KINGSTON, Ontario – The Erie Otters are climbing the OHL’s scoring list.

The Otters exploded for 10 goals – the second time they have reached double figures this season – in a 10-3 win against Kingston in front of 2,755 at K-Rock Centre on Sunday afternoon.

The Otters (29-24-1-1) have scored 214 goals in 55 games this season, which ranks fifth in the league.

Once again, Anthony Luciani, Shawn Szydlowski, Brett Thompson and Phil Varone led the offense.

Luciani had two goals and an assist. He has points in seven of eight games (five goals, 18 points).

Szydlowski scored two goals to extend his goal streak to six straight games – three shy of tying Brad Boyes’ club record set in November 2000. His career-high point streak stands at 12 games (21 points).

Thompson has goals and points in five straight games after totaling a goal and three assists. He has nine goals and 14 points during his streak. Varone extended his career-high point streak to 13 games with a goal and assist. He has nine goals and 29 points during that stretch.

Mike Cazzola (goal, assist), Luke Cairns (goal, assist), Derek Holden (two assists) and Kingston native Kris Grant (two assists) had two points apiece. In all, eight Otters scored goals and 11 contributed points.

Ramis Sadikov extended his franchise record with his 29^th win of the season. Former Otter Mitch Gaulton had a goal for the Frontenacs (24-24-3-2), which have lost four straight and eight of their last 11 games.

SUMMARY

Otters 9, Frontenacs 3

Erie  4  3  3  —  10

Kingston  0  1  2  —  3

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Anthony Luciani 21 (Thompson, Cairns), 12:26 (pp). 2. Erie, Brett Thompson 37 (unassisted), 15:48 (sh). 3. Erie, Tyler Hostetter 6 (Cazzola), 17:37; Erie, Luciani 22 (Varone, Thompson), 19:46. Penalties — Austin (E) roughing, 8:27; Stokes (K) hooking, 11:49; Paton (E) 5-min. fighting, 12:39; Harrison (K) 5-min. fighting, 12:39; Paton (E) 10-min. misconduct – helmet, 12:39; Austin (E) roughing, 14:09; Szydlowski (E) 5-min. fighting, 16:36; Stokes (K) 5-min. fighting, 16:36; Austin (E) interference, 16:52; Sarault (K) high sticking, 17:33.

2^nd Period — 5. Kingston, Mitch Gaulton 4 (Stokes, Durocher), 2:44. 6. Erie, Phil Varone 25 (Luciani, Thompson), 3:15. 7. Erie, Mike Cazzola 14 (McKegg, Holden), 8:19 (pp). 8. Erie, Shawn Szydlowski 32 (Holden), 15:06. Penalties — Stokes (K) 4-min. high sticking, 6:01; Pelech (E) 5-min. fighting, 9:52; Cull (K) 5-min. fighting, 9:52; Kingston, bench minor (served by Morgan), 9:52; Harrison (K) 10-min. misconduct – failure to clear zone, 9:52; Stokes (K) 10-min. misconduct – abuse of officials, 16:37; Varone (E) hooking, 17:37.

3^rd Period — 9. Erie, Szydlowski 33 (unassisted), 5:44. 10. Kingston, Taylor Doherty 11 (Brown), 6:54. 11. Kingston, Ryan Spooner 30 (Werek, A. Gudbranson), 10:32. 12. Erie, Connor Crisp 2 (Grant), 12:10. 13. Erie, Luke Cairns 6 (Grant), 19:55 (pp). Penalties — Fine (K) holding, 1:55; Crisp (E) tripping, 3:29; Austin (K) slashing, 6:00; Moon (K) slashing, 6:00; Holden (E) roughing, 9:34; Jones (E) slashing, 9:34; Holden (E) interference, 13:30; Austin (E) 5-min. fighting, 18:50; Brown (K) 5-min. fighting, 18:50; Stokes (K) slashing, 19:14; Stokes (K) 10-min. misconduct – unsportsmanlike conduct, 19:14.

