored again with 2:38 left for his third goal of the series.

However, all but one of Windsor’s three-goal lead vanished in a 26-second span of the second.

Anthony Luciani scored off an assist from Phil Varone to move the Otters within 3-1 at the 3:29 mark of the period. Then Brett Cook’s rebound of Brett Appio’s shot sliced Windsor’s lead to 3-2 at 3:55.

Luciani had two goals and two assists to give him six goals and eight points in the past two games. He leads the OHL with seven playoff goals. Varone had a goal and three assists after totaling a goal and four assists in Game 5. They teamed with Thompson to produce four goals and nine points in the win.

The Spitfires responded 32 seconds later on Stephen Johnston’s goal, which extended their lead to 4-2.

But Luciani continued his torrid stretch with his second of the game, sixth in the last two games and a OHL-leading seventh of the playoffs to move the Otters back within 4-3 with 1:07 left in the period.

The Otters tied it on the power play, as Varone’s point shot eluded Campbell 6:49 into the third period. Derek Holden (two assists) and Thompson had the assists on the goal. The Spitfires rallied late to tie the score for the second straight game. This time, Adrian Robertson scored on a rebound through a crowd in front of Sadikov to tie the score at 5 with 3:59 left.

Yet Thompson’s goal kept the Otters’ playoff hopes alive. The teams combined for 120 shots on goal, with the Otters’ 67 shots setting a new franchise playoff record.

- Victor Fernandes

Series schedule

No. 4 Windsor vs. No. 5 Erie

Game 1 – Erie 2, Windsor 1

Game 2 – Windsor 4, Erie 3 (2OT)

Game 3 – Windsor 6, Erie 2

Game 4 – Windsor 7, Erie 4

Game 5 – Erie 6, Windsor 5 (OT)

Game 6 – Erie 6, Windsor 5 (OT)

Game 7 – Tuesday at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.

Series tied 3-3

* If necessary

SUMMARY

Otters 6, Spitfires 5 (OT)

Windsor  3  1  1  0  —  5

Erie  0  3  2  1  —  6

1^st Period — 1. Windsor, Tom Kuhnhackl 3 (Khokhlachev, Carrick), 8:32. 2. Windsor, Taylor Carnevale 2 (Rychel, Ellis), 14:51. 3. Windsor, Carnevale 3 (Robertson, Posa), 17:22. Penalties — Shields (E) high sticking, 15:10.

2^nd Period — 4. Erie, Anthony Luciani 6 (Varone), 3:29. 5. Erie, Brett Cook 1 (Appio), 3:55. 6. Windsor, Stephen Johnston 4 (Ryan), 4:27. 7. Erie, Luciani 7 (Shields, Holden), 18:53. Penalties — Appio (E) roughing, 7:28; Ryan (W) goaltender interference, 11:49.

3^rd Period — 8. Erie, Phil Varone 3 (Holden, Thompson), 6:49 (pp). 9. Erie, Derek Holden 2 (Luciani, Varone), 10:56. 10. Windsor, Adrian Robertson 2 (Kassian, Ryan), 16:01. Penalties — Ellis (E) holding, 6:39; Cazzola (E) roughing, 10:13; Robertson (W) roughing, 10:13.

Shots on goal — Windsor, 29-10-10-4—53; Erie, 30-15-14-8—67.

Overtime — 11. Brett Thompson 1 (Varone, Luciani), 8:51. Penalties — None.

Goaltenders — Windsor, Jack Campbell 3-1-2 (67 shots, 61 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 2-2-1 (53 shots, 48 saves).

Power plays — Windsor (0-2), Erie (1-2).

Referees — Bob Langdon, Scott Ferguson. Linesmen — Kevin Hastings, Jesse Wilmot.

Attendance — 4,059.

Three stars

* Brett Thompson, Otters (GW goal, assist) ** Phil Varone, Otters (goal, three assists) *** Anthony Luciani, Otters (2 goals, 2 assists)

WINDSOR, Ontario – The Erie Otters played with fire against the Windsor Spitfires.

But the Otters’ penalty kill stopped the Spitfires on 10-of-11 chances on the power play on the way to a 2-1 win in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series at WFCU Centre on Thursday night.

