Connor Brown and Connor McDavid continued their impressive offensive play Friday night. But that wasn’t enough to keep the Erie Otters from their third straight loss, 6-3, to Western Conference-leading Owen Sound in front of 2,395 at Erie Insurance Arena.
Brown scored two goals, giving five goals in the past three games and a team-leading 12 on the season, and McDavid added a goal and assist for the Otters (4-9-1-2). But Daniel Catenacci and Gemel Smith had two goals and two assists apiece for the Attack (11-2-0-2), while Jordan Binnington stopped 20-of-23 shots for his eighth win in nine tries (8-0-0-1) against the Otters.
The Attack jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, as Holden Cook scored unassisted from in close 1:27 into the opening period. Then Jaden Lindo fired a wrist slot from the right wing past Otters goaltender Oscar Dansk at the 8:08 mark to build a two-goal lead.
However, Brown’s consecutive power-play goals – his 11th and 12th goals of the season, as well as fourth and fifth in the past three games – allowed the Otters to overcome a sluggish start and erase that deficit. Brown flipped a bad-angle shot from the corner off Binnington and inside the left post to move the Otters within 2-1 with 8:44 left in the period.
McDavid’s pinpoint pass to Brown in front tied the score at 2 with 5:59 left in the period. McDavid extended his point streak to 15 straight games. He has points in 15 of his first 16 career games. Yet the more experienced Attack gained momentum through their aggressive, attacking style. Owen Sound outshot the Otters 20-3 in the period, including Smith’s rebound in close with 4:11 left in the period that snapped the 2-2 tie. Dansk (32 saves on 38 shots) made several key saves, including on a shorthanded breakaway moments after the Attack took the lead. Owen Sound also began the third with 1:33 left on a power play. But moments after coming out of the penalty box, McDavid stole the puck at the Otters’ blue line and scored on an end-to-end rush to the the score at 3 at the 1:55 mark.
Yet the Attack responded quickly to take a 4-3 lead, as Catenacci scored on a rebound in front 1:05 after McDavid’s goal. Then Catenacci’s second goal of the night and 10th of the season, scored with 8:28 left, handed the Attack a two-goal lead. The Attack sealed the win on Smith’s second goal of the game with 4:17 left.
* News and notes: Troy Donnay left the game after appearing to block a shot with his right foot. His status for tonight’s game against the Attack is unknown. Adam Pelech was able to play Friday despite a bruised left ankle suffered while blocking shots in consecutive games last weekend. … Otters coach Robbie Ftorek altered his top two lines by moving Luke Cairns to the wing alongside McDavid and Brown on the No. 1 line and putting J.P. Labardo in between Connor Crisp and rookie Hayden Hodgson on the second line.

- Victor Fernandes

Connor Brown recorded his first career hat trick, and eight teammates also recorded points. But the Erie Otters couldn’t hold onto an early three-goal lead, as they lost to Sault Ste. Marie 6-5 in a shootout in front of 2,196 at Erie Insurance Arena Friday night.
Andrew Fritsch scored the winning goal in the fourth round of the shootout for the Greyhounds (8-7-0-0). J.P. Labardo had three assists and scored the lone shootout goal for the Otters (4-7-1-2), which lost for the second time in three shootouts this season. Darnell Nurse scored two goals and Nick Cousins had three assists for the Greyhounds.
The No. 1 line of captain Brown, No. 1 pick Connor McDavid and overager Labardo sparked the Otters’ surge to a 3-0 second-period lead. Brown recorded a natural hat trick – his team-leading eighth, ninth and 10th goals of the season. Labardo assisted on all three goals while McDavid had an assist to extend his point streak to 13 straight games.
Brown scored on the power play off assists from McDavid and Labardo to snap the scoreless tie 9:07 into the game. Brown scored again on the power play, this time from Adam Pelech and Labardo, five minutes later to send the Otters into the second period with a 2-0 lead. Brown completed the natural hat trick – his first OHL hat trick – on a rebound of Labardo’s shot 48 seconds into the second.
The Greyhounds sliced Erie’s lead to 3-2 with two second-period goals – from Nurse at 4:03 and Nick Halagian with 7:52 left.
Connor Crisp redirected Spencer Abraham’s shot past goaltender Matt Murray for a 4-2 Otters’ lead with 5:50 left in the period. But the Greyhounds responded by scoring twice early in the third to tie the score at 4. Former Otter David Broll scored from in front to pull the Greyhounds within a goal at 4-3 at the 2:15 mark. Colin Miller‘s first goal of the season, scored on the power play, tied the score at 4 at the 5:45 mark, only to have the Otters regain the lead with their third power-play goal of the night.
Stephen Harper scored on assist from Luke Cairns to give the Otters a 5-4 lead with 11:37 left. Yet the Greyhounds rallied again to tie it at 5 with 6:25 left on Nurse’s second goal of the game. Then the Greyhounds rebounded from an early deficit in the shootut to claim the win.

- Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters rallied from a goal down twice against the Windsor Spitfires Saturday night.
But the Otters didn’t have one more rally in them in the third period, as they lost 3-2 in front of 2,652 fans at Erie Insurance Arena.
Connor McDavid and Jimmy McDowell scored for the Otters (3-7-1-1), while Connor Brown had two assists. Kerby Rychel scored twice for the Spitfires (6-4-0-3), including the winning goal on the power play with 6 minutes, 57 seconds left in the second period.
Windsor scored twice on five power-play chances on the way to outshooting the Otters 39-19. They also neutralized Erie’s top line of McDavid, Brown and J.P. Labardo in the final two periods behind the line of Brady Vail, Ben Johnson and Derek Schoenmakers.
However, defense was optional in the first period, as these teams traded four goals in rapid-fire fashion during a 10-minute stretch.
Schoenmakers scored on the power play off assists from Nick Ebert and Vail at the 6:02 mark to hand the Spitfires the early lead. The Otters responded on the power play three minutes later, as McDowell scored his first goal of the season on assists from Adam Pelech and Brown. Windsor regained the lead at 2-1 on Rychel’s first of two goals – his seventh and eighth of the season – with 8:57 left in the period. Then McDavid tied the score at 2 – and tied Brown for the team lead in goals with six – at the 15:54 mark. McDavid has points in 10 straight games and 10-of-11 overall. He leads all OHL rookies with 14 pointrs in 12 games.
Defenses clamped down in the second period. Windsor held the Otters to four shots on goal in the period and 10 through the first 40 minutes. Meanwhile, the Otters’ penalty kill stymied the Spitfires during a four-minute power play early in the middle period.
But the Spitfires snapped the 2-2 tie on Rychel’s second goal with 7:57 left in the period, once again with assists from former Otters winger Chris Marchese and 2012 first-round pick Josh Ho-Sang. Windsor held the Otters at bay the rest of the way, although Erie had several quality chances in the third period and pressured the Spitfires in the game’s waning moments. Jaroslav Pavelka stopped 17-of-19 shots for the Spitfires. Devin Williams made 36 saves in a losing effort for the Otters.

