Victor Fernandes unveils his predictions for the OHL playoffs:

Eastern Conference
Quarterfinals
No. 1 Belleville def. No. 8 Mississauga, 4-1
No. 2 Barrie def. No. 7 Kingston, 4-0
No. 6 Niagara def. No. 3 Oshawa, 4-2
No. 4 Brampton def. No. 5 Sudbury, 4-2
Semifinals
No. 1 Belleville def. No. 6 Niagara, 4-2
No. 2 Barrie def. No. 4 Brampton, 4-1
Finals
No. 1 Belleville def. No. 2 Barrie, 4-3

Western Conference
Quarterfinals
No. 1 London def. No. 8 Saginaw, 4-0
No. 2 Plymouth def. No. 7 Sarnia, 4-1
No. 3 Owen Sound def. No. 6 Sault Ste. Marie, 4-1
No. 5 Guelph def. No. 4 Kitchener, 4-3
Semifinals
No. 1 London def. No. 5 Guelph, 4-1
No. 2 Plymouth def. No. 3 Owen Sound, 4-2
Finals
No. 2 Plymouth def. No. 1 London, 4-3

League finals
No. 1W Plymouth def. No. 1E Belleville, 4-2

- Victor Fernandes

The OHL will announce the recipient of the Goaltender of the Year award on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.
The finalists are Igor Bobkov (Kingston), John Gibson (Kitchener), Michael Houser (London), Petr Mrazek (Ottawa), Mark Visentin (Niagara) and Scott Wedgewood (Plymouth).

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.

Victor Fernandes unveils his predictions for the 2011-12 OHL season:

REGULAR SEASON

Eastern Conference

East Division

1. Oshawa

2. Ottawa

3. Peterborough

4. Kingston

5. Belleville

Central Division

1. Niagara

2. Mississauga

3. Sudbury

4. Brampton

5. Barrie

Western Conference

Midwest Division

1. London

2. Kitchener

3. Erie

4. Owen Sound

5. Guelph

West Division

1. Plymouth

2. Saginaw

3. Sarnia

4. Windsor

5. Sault Ste. Marie

PLAYOFFS

Eastern Conference

Quarterfinals

No. 1 Niagara def. No. 8 Kingston, 4-0

No. 2 Oshawa def. No. 7 Sudbury, 4-2

No. 3 Mississauga def. No. 6 Brampton, 4-1

No. 4 Ottawa def. No. 5 Peterborough, 4-1

Semifinals

No. 1 Niagara def. No. 4 Ottawa, 4-0

No. 3 Mississauga def. No. 2 Oshawa, 4-2

Finals

No. 1 Niagara def. No. 3 Mississauga, 4-2

Western Conference

Quarterfinals

No. 1 Plymouth def. No. 8 Owen Sound, 4-2

No. 2 London def. No. 7 Erie, 4-2

No. 6 Windsor def. No. 3 Saginaw, 4-3

No. 5 Sarnia def. No. 4 Kitchener, 4-2

Semifinals

No. 1 Plymouth def. No. 6 Windsor, 4-2

No. 2 London def. No. 5 Sarnia, 4-3

Finals

No. 1 Plymouth def. No. 2 London, 4-2

League finals

No. 1E Niagara def. No. 1W Plymouth, 4-2

OWEN SOUND, Ontario – Fresh off snapping a winless streak in London on Friday night, the Erie Otters (15-15-1-1) hoped to do the same in Owen Sound where they hadn’t won in regulation in five years, but that remained the case as the Attack grabbed a 6-1 win Saturday night at Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. The loss was only Erie’s second in 11 games.

The first period belonged to the Attack, who grabbed three goals in the first 20 minutes of play to take a 3-0 lead. Owen Sound out-shot Erie, 18-12, in the first period.

Erie picked up their play in the second period, which got off to a good start as Brett Appio blasted a shot from the left point over the left shoulder of Jordan Binnington 2:14 into the frame for his fourth goal of the season. Binnington stopped the other 18 shots by Erie in the period, protecting Owen Sound’s two-goal lead going into the third.

