Widespread rumors surrounding the trade of Erie Otters captain Greg McKegg to Midwest Division rival London developed several weeks ago. On Monday, Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager, had an amusing response to those rumors.

“There’s a better chance of Chicken Little pulling the string and the sky falling” than a McKegg trade, Bassin said.

In other Otters’ news, Bassin isn’t ready to push the panic button over the club’s 3-7-1-0 start to the season. He will wait until after several injured players return before fully assessing the roster.

The Otters are currently missing forwards Anthony Luciani (bruised wrist), Brett Appio (leg) and Connor Crisp (concussion) and defensemen Brett Cook (concussion) and Mitch Gaulton (hand) and David Shields (back).

- Victor Fernandes

WINDSOR, Ontario – The Windsor Spitfires haven’t been gracious hosts to the Erie Otters.

The Otters’ losing streak in Windsor stands at nine straight games following a 5-3 loss in front of 5,901 at WFCU Centre Thursday night. The Otters haven’t won in Windsor since Feb. 1, 2007.

Rookie Michael MacIntyre, who ranks second among all rookies with five goals and nine points, snapped a 3-3 tie 7 minutes, 59 seconds into the third period. Zack Kassian’s empty-net goal with 37 seconds left sealed the win.

The Otters (3-5-1-0), which have lost three straight overall, began the game strong, as Derek Holden and Matthew Paton scored 1 minute, 3 seconds apart midway through the first period to snap a scoreless tie.

But the Spitfires (5-4-0-1) responded quickly, as Kassian scored 44 seconds after Paton’s goal. Kassian has five goals and 14 points in five games since being reassigned by the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. Michael Whaley scored his first goal of the season 22 seconds later to tie the score at 2.

Windsor took a 3-2 lead into the third on Stephen Johnston’s power-play goal 5:22 into the second. But Otters rookie Chris Marchese’s power-play goal at the 5:04 mark of the final period tied the score at 3.

That tie stood for less than three minutes, as MacIntyre beat Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov for the winning goal. Sadikov finished with 30 saves. Windsor’s Troy Passingham stopped 33-of-36 shots.

The Otters continue their three-game weekend on Friday in London with a 7:30 p.m. game.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Spitfires 5, Otters 3

Erie  2  0  1  —  3

Windsor  2  1  2  —  5

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Derek Holden 1 (Cazzola, Szydlowski), 12:16 (pp). 2. Erie, Matthew Paton 2 (Gottzmann, Austin), 13:19. 3. Windsor, Zack Kassian 4 (MacQueen, Khokhlachev), 14:03. 4. Windsor, Michael Whaley 1 (Kuhnhackl), 14:25. Penalties — Cairns (E) high sticking, 6:35; Ellis (W) checking from behind, 11:59; Holden (E) interference, 17:10.

2^nd Period — 5. Windsor, Stephen Johnston 3 (Kassian, Ellis), 5:22 (pp). Penalties — Gaulton (E) 5-min. fighting, :02; Tarini (W) 5-min. fighting, :02; Cazzola (E) high sticking, 3:31; Marchese (E) tripping, 4:17; Paton (E) 5-min. fighting, 7:48; MacIntyre (W) 5-min. fighting, 7:48; Marchese (E) 5-min. fighting, 8:23; Webermin (W) 5-min fighting, 8:23; Tarini (W) slashing, 8:57; Ryan (W) boarding, 13:27; Broll (E) interference, 15:07.

3^rd Period — 6. Erie, Chris Marchese 2 (Hostetter, Holden), 5:04 (pp). 7. Windsor, Michael MacIntyre 5 (Locke, Kuhnhackl), 7:59. 8. Windsor, Zack Kassian 5 (Ellis), 19:23 (en). Penalties — Ellis (W) holding, 3:23; McKegg (E) high sticking, 5:52; Austin (E) 5-min. fighting, 8:02; Duininck (W) 5-min. fighting, 8:02; Hostetter (E) high sticking, 15:49.

Shots on goal — Erie, 11-13-12—36; Windsor, 13-13-9—35.

Goaltenders — Erie, Ramis Sadikov 3-4-1-0 (34 shots, 30 saves); Windsor, Troy Passingham 3-0-0-1 (36 shots, 33 saves).

