Otters Watch

What: Erie Otters (17-17-1-1) at Saginaw Spirit (23-7-3-1)

When: Wednesday, 7:11 p.m.

Where: Dow Event Center – Saginaw, Mich.

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

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (25 goals, 29 assists, 54 points), RW Shawn Szydlowski (17-15-32), RW Anthony Luciani (13-17-30), G Ramis Sadikov (17-12-1-1 record, 2.92 goals-against average, .912 save percentage, 2 shutouts), C Phil Varone (13-14-27)

Saginaw – LW Josh Shalla (29-12-41), G Mavric Parks (17-7-0-1, 2.57, .927), C Vincent Trocheck (15-22-37), LW Brandon Saad (20-16-36), RW Jordan Szwarz (13-18-31)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters continue a three-goal West Division road trip with a matchup against the Western Conference’s top team. … The Otters are 1-5-0-1 against West Division teams, including a pair of one-goal home losses to the Spirit (3-2 on Sept. 25 and 4-3 on Nov. 12). … They won both meetings in Saginaw last season. … The Otters are without rookie LW Chris Marchese (3-7-10) and rookie D Adam Pelech (1-5-6, plus-1), who are representing Ontario in the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. Ontario begins play today at 8:30 p.m. against Czech Republic in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. The tournament runs through Tuesday. … Sadikov extended his franchise-record streak of consecutive starts to 26 games in Tuesday’s loss to Plymouth. … The Otters are 8-9-1-0 on the road.

Saginaw – The Spirit hold a six-point lead over Midwest Division-leading Kitchener and Owen Sound atop the conference. … Saad, a native of the Pittsburgh suburb of Gibsonia, and Trocheck will play in the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, set for Jan. 19 in Toronto. They are rated among the top five OHL prospects eligible for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. … Shalla is tied with Ottawa RW Tyler Toffoli for the league lead in goals. Yet he doesn’t rank among the top 20 in points. … Parks leads the league in save percentage and ranks among the top five in wins and goals-against average. … The Spirit rank among the league leaders in goals scored (129) and goals against (95). … They are 13-2-1-0 at home – the third-best record in the league behind Mississauga St. Michael’s (14-1-0-1) and Kitchener (14-1-2-1).

Up next: at Windsor (Friday, 2:05 p.m.), vs. Niagara (Jan. 5, 7 p.m.)

– Victor Fernandes

What: Saginaw Spirit (13-4-1-1) at Erie Otters (7-12-1-0)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Where: Tullio Arena

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

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (11 goals, 16 assists, 27 points), G Ramis Sadikov (7-9-1-0 record, 2.90 goals-against average, .912 save percentage, 1 shutout), RW Shawn Szydlowski (7-11-18), D Tyler Hostetter (3-12-15), RW Anthony Luciani (4-3-7 in 6 games)

Saginaw – LW Brandon Saad (11-10-21, 6 power-play goals), C Vincent Trocheck (9-11-20), RW Jordan Szwarz (7-10-17), C Ivan Telegin (5-12-17), LW Josh Shalla (13-2-15, 6 PPG)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters have a two-game winning streak for the first time in a month. They also have won three of their last four. … They haven’t won three straight since February. … The Otters are 4-3 during a key nine-game stretch that concludes this weekend with two of eight home games. … C Mike Cazzola (broken wrist) will miss the next six to 12 weeks, coach Robbie Ftorek confirmed Thursday. … Luciani had a goal and assist in Wednesday’s win against Guelph, his first game since breaking his right wrist a month ago. … Sadikov has started the past 10 games. He leads the OHL with 1,034 minutes played – 159 more than London’s Michael Houser – and ranks among the top 10 in goals-against average and save percentage. … Szydlowski had three assists against the Storm after missing the previous two games because he was ill. … D Brady Austin (neck spasms) missed Wednesday’s game but will play tonight. … McKegg has only four goals and seven points in his past 12 games. He’s still tied for seventh overall in scoring. … The penalty kill has stopped 23 straight chances to reach ninth in the league (81.6 percent).

Saginaw – The Western Conference-leading Spirit have lost two straight and three of their last four games, including a 5-4 loss at Niagara on Thursday. … Saad, a native of the Pittsburgh suburb of Gibsonia, leads the Spirit’s offense in his rookie season. … They are third in the league on the power play (21.7 percent) and second on the penalty kill (86.7). … They have one of the league’s most potent offenses without a single player among the top 20 scorers. … G Mavric Parks (8-4-0-1, 2.58, .927) was the league’s goaltender of the month for October.

Up next: vs. London (Saturday, 7 p.m.), at Peterborough (Thursday, 7 p.m.)