- Victor Fernandes

LONDON, Ontario – The Erie Otters produced an exciting and entertaining performance on national television Friday night.
Better yet, they produced a much-needed win. Connor Brown scored the only goal in a four-round shootout to hand the Otters a 3-2 come-from-behind victory in front of 9,046 fans at Budweiser Gardens and a nationwide viewing audience on NHL Network.
The Otters (3-6-1-1) snapped a four-game losing streak, as well as avenged a pair of earlier losses to the Knights – 8-2 in London Sept. 21 and 4-3 in Erie Oct. 6. In the last meeting, the Otters rallied from a two-goal deficit to force overtime before losing in a nine-round shootout. Erie also rallied from two goals down this time around to force overtime and a shootout.
London (5-3-0-1) took an early lead on Max Domi’s sixth goal of the season 46 seconds into the opening period. Then Josh Anderson’s goal at the 14:24 mark handed the Knights a 2-0 lead. But J.P. Labardo’s goal with 37 seconds left in the period sparked the comeback.
Connor McDavid and Troy Donnay assisted on the goal, with McDavid extending his point streak to 10 straight games. Then the Otters tied the score at 2 on Adam Pelech’s power-play goal 4:39 into the second period. After a scoreless third period and overtime, these Midwest Division rivals headed to a shootout. Yet it didn’t last as long this time, and the Otters enjoyed a better result.
Both teams failed to score on their first three shots. But Otters goaltender Oscar Dansk stopped Ryan Rupert to start the final round, and then Brown beat Knights goaltender Kevin Bailie for the winning goal. Dansk finished with 37 saves through regulation and overtime and four more in the shootout. Bailie stopped 34-of-36 shots in the first 65 minutes and three in the shootout.
Stephen Harper and Luke Cairns also had assists for the Otters, which head home to face Windsor today at 7 p.m. at Erie Insurance Arena.

GUELPH, Ontario – The Erie Otters began the third period Friday night with a chance at a road win against a Midwest Division rival.
That chance didn’t last long, though, as Tyler Bertuzzi‘s goal 1 minute, 46 seconds into the final period sparked Guelph’s decisive three-goal outburst that handed the Otters a 6-3 loss in front of 3,417 at Sleeman Centre. Erie (2-4-1-1) fell to 1-4-1-0 on the road.
Otters captain Connor Brown scored his team-leading fifth and sixth goals of the season. He scored with 6:36 left in the first period, and then added a power-play goal 24 seconds into the second to complete a comeback from an early 2-0 deficit. Guelph (5-2-0-1) regained the lead at 3-2 on Scott Kosmachuk‘s sixth goal of the season, scored on the power play 4:26 in the period.
That lead disappeared when Spencer Abraham’s first goal as an Otter tied the score at 3 with 6:07 left in the period. But Bertuzzi’s second goal of the game early in the third helped the Storm pull away for the victory. Oscar Dansk allowed all six goals on 39 shots to take the loss for the Otters. J.P. Labardo assisted on Brown’s two goals, while linemate Connor McDavid added an assist to give the team’s most potent line 11 goals and 15 assists in six games together. McDavid leads all OHL rookies with 10 points. He also has a seven-game point streak after being held scoreless in his debut Sept. 20 at Niagara. Tanner Richard had three assists for the Storm.
The Otters return to Erie Insurance Arena to face Mississauga today at 7 p.m.

