This week, I’ll break down all 20 OHL clubs division by division and unveil my predictions for the 2012-13 season. Today, let’s look at the Western Conference’s Midwest Division (listed in alphabetical order):

Erie Otters
Coach/GM: Robbie Ftorek/Sherry Bassin
2011-12 finish: 10-52-3-3, 5th division, 10th conference
Playoff finish: Did not qualify
Key players: C Connor McDavid (No. 1 pick in 2012 OHL Priority Selection; 33 goals, 39 assists, 72 points in 33 games with Toronto Marlboros minor midget), G Oscar Dansk (No. 3 pick in 2012 CHL Import Draft; 2.82 goals-against average, .910 save percentage in 28 games with Brynas in Sweden), C Dane Fox (23-31-54), RW Connor Brown (25-28-53; Toronto prospect), LW Stephen Harper (24-11-35)
Key losses: G Ramis Sadikov (6-23-3-2, 4.26, .894)
Outlook: The highly anticipated McDavid era begins in Erie, but this team has other promising players at every position. Now these young Otters have to learn how to win after enduring the worst record in franchise history a season ago.

Guelph Storm
Coach/GM: Scott Walker/Mike Kelly
2011-12 finish: 31-31-2-4, 4th division, 7th conference
Playoff finish: Lost to Plymouth 4-2 in conference quarterfinals
Key players: RW Zack Mitchell (37-38-75), G Garret Sparks (27-25-1-3, 3.11, .907, 5 SO; Toronto prospect), RW Cody McNaughton (25-24-49), RW Scott Kosmachuk (30-29-59; Winnipeg prospect), D Andrey Pedan (10-30-40; N.Y. Islanders prospect)
Key losses: C Francis Menard (24-36-60; traded to Peterborough)
Outlook: The Storm are ready to take the next step in this always competitive conference. They play solid defense, led by Sparks in goal and Pedan on the blue line, and they have skill up front in Kosmachuk, Mitchell and McNaughton.

Kitchener Rangers
Coach/GM: Steve Spott
2011-12 finish: 42-24-1-1, 2nd division, 3rd conference
Playoff finish: Lost to London 4-0 in conference finals
Key players: RW Tobias Rieder (42-43-85; Edmonton prospect), D Ryan Murphy (11-43-54, +14; signed with Carolina), C Radek Faksa (29-37-66; signed with Dallas), LW Matt Puempel (34-35-69; acquired from Peterborough, signed with Ottawa), G John Gibson (21-10-0-0, 2.75, .928, 1 SO; signed with Anaheim)
Key losses: C Michael Catenacci (25-44-69), C Andrew Crescenzi (24-23-37; signed with Toronto)
Outlook: The Rangers are a perennial contender in the conference, and they made sure this season was no different with the acquisition of Puempel from Peterborough. Expect the Rangers to be near, if not at, the top of the West in 2012-13.

London Knights
Coach/GM: Dale Hunter/Mark Hunter
2011-12 finish: 49-18-0-1; 1st division, 1st conference
Playoff finish: Won league championship, lost to Shawinigan (QMJHL) in Memorial Cup final
Key players: RW Seth Griffith (45-40-85, Boston prospect), D Scott Harrington (3-23-26, +26; signed with Pittsburgh), D Olli Maatta (5-27-32, +25; signed with Pittsburgh; C Max Domi (21-28-49), C Ryan Rupert (17-31-48)
Key losses: Michael Houser (46-15-0-1, 2.47, .925, 6 SO; signed with Florida), C Greg McKegg (31-44-75; former Otter, signed with Toronto), C Vladislav Namestnikov (30-39-69; signed with Tampa Bay), RW Jared Knight (25-45-70; signed with Boston), C Austin Watson (25-43-68; signed with Nashville)
Outlook: Dale Hunter returns behind the Knights’ bench after leading the NHL’s Washington Capitals to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last season. He has work to do if the Knights are to recapture the success they enjoyed in 2011-12.

