Listen to Erie Otters forward Connor Crisp‘s interview Monday on NHL Network’s NHL Live!

Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (23-29-2-4) at Erie Otters (9-42-3-2)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Where: Tullio Arena

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

Up next: vs. Kingston (Saturday, 7 p.m.), at Mississauga St. Michael’s (Sunday, 2 p.m.)

Fast facts: The Otters return home after beating Belleville 4-1 Sunday to salvage the last game of a three-game East Division road trip. … They have nearly half of their wins in the past 10 games (4-5-0-1). … Erie’s magic number to clinch the No. 1 pick in the OHL Priority Selection stands at six. Any combination of Otters losses and Kingston wins totaling six points would secure the pick. … The Otters need to win seven of their final 12 games to avoid equaling or breaking their single-season record for fewest wins (15 in 2006-07). The 2006-07 team also holds the mark for most losses in regulation (50). … The OHL’s worst offense (131 goals) needs to score 51 goals (4.25 per game) to avoid equaling or breaking the franchise’s record low of 181 set in the 2002-03 season. … F Connor Crisp (shoulder) still hasn’t been cleared for full-contact practice. He will be reevaluated Monday. Club officials haven’t ruled out shutting him down for the rest of the season. … Mike Stapleton, an associate coach and assistant for the Otters from (2006-08), returns to Erie for the first time as Greyhounds head coach. … He has led them to eighth place in the Western Conference. They are one point ahead of Guelph for the final playoff spot following a 7-1 loss at Eastern Conference-leading Niagara Thursday. But Guelph has three games in hand. … Former Otters LW David Broll entered Thursday with four goals, 21 assists and 25 points in 51 games with the Greyhounds this season. The 2009 first-round pick has nine goals, 28 assists and 37 points in 76 games since being traded to Sault Ste. Marie in January 2010. He has 26 goals, 51 assists and 77 points in his first 180 OHL games. … G Jack Campbell, who led Windsor past the Otters in the first round of the playoff a season ago, began Thursday with a 11-10-2-3 record, 3.50 goals-against average, .896 save percentage and one shutout with the Greyhounds this season.

- Victor Fernandes

OSHAWA, Ontario – The Erie Otters are nearly healthy for the first time this season.

Except for forwards Connor Crisp (shoulder) and Sondre Olden (reported minor injury), the Otters were at full strength for Wednesday night’s game against Oshawa at General Motors Centre.

But that didn’t keep the Otters from falling 4-1 to the Generals in Erie’s second-half opener. Special teams led to Erie’s downfall. The Otters (5-28-1-1) failed to score on six power-play chances while surrendering two power-play goals and a short-handed score.

The Otters squandered three power-play chances, including a pair of two-man advantages, in the opening four minutes of the game. However, the Generals (14-18-1-3) scored twice on a 5-on-3 late in the period.

Christian Thomas, a 54-goal scorer a season ago, scored his 14^th goal of the season with 2:13 left in the first to open the scoring. Then Scott Laughton scored 49 seconds later to hand the Generals a 2-0 lead.

Oshawa’s lead reached 3-0 on Jimmy McDowell’s first goal of the season – and seventh in 139 career games – with 1:01 left in the second period. The Otters finally snapped goaltender Daniel Altshuller’s bid for his first career shutout on Greg McKegg’s goal with 8:58 left in the game. Mike Cazzola and Adam Pelech assisted on the goal. Cazzola, who has endured two hand injuries, played in his first game in a month and eighth game this season. Brett Cook (knee) also played for the first time in a month.

But Laughton’s short-handed goal with 1:54 left stymied Erie’s comeback hopes. Tyson Teichmann stopped 36-of-40 shots in a losing effort for the Otters. Altshuller made 31 saves.

The Otters head to Peterborough today for a 7:05 p.m. game. They will face former teammate Andrew Yogan for the first time since he was traded in August. He has 15 goals and 31 points in 32 games.

- Victor Fernandes

Erie Otters (5-27-1-1) at Oshawa Generals (13-18-1-3)

When: Today, 7:05 p.m.

Where: General Motors Centre – Oshawa, Ontario

On the air: WJET-AM/1400, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)

Up next: at Peterborough (Thursday, 7:05 p.m.), at Barrie (Saturday, 7:30 p.m.)