The shootout already had ventured into the ninth round. Yet Erie Otters goaltender Oscar Dansk wanted it to last longer.
After eight failed attempts, Dansk hoped to give his teammates another chance against London Saturday night at Erie Insurance Arena. But Knights rookie Kyle Platzer scored the only goal of the nine-round marathon to hand the Otters a 4-3 loss in front of 2,667 fans.
The Otters (2-3-1-1) settled for one point and three out of four during their two-game weekend homestand. Meanwhile, the Knights (4-2-0-0) earned their second straight win despite squandering a two-goal, second-period lead. Dansk finished with 19 saves on 22 shots in regulation and overtime before his stellar effort in the shootout. His counterpart, Kevin Bailie, had 26 saves on 29 shots through 65 minutes of action and several more quality saves in the shootout.
No. 1 pick Connor McDavid, Connor Brown and Stephen Harper scored for the Otters. Brown added an assist for a two-point outing.
Seth Griffith and Bo Horvat had a goal and assist apiece for the Knights, while Max Domi added a goal.
McDavid continued his impressive start to his rookie season by scoring 1 minute, 55 seconds into the opening period – his third goal in two nights and fourth goal in seven games. He slid past the Knights’ defense and slipped a shot past Bailie to hand the Otters a 1-0 lead. But that lead didn’t last long, as Domi tied the score at 1 at the 6:23 mark with his fourth goal of the season.
Domi escaped a crowd of defenders behind the Otters’ net and squeezed a shot between the right post and Dansk’s left pad. Then Griffith, who burned the Otters for three goals in an 8-2 Knights’ win in London Sept. 21, scored his seventh goal in six games to snap the 1-1 tie with 8:28 left in the period. Griffth tied Oshawa’s Boone Jenner for the OHL lead in goals.
The Otters dominated at the start of the second. They held the Knights without a shot on goal for nearly eight minutes. Meanwhile, the Otters’ offense generated several quality scoring opportunities. Yet while Bailie stymied the Otters, including key saves in close on Johnny McGuire and Luke Cairns, Bo Horvat scored on the Knights’ first shot of the period to build a 3-1 lead at the 7:56 mark.
But the Otters converted their first power play of the game, as Brown turned a fortunate bounce off a defender in front of the net into his fourth goal of the season. His rebound to Bailie’s left with 2:48 left in the period sent the Otters into the third trailing 3-2.
Then the Otters capitalized on their second power play of the game 9:27 into the third to complete the comeback. After Nick Betz stole the puck from a Knights defender, linemate Jake Evans found Harper in front for his fourth goal of the season.
Harper appeared to give the Otters a 4-3 lead on a power play late in regulation. But the officials whistled the play dead for offsides, a call Harper disagreed with but Otters coach Robbie Ftorek defended. Scott Harrington nearly sealed the Knights’ win in overtime, but his shot from the point glanced off the post and into the ground. Then the Otters killed off a power play in the final 1:32 of the extra period, sending the game into the shootout. But the Otters couldn’t beat Bailie, while Platzer slipped a shot through Dansk’s pads
* News and notes: Head coach Dan Bylsma and former forward Bill Guerin headlined a group of Pittsburgh Penguins officials at the game. Knights defensemen Harrington and Olli Maatta are Penguins prospects. … Scott Howson, the Columbus Blue Jackets’ executive vice president of hockey operations and general manager, attended both games this weekend to watch Dansk, the NHL club’s second-round draft pick this past June. … The Otters scratched Anthony Cortellessa (flu) and Dane Fox (broken foot). Liam Maaskant, Justin Felker and Mitch Eisenberg were healthy scratches. Maaskant and Eisenberg haven’t dressed for a game this season.

- Victor Fernandes

The renovations at Erie Insurance Arena aren’t finished yet. But the Erie Otters already feel at home.
Connor McDavid scored twice, and Oscar Dansk made 34 saves, in their home debut to lead the Otters to a 5-1 win in front of a home-opening crowd of 3,474 fans Friday night. Stephen Harper had a goal and assist, while Connor Brown and J.P. Labardo added two assists apiece.
The Otters (2-3-1-0) snapped a two-game losing streak. Brampton fell to 2-3-0-1.
The Otters were excited to finally play at home after spending the first five games on the road. Then in a heartwarming and emotional pregame ceremony, the club honored Anna Ftorek, the youngest daughter of Robbie Ftorek and Wendy Ftorek who died July 21 at the age of 23, by unveiling a banner in her memory and dedicating the season to her. The players also exchanged hugs with the Ftorek family.
The Otters used that spark to gain momentum early, and then took a 1-0 lead on a goal from an unlikely source – Johnny McGuire. The physical winger scored his first goal of the season – and his fourth in 64 career OHL games – 8:48 into the opening period.
The Otters’ offense sputtered after that. The defense, which allowed 40 or more shots in every game of last weekend’s three-game trip to Peterborough, Kingston and Ottawa, surrendered 13 shots on goal in the period to a Battalion club averaging two goals per game.
Yet rookie goaltender Dansk stopped them all. He stood strong in the second perod as well with 14 more saves. Meanwhile, No. 1 pick McDavid scored in his home debut – his second goal and seventh point of the season – to hand the Otters a 2-0 lead at the 6:06 mark. The rookie center redirected Brown’s cross-ice pass past goaltender Jake Smith before barreling into the net.
Brampton began the third on the power play, as Brown took a holding penalty as time expired in the second. But the Otters capitalized instead, with Luke Cairns scoring short-handed from in close on an assist from J.P. Labardo 10 seconds into the period.
Blake Clarke‘s wrist shot from in front – his second goal of the season – ended Dansk’s bid for his first OHL shutout 7:30 into the third period. But the Otters responded with 4:51 left, as Harper slipped past the Battalion’s normally staunch defense for his third goal of the season and a 4-1 Otters’ lead. Harper tied Brown for the team lead in goals. McDavid tied them in goals two minutes later.
McDavid posted his first career two-goal game, on assists from Brown and Labardo, to open a four-goal advantage at 5-1.