Owen Sound Attack
Coach/GM: Greg Ireland/Dale DeGray
2011-12 finish: 32-29-304, 3rd division, 6th conference
Playoff finish: Lost to Kitchener 4-1 in conference quarterfinals
Key players: G Jordan Binnington (21-17-0-1, 2.99, .906, 1 SO; signed with St. Louis), C Daniel Catenacci (33-39-72; signed with Buffalo), C Gemel Smith (21-39-60; Dallas prospect), C Cameron Brace (29-27-56), D Keevin Cutting (7-18-25, +20)
Key losses: LW Mike Halmo (40-45-85; signed with N.Y. Islanders), D Jay Gilbert (10-23-33, +8)
Outlook: The Attack lost a 40-goal scorer in Halmo, but they have enough talent from back to front to make a run in the conference. But they need to be more consistent after tailing off late last season and losing in the first round of the playoffs.

- Victor Fernandes

ANCASTER, Ontario – The Erie Otters have depth on defense for the 2012-13 OHL season.
But veteran Kris Grant won’t be a part of that unit.
Grant, 19, who spent the past two seasons with the team, has requested a trade to a team closer to home in the Kingston, Ontario, area. So club officials told Grant to stay away from training camp to avoid being a distraction.
Sherry Bassin, managing partner and general manager, wasn’t surprised by Grant’s decision. “Last year, I was worried that he wasn’t committed to play,” Bassin said.
* An emergency plan: Bassin acquired goaltender Keinan Brown, 19, from Peterborough for a 10th-round draft pick Tuesday. Brown, who joins the team at camp Wednesday, appeared in two games in an emergency role late last season after Ramis Sadikov and Devin Williams suffered concussions.
Brown had an 0-2-0-0 record, 5.01 goals-against average and .873 save percentage with the Otters. Now Brown headlines Bassin’s emergency plan if Oscar Dansk or Williams are injured during the season.
* McCarthy released: The club waived Tyler McCarthy, and then released the overager after he cleared waivers. Bassin was unsure what McCarthy’s plans are for the coming season.
* On their way: Dansk, the third overall pick in the CHL Import Draft who agreed to terms with the Otters Monday, is scheduled to arrive in Toronto shortly after midnight Friday morning, and then join the team at camp later that day.
Meanwhile, second-year winger Sondre Olden and CHL second-round pick Artem Kuleshov are expected to join the team Monday in Erie.
Olden is training with his native Norway’s senior men’s team, which Bassin said gives him a better chance of possibly earning a spot with the national team.
Kuleshov remains unsigned, but “I don’t foresee that being an issue,” said Dave Brown, assistant manager of hockey operations. The transfer paperwork for the Russian-born defenseman is done, Brown said, but club officials still have immigration documents to complete.

- Victor Fernandes

Erie Otters defenseman Adam Pelech headlined the winners as the sole owner of three awards at the team’s annual Awards Banquet held Sunday afternoon at the Bayfront Convention Center.

The second-year defenseman rebounded after an early-season injury and was a steady influence on the blue line, collecting 20 points in 44 games. Pelech took home Player of the Year and Defenseman of the Year honors, joining Chris
Campoli as the only defensemen to be named as Player of the Year.

Pelech also won the Sertz Family Scholastic Award as the team’s top student-athlete for the second straight season. Earlier in the week, Pelech became the first player in OHL history to win the Ivan Tennant Memorial Award and the Bobby Smith Trophy and he also was part of a Team Canada squad that captured the bronze medal at the IIHF World Under-18 Championships.

Pelech’s Toronto Marlboros teammate Connor Brown won a pair of trophies after an excellent first season in the OHL with 53 points, second best among league rookies. Brown won the Most Sportsmanlike Player award and shared Rookie of the Year honors with Stephen Harper, who led 1995-born players with 24 goals this season.

For the first time in team history, five players were joint-winners of the Most Valuable Player award. In addition to Pelech, Brown and Harper, forwards Dane Fox and Luke Cairns also shared the trophy.

