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 West Division (listed in alphabetical order):

Plymouth Whalers
Coach/GM: Michael Vellucci
2011-12 finish: 47-18-2-1, 1st division, 2nd conference
Playoff finish: Lost to Kitchener 4-3 in conference semifinals
Key players: LW Stefan Noesen (38 goals, 44 assists, 82 points; signed with Ottawa), C Mitchell Heard (29-28-57; signed with Colorado), RW Alex Aleardi (36-29-65), LW J.T. Miller (25-37-62; signed with N.Y. Rangers; G Matt Mahalak (19-8-0-0 record, 2.66 goals-against average, .923 save percentage, 3 shutouts; Carolina prospect)
Key losses: G Scott Wedgewood (28-10-2-1, 3.02, .911, 3 SO; signed with New Jersey), D Beau Schmitz (14-40-54, +37; signed with Carolina), C Andy Bathgate (19-44-63)
Outlook: The Whalers had a chance to reach the Western finals last season, but they lost Game 7 at home to Kitchener. They lost some key players off that team, but the Whalers still have are strong enough to make a deeper run this season.

Saginaw Spirit
Coach/GM: Greg Gilbert/Jim Paliafito
2011-12 finish: 40-22-4-2, 3rd division, 5th conference
Playoff finish: Lost to London 4-2 in conference semifinals
Key players: C Vincent Trocheck (29-56-85; signed with Florida), LW Brandon Saad (34-42-76; signed with Chicago), LW Garret Ross (25-29-54), C Eric Locke (20-20-40), D Dalton Young (5-15-20)
Key losses: LW Josh Shalla (40-36-76; signed with Nashville), RW Michael Fine (22-45-67), C John McFarland (20-21-41; signed with Florida), D Brad Walch (5-18-23, +21)
Outlook: Trocheck and Saad headline an offense that ranked fifth in the league a season ago with 259 goals. Now they have to solidify a defense that allowed 259 goals, the fourth most in the league. Clint Windsor and Jake Paterson are the keys in net.

Sarnia Sting
Coach/GM: Jacques Beaulieu
2011-12 finish: 34-27-2-5, 2nd division, 4th conference
Playoff finish: Lost 4-2 to Saginaw in conference quarterfinals
Key players: C Alex Galchenyuk (0-0-0 in 2 games; signed with Montreal), G J.P. Anderson (27-23-2-4, 3.03, .908, 3 SO), LW Reid Boucher (28-22-50), D Connor Murphy (8-18-26; signed with Phoenix), D Alex Basso (9-27-36, +5)
Key losses: RW Nail Yakupov (31-38-69 in 42 games; signed with Edmonton), C Brett Thompson (32-38-70; former Otter), C Ryan Spooner (29-37-66; signed with Boston), LW Tyler J. Brown (21-27-48), D Adrian Robertson (10-28-38, +13)
Outlook: Yakupov, the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, isn’t expected to rejoin the Sting. But Galchenyuk, the No. 3 pick in the draft, returns after missing nearly all of last season with a knee injury. But can the Sting overcome other key losses?

Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
Coach/GM: Mike Stapleton/Kyle Dubas
2011-12 finish: 29-33-2-4, 5th division, 9th conference
Playoff finish: Did not qualify
Key players: C Nick Cousins (35-53-88; signed with Philadelphia), G Matt Murray (13-19-0-1, 4.08, .876; Pittsburgh prospect), D Ryan Sproul (23-31-54, +16), RW Andrew Fritsch (13-19-32 in 35 games; Phoenix prospect), LW Michael Schumacher (26-24-50)
Key losses: C Brett Findlay (20-36-56; traded to Peterborough), C Carson Dubchak (16-16-32)
Outlook: The Greyhounds are trying to avoid a third straight season out of the playoff picture. But does Stapleton, the Otters’ former associate and assistant coach, have enough talented depth to make that happen in a challenging conference?