Shots on goal — Erie, 14-17-10—41; Kingston, 18-10-19—47.

Goaltenders — Erie, Ramis Sadikov 29-17-1-1 (28 shots, 27 saves), Chris Festarini (19 shots, 17 saves); Kingston, Franky Palazzese 2-11-0-2 (41 shots, 31 saves).

Power plays — Erie (3-8), Kingston (0-6).

Referees — Sean McQuigge, Joe Park. Linesmen — Andrew Brown, Andrew Hubbard.

Attendance — 2,755.

Three stars

* Brett Thompson, Otters (goal, 3 assists) ** Anthony Luciani, Otters (2 goals, assist) *** Shawn Szydlowski, Otters (2 goals)

What: Erie Otters (28-24-1-1) at Kingston Frontenacs (24-23-3-2)

When: Sunday, 2 p.m.

Where: K-Rock Centre – Kingston, Ontario

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

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (34 goals, 33 assists, 67 points), C Brett Thompson (36-26-62), C Phil Varone (24-37-61), RW Anthony Luciani (20-37-57), RW Shawn Szydlowski (31-25-56)

Kingston – C Nathan Moon (28-37-65), C Ryan Spooner (29-30-59), RW Michael Fine (17-27-44), LW Sean Jones (21-20-41), D Taylor Doherty (10-29-39)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters have won three of their last four games and eight of their last 12. … Thompson has goals and points in four straight games (eight goals, 10 points. … Varone has eight goals and 27 points in a career-high, 12-game point streak, He has tied his single-season career high of 61 points set in the 2007-08 season. … Szydlowski has goals in five straight games and 19 points in a career-high, 11-game streak. … Luciani has points in six of the past seven games (three goals, 15 points). … McKegg’s goal-scoring drought has reached six straight games. … The Otters lost 5-3 to Kingston on Jan. 8 at Tullio Arena.

Kingston – The Frontenacs, who are fifth in the Eastern Conference, have lost three straight and seven of their last 10 games. … D Erik Gudbranson (7-11-18 in 29 games) completes an eight-game, league-imposed suspension today. … Moon has moved into the league’s top 20 scorers. … Spooner has 19 goals and 40 points in 34 games with the Frontenacs. … Jones and D Mitch Gaulton (3-10-13) face their former team for the final time in the regular season.

Up next: vs. Owen Sound (Wednesday, 7 p.m.), vs. Niagara (Friday, 7 p.m.)

– Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters outshot Kingston 23-2 in the third period Saturday night.

But Frontenacs goaltender Philipp Grubauer made 22 saves in the period and Nathan Moon scored into an empty net with 31 seconds left to hand the Otters a 5-3 loss in front of 3,513 at Tullio Arena.

The Otters (20-19-1-1), which snapped a three-game winning streak, had many quality scoring chances down the stretch, including a late power play that turned into a 6-on-4 in the final minute.

“We had a lot of shots,” Otters defenseman Brett Cook said. “We didn’t bury our chances.” Apparently, the Otters left their passion to play in Kitchener, where they won 4-2 Friday night.

After a brief flurry to start Saturday’s game, including Brett Appio’s shot off the post, the Frontenacs took control. Left wing Corey Durocher’s rebound snapped a scoreless tie 3:30 into the opening period.

Former Otter Sean Jones assisted on the goal. Then veteran winger Michael Fine scored the first of his two goals in the period two minutes later to drop the Otters into a 2-0 hole.

Late in the period, Otters winger David Broll received a four-minute penalty for high sticking. That led to Fine’s second goal, this time on a rebound in front of goaltender Ramis Sadikov with 4.2 seconds left.

The Frontenacs (19-15-2-2) scored all three goals on nine shots. That prompted Otters coach Robbie Ftorek to replace Sadikov with rookie backup Chris Festarini between periods. Jones greeted Festarini with a power-play goal – his 18^th of the season – 4:46 into the second period for a 4-0 Frontenacs’ lead.