Other award winners from the Otters 17th Annual Awards Banquet included Fox (Leading Scorer), Cairns (Most Improved Player), Ramis Sadikov (Locastro-Bonini Three Star Award), Connor Crisp (Bassin Award for Dedication), Travis Wood and Jake Evans (co-winners of the Vince Scott Award for Determination) and Mac McDonnell (Steve Nimigon Humanitarian Award).

- From Erie Otters news release

Kitchener Rangers (39-22-1-1) at Erie Otters (10-47-3-3)

When: Saturday, 7 p.m.

Where: Tullio Arena

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

Up next: vs. Guelph (Sunday, 4:30 p.m.), at Guelph (Wednesday, 7 p.m.)

Fast facts: Connor Crisp will play his first game of the season at forward. Crisp, who had been out since undergoing shoulder surgery in September, made his season debut as the emergency goaltender last Sunday at Niagara. … G Keinan Brown has joined the team on emergency loan from Peterborough. Brown, 19, who played three games for the Petes a season ago, had a 19-8-1-1 record, 3.47 goals-against average and .902 save percentage with Cobourg (Ontario Junior A Hockey League) this season. … Brown teams with G J.P Cesario, 18, who joined the team Wednesday on emergency loan from Owen Sound. The Otters are still without Gs Ramis Sadikov and Devin Williams, who are out with concussions. … Rookie D Travis Wood was released from a hospital late Wednesday night after tests were negative. Wood, who was injured in Wednesday’s loss to Plymouth, was set to undergo cognitive tests to determine the extent of his injury. … The Otters are assured of at least equaling the franchise record for fewest wins in a season. They trail the 2006-07 club (15 wins) by five wins with five games left. The 2006-07 team also holds the mark for most losses in regulation (50). … The Otters have clinched the No. 1 pick in the OHL Priority Selection next month. They also will have the No. 3 pick in the CHL Import Draft in June, behind the worst QMJHL and WHL clubs, respectively. … RW Connor Brown (24 goals, 26 assists, 50 points) and LW Stephen Harper (24-11-35) are tied for second with Kitchener C Radek Faksa (26-33-59) for the OHL’s rookie lead in goals. Brown ranks third in assists and second to Faksa in points among rookies. … RW Johnny McGuire begins serving a two-game suspension for his game misconduct (aggressor in a fight) Wednesday against Plymouth.

- Victor Fernandes

Niagara C Alex Friesen won’t be suspended for his collision with Erie Otters G Ramis Sadikov in Sunday’s game, OHL vice president Ted Baker confirmed today.

Sadikov suffered an apparent concussion on the play 1 minute, 45 seconds into the game, which forced Otters forward Connor Crisp to enter the game as the emergency goaltender. Friesen received a major charging penalty and game misconduct, which prompted an automatic review by the league.

Yet Baker said league officials “felt it was more a collision as opposed to a player going out of his way to hit the goaltender.” Baker pointed to Sadikov being out of the crease. Baker also said Friesen was looking back at the play as he skated to the net.

In related news, Baker has seen Internet footage of Plymouth RW Tom Wilson‘s hit that injured Otters rookie D Travis Wood in the first period Wednesday at Tullio Arena.

Baker said the play doesn’t warrant an automatic review, since Wilson wasn’t penalized. But league commissioner David Branch plans to review the same Internet footage, and league officials have requested video of the play from the Otters, because Wood was injured and taken to the hospital. If deemed necessary, Baker said league officials will review the play for possible disciplinary action.

Wood was taken off the ice wearing a neck brace and on a backboard and transported to a local hospital. Wood, whose tests were negative, is listed as day-to-day. He was released from the hospital late Wednesday night. He will undergo cognitive tests in the next few days to determine the extent of his injury.

However, the league will conduct an automatic review of Otters RW Johnny McGuire‘s game misconduct Wednesday. He was penalized for being the aggressor in a fight with Wilson seconds after the faceoff that followed Wood’s injury. Baker said the league could issue their rulings as early as later today.

- Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters’ goaltending troubles continued Wednesday night.

Plymouth scored 10 goals on 39 shots against 2009 draft pick Adam Wood, who was recalled from the Clarington Eagles’ Junior C club Wednesday, in the Whalers’ 10-6 win at Tullio Arena.

The Otters (10-47-3-3) entered the game off a 13-4 loss at Niagara Sunday, which saw forward Connor Crisp allow 13 goals on 45 shots as the emergency goaltender in place of injured Ramis Sadikov.

That prompted the Otters to bring in Wood and J.P. Cesario, who was an emergency loan from Owen Sound. The West Division-leading Whalers (44-17-2-1) capitalized on Erie’s struggles in net.

Mitchell Heard and Austin Levi led the way with two goals and an assist apiece. Tom Wilson, Stefan Noesen and Garrett Meurs had a goal and assist apiece for the Whalers.

Stephen Harper had his first OHL hat trick for the Otters. Sondre Olden had a goal and two assists while Luke Cairns had a goal and assist. Erie began the night with an injured list that included goaltenders Sadikov and Devin Williams, defensemen Jimmy McDowell and Nathan Glass and forward Nick Betz. Crisp, who made his season debut Sunday against Niagara as the emergency goaltender, also was scratched.

They also were short two skaters. Then rookie defenseman Travis Wood was injured in the first period on a high hit from from the Whalers’ Wilson. Wood was taken off the ice wearing a neck brace and on a stretcher and was taken a local hospital. No official word from the Otters after the game on Wood’s condition.

Yet the Otters built a 3-1 lead less than eight minutes into the game.

Cairns opening the scoring 4:27 into the game on assists from Dane Fox and Adam Pelech. Plymouth tied the score on Heard’s goal 46 seconds later. But Kris Grant scored at the 6:47 mark, followed by Harper’s goal 1:01 later to hand the Otters a two-goal lead.

Yet Heard’s second goal of the period, scored with 53 seconds left in the first, sparked a barrage of six consecutive goals that propelled the Whalers to a 7-3 lead. Plymouth scored the final five goals of that decisive stretch in the opening 10:25 of the second period. Cody Payne ended the second with Plymouth’s second short-handed goal for an 8-4. He scored 1:28 after Harper scored during a 5-on-3 opportunity.

At the 5:03 mark of the third, Harper scored his 24^th goal of the season to complete his first career hat trick and move the Otters within 8-5. But Levi and J.T. Miller scored 1:08 apart to build a 10-5 Whalers’ lead. Olden’s goal capped the high-scoring game.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Whalers 10, Otters 6

Plymouth  2  6  2  —  10

Erie  3  1  2  —  6

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Luke Cairns 14 (Fox, Pelech), 4:27. 2. Plymouth, Mitchell Heard 27 (Meurs, Jones), 5:13. 3. Erie, Kris Grant 3 (Brown, Cairns), 6:47. 4. Erie, Stephen Harper 22 (Olden), 7:48. 5. Plymouth, Heard 28 (unassisted), 19:07. Penalties — Payne (P) interference, 10:37; McGuire (E) instigator, 12:59; McGuire (E) 5-min. fighting, 12:59; Wilson (P) 5-min. fighting, 12:59; McGuire (E) 10-min. misconduct, 12:59; McGuire (E) game misconduct, 12:59; Fox (E) 5-min. fighting, 16:53; Miller (P) 5-min. fighting, 16:53.

2^nd Period — 6. Plymouth, Stefan Noesen 34 (Rakell, Wilson), :20. 7. Plymouth, Austin Levi 4 (Noesen, Rakell), 3:35. 8. Plymouth, Alex Aleardi 33 (unassisted), 5:27 (sh). 9. Plymouth, Garrett Meurs 20 (Heard), 6:59. 10. Plymouth, Tom Wilson 8 (unassisted), 10:25. 11. Erie, Harper 23 (Pelech, McCarthy), 17:28 (pp). 12. Plymouth, Cody Payne 5 (Devane), 18:56 (sh). Penalties — Fox (E) 10-min. misconduct, 3:35; Devane (P) high sticking, 4:30; Meurs (P) high sticking, 10:39; Whaley (P) holding, 16:26; Trutmann (P) tripping, 17:20.