Phil Varone scored short-handed in the first period. Anthony Luciani scored the eventual winning goal early in the second. Ramis Sadikov stopped 40-of-41 shots. The Otters will take a 1-0 series lead into Game 2 on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Tullio Arena.

The Otters controlled play at the outset and also had several scoring opportunities. But it took a Spitfires’ power play for the Otters to score their first goal of the postseason. Varone and Brett Thompson turned a short-handed, 2-on-1 chance into the game’s opening goal with 4:49 left in the first period.

Varone redirected Thompson’s cross-ice pass past Spitfires goaltender Jack Campbell. Yet the Spitfires seemed to gain momentum late in the period. That momentum carried over into the second, even after Thompson set up Luciani’s goal 1:20 into the period for a 2-0 Otters’ lead.

Then at the 3:04 mark, Otters winger Brett Appio was called for hooking. Six seconds later, Stephen Johnston beat Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov to slice Erie’s lead in half at 2-1. Zack Kassian and Adrian Robertson earned assists on the power-play goal.

After that, the surging Spitfires had several quality chances to the tie the score. But the Otters, especially their penalty kill, held off the Spitfires to take the one-goal lead into the third. Windsor outshot the Otters 15-10 in the period. But Sadikov stopped 14 of those 15 shots.

The Spitfires enjoyed four more power plays in the third, including a 5-on-3 for 46 seconds late in the period. But the Otters thwarted all of them to secure a hard-earned victory.

- Victor Fernandes

Series schedule

No. 4 Windsor vs. No. 5 Erie

Game 1 – Erie 2, Windsor 1

Game 2 – Saturday at Erie, 7 p.m.

Game 3 – Monday at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.

Game 4 – March 30 at Erie, 7 p.m.

Game 5 – April 1 at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.*

Game 6 – April 3 at Erie, 4:30 p.m.*

Game 7 – April 5 at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.*

Erie leads series 1-0

* If necessary

SUMMARY

Otters 2, Spitfires 1

Erie  1  1  0  —  2

Windsor  0  1  0  —  1

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Phil Varone 1 (Thompson, Shields), 15:11 (sh). Penalties — Ryan (W) slashing, 1:35; Rychel (W) hooking, 7:48; Cook (E) unsportsmanlike conduct, 7:48; Kassian (W) charging, 8:32; Appio (E) interference, 11:02; Holden (E) checking from behind, 13:25; Pelech (E) holding, 18:51.

2^nd Period — 2. Erie, Anthony Luciani 1 (Thompson, Varone), 1:20. 3. Windsor, Stephen Johnston 1 (Kassian, Robertson), 3:10 (pp). Penalties — Appio (E) hooking, 3:04; Vail (W) cross checking, 7:54; Paton (E) hooking, 10:37; Yogan (E) interference, 13:22; Cook (E) tripping, 15:13; Cook (E) 5-min. fighting, 15:13; Carrick (W) 5-min. fighting, 15:13; Cazzola (E) slashing, 17:27; Ebert (W) slashing, 17:27.

3^rd Period — None. Penalties — Luciani (E) tripping, 5:19; Szydlowski (E) delay of game, 8:59; Appio (E) goaltender interference, 15:37; Szydlowski (E) high sticking, 16:51.

Shots on goal — Erie, 13-10-14—37; Windsor, 15-15-11—41.

Goaltenders — Erie, Ramis Sadikov 1-0-0 (41 shots, 40 saves); Windsor, Jack Campbell 0-1-0 (37 shots, 35 saves).

Power plays — Erie (0-3), Windsor (1-11).

Referees — Dave Lewis, Scott Hoberg. Linesmen — Sean Pindar, Ryan Lachine.

Attendance — 5,524.

Three stars

* Ramis Sadikov, Otters (40 saves) ** Jack Campbell, Spitfires (35 saves) *** Brett Thompson, Otters (2 assists)

SARNIA, Ontario – The Erie Otters needed one more goal to regain fourth in the Western Conference.

Brett Appio made it happen, as his goal with 8 minutes, 47 seconds left in the third period snapped a tie and handed the Otters a critical 7-6 win in front of 4,110 at RBC Centre on Thursday night.

With their season-high, seventh straight win, the Otters (39-26-1-1) moved into a tie with Windsor for fourth place, a spot that guarantees home-ice advantage in the first round of the OHL playoffs.