Cook’s fourth goal of the season, scored with 6:30 left in the middle period, moved the Otters within 4-1 and provided the team with some life. Less than three minutes later, Phil Varone scored his 16^th goal of the season on an end-to-end rush to slice Kingston’s lead to 4-2.

Then after squandering several chances in the third, Cook scored his second goal of the night and fifth of the season to move the Otters within 4-3 with 6:08 left. But Grubauer held the Otters the rest of the way.

Moon (goal, assist), Jones (goal, assist), Connor Stokes (two assists), Taylor Doherty (two assists) and Jeff Braithwaite (two assists) had two points apiece for the Frontenacs. Festarini stopped 10-of-11 shots in the final two periods for the Otters. Yet he suffered the loss to fall to 0-5-0-0 on the season.

* News and notes: Mitch Gaulton had no points, a minus-2 rating and two penalty minutes in his first game against his former team since being traded Nov. 18. … Despite being replaced, Sadikov’s streak of consecutive starts improved to 31 games. … Festarini still hasn’t earned his first career win. … The Otters finished with a 46-21 shot advantage. … They fell to 10-9-0-1 at home.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Frontenacs 5, Otters 3

Kingston  3  1  1  —  5

Erie  0  2  1  —  3

1^st Period — 1. Kingston, Corey Durocher 8 (Doherty, Jones), 3:30. 2. Kingston, Michael Fine 10 (Stokes, Braithwaite), 5:27. 3. Kingston, Fine 11 (Doherty, Moon), 19:55 (pp). Penalties — Jones (K) holding, 1:17; Broll (E) 4-min. high sticking, 18:56.

2^nd Period — 4. Kingston, Sean Jones 18 (Braithwaite, Stokes), 4:46 (pp). 5. Erie, Brett Cook 4 (unassisted), 13:30. 6. Erie, Phil Varone 16 (Cairns), 16:07. Penalties — Austin (E) slashing, 2:55; Appio (E) 10-min. misconduct, 5:21; Holden (E) hooking, 6:09; Harrison (K) hooking, 9:27.

3^rd Period — 7. Erie, Cook 5 (Cazzola, McKegg), 13:52. 8. Kingston, Nathan Moon 21 (unassisted), 19:29 (en-sh). Penalties — Gaulton (E) delay of game, :58; Stokes (K) checking from behind, 6:20; Stokes (K) delay of game, 18:10.

Shots on goal — Kingston, 9-10-2—21; Erie, 10-13-23—46.

Goaltenders — Kingston, Phillip Grubauer 16-8-2-0 (46 shots, 43 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov (9 shots, 6 saves), Chris Festarini 0-5-0-0 (11 shots, 10 saves).

Power plays — Kingston (2-4), Erie (0-5).

Referees — Jason Faist, Jason Goldenberg. Linesmen — Ryan Wilson, Darryl Wolfe.

Attendance — 3,513.

Three stars

* Brett Cook, Otters (2 goals) ** Michael Fine, Frontenacs (2 goals) *** Sean Jones, Frontenacs (goal, assist)

What: Kingston Frontenacs (18-15-2-2) at Erie Otters (20-18-1-1)

When: Saturday, 7 p.m.

Where: Tullio Arena

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

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (28 goals, 29 assists, 57 points), RW Shawn Szydlowski (20-17-37), RW Anthony Luciani (13-22-35), G Ramis Sadikov (20-14-1-1 record, 2.90 goals-against average, .912 save percentage, 2 shutouts), C Phil Varone (15-18-33)