Fast facts: The Otters begin the second half with a three-game Eastern Conference road trip. They are 0-9 against the East, including home losses to Oshawa (7-4 on Oct. 1) and Barrie (4-3 in a shootout on Dec. 2). … The Otters ended the first half with a 5-3 home win against Sarnia on Dec. 17. … C Mike Cazzola (hand) and D Brett Cook (knee) are expected to play tonight. They have missed a combined 37 man games this season. Cazzola has played in only seven of 34 games while Cook sat out the past 10 games. … Their return leaves F Connor Crisp (shoulder) as the only player on the injured list. … Coach Robbie Ftorek needs to scratch Cazzola, Cook or D Derek Holden if G Ramis Sadikov starts. … LW Sondre Olden has rejoined the team after capturing a silver medal with his native Norway at the IIHF World Junior Championship’s Division I Group A tournament in Germany earlier this month. … LW Stephen Harper and Ontario began their pursuit of gold at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge on Thursday against Germany. The tournament runs until Jan. 4 in Windsor, Ontario. … The Otters rank fifth in the OHL on the power play (21 percent), but are last on the penalty kill (78 percent). … The Generals begin the second half with losses in four straight games and seven of their last 10. … They have slipped to ninth in the East, six points behind Sudbury, Mississauga St. Michael’s and Peterborough for one of the conference’s final playoff spots. … They have allowed 136 goals, the OHL’s third-worst total behind only Erie (176) and Saginaw (144). … The Generals rank seventh with 123 goals scored.

- Victor Fernandes

Overage center Mike Cazzola has worn a cast on his surgically repaired hand this weekend as a precaution, said Sherry Bassin, Erie Otters managing partner and general manager. Doctors were concerned about scar tissue in his hand, Bassin said.

Cazzola could return to the ice Tuesday.

Meanwhile, goaltender Tyson Teichmann didn’t dress Thursday in Niagara and Friday against Barrie because of a sprained ankle, Bassin said. He dressed as Ramis Sadikov’s backup on Saturday, but likely won’t be able to play if needed.

Overage defenseman Brett Cook has a bruised, not torn, medial collateral ligament in his knee. Second-year winger Connor Crisp (shoulder) is skating but won’t be cleared for contact until late January.

- Victor Fernandes

LONDON, Ontario – The Erie Otters had plenty of heart against London on Friday night.

The Otters simply didn’t have enough manpower in a 6-4 loss in front of 8,946 at John Labatt Centre. The Otters (1-7-0-0) dressed only 16 skaters, including nine rookies, because of injuries and illness.

Greg McKegg (minor concussion) was the latest veteran added to an injury list that includes Mike Cazzola (hand surgery), Connor Crisp (shoulder surgery) and Adam Pelech (wrist surgery). McKegg didn’t play Friday and also should miss Saturday’s 7 p.m. game against Windsor at Tullio Arena.

The Otters also faced the Western Conference-leading Knights (7-1-0-0) without veteran forward Brett Thompson (flu) and rookie forward Jake Evans (ill).

Johnny McGuire received a game misconduct late in the first period for removing Knights center Jarred Tinordi‘s helmet during a fight, leaving the Otters with 15 skaters for the rest of the game.

Yet the Otters rallied from an early 2-0 hole against the Knights to take a 3-2 second-period lead. Connor Brown scored late in the first, followed by fellow rookie Sondre Olden’s power-play score 2:45 into the second that tied the score. Chris Marchese’s power-play goal snapped the tie less than two minutes later.

London rallied with three straight goals, capped by rookie Bo Horvat’s score with 7:12 left in the second, to take a 5-3 lead into the third. Yet Marchese sliced London’s lead in half 9:08 into the third.

However, Vladislav Namestnikov scored into an empty net with 32 seconds left to seal the Otters’ fate.

Olden led the Otters with a goal and two assists, while Brett Cook and Travis Wood had two assists apiece. Rookie winger Mitchell Eisenberg had an assist for his first OHL point. Namestnikov paced the Knights with two goals and an assist. Michael Houser made 37 saves.

The Mississauga St. Michael’s took advantage of the man advantage Wednesday night.