The Attack took control of the game in the third period, starting with a fluky goal by Liam Heelis at 5:37. Owen Sound effectively put the game away on Bobby Mignardi‘s second goal of the night while on the power play, which chased Ramis Sadikov out of the net. Holden Cook completed the scoring for Owen Sound with just over three minutes left to play.

Binnington continued his mastery of the Otters with 42 saves, improving his record to 3-0-0-1 over Erie in his young career. Phil Varone‘s team-leading eight-game point scoring streak was snapped, and the loss was the first for Sadikov in regulation since November 12. The Otters complete their road trip on Sunday against the Guelph Storm at 2:00 p.m.

- From Erie Otters news release

LONDON, Ontario – The Erie Otters’ winless streak in London ended convincingly Friday night.

The Otters produced their largest goal total in more than a year in a 9-4 win against the Midwest Division rival Knights in front of 8,975 at John Labatt Centre – their first win in London since Dec. 27, 2002.

The Otters left London without a win in their next 24 games. But the 25^th time was the charm.

Shawn Szydlowski recorded his third hat trick of the season and fourth of his OHL career on the way to a four-point outing. Anthony Luciani (two goals, two assists) also had four points. Greg McKegg had three assists. Phil Varone had a goal and assist in his first trip to London since being traded Oct. 26.

Rookies Connor Crisp and Kris Grant also scored their first OHL goals. Ten Otters contributed points.

The Otters scored in every way – even strength (four goals), on the power play (four) and short-handed (one). They were also efficient with scoring chances. They scored its first six goals on 18 shots.

They finished with nine goals on 38 shots – their first nine-goal effort since a 9-3 win against Niagara on Nov. 6, 2009 – and their first winning record (15-14-1-1) since a season-opening win at Brampton.

London (13-14-2-1), which has lost four straight and nine of their last 12 games, actually outshot the Otters 45-38. But goaltender Ramis Sadikov made 41 saves. Knights goaltender Michael Houser, a Wexford native, allowed eight goals on 25 shots before being replaced in the third by rookie Igor Bobkov.

The Otters, which continue a three-game road trip tonight in Owen Sound, have won five of their last six games. They have gained points in the standings in all six games.

SUMMARY

Otters 9, Knights 4

Erie  3  4  2  —  9

London  0  1  3  —  4

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Phil Varone 11 (Luciani), 3:41. 2. Erie, Shawn Szydlowski 15 (unassisted), 13:07 (sh). 3. Erie, Anthony Luciani 10 (McKegg, Varone), 15:11 (pp). Penalties — Szydlowski (E) hooking, 4:42; Crisp (E) holding, 12:04; Fox (L) cross checking, 14:28.

2^nd Period — 4. London, Colin Martin 4 (D’Orazio, Tinordi), 4:58. 5. Erie, Szydlowski 16 (McKegg, Shields), 8:41. 6. Erie, Luciani 11 (Szydlowski, Holden), 10:07 (pp). 7. Szydlowski 17 (McDonnell, McKegg), 13:40. 8. Erie, Connor Crisp 1 (Marchese), 17:07 (pp). Penalties — DeSousa (L) checking from behind, 9:02; McNeill (L) slashing, 9:57; Knight (L) unsportsmanlike conduct, 14:18; Szydlowski (E) unsportsmanlike conduct, 15:16; D’Orazio (L) unsportsmanlike conduct, 15:16; Houser (L) roughing, 16:41; Terreri (L) 10-min. misconduct, 17:51; Fox (L) interference, 18:38.

3^rd Period — 9. London, Andreas Athanasiou 7 (Sanza), 10:57 (pp). 10. London, Chris DeSousa 8 (McNeill), 14:11. 11. Erie, David Broll 5 (Luciani), 14:43. 12. London, Chris Tierney 1 (Namestnikov, Griffith), 14:59. 13. Erie, Kris Grant 1 (Austin, Paton), 17:09 (pp). Penalties — Namestnikov (L) checking to the head, 5:05; Varone (E) tripping, 5:40; Cook (E) high sticking, 9:00; Martin (L) hooking, 16:00.

Shots on goal — Erie, 9-18-11—38; London, 14-19-12—45.