Kingston – C Nathan Moon (20-25-45), C Ryan Spooner (21-17-38), G Philipp Grubauer (15-8-2-0, 3.38, .909, 2 SO), D Taylor Doherty (15-15-30), RW Michael Fine (9-22-31)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters have moved into sixth place in the tight Western Conference. Five points separate fourth-place Windsor and No. 8 London. … The Otters and Frontenacs meet for the first time this season. They also play in Kingston Feb. 13. The teams split the two-game season series in 2009-10, with the Otters winning 6-1 at home and losing 7-5 on the road. … Sadikov’s franchise record of consecutive starts stands at 30 games. … McKegg has points in three straight games (three goals, four points). … Szydlowski has goals and points in three consecutive games (three goals, five points). … LW David Broll also has goals and points in the past three games (three goals, three points). He has set a career high in points (22). He needs one goal to match his nine-goal total as a rookie last season. … Luciani has a seven-game, goal-scoring drought. … Varone has a three-game point streak (two goals, six points).

Kingston – D Mitch Gaulton (3-7-10 in 25 games) faces his former team for the first time since being traded Nov. 18. Gaulton, who has a goal, three points and a minus-5 rating in 11 games with the Frontenacs, rejoined the lineup New Year’s Day against Mississauga St. Michael’s after missing three weeks reportedly with a concussion. … LW Sean Jones (17-12-29), another former Otter, has six goals and 13 points in 14 games since being acquired from Brampton Nov. 22. … Spooner has 11 goals and 19 points in 19 games since being acquired from Peterborough Nov. 11. … C Ethan Werek (15-15-30) hasn’t played since Dec. 10 reportedly because of a wrist injury.

Up next: at Niagara (Thursday, 7 p.m.), vs. Barrie (Friday, 7 p.m.)

– Victor Fernandes

PETERBOROUGH, Ontario – With all their injuries, the Erie Otters need offense from everyone.

But on Thursday night, Shawn Szydlowski was a one-man show.

His first hat trick in two seasons and third of his career led the Otters to a 4-1 win against Peterborough in front of 2,623 at Peterborough Memorial Centre.

Szydlowski tied the score at 1 with 8 minutes, 30 seconds left in the opening period, six minutes after the Petes’ Lino Martschini snapped the scoreless tie. The teams battled throughout a scoreless second, with the Otters overcoming the Petes’ 5-on-3 power play late in the period. Goaltender Ramis Sadikov stopped all 12 shots he faced in that period and finished with 25 saves on 26 shots overall.

Szydlowski handed the Otters (9-13-1-0) the lead for good at 2-1 at the 1:38 mark of the third. Then an empty-net goal with 1:08 left – his 10^th goal of the season – capped his first hat trick since Jan. 30, 2009.

Greg McKegg added another empty-net goal 12 seconds later – his team-leading 13^th goal – to seal the Otters’ fourth win in the past five games and first victory in Peterborough since Jan. 29, 2004.

Bryce O’Hagan made 27 saves for the Petes (4-14-1-1), which have eight straight and 10 of 11 games.

In other news, the Otters traded defenseman Mitch Gaulton to Kingston on Thursday for a sixth-round pick in the 2013 OHL Priority Selection. Gaulton, the odd overager out when the club acquired center Phil Varone last month, had been home in Grimsby, Ontario, the past two weeks awaiting a trade.

SUMMARY

Otters 4, Petes 1

Erie  1  0  3  —  4

Peterborough  1  0  0  —  1

1^st Period — 1. Peterborough, Lino Martschini 5 (Watson, Ekelund), 5:23 (pp). 2. Erie, Shawn Szydlowski 8 (unassisted), 11:30. Penalties — Holden (E) delay of game, 4:37; Murduff (P) tripping, 6:45; Broll (E) 5-min. fighting, 11:32; Mathers (P) 5-min. fighting, 11:32; Pelech (E) holding, 16:34.

2^nd Period — None. Penalties — Smith (P) checking from behind, 2:25; Luciani (E) hooking, 9:14; Koekkoek (P) slashing, 9:33; Cairns (E) hooking, 13:37; Cook (E) unsportsmanlike conduct, 14:23.