The Majors scored three power-play goals on six chances – headlined by Dylan DeMelo’s go-ahead goal 8:12 into the third period – to rally past the Erie Otters 4-2 in front of 2,218 fans at Tullio Arena.

DeMelo led the Majors (8-1-0-0) with a goal and two assists, while goaltender Spencer Martin earned the win in his OHL debut after being a late addition to the lineup in place of veteran J.P. Anderson.

Meanwhile, injury woes and third-period struggles led to the Otters’ second straight loss and sixth defeat in seven games to start the season. The Otters allowed three goals in the final period.

Before the game, the Otters added veteran center Mike Cazzola to an injury list that includes defenseman Adam Pelech (wrist surgery) and forward Connor Crisp (shoulder surgery).

Cazzola undergoes surgery today in Erie to repair a small fracture in his hand and will miss the next month. The Otters also were without veteran forward Brett Thompson, a 40-goal scorer the past two seasons, because of the flu.

Yet the surging Majors also were short-handed, as they were without veterans Devante Smith-Pelly (who remains with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks), Joseph Cramarossa, Jordan Mayer and Stuart Percy.

So the teams were evenly matched in the opening period, with the Otters taking a 1-0 lead on rookie Connor Brown’s second career goal. He stole the puck at the Majors’ blue line, raced in on net and fired a shot under the crossbar for a 1-0 lead with 4:06 left in the period.

The Majors tied the score at 1 on the power play, as Sergey Kuptsov scored his sixth goal of the season on assists from David Corrente and DeMelo with 49 seconds left in the period. But the Otters capitalized on a power play early in the second.

Chris Marchese turned rookie defenseman Travis Wood’s point shot into a rebound goal 6:37 into the period. Rookie Sondre Olden also assisted on the goal. The Otters seemed to gain momentum from that goal. They outshot the Majors 15-9 in the period. Erie nearly capitalized on several of them, especially during a 5-minute power play that carried into the third.

However, the Otters didn’t extend their one-goal lead. The inability to finish proved costly for the Otters.

Derek Schoenmakers scored on the power play, with assists from Riley Brace and DeMelo, to tie the score at 2 at the 3:18 mark of the third. Then the Majors turned a 5-minute charging penalty against Otters rookie Tyler McCarthy into their third power-play goal of the game. DeMelo scored on assists from Justin Rasmussen and Corrente with 11:48 left. McCarthy also received a game misconduct.

Spencer Cobbold capped the Majors’ win with his first OHL goal late in the game.

- Victor Fernandes

Erie Otters’ second-year forward Connor Crisp undergoes surgery Thursday to repair a torn labrum. Crisp will miss at least the next five months. GM Sherry Bassin hoped to learn test results on second-year defenseman Adam Pelech’s injured wrist late Tuesday.

“We’re concerned about it,” Bassin said.

Rookie winger Sondre Olden, the club’s first pick in the CHL Import Draft, will rejoin the team tonight with his official immigration paperwork in hand. He was unable to travel with the team from Sarnia, Ontario, to Plymouth, Mich., for Saturday’s game because “his paperwork had to be rearranged,” Bassin said. Olden will practice Thursday and is expected to play Friday in Guelph.

- Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters won’t have second-year forwards Luke Cairns and Connor Crisp for at least the opening games of the regular season this weekend at Sarnia and Plymouth.

Coach Robbie Ftorek confirmed Crisp has an injured shoulder.

” We don’t know yet. We still haven’t heard back from the doctors what that might be,” Ftorek said, referring to the extent of Crisp’s injury and a timetable for his return.

“We do know that he’s getting more range of motion,” Ftorek said. “So things are good that way.” Ftorek was much more tight-lipped about Cairns. Ftorek wouldn’t divulge the injury or a timetable. “Cairns is out, just out,” he said. “He’s just not ready to play yet.”

Ftorek said he has chosen his starting goaltender for Friday night’s season opener in Sarnia. As expected, he wouldn’t disclose if he has picked Chris Festarini or Tyson Teichmann. Yet Ftorek inserted some levity into his choice to not comment.

“If I said no, I’d be lying. If I said yes, you’d want to know who. I’m not going to tell you. So no I haven’t decided yet,” he said with a grin.

- Victor Fernandes

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)