The Otters also secured a first-round series with the Spitfires. Windsor lost 5-0 at home to Saginaw on Thursday, leaving the Spitfires and Otters with 80 points apiece.

Windsor has a game in hand on the Otters, which complete the regular season tonight in Saginaw. The Spitfires travel to Sault Ste. Marie tonight and to Saginaw on Saturday. Sixth-place Plymouth (76 points), which didn’t play Thursday, plays at Kitchener tonight and hosts Guelph on Saturday.

Sarnia (24-35-5-2) made the Otters work hard for their latest win.

The Otters trailed 2-1 midway through the first period before scoring five unanswered goals in a 16½-minute span of the first and second periods to build a 6-2 lead. But the Sting rallied to tie the score at 6 with four straight goals, capped by Nail Yakupov’s power-play goal 8:28 into the third.

Yet Appio’s unassisted goal snapped the tie less than three minutes later. Appio has 12 goals in 54 games this season, one more than he scored in 114 games the past three seasons.

Shawn Szydlowski led the Otters with two goals – his 40^th and 41^st of the season – and an assist.

Brett Cook, David Shields, Phil Varone and Connor Crisp also scored for the Otters. Anthony Luciani and Mike Cazzola had two assists apiece. Ramis Sadikov earned the win despite allowing six goals on 32 shots. Rookies Yakupov (goal, four assists) and Alex Galchenyuk (three goals, assist) led the Sting with a combined four goals and nine points.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Otters 7, Sting 6

Erie  4  2  1  —  7

Sarnia  2  1  3  —  6

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Connor Crisp 5 (McDonnell), 6:09. 2. Sarnia, Alex Galchenyuk 29 (Yakupov, Peters), 8:04. 3. Sarnia, Joe Rogalski 7 (Galchenyuk, Yakupov), 9:14. 4. Erie, David Shields 6 (Luciani), 9:27. 5. Erie, Phil Varone 32 (Luciani, Thompson), 12:08. 6. Erie, Shawn Szydlowski 40 (Cazzola), 16:37 (sh). Penalties — Appio (E) high sticking, 8:22; Hottot (S) slashing, 8:22; Crisp (E) holding, 15:10; Flemington (S) hooking, 18:36.

2^nd Period — 7. Erie, Brett Cook 8 (Hostetter, Szydlowski), :34 (pp), 8. Erie, Szydlowski 41 (McKegg, Cazzola), 5:52. 9. Galchenyuk 30 (Yakupov), 7:54. Penalties — Holden (E) hooking, 11:00; Ritchie (S) hooking, 11:57; Flemington (S) hooking, 14:52; McDonnell (E) unsportsmanlike conduct, 18:51; Yakupov (S) high sticking, 18:51.

3^rd Period — 10. Sarnia, Galchenyuk 31 (Yakupov, Peters), 3:47. 11. Sarnia, Brett Ritchie 21 (Flemington, Chiarlitti), 4:36. 12. Sarnia, Nail Yakupov 48 (Kerbashian, Chiarlitti), 8:28 (pp). 13., Erie, Brett Appio 12 (unassisted), 11:13. Penalties — Varone (E) roughing, 1:14; Yakupov (S) roughing, 1:14; Luciani (E) holding, 6:37; Yogan (E) roughing, 6:37; Flemington (S) roughing, 6:37; Szydlowski (E) roughing, 11:43; Flemington (S) roughing, 11:43; Hottot (S) interference, 11:43; Yogan (E) cross checking, 14:25.

Shots on goal — Erie, 14-9-9—32; Sarnia, 8-12-12—32.

Goaltenders — Erie, Ramis Sadikov 35-17-11 (32 shots, 26 saves); Sarnia, Troy Passingham 17-15-3-2 (32 shots, 25 saves).

Power plays — Erie (1-5), Sarnia (1-5).

Referees — Ryan Hutchison, Joe Monette. Linesmen — Glenn Anderson, Matt Prozaki.

Attendance — 4,110.

Three stars

* Nail Yakupov, Sting (goal, 4 assists) ** Alex Galchenyuk, Sting (3 goals, assist) *** Shawn Szydlowski, Otters (2 goals, assist)

The Erie Otters keep producing goals and wins in February.

The Otters have outscored opponents 51-20 during their 7-1 surge this month, including eight goals in an 8-3 win against Guelph in front of 4,919 at Tullio Arena Saturday night.