Windsor Spitfires
Coach/GM: Bob Boughner/Warren Rychel
2011-12 finish: 29-32-5-2, 4th division, 8th conference
Playoff finish: Lost to London 4-0 in conference quarterfinals
Key players: LW Kerby Rychel (41-33-74); C Brady Vail (22-30-52), LW Chris Marchese (18-25-43; former Otter), D Nick Ebert (6-33-39), RW Joshua Ho-Sang (No. 5 pick in OHL Priority Selection), LW Ben Johnson (18-20-38)
Key losses: C Alexander Khokhlachev (25-44-69; playing in Russia), C Zack MacQueen (18-20-38; son of former Otters coach Dave MacQueen)
Outlook: The unexpected departure of Khokhlachev will hurt thre Spitfires, unless forwards like Rychel, Vail, former Otter Marchese and first-round pick Ho-Sang pick up the slack. But will they have enough on defense and in net to win consistently?

- Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters went down Friday night. But they didn’t go down without a fight.

Stephen Harper’s goal with 44.6 seconds left in regulation capped Erie’s furious comeback from a three-goal deficit against Saginaw. But Carlos Amestoy scored the lone shootout goal, and goaltender Clint Windsor stopped Luke Cairns on the final attempt, in Erie’s 8-7 loss in front of 2,314 at Tullio Arena.

The teams exchanged a pair of goals apiece in six the opening minutes. Saginaw’s Michael Fine scored at the 1:23 mark, followed by Otters rookie Jake Evans’ goal 3:30 later. Brandon Saad’s first of two short-handed goals snapped the 1-1 tie at the 6:02 mark. Then Connor Brown scored on the power play 19 seconds later to tie the score at 2.

Saginaw built a 5-2 lead early in the second on a goal from Amestoy and two from Eric Locke. Cairns moved the Otters within 5-3 at the 4:19 mark, only to have Saad’s second short-handed goal regain the Spirit’s three-goal lead at 6-3 6:49 into the period. Then the teams exchanged goals – Brown’s second power-play goal and Josh Shalla’s 35^th goal of the season – to send the Otters into the third trailing 7-4.

Ramis Sadikov returned to the ice for the third to replace rookie backup Devin Williams, who was injured late in the second. Williams allowed three goals on 17 shots in 26 minutes. Then the Otters’ comeback began with 8:50 left on Kris Grant’s second goal of the season and third in 101 career OHL games.

Dane Fox (goal, two assists) had a goal waved off a short time later, but his power-play goal with 5:04 left sliced the Spirit’s lead to 7-6.

Then with Sadikov on the bench for an extra attacker in the final minute, Harper’s goal off a deflection in front of Windsor completed the Otters’ three-goal comeback. But Fox, Sondre Olden and Cairns failed to score in the shootout.

Shalla and Fine led the Spirit (28-26-1-7) with a goal and two assists apiece.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Spirit 8, Otters 7 (SO)

Saginaw  4  3  0  0  1  —  8

Erie  2  2  3  0  0  —  7

1^st Period — 1. Saginaw, Michael Fine 20 (Shalla, Young), 1:23. 2. Erie, Jake Evans 8 (Olden, Harper), 4:53. 3. Saginaw, Brandon Saad 27 (unassisted), 6:02 (sh). 4. Erie, Connor Brown 22 (unassisted), 6:21 (pp). 5. Saginaw, Carlos Amestoy 6 (Shalla, Fine), 11:58. 6. Saginaw, Eric Locke 16 (Trafford), 14:04. Penalties — Saad (S) tripping, 5:14.

2^nd Period — 7. Saginaw, Locke 17 (Trafford, Strong), 2:09. 8 Erie, Luke Cairns 11 (Brown, McDowell), 4:13. 9. Saginaw, Saad 28 (Fine), 6:49 (sh). 10. Erie, Brown 23 (Fox, Evans), 17:50 (pp). 11. Saginaw, Josh Shalla 35 (Lopez, Ross), 18:33. Penalties — Archibald (S) slashing, 5:15; Saginaw, too many men (served by Perklin), 16:05.

3^rd Period — 12. Erie, Kris Grant 2 (Olden), 11:10. 13. Erie, Dane Fox 22 (Pelech, 14:56 (pp). 14. Erie, Stephen Harper 20 (McDowell, Fox), 19:15. Penalties — Trocheck (S) kneeing, 5:24; Saad (S) interference, 11:26; Saad (S) unsportsmanlike conduct, 11:26; Evans (E) 5-min. fighting, 18:14; Webermin (S) 5-min. fighting, 18:14.