Power plays — Erie (2-4), Windsor (1-7).

Referees — Jason Faist, T.J. Foster. Linesmen — Ryan Wilson, Geoff Rutherford.

Attendance — 5,901.

Three stars

* Stephen Johnston, Spitfires (goal) ** Tom Kuhnhackl, Spitfires (2 assists) *** Zack Kassian, Spitfires (2 goals, assist)

What: Erie Otters (3-4-1-0) at Windsor Spitfires (4-4-0-1)

When: Thursday, 7:05 p.m.

Where: WFCU Centre – Windsor, Ontario

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

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (7 goals, 9 assists, 16 points), C Mike Cazzola (4-8-12), RW Shawn Szydlowski (3-6-9), LW David Broll (2-4-6), D Tyler Hostetter (2-4-6)

Windsor – D Ryan Ellis (3-3-6), RW Zack Kassian (3-8-11), C Alexander Khokhlachev (6-5-11), C Zack MacQueen (4-7-11), D Michael MacIntyre (4-4-8)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters play four of the next five games on the road. They are 2-3-0-0 away from Tullio Arena. … McKegg has points in seven straight games (seven goals, nine points). He is tied with Kitchener D Ryan Murphy for the OHL’s scoring lead. McKegg also is third in goals, tied for second in assists and leads with three short-handed goals. … Five of eight games have been decided by one goal (1-3-1-0). … RW Anthony Luciani (undisclosed injury) began skating with the team on Tuesday. He hopes to play this weekend. … D Brett Cook (undisclosed injury) and rookie C Connor Crisp (concussion) still haven’t returned to practice. … The Otters

Zack MacQueen (Contributed/Windsor Spitfires)

have allowed power-play goals in seven of eight games this season. … They rank in the league’s bottom five on the power play and penalty kill. … The Otters have lost eight straight trips to Windsor since a 3-2 shootout win on Feb. 1, 2007. That streak includes two defeats in an opening-round playoff sweep by the Spitfires last season.

Windsor – The Spitfires are rebuilding after losing several members of the two-time defending league and Memorial Cup champions to the pros, headlined by LW Taylor Hall (Edmonton Oilers), D Cam Fowler (Anaheim Ducks) and coach Bob Boughner (Columbus Blue Jackets assistant coach). … Ellis and Kassian, who recorded his 11 points in the past four games, anchor a young team. Both were recently assigned to the Spitfires by the Buffalo Sabres and Nashville Predators, respectively. … MacQueen, who was traded to the Spitfires by his father – former Otters coach and current Sarnia coach/general manager Dave MacQueen – is tied for the team lead in scoring. … G Jack Campbell, who led the United States to a gold medal in the IIHF World Junior Championship last winter, has struggled in his first OHL season (2-4-0-0, 4.99 goals-against average, .855 save percentage). … Khokhlachev, the 23^rd pick in the 2010 CHL Import Draft, is tied for fourth in goals.

Up next: at London (Friday, 7:30 p.m.), vs. Ottawa (Saturday, 7 p.m.)

What: Erie Otters (2-3-0-0) at Guelph Storm (3-2-0-0)

When: Today, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Sleeman Centre – Guelph, Ontario

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

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (3 goals, 5 assists, 8 points), C Mike Cazzola (2-4-6), RW Anthony Luciani (3-2-5), LW David Broll (2-4-6), D Tyler Hostetter (2-2-4)

Guelph – C Peter Holland (4-5-9), C Michael Latta (4-2-6), RW Taylor Beck (3-3-6), D Tim Campbell (0-6-6), C Mathew Sisca (3-0-3)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-2 home win against London on Saturday. … They have lost two of their first three on the road (5-4 in Niagara on Sept. 30 and 7-3 in Kitchener last Friday). … They continue a stretch of five straight games against Midwest Division teams. … They play six of the next eight games on the road. … McKegg, the reigning OHL player of the week, has points in four straight games (three goals, five points). … G Ramis Sadikov (2-2-0-0 record, 2.76 goals-against average, .933 save percentage) has made 35 or more saves in three of four outings. … RW Scott Mitchell hasn’t played in a game this season. He has dressed for only 10 games in the past three seasons. … D Brett Cook (undisclosed injury) and rookie C Connor Crisp (mild concussion) remain out of the lineup. … The Otters were 7-for-7 on the penalty kill against London on Saturday, their first game without a power-play goal against this season. … Cazzola snapped a four-game point streak on Saturday.