The Otters (32-24-1-1) tied a season high with their fifth straight win and equaled a franchise record with their eighth consecutive home win. Mike Cazzola (goal, two assists) and Greg McKegg (three assists) led the Otters’ attack.

Brett Appio and Shawn Szydlowski scored two goals apiece. Anthony Luciani (two assists), Brett Thompson (goal, assist) and Phil Varone (goal, assist) had two points apiece.

Before the game, the Otters added another piece to their potent offense. Andrew Yogan, who underwent shoulder surgery in September, made his season debut on Saturday. Coach Robbie Ftorek inserted him onto the fourth line alongside rookies Luke Cairns and Chris Marchese.

“Yogy’s got to get in and play, Ftorek said. “Yogy’s got only so many games before we get into the playoffs.”

Then at the 6:30 mark of the opening period, Cazzola scored his 15^th goal of the season off assists from McKegg and Brady Austin to hand the Otters an early 1-0 lead. Then moments after Appio stepped out of the penalty box, he turned a 2-on-1 rush into a 2-0 Otters’ lead.

Appio’s shot squeezed through Storm goaltender Garret Sparks’ pads and trickled into the net with 6:17 left in the period. Varone and Thompson assisted on the goal to extend their point streaks to 16 games and eight games, respectively. The Storm (27-24-4-1) sliced Erie’s lead in half 5:19 into the second. Tim Campbell fired a shot past Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov on the power play.

But Thompson scored his 40^th goal of the season, this one on the power play, to regain Erie’s two-goal lead and extend his goal streak to eight games. Thompson stands one shy of equaling the franchise record of nine, set by Brad Boyes from Nov. 4-25, 2000.

The Otters received a brief scare late in the period. Sadikov was shaken up from a collision with a Storm player in the crease. While head athletic trainer David Stickney tended to Sadikov, rookie backup Chris Festarini appeared to begin preparing his helmet.

But Sadikov remained in the game. Moments later, Varone handed the Otters a 4-1 lead with 1:19 left in the period on assists from Luciani and David Shields. Festarini replaced Sadikov to start the third for precautionary reasons. But Sadikov’s sore leg wasn’t considered serious, said Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager.

The Otters quickly handed Festarini a larger cushion, as they scored three times in a 3:24 span early in the period. Szydlowski scored twice, once on the power play, and Brett Cook scored for a 7-1 Otters’ lead.

Appio capped his two-goal outing with 5:10 left. Yogan had no points and a minus-2 rating.

- Victor Fernandes

Otters’ magic number – 7

Number of combined points from wins and Sarnia losses needed to clinch a playoff spot

SUMMARY

Otters 8, Storm 3

Guelph  0  1  2  —  3

Erie  2  2  4  —  8

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Mike Cazzola 15 (McKegg, Austin), 6:30. 2. Erie, Brett Appio 10 (Varone, Thompson), 13:43. Penalties — Appio (E) holding, 11:34; Lofquist (G) delay of game, 18:34.

2^nd Period — 3. Guelph, Tim Campbell 2 (Holland, Erlich), 5:19 (pp). 4. Erie, Brett Thompson 40 (Luciani, Holden), 10:10 (pp). 5. Erie, Phil Varone 28 (Luciani, Shields), 18:51. Penalties — Cook (E) holding, 3:54; Gaskin (G) tripping, 9:22; Varone (E) hooking, 12:11; Szydlowski (E) roughing, 15:15; Van Laren (G) cross checking, 19:45.

3^rd Period — 6. Erie, Shawn Szydlowski 34 (Cazzola, McKegg), 2:01. 7. Erie, Brett Cook 7 (McKegg), 3:38. 8. Erie, Szydlowski 35 (Cazzola, Hostetter), 5:25 (pp). 9. Erie, Appio 11 (unassisted), 14:50. 10. Guelph, Brock McGinn 8 (Menard, Kosmachuk), 16:58. 11. Guelph, Francis Menard 10 (Kosmachuk, McGinn), 18:53. Penalties — Finn (G) slashing, 4:47; Austin (E) tripping, 6:40.

Shots on goal — Guelph, 13-13-10—36; Erie, 13-12-12—37.

Goaltenders — Guelph, Garret Sparks 8-4-0-0 (25 shots, 21 saves), Brandon Foote (12 shots, 8 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 31-17-1-1 (26 shots, 25 saves), Chris Festarini (10 shots, 8 saves).