3^rd Period — 3. Erie, Szydlowski 9 (McDonnell), 1:38. 4. Erie, Szydlowski 10 (Shields), 18:52 (en). 5. Erie, Greg McKegg 13 (Luciani), 19:56 (en). Penalties — Murduff (P) hooking, 7:44

Shots on goal — Erie, 8-10-13—31; Peterborough, 6-12-8—26.

Goaltenders — Erie, Ramis Sadikov 9-10-1-0 (26 shots, 25 saves); Peterborough, Bryce O’Hagan 4-8-1-0 (29 shots, 27 saves).

Power plays — Erie (0-4), Peterborough (1-5).

Referees — Matt Parlette, Korey Bannerman. Linesmen — Jordan Browne, Scott Gray.

Attendance — 2,623.

Three stars

* Shawn Szydlowski, Otters (3 goals) ** Lino Martschini, Petes (goal) *** Ramis Sadikov, Otters (25 saves)

The Erie Otters’ second winning streak of the season will have to wait a little longer.

Owen Sound scored twice early in the third period to hand the Otters a 3-2 loss at Tullio Arena on Saturday night and salvage a split of the two-game series in Erie. The Otters won 4-0 on Friday night.

“We didn’t get the job done,” Otters coach Robbie Ftorek said. “It’s unfortunate.”

The game immediately turned into a battle between Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov and Owen Sound backup Jordan Binnington. Both teams had several quality scoring opportunities in the first period. But Sadikov made 11 saves and Binnington stopped 10 to maintain a scoreless tie.

Both made several key saves in the opening half of the second period. But the Attack enjoyed the first fortunate bounce of the period to take a 1-0 lead at the 11:53 mark.

Sadikov stopped defenseman Keevin Cutting’s shot from the left wing. But the puck caromed off Attack winger Andrew Fritsch’s body in front and into the net for the goal. Meanwhile, the Otters had shots from Tyler Hostetter and rookie Chris Marchese bounce off posts. Yet less than two minutes after Fritsch’s goal, Otters center Mike Cazzola scored during a delayed penalty to tie the score at 1.

Hostetter and rookie winger Macaulay McDonnell assisted on Cazzola’s ninth goal of the season, which momentarily tied linemate Greg McKegg for the team lead. But Cazzola and Hostetter assisted on McKegg’s 10^th goal of the season 2:05 later, which handed the Otters a 2-1 lead. Sadikov stopped 15-of-16 shots in the period to carry that one-goal advantage into the third.

The Attack tied the score at 2 on Joey Hishon’s ninth goal of the season, off assists from Fritsch and Garrett Wilson, three minutes into the third. Then 5:30 into the period, Wilson scored his Ontario Hockey League-leading 18^th goal of the season to hand the Attack their first lead of the game at 5-3.

The Otters failed on a 5-on-3 for a full minute midway through the period. Hostetter seemed to score the tying goal with 8:30 left, as his shot from the point appeared to hit the back post inside the upper portion of the net and bounce out. But the referee disallowed the goal. The video replay judge upheld the ruling.

The Otters finished with only three shots on goal in the period and 24 for the game. Owen Sound had 35 shots. Fritsch led the Attack with a goal and two assists. Wilson added two points. Hostetter and Cazzola had two points apiece for the Otters while Sadikov made 32 saves.

* News and notes: The Otters lost veteran winger Shawn Szydlowski to an undisclosed injury while skating through a rut during pregame warm-up. The Otters already were without right wing Anthony Luciani (broken right wrist). … Defenseman Brady Austin, who has replaced the departed Mitch Gaulton in the rotation, left the game in the first period with an apparent injury.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Attack 3, Otters 2

Owen Sound  0  1  2  —  3

Erie  0  2  0  —  2

1^st Period — None. Penalties — Appio (E) 5-min. fighting, 8:31; Heelis (O) 5-min. fighting, 8:31; Varone (E) slashing, 16:52; Wilson (O) roughing, 16:52; Shaw (O) roughing, 18:30. Missed penalty shot — Cazzola (E) 17:13.