3^rd Period — 13. Erie, Harper 24 (Olden), 5:03. 14. Plymouth, Levi 5 (Whaley), 10:51. 15. Plymouth, J.T. Miller 24 (Whaley, Levi), 11:59. 16. Erie, Sondre Olden 11 (Evans, Harper), 16:40. Penalties — Jones (P) interference, 2:51; Fox (E) 5-min. fighting, 6:50; Jones (P) 5-min. fighting, 6:50; Malysa (P) slashing, 13:27.

Shots on goal — Plymouth, 10-15-14—39; Erie, 10-6-11—27.

Goaltenders — Plymouth, Matt Mahalak (7 shots, 4 saves), Scott Wedgewood 25-9-2-1 (21 shots, 18 saves); Erie, Adam Wood 0-1-0-0 (39 shots, 29 saves).

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

Referees — Joe Park, Pat Myers. Linesmen — Ryan Holmstead, Ray King.

Attendance — 2,256.

Three stars

* Austin Levi, Whalers (2 goals, assist) ** Stephen Harper, Otters (3 goals, assist) *** Mitchell Heard, Whalers (2 goals, assist)

The Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League have announced that Connor Crisp‘s jersey from his goaltending appearance against the Niagara IceDogs on March 4 is now up for auction on eBay at http://myworld.ebay.com/erieottersstore.

Crisp entered the game against the Niagara IceDogs after an injury to starting goaltender Ramis Sadikov 1:45 into the game. Since Devin Williams was not dressed due to an injury suffered Friday night against the Saginaw Spirit, Crisp was pressed into goaltending duty in his first game since April 5, 2011, when he was playing as a forward.

Despite not tending goal on ice in over 10 years, Crisp made 32 saves and became a fan favorite as a visitor during Sunday’s game. He was given first star honors and a standing ovation following the game.

Since a starting bid of $199.00 Tuesday at 5 p.m., there have been 12 bids, the highest at $355.00. Proceeds from the auction will be donated to Erie Shriners Hospitals for Children and The Mario Lemieux Foundation.

The media attention surrounding Crisp’s season debut as a goaltender has reached unprecedented levels, with coverage on TSN, Sportsnet, Deadspin and Yahoo! Sports.

The Otters are also selling one-of-a-kind Connor Crisp jersey t-shirts for a limited time on their official online store at erieottersstore.com, with all proceeds benefiting Shriners Hospitals for Children. The shirt features the temporary goalie number worn by Crisp (#1) rather than his usual number of #23. The t-shirts are $10.00 plus shipping and come in sizes medium, large and extra large.

- From Erie Otters release

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Spirit 8, Otters 7 (SO)

Saginaw  4  3  0  0  1  —  8

Erie  2  2  3  0  0  —  7

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Attendance — 2,314.

Three stars

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

The Erie Otters have finally reached double digits in wins. They needed a shootout to make it happen.

Dane Fox, Sondre Olden and Luke Cairns all scored in the shootout, with Cairns netting the winning goal in a 3-2 win against Guelph in front of 2,507 at Tullio Arena Wednesday night. Once Ramis Sadikov stopped Hunter Garlent on the game’s final attempt, the Otters had their 10^th win of the season.

Sadikov finished with 40 saves on 42 shots in regulation and overtime and two more on four shots in the shootout. The Otters (10-45-3-2), which had a goal and assist apiece from Cairns and Connor Brown earlier in the game, snapped a three-game losing streak and kept the Storm (25-28-2-4) from securing a critical extra point in the OHL’s Western Conference standings.