Power plays — Guelph (1-5), Erie (2-4).

Referees — Craig Spada, Joe Park. Linesmen — Fraser McIntire, Jesse Wilmot.

Attendance — 4,919.

Three stars

* Brett Appio, Otters (2 goals) ** Shawn Szydlowski, Otters (2 goals) *** David Shields, Otters (assist)

The Owen Sound Attack arrived Wednesday night as the Western Conference’s top team.

But the Erie Otters were the better team in a 6-2 win in front of 3,191 at Tullio Arena.

The Otters (30-24-1-1) continued their offensive onslaught in February, as they reached the five-goal mark for the fifth time in six games. Greg McKegg led the way with his second career four-goal game and third hat trick. Shawn Szydlowski (four assists) and Mike Cazzola (three assists) had multi-point outings.

McKegg recorded the eighth four-goal game in franchise history – the third this season. He’s the first Otter with a pair of four-goal games in the same season.

The No. 1 line of McKegg, Szydlowski and Cazzola combined for four goals and 11 points.

The Otters enjoyed a break from Attack goaltender Jordan Binnington, who has allowed five goals on 95 shots in posting a 3-0 record against them this season. Then the Otters beat backup Michael Zador on their first shot, as Brett Appio’s sharp-angle shot slipped past Zador for a 1-0 lead 2:18 into the game.

McKegg snapped a seven-game, goal-scoring drought – his longest since his rookie season in 2008-09 – with a goal at the 12:21 mark of the first that gave the Otters a 2-0 lead. But he was far from done.

The Attack sliced Erie’s lead in half 20 seconds later, as Roman Berdnikov scored. But with 1:07 left in the period, McKegg scored on the power play – his 36^th of the season – to regain a two-goal lead.

Brett Thompson scored his 38^th goal of the season 3:52 into the second for a 4-1 Otters’ lead. Less than three minutes later, McKegg completed his third career hat trick – all this season – to extend the Otters’ lead to 5-1. Garrett Wilson scored his 36^th of the season 2½ minutes later to move the Attack within 5-2.

But McKegg capped his four-goal night, which tied a career high set Nov. 25 against Belleville, with 5:03 left to hand the Attack (37-16-1-2) their first loss in five games and their second loss in the last 11 games.

The Attack played without injured defensemen Geoffrey Schemitsch and Matt Stanisz. The Otters’ Ramis Sadikov became the first goaltender in franchise history to record 30 wins in a season.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Otters 6, Attack 2

Owen Sound  1  1  0  —  2

Erie  3  2  1  —  6

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Brett Appio 9 (Paton), 2:18. 2. Erie, Greg McKegg 35 (Szydlowski, Cazzola), 12:21. 3. Owen Sound, Roman Berdnikov 4 (Halmo), 12:41. 4. Erie, McKegg 36 (Szydlowski, Varone), 18:53 (pp). Penalties — Petgrave (O) hooking, 15:53; Cutting (O) interference, 17:29.

2^nd Period — 5. Erie, Brett Thompson 38 (Shields, Holden), 3:52. 6. Erie, McKegg 37 (Cazzola, Szydlowski), 6:31 (pp). 7. Owen Sound, Garrett Wilson 36 (Hishon, Gilbert), 8:58. Penalties — Hishon (O) boarding, 4:37.

3^rd Period — 8. Erie, McKegg 38 (Cazzola, Szydlowski), 14:57. Penalties — Cazzola (E) high sticking, 9:41.

Shots on goal — Owen Sound, 5-10-10—25; Erie, 10-11-4—25.

Goaltenders — Owen Sound, Michael Zador 17-5-1-1 (25 shots, 19 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 30-17-1-1 (25 shots, 23 saves).

Power plays — Owen Sound (0-1), Erie (2-3).

Referees — Chris Carnegie, Bob Langdon. Linesmen — Mike Harrington, Daryl Wolfe.

Attendance — 3,191.

Three stars

* Greg McKegg, Otters (4 goals) ** Shawn Szydlowski, Otters (4 assists) *** Mike Cazzola, Otters (3 assists)

BELLEVILLE, Ontario – The Erie Otters didn’t allow this game to slip away.

