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

Oscar Dansk remains a work in progress, even after his stellar 34-save performance Friday night against Brampton.
“I’m just taking it a day at a time,” the rookie goaltender said before the Erie Otters’ game against London Saturday night at Erie Insurance Arena.
Dansk missed time in the preseason while recovering from a knee injury suffered in the summer while playing for his native Sweden’s national junior team at USA Hockey’s National Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid, N.Y. So Dansk is still working on his timing.
“It’s something I work on every day. You get better and better every day,” said Dansk, who believes he produced a solid overall effort in his first five games of the season. He entered his outing against the Knights with a 2-3-0-0 record, 4.51 goals-against average and .891 save percentage. He surrendered 19 goals on 110 shots in his losses to Niagara, London and Ottawa.
Yet he stopped 81-of-83 shots in wins against Brampton and Peterborough. “It’s up to me to prove myself,” said Dansk, who added that his return to full strength was slowed by “different opinions from different people” regarding his rehabilitation. But he’s ready to play now. And on Saturday, he was ready to face the Knights, who scored seven goals on 39 shots against him in London Sept. 21.
“I’m really pumped,” he said. “We’re looking to rebound.”
Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager, isn’t concerned about Dansk’s inconsistent start early this season.
Besides the knee injury and subsequent slow rehabilitation, Bassin said, goaltending coach Peter Sidorkiewicz was unable to work with Dansk and backup Devin Williams on the ice until this past Tuesday. The ongoing renovations at the downtown arena forced the Otters to settle for an abbreviated practice schedule in previous weeks. Yet Ian Clark, the Columbus Blue Jackets’ goaltending coach, is scheduled to arrive in Erie today to work with Dansk, the NHL club’s second-round pick in the draft this past June.
“He’s still not there,” Bassin said of Dansk. “He’s getting there.” Better yet, Bassin said, “the players love playing in front of him.”
* News and notes: Scott Howson, the Blue Jackets’ executive vice president of hockey operations and general manager, attended both games this weekend to watch Dansk play. … 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

LONDON, Ontario – Erie Otters rookie Connor McDavid encountered plenty of media attention in minor hockey. But it was nothing like what the highly touted No. 1 pick has faced since the OHL Priority Selection in the spring and, most recently, during the opening weekend of his OHL career.
“It’s been crazy. It’s going to take some getting used to,” said McDavid, who was asked for autographs by five people during the pre-game skate before Thursday’s season opener at Niagara. It’s no wonder he’s looking forward to the attention settling down as the season progresses.
However, he felt more comfortable before tonight’s game against London. “I’m forming into a routine,” he said.

* Behind the number: Overage center J.P. Labardo chose No. 22 on his sweater to show his appreciation to former Otters center Phil Varone – his close friend and mentor. They have been friends since Varone’s father taught them the finer points of power skating when they were kids.
Varone, now a Buffalo Sabres prospect, gave Labardo some advice after Thursday’s game in St. Catharines. “I don’t feel any pressure to wear that number,” Labardo said. “It’s an honor to wear it.”

* Showing his true self: Veteran forward Connor Crisp showed glimpses of his offensive skill during his one-goal performance Thursday. Now that he’s healthy, Crisp hopes to show more of his skill.
“I know I can put the puck in the net,” said Crisp, who was on a line with Labardo and Luke Cairns for the second straight game. “I know I can help those guys out.”

* Focused and ready: Rookie goaltender Oscar Dansk was a man of few words before tonight’s game. When asked to assess his performance in his OHL debut Thursday, he said, “Not good enough because we lost.” When asked what he wants to improve on tonight, he said, “Win.”

* News and notes: Dane Fox wrote on Twitter that he miss another six to eight weeks after undergoing surgery on his right foot. … Rookie defenseman Justin Felker made his OHL debut after being a healthy scratch in Thursday’s season opener at Niagara. … The Otters scratched defensemen Liam Maaskant and Travis Wood as well as winger Mitch Eisenberg (upper-body injury). … Jeff Paul, who played for the Niagara Falls Thunder/Erie Otters from 1994-99, is an assistant coach with the Knights. … Dale Hunter officially returned behind the Knights bench after coaching the NHL’s Washington Capitals to the Stanley Cup playoffs a season ago. … London’s 2011-12 OHL championship banner was raised to the rafters in a pregame ceremony.

- Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters cut 5 more players from training camp today, leaving the roster at 28 heading into tonight’s preseason opener against Niagara at Morgan Firestone Arena in Ancaster, Ontario.
The latest cuts included 2011 draft picks Sean Darroch and Justin Maiolino, who had brief stints with the Otters last season, and free agents Aidan Muir, Sebastian Stangherlin and Lucas Venuto.
Here’s a list of the remaining players in camp:

Veterans: RW Nick Betz, RW Connor Brown, G Keinan Brown, C Luke Cairns, LW Anthony Cortellessa, C Connor Crisp, D Troy Donnay, C Mitch Eisenberg, C Jake Evans, C Dane Fox (injured), D Nathan Glass, LW Stephen Harper, D Liam Maaskant, LW Mac McDonnell, D Jimmy McDowell, RW Johnny McGuire, RW Sondre Olden (expected to join the team Monday), D Adam Pelech, G Devin Williams, D/LW Travis Wood

Prospects: G Oscar Dansk (signed), D Justin Felker (agreed to terms), RW Hayden Hodgson (agreed to terms), C Blake Jones, D Artem Kuleshov (unsigned, expected to join the team Monday), C Connor McDavid (signed), D Patrick Murphy (signed), C Kyle Pettit (signed)

CAMP ROSTER
(subject to change)
Goaltenders (5)
Oscar Dansk – 2012 CHL Import Draft (1st round), 2012 NHL Entry Draft (Columbus, 2nd round)
Daniel DeKoning – 2012 OHL Priority Selection
Jake Ireland – 2012 OHL Priority Selection
Nate Miller – 2011 OHL Priority Selection (9th round; Millcreek Township native)
Devin Williams – Veteran

Left defense (9)
Kyle Allan – 2011 OHL Priority Selection (15th round)
Greg Allen – 2012 OHL Priority Selection (6th round)
Travis Dermott – 2012 OHL Priority Selection (9th round)
Justin Felker – 2012 OHL Priority Selection (2nd round)
Kris Grant – Veteran
Artem Kuleshov – 2012 CHL Import Draft (2nd round)
Adam Pelech – Veteran
Sebastian Stangherlin – Free-agent invite
Travis Wood – Veteran

Right defense (10)
Troy Donnay – Veteran
Nathan Glass – Veteran
Nathan Kohler – 2012 OHL Priority Selection (14th round)
Liam Maaskant – Veteran
Jimmy McDowell – Veteran
Patrick Murphy – 2011 OHL Priority Selection (5th round; played 9 games with Erie in 2011-12)
Darren Raddysh – 2012 OHL Priority Selection (5th round)
Riley Robertson – 2012 OHL Priority Selection (3rd round)
Troy Saunders – 2011 OHL Priority Selection (12th round)
Francesco Tolfa – Free-agent invite

Centers (9)
Luke Cairns – Veteran
Jake Evans – Veteran
Blake Jones – 2011 OHL Priority Selection (14th round)
Justin Maiolino – 2011 OHL Priority Selection (13th round; played 2 games with Erie in 2011-12)
Connor McDavid – 2012 OHL Priority Selection (No. 1 overall)
Mac McDonnell – Veteran
Aidan Muir – Free-agent invite
Kyle Petit – 2012 OHL Priority Selection (2nd round)
Bryan Sienerth – 2012 OHL Priority Selection (13th round; Millcreek Township native)

Left wing (10)
Anthony Cortellessa – Veteran
Connor Crisp – Veteran
Jordan Dunin – 2011 OHL Priority Selection (7th round)
Mitch Eisenberg – Veteran
Nathan Feric – Free-agent invite
Dane Fox – Veteran (fractured foot; not expected to participate in camp)
Stephen Harper – Veteran
Quentin Maksimovich – 2012 OHL Priority Selection (11th round)
Lucas Venuto – Free-agent invite
Kurt Wolff – Free-agent invite

Right wing (7)
Nick Betz – Veteran
Connor Brown – Veteran, 2012 NHL Entry Draft (Toronto, 6th round)
Sean Darroch – 2011 OHL Priority Selection (8th round; played 7 games with Erie in 2011-12)
Hayden Hodgson – 2012 OHL Priority Selection (3rd round)
Thomas Lattavo – 2012 OHL Priority Selection (6th round)
Johnny McGuire – Veteran
Sondre Olden – Veteran