Guelph – The Storm are playing the 20^th season in franchise history. … They have outscored opponents 12-9 in their three wins and been outscored 14-5 in two losses. … Holland, who signed with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks in April, is tied for third overall in scoring. He has goals and points in four of five games. … Holland, Latta and Beck – the Storm’s top three scorers – have combined for 11 of the club’s 17 goals. … The teams split the six-game season series last year, with the Storm winning two of three at home.

Up next: vs. Kitchener (Saturday, 7 p.m.), at Kitchener (Monday, 1 p.m.)

- Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters finally produced a strong defensive effort.

After surrendering 12 goals in the opening two games of the weekend, the Otters stymied rival London to snap a three-game losing streak with a 5-2 win in front of 3,456 at Tullio Arena on Saturday night.

The Otters (2-3-0-0) held the Knights in check for nearly two periods. The penalty-kill unit, which allowed seven goals on 18 chances in the opening four games, went 7-for-7 against the Knights (2-2-0-0).

Meanwhile, the Otters scored four straight goals, two apiece in the first and second, to build a 4-0 lead.

“This was a huge win for us,” second-year winger David Broll said. “It’s a really good confidence boost.”

The Otters found an opening through Igor Bobkov, London’s 6 foot 6 inch, 240-pound rookie goaltender and Anaheim Ducks prospect, late in the opening period. Broll turned defenseman David Shields’ pass into his second goal of the season and a 1-0 Otters lead with 5 minutes, 32 seconds left in the first. Thirty-one seconds later, overage winger Shawn Szydlowski, who has joined Mike Cazzola and Greg McKegg on the No. 1 line, scored his first goal of the season for a 2-0 lead.

Then in the second period, a defensive miscue and Bobkov’s inability to cover the puck in the crease turned into McKegg’s short-handed goal at the 8:04 mark. McKegg poked the puck through Bobkov after it slipped out from under Bobkov’s glove. The Otters continued the offensive assault late in the period.

Tyler Hostetter scored his second goal of the season, off assists from rookie Chris Marchese and Broll, for a 4-0 lead with 4:58 left. The Knights ended Ramis Sadikov’s bid for his first Ontario Hockey League shutout, as rookie Andreas Athanasiou poked in a rebound with 7.6 seconds left in the second.

London sliced the Otters’ lead to 4-2 at the 2:40 mark of the third, as rookie Vladislav Namestnikov’s shot trickled through Sadikov. London outshot the Otters 14-5 in the final 20 minutes. But Sadikov and the Otters held off the Knights the rest of the way.

Along the way, McKegg scored his second short-handed goal, this one into an empty net, with 1:02 left in the game. He’s the first Otter to score two short-handed goals in a game since Zack Torquato on Feb. 29, 2008, against Owen Sound and the fifth in the franchise’s 15-year history. Sadikov had 35 saves. Bobkov had 24 in his OHL debut. McKegg led Erie with two goals and an assist. Broll and Hostetter each had a goal and assist. Namestnikov had a goal and assist for the Knights.

* News and notes: Defenseman Brett Cook missed the game. He apparently was injured in a first-period fight against Kitchener’s Tyler Randell on Friday night. Coach Robbie Ftorek said he was unaware of Cook’s condition. … Brady Austin has played the first five games on defense. Before the season, club officials said he would return to defense permanently.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Otters 5, Knights 2

London  0  1  1  —  2

Erie  2  2  1  —  5

1^st Period — 1. Erie, David Broll 2 (Shields, Luciani), 14:28. 2. Erie, Shawn Szydlowski 1 (McKegg, Hostetter), 14:59. Penalties — Paton (E) high sticking, 7:13; McNeill (L) holding, 15:56; Szydlowski (E) high sticking, 16:47; Paton (E) hooking, 19:58.

2^nd Period — 3. Erie, Greg McKegg 2 (unassisted), 8:04 (sh). 4. Erie, Tyler Hostetter 2 (Marchese, Broll), 15:02. London, Andreas Athanasiou 1 (D’Orazio, Namestnikov), 19:52. Penalties — Appio (E) 4-min. roughing, 6:34; Terreri (L) checking from behind, 6:34.