2^nd Period — 1. Owen Sound, Andrew Fritsch 4 (Cutting), 11:53. 2. Erie, Mike Cazzola 9 (Hostetter, McDonnell), 13:02. 3. Erie, Greg McKegg 10 (Cazzola, Hostetter), 15:07. Penalties — Shields (E) tripping, 8:02; Blacker (O) tripping, 8:48; Zweep (O) interference, 15:53.

3^rd Period — 4. Owen Sound, Joey Hishon 9 (Fritsch, Wilson), 3:00. 5. Owen Sound, Garrett Wilson 18 (Blacker, Fritsch), 5:30. Penalties — Heelis (O) checking to the head, :13; Shaw (O) high sticking, 6:38; Heelis (O) tripping, 7:38.

Shots on goal — Owen Sound, 11-16-8—35; Erie, 10-11-3—24.

Goaltenders — Owen Sound, Jordan Binnington 3-2-0-1 (24 shots, 22 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 5-9-1-0 (35 shots, 32 saves).

Power plays — Owen Sound (0-1), Erie (0-6).

Referees — Darcy Burchell, Chris Carnegie. Linesmen — Matthew Traub, Darryl Wolfe.

Attendance — 3,807.

Three stars

* Andrew Fritsch, Attack (goal, 2 assists) ** Mike Cazzola, Otters (goal, assist) *** David Shields, Otters (good defense)

The Windsor Spitfires desperately needed a road win. The Erie Otters were gracious hosts.

Rookie Eric Locke’s goal snapped a tie with 7.8 seconds left in the Spitfires’ 3-2 in front of 2,527 at Tullio Arena Friday night. In the process, Windsor (8-6-0-1) snapped a 0-4 start on the road.

After an evenly matched start to the game, Spitfires forward Stephen Johnston’s slashing penalty handed the Otters’ dangerous power play a quality scoring opportunity. The Otters (4-10-1-0), which began the night ranked third in the OHL with the man advantage, capitalized on the chance.

Mike Cazzola redirected Tyler Hostetter’s cross-crease pass past Spitfires goaltender Jack Campbell to snap the scoreless tie 7:46 into the opening period. Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov took control from there, as he stopped all 13 shots he faced in the period.

Sadikov faced a steady barrage of shots in the second period – 19 in all. The Spitfires slipped one past him early, as Tom Kuhnhackl’s shot from in front deflected off Hostetter’s stick and floated over Sadikov for the tying goal at the 1:14 mark. Brett Appio’s goal, on assists from Matthew Paton and Mitch Gaulton, regained the Otters’ one-goal lead at 2-1 with 10:58 left in the period.

But Zack Kassian scored off a rebound – his seventh goal and 19^th point in 10 games – to tie the score at 2 less than two minutes later. Windsor finished with a 19-10 shot advantage in the period.

The Otters outshot Windsor 14-10 in the third. But the Spitfires managed the lone score, Locke’s goal off a 3-on-2 rush in the waning seconds. Locke had a goal and assist. Windsor finished with a 40-34 shot advantage. Campbell finished with 32 saves while Sadikov had 37.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Spitfires 3, Otters 2

Windsor  0  2  1  —  3

Erie  1  1  0  —  2

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Mike Cazzola 8 (Hostetter, Holden), 7:46 (pp). Penalties — Paton (E) tripping, 1:17; Johnston (W) slashing, 7:10; Posa (W) hooking, 9:03; Cazzola (E) holding, 13:56; Paton (E) goaltender interference, 16:19.

2^nd Period — 2. Windsor, Tom Kuhnhackl 6 (Khokhlachev, MacIntyre), 1:14. 3. Erie, Brett Appio 3 (Paton, Gaulton), 9:02. 4. Windsor, Zack Kassian 7 (Ellis, Locke), 10:27. Penalties — MacIntyre (W) interference, 13:42; Posa (W) hooking, 15:59; Holden (E) interference, 17:26.