Erie Otters center Dane Fox stands 46th among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, which was released Monday. Five teammates join him on the list, including first-tim selection Luke Cairns. The veteran center is considered No. 189 among North American skaters after not appearing on Central Scouting’s preliminary and midterm lists.
Right wing Connor Brown (No. 110 from No. 85 in the midterm rankings) as well as defensemen Adam Pelech (No. 120 from No. 54), Troy Donnay (No. 122 from No. 115) and Liam Maaskant(No. 195 from No. 134) slipped down the list.
Former Otters winger Chris Marchese, now with Windsor, stands at No. 122. Center Drake Caggiula, the Otters’ third-round pick in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection, appears at No. 185. Caggiula, who played for Stouffville in the Ontario Junior A Hockey League this season, has committed to play NCAA Division I hockey at North Dakota.
Sarnia’s duo of right wing Nail Yakupov and Alex Galchenyuk rank first and fourth, respectively, followed by Ottawa defenseman Cody Ceci (sixth), Kitchener center Radek Faksa (seventh) and London defenseman Olli Maatta (eighth). Belleville’s Malcolm Subban (first), Saginaw’s Jake Paterson (third) and Kitchener’s Frank Palazzese (ninth) rank among the top 10 North American goaltenders.
The NHL draft takes place June 22-23 at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. Check out the the complete rankings by clicking on the link.

TORONTO – The National Hockey League will release the NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s final rankings for the 2012 NHL Draft on Monday at 11 a.m. The rankings, featuring the top 210 skaters and 35 goaltenders in North America as well as the top 120 skaters and 11 goaltenders from Europe, will be available on NHL.com and media.nhl.com.
The 2012 NHL Draft will take place at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh. The first round will take place June 22, commencing at 7 p.m., and the subsequent rounds (two through seven) will begin at 10 a.m. June 23.
Five Erie Otters were listed among the North American skaters on Central Scouting’s midterm rankings released in January – forwards Dane Fox(No. 48) and Connor Brown (No. 85) and defensemen Adam Pelech (No. 54), Troy Donnay (No. 115) and Liam Maaskant (No. 134).

- From NHL release, staff report

Rookie goaltender Devin Williams deserved a better outcome Wednesday night.

He stopped 33-of-34 shots in the opening 65 minutes and four more in a six-round shootout in his third career OHL start. Yet the Erie Otters still lost to Owen Sound 2-1 in front of 2,135 at Tullio Arena.

Daniel Catenacci, who scored the Attack’s lone goal in the second period, slipped a wrist shot past Williams on the game’s final attempt to hand the Otters (7-38-3-2) their second straight defeat.

“He’s got a great temperament,” Otters coach Robbie Ftorek said of Williams. “He just goes about his business. The guys play hard in front of him. Too bad we couldn’t get that (win) for him.”

Stephen Harper erased the Attack’s early 1-0 lead in the shootout with a goal in the second round. The rookie winger’s tying goal 3 minutes, 27 seconds into the third period forced overtime and the shootout.

Williams and Attack veteran Jordan Binnington traded saves in the next three rounds. Then Binnington began the final round by stopping rookie Travis Wood. Catenacci followed with the decisive goal.

Ftorek also called upon Dane Fox, Luke Cairns and rookies Connor Brown and Mitchell Eisenberg. Sondre Olden, one of the team’s best offensive performers, surprisingly wasn’t involved in the shootout. When asked about that, Ftorek said he believed the players he used “were going to score for us.”

* News and notes: Anthony Cortellessa (sore back muscle) rejoined the Otters’ lineup after missing both games last weekend. … Liam Maaskant was a healthy scratch while fellow Wood stepped in on defense.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Attack 2, Otters 1

Owen Sound  0  1  0  0  1  —  2

Erie  0  0  1  0  0  —  1

1^st Period — None. Penalties — McGuire (E) 5-min. fighting, :07; Zweep (O) 5-min. fighting, :07; McGuire (E) game misconduct, :07; Zweep (O) game misconduct, :07; Eisenberg (E) tripping, 2:40; Harper (E) tripping, 17:36; Bigras (O) hooking, 18:42.

2^nd Period — 1. Owen Sound, Daniel Catenacci 26 (Gavrus, Halmo), 17:14 (pp). Penalties — Hope (O) delay of game, 2:56; Williams (E) delay of game (served by Betz), 4:15; Cutting (O) cross checking, 9:58; Donnay (E) 5-min. fighting, 12:59; Gabriel (O) 5-min. fighting, 12:59; Fox (E) instigating, 16:53; Fox (E) 5-min. fighting, 16:53; Dotchin (O) 5-min. fighting, 16:53; Fox (E) 10-min. misconduct, 16:53; Rose (O) tripping, 18:36.

3^rd Period — 2. Erie, Stephen Harper 17 (Betz, Evans), 3:27. Penalties — Cortellessa (E) 5-min. fighting, 7:37; Blandisi (O) 5-min. fighting, 7:37.

Overtime — None. Penalties — None.

Shootout — Fox (E) no goal; Gavrus (O) goal; Harper (E) goal; Blandisi (O) no goal; Eisenberg (E) no goal; Bigras (O) no goal; Cairns (E) no goal; Brace (O) no goal; Brown (E) no goal; Rose (O) no goal; Wood (E) no goal; Catenacci (O) goal.