3^rd Period — 6. London, Vladislav Namestnikov 2 (Donnay), 2:40. 7. Erie, McKegg 3 (unassisted), 18:52 (sh-en). Penalties — Shields (E) holding, 4:35; Appio (E) high sticking, 6:45; Holden (E) delay of game, 17:58.

Shots on goal — London, 10-13-14—37; Erie, 13-11-5—29.

Goaltenders — London, Igor Bobkov 0-1-0-0 (28 shots, 24 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 2-2-0-0 (37 shots, 35 saves).

Power plays — London (0-7), Erie (0-1).

Referees — Ben Wilson, Craig Spada. Linesmen — Ron Wilson, Fraiser MacIntire.

Attendance — 3,456.

Three stars

* Greg McKegg, Otters (2 goals, assist) ** Ramis Sadikov, Otters (35 saves) *** Tyler Hostetter, Otters (goal, assist)

KITCHENER, Ontario – Kitchener doesn’t need Jeremy Morin and Jeff Skinner to beat the Erie Otters.

While both offensive leaders remain at NHL training camps, the Rangers pulled away in the third period for a 7-3 win in front of 6,366 at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium on Friday night.

The Otters (1-3-0-0) have lost three straight since a season-opening win in Brampton. They also have lost nine straight to the Rangers (3-0-0-0), dating back to the opening game of an eight-game season series last year. Morin and Skinner combined for 22 goals and 33 points in the Rangers’ season sweep.

But Morin and Skinner have performed well this preseason with the Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes, respectively. Meanwhile, their Rangers’ teammates have picked up the offensive slack.

Gabriel Landeskog, a potential first-round pick in the 2011 National Hockey League Entry Draft, scored twice – his fourth and fifth goals of the season. Ryan Murphy had a goal and his four assists.

Murphy and Landeskog scored consecutive goals in less than a minute midway through the third period to cap a three-goal stretch that turned the Rangers’ 3-2 lead into a 6-2 advantage.

Kitchener scored all seven goals on 34 shots against rookie goaltender Chris Festarini, who was playing in only his second Ontario Hockey League game. David Shields, Anthony Luciani and Mitch Gaulton scored for the Otters, which complete their three-game weekend tonight at home against London.

SUMMARY

Rangers 7, Otters 3

Erie  1  1  1  —  3

Kitchener  2  2  3  —  7

1^st Period — 1. Kitchener, Andrew Crescenzi 1 (Murphy, Akeson), 13:03. 2. Kitchener, Michael Catenacci 1 (Landeskog, Murphy), 14:39. 3. Erie, David Shields 1 (Broll), 16:26. Penalties — Appio (E) 5-min. fighting, 6:12; Lowry (K) 5-min. fighting, 6:12; Cook (E) 5-min. fighting, 6:47; Randell (K) 5-min. fighting, 6:47; McKegg (E) interference, 7:16; Crescenzi (K) holding the stick, 10:43.

2^nd Period — 4. Kitchener, Gabriel Landeskog 4 (unassisted), :50. 5. Erie, Anthony Luciani 3 (McKegg, Holden), 8:51. 6. Jason Akeson 1 (Catenacci, Murphy), 18:59. Penalties — Shields (E) tripping, 12:22.

3^rd Period — 7. Kitchener, Landeskog 5 (Rieder, Catenacci), 9:15. 8. Erie, Mitch Gaulton 2 (Cazzola, McKegg), 10:59 (pp). 10. Kitchener, Matthew Tipoff 3 (Akeson, Murphy), 15:46. Penalties — Sol (K) roughing, 3:24; McKegg (E) roughing, 6:52; Landeskog (K) roughing, 6:52; Cazzola (E) holding the stick, 7:15; Marcantuoni (K) roughing, 10:55; Rieder (K) interference, 11:47; Melchiori (K) delay of game, 19:44.

Shots on goal — Erie, 11-15-12—38; Kitchener, 10-8-16—34.

Goaltenders — Erie, Chris Festarini 0-1-0-0 (34 shots, 27 saves); Kitchener, Brandon Maxwell 2-0-0-0 (38 shots, 35 saves).

Power plays — Erie (1-5), Kitchener (1-3).