Overtime — None. Penalties — Archibald (S) closing hand on puck, 4:21.

Shootout — Fox (E) no goal, Amestoy (S) goal, Olden (E) no goal, Trocheck (S) no goal, Cairns (E) no goal.

Shots on goal — Saginaw, 13-15-7-4-1—40; Erie, 9-16-14-2-0—41.

Goaltenders — Saginaw, Clint Windsor 14-7-2-3 (41 shots, 34 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 6-22-3-2 (22 shots, 18 saves), Devin Williams (17 shots 14 saves).

Power plays — Saginaw (0-0), Erie (3-7).

Referees — Joel Washkurak, Korey Bannerman. Linesmen — Ray King, Adam Harris.

Attendance — 2,314.

Three stars

* Connor Brown, Otters (2 goals, assist) ** Dane Fox, Otters (goal, 2 assists) *** Brandon Saad, Spirit (2 SH goals)

Erie Otters (7-38-3-2) at Saginaw Spirit (24-22-0-5)

When: Friday, 7:11 p.m.

Where: Dow Event Center

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

Up next: at Windsor (Saturday, 7:05 p.m.), vs. Niagara (Wednesday, 7 p.m.)

Fast facts: The Otters have scored a combined one goal in a two-game losing streak after scoring 14 goals in the previous two games, both wins. … The Otters, which have allowed an OHL-worst 237 goals, have surrendered three goals or fewer in seven of their last 11 games. … The Otters are 28 points out of the Western Conference’s final playoff spot with 18 games left. Any combination of Erie losses and wins by eighth-place Guelph or Sault Ste. Marie totaling nine points would eliminate the Otters. … LW Stephen Harper (17 goals, 5 assists, 22 points) leads all players from the 2011 OHL draft class with 17 goals. He’s tied for third among all rookies in goals and among the top 20 in points. … RW Connor Brown (18-17-35) ranks second among rookies in goals, third in points and fifth in assists. … RW Johnny McGuire is expected to serve a one-game suspension for a game misconduct Wednesday against Owen Sound. He fought LW Daniel Zweep at the start of the first period. … LW Anthony Cortellessa (sore back muscle) rejoined the lineup Wednesday after missing both of last weekend’s games. … The Otters have lost five straight overtime or shootout games after posting wins against Kitchener (4-3 in OT) and Guelph (3-2 in SO) on consecutive nights Oct. 28-29. … Saginaw has won three straight and earned points in nine of 10 games (7-1-0-2) to move into sixth in the West standings. The Spirit are three points behind fourth-place Sarnia. … The Spirit are 23-14-0-5 since starting the season 1-8. … The Spirit are sixth in the OHL with 185 goals scored, but are in the bottom five with 205 goals against. Yet they posted their first shutout win of the season in a 3-0 victory against the Otters last Saturday. … C Vincent Trocheck, a Pittsburgh native, is tied for fourth in the league with 40 assists and tied for seventh with 65 points. … LW Josh Shalla ranks among the top 15 in goals (26). … The broadcast of Saturday’s game at Windsor can be heard on a tape-delayed basis after the Erie BayHawks game.

- Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters faced a three-goal deficit for the second straight night on Saturday.
But unlike a 7-4 win against Brampton on Friday, there was no comeback victory.
Saginaw goaltender Jake Paterson made that lead stand up, as he stopped 40 shots and recorded his first OHL shutout in the Spirit’s 3-0 win against the Otters in front of 3,814 at Tullio Arena. His solid effort helped the Spirit (23-22-0-5) snap the Otters’ two-game streak. Paterson has stopped 83-of-84 shots in two games against the Otters this season.
Erie (7-38-3-1) was shut out for the fourth time this season after totaling 14 goals in their previous two games. That overshadowed a 30-save effort by rookie goaltender Devin Williams, who earned his first career loss in his first home start and second start overall.
Williams, a native of Saginaw, Mich., had an inauspicious start to his home debut for the Otters. During the game’s opening power play, Brandon Saad fired a wrist shot – Saginaw’s first shot of the game – past a surprised Williams to hand the Sting a 1-0 lead 2:49 into the game. But Williams settled down after that.
He stopped the Sting’s final nine shots in the period. Meanwhile, Paterson stopped all 13 shot he faced to keep the Otters scoreless in the first period. Saginaw added to its lead on Josh Shalla‘s 25th goal of the season 4:38 into the second period. He slipped a shot past Williams from in front to hand the Spirit a 2-0 lead.
Then with 8:24 left in the second, the Otters faced a 3-0 deficit for the second straight night. Saad scored his second goal of the game on assists from Shalla and Vincent Trocheck for the Spirit’s second power-play goal on two chances.
Paterson took over down the stretch, as he stopped all 16 Otters’ shots in the third period.
Saad, who added an assist, finished with three points for the Spirit. Shalla (goal, assist) and Trocheck (two assists) added two points apiece.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