Shots on goal — Owen Sound, 9-8-14-3-1—35; Erie, 8-8-11-3-0—30.

Goaltenders — Owen Sound, Jordan Binnington 15-13-0-1 (30 shots, 29 saves); Erie, Devin Williams 1-1-0-1 (34 shots, 33 saves).

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

Referees — Mike Cairns, Chris Carnegie. Linesmen — R.J. King, Daryl Wolfe.

Attendance — 2,135.

Three stars

* Jordan Binnington, Attack (29 saves, 5 SO saves) ** Devin Williams, Otters (33 saves, 4 SO saves) *** Stephen Harper, Otters (goal, SO goal)

Third-year forward Dane Fox and second-year defenseman Adam Pelech headline five Erie Otters named to NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings for the NHL Entry Draft in June.

Fox, 18, who was acquired along with second-year defenseman Troy Donnay from London last week, stands 48th among North American skaters. Pelech, 17, is six spots back at No. 54. Rookie winger Connor Brown, 17, stands at No. 85. Donnay, 17, and rookie defenseman Liam Maaskant, 17, are Nos. 115 and 134, respectively.

Former Otters winger Chris Marchese, who was traded to Windsor for winger Anthony Cortellessa last month, stands at No. 97. Center Drake Caggiula, the Otters’ third-round pick in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection, is at No. 197. He plays for Stouffville in the Ontario Junior A Hockey League and has committed to the University of North Dakota.

Sarnia winger Nail Yakupov ranks first overall among North American skaters. The OHL has eight other skaters among the top 20 – Kitchener C Radek Faksa (No. 4), London D Olli Maatta (No. 6), Belleville C Brendan Gaunce (No. 11), Guelph D Matthew Finn (No. 15), Ottawa D Cody Ceci (No. 16), Peterborough D Slater Koekkoek (No. 17), Belleville LW Daniil Zharkov (No. 19) and Owen Sound C Gemel Smith (No. 20). Belleville’s Malcolm Subban ranks first among North American goaltenders.

Check out the complete lists on NHL.com, including the top European goaltenders. Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager, has said the 2012 CHL Import Draft in June features goaltenders that could be selected in the first round of the NHL draft.

Bassin likely will focus on the CHL draft to find a goaltender to replace overager Ramis Sadikov next season. Rookie backup Devin Williams, who has played 18 minutes in his brief OHL career, is currently the most experienced prospect in the organization.

Liam Maaskant chose the perfect time to score his first OHL goal.

“Absolutely,” the rookie defenseman said after his goal 3:22 into overtime snapped the Erie Otters’ eight-game losing streak in a 4-3 win against Kitchener in front of 2,329 at Tullio Arena on Saturday night.

Maaskant’s shot from the point slipped through a crowd and past Rangers goaltender Franky Palazzese to cap a strong effort from the Otters’ rookie class. First-round pick Stephen Harper recorded the first two-goal and three-point outings of his short career. Tyler McCarthy and Jake Evans also had points.

The Otters (2-12-0-0), which rallied from two-goal deficits twice to force overtime, won for the first time since a 7-5 home victory against defending league champion Owen Sound Oct. 7.

A night after making 43 saves in a loss to the Rangers (8-5-1-0), Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov (26 saves) had a rough start early in the finale of this home-and-home series. He allowed highly touted rookie center Radek Faksa’s goal on Kitchener’s first shot for a 1-0 Rangers’ lead 1:25 into the opening period.

Then on Kitchener’s fourth shot, Matia Marcantuoni scored on Sadikov to hand the Rangers a 2-0 lead at the 6:07 mark. Yet the Otters responded 26 seconds later, as Johnny McGuire scored his first goal of the season and second of his career on assists from McCarthy and Evans. McCarthy recorded his first OHL point while Evans netted a point for his second straight game.

Kitchener regained a two-goal lead 22 seconds into the second on Tobias Rieder’s team-best ninth goal of the season. He scored during a scramble in front of Sadikov. But the Otters struck back 51 seconds later on Harper’s first of two goals to slice Kitchener’s lead to 3-2.

Then Harper scored again to tie the score at 3 at the 2:37 mark of the third and eventually force overtime. While standing with his back to the net, the rookie winger deflected Brett Cook’s point shot past Palazzese.

Then Harper joined fellow rookie Connor Brown in assisting on Maaskant’s game-winning goal. Faksa had a goal and assist for the Rangers while Ben Thomson had two assists. Palazzese made 31 saves.

- Victor Fernandes