3^rd Period — 5. Windsor, Eric Locke 5 (Ryan, Johnston), 19:52. Penalties — Locke (W) high sticking, 7:43; Gaulton (E) hooking, 9:46; Ellis (W) hooking, 13:18.

Shots on goal — Windsor, 11-19-10—40; Erie, 10-10-14—34.

Goaltenders — Windsor, Jack Campbell 5-5-0-0 (34 shots, 32 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 4-7-1-0 (40 shots, 37 saves).

Power plays — Windsor (0-5), Erie (1-6).

Referees — Keith Kaval, Joe Celestin. Linesmen — Drew Jackson, Ryan Wilson.

Attendance — 2,527.

Three stars

* Brett Appio, Otters (goal) ** Adam Pelech, Otters (defense) *** Eric Locke, Spitfires (goal, assist)

What: Windsor Spitfires (7-6-0-1) at Erie Otters (4-9-1-0)

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 (9 goals, 14 assists, 23 points), C Mike Cazzola (7-12-19), RW Shawn Szydlowski (6-7-13), LW David Broll (2-6-8), D Tyler Hostetter (3-7-10)

Windsor – RW Zack Kassian (6-12-18), D Ryan Ellis (3-8-11), C Alexander Khokhlachev (8-9-17), C Zack MacQueen (4-9-13), RW Kenny Ryan (4-6-10)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters snapped a seven-game losing streak, their longest losing skid since setting the franchise record of 16 consecutive defeats in the 2007-08 season, with a 4-1 win against Plymouth on Wednesday. … They are 2-3-0-0 at home. … Newly acquired C Phil Varone (1-2-3 in 5 games) had two assists in his Otters’ debut on Wednesday, his first game since Oct. 2. … RW Anthony Luciani, who has a cast on his injured wrist, hasn’t played since Oct. 2 against London. … Ds David Shields (back) and Mitch Gaulton (hand) and F Brett Appio (leg) and returned from the injured list on Wednesday. … Rookie F Connor Crisp (concussion) hasn’t played a game this season. … McKegg is tied for third in the OHL in points, tied for second in assists and among the top 10 in goals. He also leads with three short-handed goals. … Cazzola is ranked among the top 15 in scoring. … G Ramis Sadikov (4-6-1-0 record, 3.40 goals-against average, .901 save percentage) snapped a personal six-game winless streak by beating the Whalers.

Windsor – Kassian has averaged two points per game (18 points in 9 games) since being reassigned by the Buffalo Sabres. … Veteran G Troy Passingham (3-1-0-1, 2.87, .906) has produced a stronger start than highly touted rookie Jack Campbell (3-5-0-0, 4.13, .871), who led the United States to a gold medal in the IIHF World Junior Championship last winter. … Despite the departure of highly skilled players, such as LW Taylor Hall (NHL’s Edmonton Oilers) and D Cam Fowler (Anaheim Ducks), the Spitfires are a respectable eighth overall on the power play (21.1 percent). …

Up next: vs. Oshawa (Saturday, 7 p.m.), vs. Owen Sound (Nov. 5-6, 7 p.m.)

What: Plymouth Whalers (5-5-1-1) at Erie Otters (3-9-1-0)

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 (8 goals, 14 assists, 22 points), C Mike Cazzola (6-12-18), RW Shawn Szydlowski (6-7-13), LW David Broll (2-5-7), D Tyler Hostetter (3-6-9)