A night after squandering a late lead in a loss to Ottawa, the Otters broke open a one-goal game with four unanswered goals in a 6-1 win against Belleville in front of 2,421 at Yardmen Arena on Saturday night.

Brett Thompson started the decisive surge 7 minutes, 42 seconds into the second period with his eighth goal in the past four games and 36^th of the season. The goal handed the Otters (28-24-1-1) a 3-1 lead.

Shawn Szydlowski followed with his fifth goal in the past five games and 31^st of the season for a 4-1 lead with 5:11 left in the period. The Otters capped their third win in four games with two goals in the third.

Anthony Luciani reached the 20-goal for the second straight season 1:53 into the period. He finished the game with a goal and two assists. Rookie Luke Cairns added the final goal with 46 seconds left.

Phil Varone had two assists for the Otters. Tyler Hostetter, who rejoined the lineup on Friday in Ottawa after missing three months with a broken hand, scored a goal. Brett Appio also scored for the Otters.

Ramis Sadikov stopped 25-of-26 shots for the Otters. Braeden Corbeth scored for the Bulls (15-32-0-4).

The Otters conclude their three-game East Division road trip today at 2 p.m. in Kingston.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Otters 6, Bulls 1

Erie  2  2  2  —  6

Belleville  1  0  0  —  1

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Tyler Hostetter 5 (Luciani, Varone), 8:04. 2. Erie, Brett Appio 8 (Paton, Cairns), 9:04. 3. Belleville, Braeden Corbeth 3 (Underwood), 14:48. Penalties — Szydlowski (E) 5-min. fighting, 8:07; Judson (B) 5-min. fighting, 8:07; Paton (E) hooking, 9:12; Morris (B) slashing, 16:17; Cazzola (E) high sticking, 17:48; Cook (E) roughing, 19:42; Brassard (B) roughing, 19:42.

2^nd Period — 4. Mercyhurst, Brett Thompson 36 (Luciani, Cook), 7:42 (pp). 5. Erie, Shawn Szydlowski 31 (Cazzola, McKegg), 14:49. Penalties — Luciani (E) slashing, 4:58; Gaunce (B) hooking, 5:37; Bathgate (B) hooking, 5:50; Appio (E) 5-min. fighting, 10:07; Payerl (B) 5-min. fighting, 10:07; Cook (E) 5-min. fighting, 15:22; Sandlak (B) 5-min. fighting, 15:22; Underwood (B) tripping, 18:43.

3^rd Period — 6. Erie, Anthony Luciani 20 (Shields, Varone), 1:53. 7. Erie, Luke Cairns 5 (McDonnell), 19:14. Penalties — Erie, too many men (served by McDonnell), 2:56; Judson (B) checking from behind, 10:07; Szydlowski (E) holding, 14:21; McKegg (E) slashing, 17:58; Basso (B) slashing, 18:32.

Shots on goal — Erie, 13-14-7—34; Belleville, 7-8-11—26.

Goaltenders — Erie, Ramis Sadikov 28-17-1-1 (26 shots, 25 saves); Belleville, Malcolm Subban 7-11-0-2 (34 shots, 28 saves).

Power plays — Erie (1-6), Belleville (0-6).

Referees — Ryan Carroll, Mike Cairns. Linesmen — Brian Hoard, Sean Pindar.

Attendance — 2,421.

Three stars

* Anthony Luciani, Otters (goal, 2 assists) ** Phil Varone, Otters (2 assists) *** Brett Thompson, Otters (goal)

OTTAWA, Ontario – The Erie Otters were less than 5 minutes away from stealing a key win.

But Ottawa’s Tyler Toffoli and Dalton Smith scored 48 seconds apart, including the go-ahead goal with 3:32 left, to hand the Otters a 4-3 loss in front of 5,760 at Rona Centre Friday night.

The Otters (27-24-1-1) took a 3-2 lead on Mike Cazzola’s goal 5:58 into the third period. But Brett Appio’s hooking penalty with 6:05 left led to Toffoli’s power-play goal 1:45 later – his OHL-best 45^th goal and 88^th point of the season – tied the score at 3. Then Smith snapped the tie with 3:32 left.

The Otters squandered three one-goal leads in this game, including two in the third. Shawn Szydlowski scored his 30^th goal of the season – the first time he has reached that mark in his four-year career – to hand the Otters a 2-1 at the 2:32 mark of the third. But Ottawa’s Shane Prince scored 3:10 later.