SPIRIT 3, OTTERS 0
Saginaw 1 2 0 — 3
Erie 0 0 0 — 0
1st Period — 1. Saginaw, Brandon Saad 17 (Trocheck, Walch), 2:49 (pp). Penalties — Olden (E) checking from behind, 1:24; Ringuette (S) hooking, 19:05.
2nd Period — 2. Saginaw, Josh Shalla 25 (Fine, Saad), 4:38. 3. Saginaw, Saad 18 (Shalla, Trocheck), 11:36 (pp). Penalties — Glass (E) holding, 10:34; Amestoy (S) goaltender interference, 16:49; Walch (S) tripping, 17:37; Wood (E) checking to the head, 18:41; Fox (E) roughing, 18:56; Archibald (S) roughing, 18:56.
3rd Period — None. Penalties — Schumacher (S) hooking, 4:29; Brown (E) unsportsmanlike conduct, 9:01; Trocheck (S) unsportsmanlike conduct, 9:01; Erie, too many men (served by McDonnell), 13:16; Trocheck (S) interference, 13:49; Cairns (E) hooking, 17:54.
Shots on goal — Saginaw, 10-15-8—33; Erie, 13-11-16—40.
Goaltenders — Saginaw, Jake Paterson 12-15-0-2 (40 shots, 40 saves); Erie, Devin Williams 1-1-0-0 (33 shots, 30 saves).
Power plays — Saginaw (2-5), Erie (0-5).
Referees — Jason Faist, Ben Wilson. Linesmen — Adam Harris, Mike Harrington.
Attendance — 3,814.

Three stars
* Brandon Saad, Spirit (2 goals, assist) ** Jake Paterson, Spirit (40 saves) *** Devin Williams, Otters (30 saves)

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: Brampton Battalion (12-14-0-5) at Erie Otters (16-15-1-1)

When: Today, 7 p.m.

Where: Tullio Arena

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

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (24 goals, 26 assists, 50 points), RW Shawn Szydlowski (17-14-31), RW Anthony Luciani (13-17-30), G Ramis Sadikov (16-11-1-1 record, 2.95 goals-against average, .911 save percentage, 2 shutouts), C Phil Varone (12-13-25)

Brampton – LW Ian Watters (17-10-27), RW Michael Santini (10-10-20), RW Scott Tanski (8-12-30), D Spencer Abraham (3-14-17), LW Barclay Goodrow (8-9-17)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters conclude the opening half of the OHL season with consecutive home games against Central Division teams. They have a 3-2 record against that division, including a season-opening 5-1 win in Brampton Sept. 24. … The Otters have a 3-2 record in December after posting a 9-3 mark in November. … They are 13-6-0-1 since acquiring Varone from London Oct. 26. … The Otters have five hat tricks in the past eight games (McKegg 2, Szydlowski 2, Varone). That’s more than the team recorded in a season seven of the past eight years. … Szydlowski has tied the franchise record of three hat tricks in one season (Tim Connolly 1998-99, Brad Boyes 1999-2000, Cory Pecker 2001-02 and Luciani 2009-10). … McKegg is fourth overall in goals – three behind Saginaw LW Josh Shalla (27) and Ottawa RW Tyler Toffoli (27) and one behind Owen Sound LW Garrett Wilson (25). … McKegg also is fourth in points – four behind Ottawa LW Shane Prince (54), two behind Kitchener RW Jason Akeson (52) and one behind Toffoli (51). … McKegg is on pace to be the first player in franchise history to top 100 points in a season. Pecker set the mark of 99 in 2001-02. … If Sadikov starts tonight, he will set a franchise mark with 24 consecutive starts. He currently shares that mark with Josh Disher (23 from Sept. 28-Nov. 27, 2003). … Sadikov has played 1,772 minutes this season, which leads the league by 251 (Petr Mrazek, Ottawa – 1,521). … C Mike Cazzola (9-16-25 in 19 games), who has missed the past six weeks with a broken wrist, began skating with no contact or shooting this week. Yet he won’t rejoin the lineup until sometime after the Christmas break. D Tyler Hostetter (broken hand) and LW Andrew Yogan (shoulder) continue rehabilitating at their respective homes in Lititz, Pa., and Boca Raton, Fla.