Goaltenders — Erie, Ramis Sadikov 15-10-1-1 (45 shots, 41 saves); London, Michael Houser 12-10-2-1 (25 shots, 17 saves), Igor Bobkov (13 shots, 12 saves).

Power plays — Erie (4-8), London (1-5).

Referees — Joe Monette, Trent Knorr. Linesmen — Jesse Wilmot, Matt Gervais.

Attendance — 8,975.

Three stars

* Shawn Szydlowski, Otters (3 goals, assist) ** Phil Varone, Otters (goal, assist) *** Chris Tierney, Knights (first OHL goal)

One-goal games haven’t been kind to the Erie Otters. But on Saturday night at Tullio Arena, the Otters held off London 2-1 in front of 3,272 at Tullio Arena.

Yet the Otters (8-13-1-0) couldn’t celebrate much, since they may have lost another key veteran to a serious injury. Defenseman Tyler Hostetter injured his right hand in a fight with Knights winger Michael MacDonald three seconds into the second period.

Hostetter headed to Hamot Medical Center during the game for X-rays. Club officials had not received official confirmation after the game.

But Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager, said, “It didn’t look good.” The Otters are already without top-line center Mike Cazzola (broken wrist) and forward Andrew Yogan (shoulder). Right wing Anthony Luciani only rejoined the lineup on Wednesday after missing a month.

“It’s almost on the edge of ridiculous,” Bassin said of the injuries. “It’s inconceivable.”

Even without Hostetter, goaltender Ramis Sadikov and the defense held strong against the Knights (10-6-2-1).

The Otters, which entered the game with seven one-goal losses, held onto that tenuous one-goal lead deep into the third period. The Knights pulled Houser with 1:17 left for an extra attacker. That sparked London’s pursuit of the tying goal. But the Otters held on for their fourth win in the past six games.

Meanwhile on offense, coach Robbie Ftorek shuffled all four lines for the matchup against the Knights. One of those new combinations – the line of Greg McKegg, Luciani and former Knight Phil Varone – handed the Otters a 1-0 lead early in the opening period. McKegg scored his team-leading 12^th goal of the season at the 7:16 mark on assists from Luciani and Derek Holden.

The goal seemed to spark the Otters on offense. They had several scoring opportunities in the period, including on two power plays. But Knights goaltender Michael Houser kept the Otters at bay.

David Broll’s rebound in front – his first goal in the past 16 games – beat Houser for a 2-0 Otters’ lead with 6:32 left in the second period. But the Knights sliced the Otters’ lead in half 58 seconds later, as MacDonald scooped a loose puck and slipped a backhand past Sadikov.

Luciani (two assists) and McKegg (goal, assist) led the Otters. Sadikov finished with 26 saves while Houser had 19 stops for the Knights.

SUMMARY

Otters 2, Knights 1

London  0  1  0  —  1

Erie  1  1  0  —  2

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Greg McKegg 12 (Luciani, Holden), 7:16. Penalties — Broll (E) 5-min. fighting, 7:18; Terreri (L) 5-min. fighting, 7:18; Knight (L) goaltender interference, 9:19; Donnay (L) holding, 15:23.

2^nd Period — 2. Erie, David Broll 3 (Luciani, McKegg), 13:28. 3. London, Michael MacDonald 6 (Fox), 14:26. Penalties — Hostetter (E) 5-min. fighting, :03; Brown (L) 5-min. fighting, :03; McKegg (E) hooking, 10:04; Martin (L) holding, 11:21; Szydlowski (E) slashing, 16:36.

3^rd Period — None. Penalties — Cook (E) hooking, 4:53.

Shots on goal — London, 7-12-8—27; Erie, 8-7-6—21.

Goaltenders — London, Michael Houser 9-5-2-1 (21 shots, 19 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 8-10-1-0 (27 shots, 26 saves).

Power plays — London (0-3), Erie (0-3).

Referees — Ryan Carroll, Jason Faist. Linesmen — Dustin McCrank, Daryl Wolfe.

Attendance — 3,272.