The Otters also carried a 1-0 lead built on Brett Thompson’s goal 3:12 into the game late into the second period. But Jon Carnevale opened the scoring for the 67’s (34-15-1-1) with 3:46 left in the period.

Cazzola (goal, assist), Szydlowski (goal, assist) and Phil Varone (two assists) led the Otters with two points apiece. Ramis Sadikov allowed four goals on 32 shots. Tyler Hostetter had no points and a minus-1 rating in his first game since breaking his hand Nov. 13 against London. Carnevale had a goal and assist and Petr Mrazek made 32 saves for the 67’s, which have won five straight. The Otters head to Belleville today for a 7:05 p.m. game.

SUMMARY

67’s 4, Otters 3

Erie  1  0  2  —  3

Ottawa  0  1  3  —  4

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Brett Thompson 35 (Varone), 3:12. Penalties — None.

2^nd Period — 2. Ottawa, Jon Carnevale 5 (Sedlak), 16:14. Penalties — None.

3^rd Period — 3. Erie, Shawn Szydlowski 30 (Varone, Cazzola), 2:32 (pp). 4. Ottawa, Shane Prince 23 (Graovac), 5:42. 5. Erie, Mike Cazzola 13 (Cook, Szydlowski), 5:58. 6. Ottawa, Tyler Toffoli 45 (Martindale, Ceci), 15:40 (pp). 7. Ottawa, Dalton Smith 9 (Carnevale), 16:28. Penalties — Lindsay (O) high sticking, 1:03; Zanetti (O) delay of game, 2:17; Appio (E) hooking, 13:55.

Shots on goal — Erie, 14-9-15—38; Ottawa, 4-14-14—32.

Goaltenders — Erie, Ramis Sadikov 27-16-1-1 (32 shots, 28 saves); Ottawa, Petr Mrazek 26-12-1-1 (38 shots, 35 saves).

Power plays — Erie (1-2), Ottawa (1-1).

Referees — Chris Hodgins, Seth Ferguson. Linesmen — Scott Wilson, Eric Dagenais.

Attendance — 5,760.

Three stars

* Jon Carnevale, 67’s (goal, assist) ** Ryan Martindale, 67’s (assist) *** Phil Varone, Otters (2 assists)

What: London Knights (21-16-2-1) at Erie Otters (21-20-1-1)

When: Saturday, 7 p.m.

Where: Tullio Arena

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

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (30 goals, 30 assists, 60 points), C Brett Thompson (26-22-48), RW Shawn Szydlowski (21-19-40), RW Anthony Luciani (15-23-38), C Phil Varone (17-20-37)

London – RW Jared Knight (16-27-43), RW Vladislav Namestnikov (18-23-41), RW Seth Griffith (15-18-33), RW Stephen Sanza (13-12-25), D Scott Harrington (5-12-17)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters (44 points) are in a virtual tie for sixth with Windsor in the Western Conference, one point behind the fifth-place Knights and two behind No. 4 Plymouth. All three teams have at least a game in hand on the Otters. … They have won three of four meetings with the Knights this season, including a 9-4 win in London Dec. 10. … LW Brett Appio (bereavement leave) missed the past two games. But he’s expected to rejoin the team in time for tonight’s game. … Rookie LW Chris Marchese (shoulder) remains out of the lineup. … The Otters are tied for fifth in the OHL with 154 goals following a 12-goal barrage in Friday’s home win against Barrie. … G Ramis Sadikov (21-14-1-1 record, 2.96 goals-against average, .910 save percentage, 2 shutouts) leads the league in minutes played (2,271) by nearly 200.

London – The Knights made major roster changes before Monday’s trade deadline by dealing D Michael D’Orazio (6-21-28) and LW Chris DeSousa (10-8-18) to Mississauga St. Michael’s and C Daniel Erlich (10-25-35) to Guelph. They made five trades overall before the deadline. … The Knights have won three straight and eight of their last 10 games. … They rank among the bottom five in the league with 138 goals scored, on the power play (15.1 percent) and on the penalty kill (77.6).

Up next: vs. Mississauga St. Michael’s (Thursday, 7 p.m.), at Sarnia (Friday, 7 p.m.)

– Victor Fernandes