Plymouth – C Alex Aleardi (8-7-15), RW Stefan Noesen (7-7-14), LW Tyler Brown (5-9-14), RW Robbie Czarnik (4-8-12), D Beau Schmitz (1-7-8, plus-6)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters have lost seven straight games, their longest losing streak since setting the franchise record of 16 consecutive defeats in the 2007-08 season. … They look to rebound from a 1-3 start at home. … D Brett Cook (concussion) rejoined the lineup last weekend. … RW Anthony Luciani, who has a cast on his injured wrist, isn’t expected to play this week. Coach Robbie Ftorek said Tuesday the length of the healing process will determine the timetable for his return. … Ftorek said Ds David Shields (back) and Mitch Gaulton (hand) and Fs Brett Appio (leg) and Connor Crisp (concussion) haven’t been “ruled into” the lineup for tonight’s game. … McKegg ranks second to Owen Sound LW Garrett Wilson (16-8-24) in the OHL’s scoring race. … McKegg also stands among the top 15 in goals as well as second in assists and first with three short-handed goals. … Cazzola is tied for seventh in scoring. … Szydlowski has six goals in the past nine games. … Broll has one point in his past eight games. … The Otters have allowed 36 goals during their skid. They rank in the bottom three with 56 goals against. … G Ramis Sadikov has five losses and a no-decision in his last six starts (4.63 goals-against average, .852 save percentage). … Through the club’s Hockey for the Hungry event, fans can bring a non-perishable food item to a local State Farm agent or the Otters’ front office to receive a voucher for a $2 ticket to tonight’s game. … Buck Night returns tonight with $1 Smith’s hot dogs, Coke products, beer and popcorn.

Plymouth – C Tyler Seguin, the No. 2 pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, remains with the Boston Bruins. The NHL club has until before his 10^th game, set for Nov. 5 against the Washington Capitals, to return Seguin (48-58-106) to the Whalers without starting the first year of a three-year, entry-level contract. … Noesen already has surpassed his 33-game totals (3-5-8) as a rookie last season. … G Scott Wedgewood has enjoyed a strong start to the season (5-4-0-1 record, 2.91 GAA, .904 save pct., 1 shutout). … The Whalers have .500 records at home (3-3-0-0) and on the road (2-2-1-1). … D Max Iafrate, the Whalers’ 2010 OHL first-round pick and son of former NHL defenseman Al Iafrate, has no points, a minus-1 rating and 25 penalty minutes in his first 10 games.

Up next: vs. Windsor (Friday, 7 p.m.), vs. Oshawa (Saturday, 7 p.m.)

- Victor Fernandes

What: Erie Otters (3-8-1-0) at Sudbury Wolves (3-6-1-0)

When: Saturday, 7 p.m.

Where: Sudbury Community Arena – Sudbury, Ontario

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

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (8 goals, 13 assists, 21 points), C Mike Cazzola (6-12-18), RW Shawn Szydlowski (5-7-12), LW David Broll (2-5-7), D Tyler Hostetter (3-6-9)

Sudbury – LW Mike Lomas (7-5-12), C Kristoff Kontos (4-6-10), LW Marcus Foligno (4-5-9), D Josh McFadden (3-5-8)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters have lost six straight games, their longest losing streak since setting the franchise record of 16 consecutive defeats in the 2007-08 season. … They have lost four straight on the road and are 2-6-0-0 overall. … D Brett Cook (concussion) had no points, two penalty minutes and a minus-3 rating in his return to the lineup on Friday in Sault Ste. Marie. … The Otters remain without defenseman David Shields (back) and Mitch Gaulton (hand) and forwards Brett Appio (leg), Connor Crisp (concussion) and Anthony Luciani (wrist). … The Otters have allowed five or more goals six times in 12 games on their way to 53 goals against – the OHL’s second-worst total. … McKegg is tied for second with Owen Sound LW Garrett Wilson in the league scoring race, one point behind Niagara C Ryan Strome. … Cazzola has moved into the top 10 in scoring. … The Otters are third overall on the power play (25.5 percent).

Sudbury – The Wolves have won two straight (both against Barrie) since starting the season with a 1-6-1-0 record. … They have scored a league-low 30 goals. … C John McFarland (3-2-5 in 6 games) has missed the past four games reportedly with an undisclosed injury. … The Wolves and Otters rank in the bottom five on the penalty kill.

Up next: vs. Plymouth (Wednesday, 7 p.m.), vs. Windsor (Friday, 7 p.m.)