Referees — Darren Price, Scott Hoberg. Linesmen — Matt Gregory, Dave Pfohl.

Attendance — 6,366.

Three stars

* Ryan Murphy, Rangers (goal, 4 assists) ** Gabriel Landeskog, Rangers (2 goals, assist) *** Jason Akeson, Rangers (goal, 2 assists)

The Mercyhurst College women’s hockey team and Erie Otters will play three day-night doubleheaders at Tullio Arena this season. The games are a lead-in to the NCAA Women’s Division I Frozen Four, set for March 18-20 at the downtown arena, Lakers coach Michael Sisti said Monday.

The Lakers have moved three games – Nov. 27 against Colgate and a two-game series with Brown on Jan. 14-15 – from Mercyhurst Ice Center to Tullio Arena. All three games are scheduled for 2 p.m. starts, said Casey Wells, Erie County Convention Center Authority executive director.

The Otters have home games against Kitchener on Nov. 27, Barrie on Jan. 14 and London on Jan. 15. All three games begin at 7 p.m.

“(The Tullio staff will have) extra people with locker rooms and things to juggle,” Sisti said. “It’s a nice trial run for everyone to get used to things and to smooth out anything as they get closer to hosting the (Frozen) Four.”

- Victor Fernandes

Otters-Lakers doubleheader schedule

at Tullio Arena

Nov. 27

Colgate at Mercyhurst, 2 p.m.

Kitchener at Erie, 7 p.m.

Jan. 14

Brown at Mercyhurst, 2 p.m.

Barrie at Erie, 7 p.m.

Jan. 15

Brown at Mercyhurst, 2 p.m.

London at Erie, 7 p.m.

Toronto – The Ontario Hockey League announced Thursday that Dale Hunter of the London Knights is the 2009-10 winner of the Matt Leyden Trophy awarded to the OHL’s coach of the year.

Hunter led the Knights to a 49-16-1-2 record for 101 points to capture his third Matt Leyden Trophy.  He previously won the award in 2003-04 and 2004-05 following an OHL championship and MasterCard Memorial Cup title.  The 2009-10 campaign marked his second straight Midwest Division title and the sixth time in seven seasons where he coached the Knights to a 100-point finish.

“This is a very special honour for me to receive this award,” said Hunter. “When the GMs vote for you it is not just a reflection of your season but of your entire coaching staff and the organization.  I enjoy coaching, and watching the kids get better and better throughout the year is something to be proud of.”

Hunter, a 49-year-old native of Petrolia, Ontario, just completed his ninth season behind the Knights bench, surpassing Bill Long as the longest serving coach in Knights’ history.  Long spent eight seasons as coach from 1972-73 to 1979-80.

Prior to coaching, Hunter played 19 seasons in the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques, Washington Capitals and Colorado Avalanche up until the 1998-99 season.  In 1,407 career NHL games, he recorded 1,020 points with 323 goals and 697 assists.  An OHL graduate, he played his junior hockey with the Kitchener Rangers and the Sudbury Wolves.

Hunter is just the second coach to win the Matt Leyden Trophy three times, behind five-time winner Brian Kilrea of the Ottawa 67’s.  Bert Templeton (Hamilton and North Bay), Terry Crisp (Sault Ste. Marie), George Burnett (Niagara Falls), Gary Agnew (London), Craig Hartsburg (Guelph and Sault Ste. Marie), Peter DeBoer (Plymouth), and Bob Boughner (Windsor) have each won the award twice.

The Matt Leyden Trophy is voted on by the member teams of the Ontario Hockey League. In a first round of balloting, teams vote for the top coaches within their own conference. The top three nominees from both the Eastern and Western conferences are declared as finalists. A second round of voting is then conducted on a league-wide basis, where teams vote for any of the six finalists.

At no time during the voting can a team vote for their own candidate. Coaches receive five points for a first-place vote, three points for a second-place vote and one point for a third-place vote.

Hunter received 47 points in the voting process, ahead of Dave Cameron of the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors, who received 39 points and Marty Williamson of the Barrie Colts, who received 36 points.

The Matt Leyden Trophy has been awarded annually since 1972 in recognition of the contributions of Matt Leyden, past president of the Ontario Hockey Association from 1965-1967. The Oshawa native was honored as a lifetime member of the OHA in 1972.