Brampton – The Battalion’s roster has changed since they played the Otters in September. They traded former Otter Sean Jones, their leading scorer last season, to Kingston last month. They also traded D Kyle Pereira to Guelph and G Jacob Riley to Sudbury. … The Battalion have lost seven of their past 11 games. … They rank near the bottom of the league with 96 goals scored but in the top 10 in goals against (112). … They are 14^th on the power play (18.2 percent) but fifth on the penalty kill (82.6). … They lead the league with five shootout losses and are tied for the lead with five overtime/shootout defeats.

Up next: vs. Sudbury (Saturday, 7 p.m.), at Plymouth (Dec. 28, 2 p.m.)

– Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters found a new heartbreaking way to lose Friday night.

One minute, Greg McKegg appeared to score the tying goal as time expired. The next minute, the video replay judge disallowed the goal, which sealed the Otters’ 4-3 loss to Saginaw at Tullio Arena.

Moments earlier, a second or two extra appeared to run off the clock after officials called a slashing penalty on Spirit defenseman Matt Ashman. The officials chose not to replace that time, leaving the Otters (7-13-1-0) with two seconds left on the clock.

McKegg scored off a rebound of Shawn Szydlowski’s shot as the green light, which signifies the end of the game, emerged. Seconds later, the green light was replaced by the red light, which signifies a goal.

After a review that lasted a few minutes, the crowd of 2,869 erupted into a chorus of

Sherry Bassin (Contributed/Erie Otters)

boos. Otters coach Robbie Ftorek argued vehemently with the officials for several minutes. Meanwhile, Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager, voiced his displeasure long after the game ended. Then afterwards, Bassin and other club officials watched footage of the game’s final seconds. They determined the referees should have set the clock at 3.6 seconds, Bassin said.

According to Bassin, off-ice officials told Shawn Waskiewicz, Otters assistant general manager, that they didn’t hear the whistle over the crowd noise. At that point, Bassin said, the off-ice officials should have discussed the situation with the referees. “We got suckered in our own building for time,” Bassin said.

Video of the controversial goal was inconclusive, Bassin said.

Meanwhile, the Spirit (14-4-1-1) celebrated a win that snapped a two-game losing streak.

The teams battled to a scoreless tie for the first half of the opening period. Then Spirit center Michael Sgarbossa snuck a rebound past goaltender Ramis Sadikov for a 1-0 lead with 6:18 left in the period.

The Spirit extended the lead to 2-0 on a rebound, as Mathew Sisca fired a shot over a fallen Sadikov for Sisca’s sixth goal of the season. Meanwhile, the Otters squandered several scoring chances, headlined by Anthony Luciani’s wrist shot off the left post during a power play late in the period.

Yet the Otters capitalized on the power play 3:59 into the second, as defenseman Tyler Hostetter floated a shot from the point past Spirit goaltender Tadeas Galansky to slice Saginaw’s lead to 2-1.

That sparked a three-goal outburst that built a 3-2 lead heading to the third period. Rookie Macaulay McDonnell and Jordan Coccimiglio scored 1:47 apart late in the period. McDonnell poked a rebound through Galansky to tie the score at 2 with 6:11 left. Coccimiglio deflected defenseman Derek Holden’s shot from the blue line past Galansky to snap the tie with 4:36 remaining.