- Victor Fernandes

KANATA, Ontario – The Erie Otters continue to surrender goals at an alarming rate.
They equaled a season high in goals against in an 8-1 loss against Ottawa Saturday in front of 3,981 at Scotiabank Place. Erie also allowed eight goals in a loss at London last weekend, as well as six in an overtime defeat at Kingston Friday night.
The Otters (1-3-1-0) have allowed a league-high 27 goals – more than five per game – in their first five games of the season.
The 67′s built a 3-0 lead 8 minutes into the game on Tyler Graovac‘s natural hat trick before rolling to a convincing win. They had lost the first three games of a season-opening, four-game home stand in their new rink. The 67′s (1-3-0-0) will play in the home of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators for the next two seasons while the Ottawa Civic Centre undergoes renovations.
Connor Brown scored the Otters’ lone goal on the power play, his third of the season, with 5:32 left in the first period.
Connor McDavid had an assist for the sixth point in his first five career games. J.P. Labardo also assisted on the goal for his fifth point in four games with the Otters. But Ottawa scored the final five goals, including two by Remy Giftopoulos. He added an assist to finish with three points, while Brett Gustavsen had a goal and two assists.
Jacob Blair stopped 22-of-23 shots to earn the win in net. In contrast, Oscar Dansk allowed all eight goals on 41 shots two days after stopping 47-of-48 in his first OHL win, a 5-1 victory at Peterborough Thursday. The Otters allowed 40 or more shots in all three games on this road trip. The Otters play their home opener Friday at 7 p.m. against Brampton in the first event at Erie Insurance Arena since the facility closed this past May for renovations. They face London at home Saturday.

LONDON, Ontario – The Erie Otters experienced a flashback to the 2011-12 OHL season.
They resembled the team plagued by mistakes that allowed a league-worst 338 goals – and on the worst possible night, too.
The defending champion London Knights raised the title banner to the Budweiser Gardens rafters before their season opener, and then celebrated with an offensive explosion that handed the Otters a disappointing 8-2 loss Friday in front of 9,046 fans.
The Otters (0-2-0-0) surrendered 54 shots on goal, which was reminiscent of many games a season ago.
Oscar Dansk seemed helpless at times on the way to seven goals against on 39 shots in two periods, including five goals on 21 shots in the decisive second period. Devin Williams made his season debut with 14 saves on 15 shots in the third.
No. 1 pick Connor McDavid recorded his first OHL goal and assist. Connor Brown had two assists, while J.P. Labardo scored his first goal as an Otter. But they were the team’s few bright spots.
Seth Griffith had his fifth career hat trick for the Knights (1-0-0-0), while Adam Restoule scored twice.

- Victor Fernandes

This week, I’ll break down all 20 OHL clubs division by division and unveil my predictions for the 2012-13 season. Today, let’s look at the Western Conference’s Midwest Division (listed in alphabetical order):

Erie Otters
Coach/GM: Robbie Ftorek/Sherry Bassin
2011-12 finish: 10-52-3-3, 5th division, 10th conference
Playoff finish: Did not qualify
Key players: C Connor McDavid (No. 1 pick in 2012 OHL Priority Selection; 33 goals, 39 assists, 72 points in 33 games with Toronto Marlboros minor midget), G Oscar Dansk (No. 3 pick in 2012 CHL Import Draft; 2.82 goals-against average, .910 save percentage in 28 games with Brynas in Sweden), C Dane Fox (23-31-54), RW Connor Brown (25-28-53; Toronto prospect), LW Stephen Harper (24-11-35)
Key losses: G Ramis Sadikov (6-23-3-2, 4.26, .894)
Outlook: The highly anticipated McDavid era begins in Erie, but this team has other promising players at every position. Now these young Otters have to learn how to win after enduring the worst record in franchise history a season ago.