Hunter will be formally presented with the award at the 2009-10 OHL Awards Ceremony taking place Wednesday June 9 at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, and will also be the OHL’s nominee for the Canadian Hockey League‘s coach of the year.

- From OHL news release

Ontario Hockey League playoff previews

Conference semifinals (best-of-seven series)

Western Conference

No. 1 Windsor Spitfires vs. No. 4 Plymouth Whalers

Season records: Windsor 50-12-1-5, Plymouth 38-27-1-2

Season series: Windsor won 5-3

Players to watch: Windsor – LW Taylor Hall (6 goals-4 assists-10 points, 3 power-play goals), RW Zack Kassian (2-4-6), RW Dale Mitchell (2-4-6), D Ryan Ellis (0-6-6), D Mark Cundari (1-4-5); Plymouth – C Tyler Seguin (5-5-10, 3 PPG), C Phil McRae (6-5-11, 3 PPG), G Matt Hackett (3-1-0 record, 2.38 goals-against average, .940 save percentage), RW Ryan Hayes (4-7-11), C A.J. Jenks (2-6-8)

Playoff recap: Windsor def. No. 8 Erie 4-0; Plymouth def. No. 5 Sault Ste. Marie 4-1

Outlook: Windsor swept Erie despite inconsistent play from G Philipp Grubauer (4-0-0, 2.55, .896). He needs to be better. But the Spitfires are skilled enough to win this series without Grubauer at his best.

Prediction: Windsor in 5 games

Series schedule

No. 1 Windsor vs. No. 4 Plymouth

Game 1 – Thursday at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.

Game 2 – Saturday at Plymouth, 7:05 p.m.

Game 3 – Monday at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.

Game 4 – Wednesday at Plymouth, 7:05 p.m.

Game 5 – April 8 at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.*

Game 6 – April 10 at Plymouth, 7:05 p.m.*

Game 7 – April 12 at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.*

* If necessary

No. 2 London Knights vs. No. 3 Kitchener Rangers

Season records: London 49-16-1-2, Kitchener 42-19-4-3

Season series: London won 5-1

Players to watch: London – C Nazem Kadri (4-10-14, 2 PPG), C Daniel Erlich (5-4-9, 3 PPG), RW Jared Knight (5-4-9), D Steven Tarasuk (0-6-6, plus-4 rating), D Michael D’Orazio (1-3-4, +7); Kitchener – C Jeff Skinner (3-2-5), LW Chris MacKinnon (1-4-5), LW Jeremy Morin (3-1-4, 2 PPG), C Julian Cimadamore (3-1-4), D Dan Kelly (2-2-4)

Playoff recap: London def. No. 7 Guelph 4-1; Kitchener def. No. 6 Saginaw 4-2

Outlook: The Knights and Rangers could explode offensively in this series, given the talent and on-again, off-again goaltending on both sides. But Kitchener will prevail at the end of a long, hard-fought series.

Prediction: Kitchener in 7 games

Series schedule

Game 1 – Thursday at London, 7 p.m.

Game 2 – Friday at Kitchener, 7:30 p.m.

Game 3 – Monday at London, 7 p.m.

Game 4 – Wednesday at Kitchener, 7 p.m.

Game 5 – April 8 at London, 7 p.m.*

Game 6 – April 10 at Kitchener, 7 p.m.*

Game 7 – April 12 at London, 7 p.m.*

* If necessary

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Barrie Colts vs. No. 5 Brampton Battalion

Season records: Barrie 57-9-0-2, Brampton 25-29-7-7

Season series: Barrie won 6-0

Players to watch: Barrie – RW Bryan Cameron (6-3-9, 4 PPG), C Alexander Burmistrov (5-4-9, 2 PPG), D Alex Pietrangelo (1-7-8, +6), C Luke Pither (3-4-7), RW Alex Hutchings (1-5-6); Brampton – LW Sean Jones (5-4-9, 3 PPG; former Otter), RW Scott Tanski (3-6-9, 2 PPG), C Cody Hodgson (3-4-7), G Patrick Killeen (4-3-0, 2.85, .895), D Matt Clark (2-4-6, +2)

Playoff recap: Barrie def. No. 8 Sudbury 4-0; Brampton def. No. 5 Kingston 4-3

Outlook: The defending conference champion Battalion survived a Game 7 battle with Kingston. But Brampton’s reign in the East will end quickly against the powerhouse Colts.