Sadikov stymied a Spirit attack that failed to score on all 18 shots on goal in the period. But the Spirit tied the score at 3 at the 7:16 mark of the third on Josh Shalla’s 14^th goal of the season. Kantor then turned Ivan Telegin’s pinpoint cross-crease pass into the eventual winning goal.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Spirit 4, Otters 3

Saginaw  2  0  2  —  4

Erie  0  3  0  —  3

1^st Period — 1. Saginaw, Michael Sgarbossa 5 (Saad), 13:42. 2. Saginaw, Mathew Sisca 6 (Szwarz, Shalla), 19:26. Penalties — Crisp (E) 5-min. fighting, 10:59; Kea (E) 5-min. fighting, 10:59; Camara (S) interference, 15:15.

2^nd Period — 3. Erie, Tyler Hostetter 4 (Cairns, Marchese), 3:59 (pp). 4. Erie, Macaulay McDonnell 4 (Marchese, Hostetter), 13:49. 5. Erie, Jordan Coccimiglio 3 (Holden, Paton), 15:24. Penalties — Kantor (S) goaltender interference, :53; Kantor (S) interference, 3:38; Appio (E) 5-min. fighting, 11:43; Kantor (S) 5-min. fighting, 11:43.

3^rd Period — 6. Saginaw, Josh Shalla 14 (Szwarz, Sisca), 7:16. 7. Saginaw, Michael Kantor 7 (Telegin, Trocheck), 17:15. Penalties — Ashman (S) slashing, 19:58.

Shots on goal — Saginaw, 8-18-8—34; Erie, 12-13-10—35.

Goaltenders — Saginaw, Tadeas Galansky 5-0-1-0 (35 shots, 32 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 7-10-1-0 (34 shots, 30 saves).

Power plays — Saginaw (0-0), Erie (1-4).

Referees — Darren Price, Chris Carnegie. Linesmen — Fraser McIntire, Sean Pindar.

Attendance — 2,869.

Three stars

* Josh Shalla, Spirit (goal, assist) ** Jordan Coccimiglio, Otters (goal) *** Tyler Hostetter, Otters (goal, assist)

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.)

What: Saginaw Spirit (0-1-0-0) at Erie Otters (1-0-0-0)

When: Today, 7 p.m.*

Where: Tullio Arena

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

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points), C Mike Cazzola (1-1-2), RW Anthony Luciani (1-0-1), RW Shawn Szydlowski (0-2-2), G Ramis Sadikov (1-0-0-0 record, 1.00 goals-against average, .979 save percentage)

Saginaw – LW Josh Shalla (1-1-2), C Michael Sgarbossa (1-0-1), C Vincent Trocheck (0-1-1), C Brandon Saad (0-0-0), G Mavric Parks (0-1-0-0, 5.00, .889)

Vince Scott (Contributed/Erie Otters)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters will retire the late Vince Scott’s No. 18 in a pregame ceremony. Scott, who played in Erie from 2003-07, died in an automobile accident in April. Scott, whose family will attend the game, joins Brad Boyes as the only players in franchise history to have their numbers retired. … The Otters have an 8-5-1 all-time record in home openers. They snapped a two-game home-opening winning streak with a 5-4 overtime loss to London last season. … The Otters haven’t won two straight to start a season since a three-game streak in 2002-03. … McKegg, who was named the 11^th captain in team history on Friday, rejoined the team in time for a season-opening win in Brampton. He scored a goal in his NHL preseason debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs. … Rookies Kris Grant, Chris Marchese and Adam Pelech recorded their first OHL points in the opener.

Saginaw – The Spirit opened the season with a 5-2 loss in Kitchener on Friday. … Saad, a native of the Pittsburgh suburb of Gibsonia, joined the Spirit this season after completing a two-year stint with the United States National Team Development Program. Saad, a projected top-five pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, didn’t record a point in his Spirit debut. … The Spirit lost all four meetings with the Otters last season. … Sgarbossa signed an entry-level contract with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.

Up next: at Niagara (Thursday, 7 p.m.), at Kitchener (Friday, 7:30 p.m.)

* Opening faceoff is set for approximately 7:20 p.m. because of the pregame ceremony