Guelph Storm
Coach/GM: Scott Walker/Mike Kelly
2011-12 finish: 31-31-2-4, 4th division, 7th conference
Playoff finish: Lost to Plymouth 4-2 in conference quarterfinals
Key players: RW Zack Mitchell (37-38-75), G Garret Sparks (27-25-1-3, 3.11, .907, 5 SO; Toronto prospect), RW Cody McNaughton (25-24-49), RW Scott Kosmachuk (30-29-59; Winnipeg prospect), D Andrey Pedan (10-30-40; N.Y. Islanders prospect)
Key losses: C Francis Menard (24-36-60; traded to Peterborough)
Outlook: The Storm are ready to take the next step in this always competitive conference. They play solid defense, led by Sparks in goal and Pedan on the blue line, and they have skill up front in Kosmachuk, Mitchell and McNaughton.

Kitchener Rangers
Coach/GM: Steve Spott
2011-12 finish: 42-24-1-1, 2nd division, 3rd conference
Playoff finish: Lost to London 4-0 in conference finals
Key players: RW Tobias Rieder (42-43-85; Edmonton prospect), D Ryan Murphy (11-43-54, +14; signed with Carolina), C Radek Faksa (29-37-66; signed with Dallas), LW Matt Puempel (34-35-69; acquired from Peterborough, signed with Ottawa), G John Gibson (21-10-0-0, 2.75, .928, 1 SO; signed with Anaheim)
Key losses: C Michael Catenacci (25-44-69), C Andrew Crescenzi (24-23-37; signed with Toronto)
Outlook: The Rangers are a perennial contender in the conference, and they made sure this season was no different with the acquisition of Puempel from Peterborough. Expect the Rangers to be near, if not at, the top of the West in 2012-13.

London Knights
Coach/GM: Dale Hunter/Mark Hunter
2011-12 finish: 49-18-0-1; 1st division, 1st conference
Playoff finish: Won league championship, lost to Shawinigan (QMJHL) in Memorial Cup final
Key players: RW Seth Griffith (45-40-85, Boston prospect), D Scott Harrington (3-23-26, +26; signed with Pittsburgh), D Olli Maatta (5-27-32, +25; signed with Pittsburgh; C Max Domi (21-28-49), C Ryan Rupert (17-31-48)
Key losses: Michael Houser (46-15-0-1, 2.47, .925, 6 SO; signed with Florida), C Greg McKegg (31-44-75; former Otter, signed with Toronto), C Vladislav Namestnikov (30-39-69; signed with Tampa Bay), RW Jared Knight (25-45-70; signed with Boston), C Austin Watson (25-43-68; signed with Nashville)
Outlook: Dale Hunter returns behind the Knights’ bench after leading the NHL’s Washington Capitals to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last season. He has work to do if the Knights are to recapture the success they enjoyed in 2011-12.

Owen Sound Attack
Coach/GM: Greg Ireland/Dale DeGray
2011-12 finish: 32-29-304, 3rd division, 6th conference
Playoff finish: Lost to Kitchener 4-1 in conference quarterfinals
Key players: G Jordan Binnington (21-17-0-1, 2.99, .906, 1 SO; signed with St. Louis), C Daniel Catenacci (33-39-72; signed with Buffalo), C Gemel Smith (21-39-60; Dallas prospect), C Cameron Brace (29-27-56), D Keevin Cutting (7-18-25, +20)
Key losses: LW Mike Halmo (40-45-85; signed with N.Y. Islanders), D Jay Gilbert (10-23-33, +8)
Outlook: The Attack lost a 40-goal scorer in Halmo, but they have enough talent from back to front to make a run in the conference. But they need to be more consistent after tailing off late last season and losing in the first round of the playoffs.

- Victor Fernandes