Prediction: Barrie in 4 games

Series schedule

Game 1 – Thursday at Barrie, 7:30 p.m.

Game 2 – Sunday at Brampton, 2 p.m.

Game 3 – Monday at Barrie, 7:30 p.m.

Game 4 – Wednesday at Brampton, 7 p.m.

Game 5 – April 9 at Barrie, 7:30 p.m.*

Game 6 – April 11 at Brampton, 2 p.m.*

Game 7 – April 12 at Barrie, 7:30 p.m.*

* If necessary

No. 2 Ottawa 67’s vs. No. 3 Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors

Season records: Ottawa 37-23-5-3, Mississauga 42-20-4-2

Season series: Mississauga won 4-0

Players to watch: Ottawa – RW Tyler Toffoli (5-2-7), LW Corey Cowick (5-1-6, 2 PPG, 2 short-handed goals), LW Anthony Nigro (3-2-5), C Cody Lindsay (0-5-5), D Tyler Cuma (0-4-4); Mississauga – G Chris Carrozzi (4-0-0, 1.50, .944, 1 shutout), LW Devante Smith-Pelly (4-1-5, 2 PPG), LW Dustin Ekelman (3-1-4), C Casey Cizikas (1-3-4), C Jordan Mayer (2-1-3), Blake Parlett (1-2-3, +2)

Playoff recap: Ottawa def. No. 7 Niagara 4-1; Mississauga def. No. 6 Peterborough 4-0

Outlook: The Majors are the perfect playoff team – hot goaltending, staunch defense and an opportunistic offense. Even with home-ice advantage, the 67’s don’t have enough of all three to win the series.

Prediction: Mississauga in 6 games

Series schedule

Game 1 – Thursday at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.

Game 2 – Friday at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.

Game 3 – Sunday at Mississauga, 4 p.m.

Game 4 – Tuesday at Mississauga, 7 p.m.

Game 5 – April 8 at Ottawa, 7 p.m.*

Game 6 – April 10 at Mississauga, 4 p.m.*

Game 7 – April 12 at Ottawa, 7 p.m.*

* If necessary

Vic’s picks

Quarterfinal record: 8-0

Postseason record: 8-0

The Erie Otters clinched the eighth seed in the OHL’s Western Conference and will face Windsor, defending league and Memorial Cup champion, in the opening round of the playoffs.

The best-of-seven series begins Thursday at 7:05 p.m. at WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario. The Spitfires also will host Game 3 on March 23 at 7:05 p.m. The Otters will have Game 2 Sunday at 4:30 p.m. and Game 4 on March 25 at 7 p.m. at Tullio Arena.

The rest of the series, if necessary, includes Game 5 at Windsor (March 27 at 7:05 p.m.), Game 6 in Erie (March 29 at 7 p.m.) and Game 7 at Windsor (March 30 at 7:05 p.m.) The Otters lost three of four meetings with the Spitfires in the regular season.

The Otters began Sunday tied with Saginaw for seventh in the West with 73 points, one point behind Guelph. But Saginaw beat Plymouth 4-1 Sunday in their finale to move past the Otters and Guelph into sixth. The Spirit will face No. 3 Kitchener in the first round. The seventh-seeded Storm will face No. 3 London. No. 4 Plymouth and No. 5 Sault Ste. Marie meet in the other Western series.

In the East, the series are No. 1 Barrie vs. No. 8 Sudbury, No. 2 Ottawa vs. No. 7 Niagara, No. 3 Mississauga St. Michael’s vs. No. 6 Peterborough and No. 4 Kingston vs. No. 5 Brampton.

Western Conference quarterfinal schedule

No. 1 Windsor vs. No. 8 Erie

Game 1 – Thursday at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.

Game 2 – March 21 at Erie, 4:30 p.m.

Game 3 – March 23 at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.

Game 4 – March 25 at Erie, 7 p.m.

Game 5 – March 27 at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.*

Game 6 – March 29 at Erie, 7 p.m.*

Game 7 – March 30 at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.*

* If necessary