Three stars

* Greg McKegg, Otters (goal, assist) ** Anthony Luciani, Otters (two assists) *** David Broll, Otters (goal)

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: Guelph Storm (9-5-1-1) at Erie Otters (6-12-1-0)

When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.

Where: Tullio Arena

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

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (10 goals, 16 assists, 26 points), C Mike Cazzola (9-16-25), G Ramis Sadikov (6-9-1-0 record, 2.96 goals-against average, .912 save percentage, 1 shutout), D Tyler Hostetter (3-10-13), RW Anthony Luciani (3-2-5 in 5 games)

Guelph – C Peter Holland (12-9-21), C Michael Latta (12-7-19), RW Taylor Beck (9-9-18), D Tim Campbell (1-13-14, plus-4), LW Tyler Carroll (4-4-8)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters have a three-game home stand over the next four days, which concludes a stretch of eight home games in nine outings. … They split the first six games of this stretch. … Sadikov has a 2.57 goals-against average and .936 save percentage in seven games since being replaced in the first period of an Oct. 22 loss to Sault Ste. Marie. He stopped 95-of-99 shots, including a shutout, in three games this past weekend (1.29 GAA, .959 save pct.). … Luciani (broken right wrist) said he will play tonight. He hasn’t played since Oct. 2. … RW Shawn Szydlowski (7-8-15) hopes to play after being a last-minute scratch before Saturday’s game against Owen Sound because he was ill. He also suffered a minor undisclosed injury after hitting a rut in pregame warm-up that night. But he could have played if he wasn’t ill, Szydlowski said. … D Brady Austin, who suffered neck spasms on Saturday that sent him to Hamot Medical Center for X-rays during the game, doesn’t expect to play. But he should be ready for this weekend’s games. … The Otters won the first of six regular-season meetings with the Storm 3-2 on the road Oct. 8. … Cazzola has points in six straight games.

Guelph – Holland, Latta and Beck have scored 33 of the Storm’s 50 goals. … Holland and Latta rank among the OHL’s top 10 in goals. … G Brandon Foote (6-3-1-1, 3.07, .921) missed the past two games with an injured left arm, according to the Guelph Mercury. Rookie backups Garret Sparks and Matej Machovsky earned a win apiece in Foote’s absence. … The Storm have won four of their last five games.

Up next: vs. Saginaw (Friday, 7 p.m.), vs. London (Saturday, 7 p.m.)

- Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters have acquired overage center Phil Varone from London for a second-round pick in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection and a 2011 third-round pick originally held by Windsor.

Varone, who turns 20 Dec. 4, has been a consistent point producer in his five-year OHL career (50 goals, 172 points in 209 games) when he has been healthy. He missed half of the 2009-10 season with a shoulder injury. He missed several games this season with a knee injury suffered against the Otters on Oct. 2.

But he was a healthy scratch the past few games for the Knights, presumably to avoid injury while Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager, and Knights GM Mark Hunter negotiated a deal the past few days.

He’s expected to arrive in Erie late tonight and play in Wednesday’s game against Plymouth at Tullio Arena.

Sherry Bassin (Contributed/Erie Otters)

“He is very healthy,” Bassin said of Varone, who joins fellow overagers Mitch Gaulton, Anthony Luciani and Shawn Szydlowski on the roster. OHL rules allow teams to dress a maximum of three OAs per game. Yet teams can carry more than three 0n the roster until the January trade deadline.

Luciani, a 38-goal scorer, remains out with a wrist injury. With his return date undetermined, and forward Andrew Yogan (shoulder surgery) out until at least Christmas break, Bassin wanted to solidify his offense.

“We had an opportunity to get a good player. We weren’t going to let it go by,” said Bassin, who was interested in acquiring a top center to strengthen the team’s top two lines. “I loved the way he played when he was in midgets. I loved the way he has played all his career. He plays with his heart. He’s a smart player.”

Bassin was comfortable trading from a slew of picks he has stockpiled the past few seasons. Even without the third-round pick in the 2011 draft, he has a pick apiece in the first, second and fourth rounds and two apiece in the fifth and sixth rounds.

- Victor Fernandes

- Victor Fernandes