The Storm (56 points) are now tied with Sault Ste. Marie, which beat Sarnia 8-2 at home Wednesday, for the eighth and final playoff spot. The Storm have two games in hand and nine games left overall.

The teams played to a scoreless tie in the opening period. The Otters took a 1-0 lead on Cairns goal, off assists from Brown and Fox, 6 minutes, 17 seconds into the second period. Guelph tied the score at 1 on Kyle Pereira’s goal 1:24 later. That score lasted until early in the third, when Brown scored on the power play – his 21^st goal of the season – 4:48 into the period. Garlent’s power-play goal with 10:12 left in regulation tied the score at 2. But Sadikov forced overtime by stopping 18-of-19 shots in the period.

The teams managed only three shots on goal in the five-minute overtime. But they combined for five goals on eight shots in the shootout. Fox and the Storm’s Francis Menard scored in the opening round.

The Storm’s Jason Dickinson matched Sondre Olden’s goal in the third round to send the teams into a sudden-death round. Cairns slipped a shot past Storm goaltender Garret Sparks (21 saves). Garlent wasn’t able to do the same against Sadikov, sealing the Otters’ victory despite being outshot 42-24.

- Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters hung tough with Sault Ste. Marie for the opening 20 minutes Friday night.

But the Greyhounds exploded for three straight goals in a span of 3 minutes, 6 seconds early in the second period on their way to a 6-3 win against the Otters in front of 2,869 at Tullio Arena.

Nick Cousins, Mark Petaccio and Ryan Sproul scored in that decisive span, which gave the Greyhounds a 3-0 lead. The Otters responded on rookie Stephen Harper’s first of two goals 6:14 into the second.

Sault Ste. Marie finished the period with David Quesnele’s goal at the 18:13 mark to regain a three-goal advantage at 4-1, only to have the Otters slice that lead to 4-3 with less than six minutes left in the game.

Jimmy McDowell scored his first goal as an Otter – and only the eighth in 161 career OHL games – 2:18 into the third period to move the Otters within 4-2. Then Harper scored his second goal – and 19^th of the season – on the power play with 5:44 remaining to slice the Greyhounds’ lead to one goal.

The Otters earned their third and final power-play chance of the night with one minute left. But Sproul scored short-handed into an empty net seven seconds later to seal the Greyhounds’ victory.

The Otters, which fell to 9-43-3-2 on the season, also received two assists from Luke Cairns. Ramis Sadikov stopped 30-of-35 shots in a losing effort. Matt Murray had 30 saves for the Greyhounds.

Cousins paced Sault Ste. Marie (24-29-2-4) with his team-leading 31^st goal of the season and two assists.

Ryan Sproul scored two goals while Brandon Alderson and Quesnele added a goal and assist apiece. David Broll had an assist against his former team. The Otters return to action today at 7 p.m. at home against Kingston.

SUMMARY

Greyhounds 6, Otters 3

Sault Ste. Marie  0  4  2  —  6

Erie  0  1  2  —  3

1^st Period — None. Penalties — None.

2^nd Period — 1. Sault Ste. Marie, Nick Cousins 31 (Broll, Alderson), 1:25. 2. Sault Ste. Marie, Mark Petaccio 5 (Staples), 3:44. 3. Sault Ste. Marie, Ryan Sproul 15 (Cousins), 4:31. 4. Erie, Stephen Harper 18 (Cairns, Brown), 6:14. 5. Sault Ste. Marie, David Quesnele 10 (Dubchak), 18:13. Penalties — Alderson (S) cross checking, 11:22; Pelech (E) hooking, 14:35; McDowell (E) interference, 16:23. Penalty shot — Cousins (S) no goal, 16:23.

3^rd Period — 6. Erie, Jimmy McDowell 2 (Cairns), 2:18. 7. Erie, Harper 19 (Pelech, Brown), 14:16 (pp). 8. Sault Ste. Marie, Brandon Alderson 15 (Cousins, Nurse), 15:57. 9. Sault Ste. Marie, Sproul 16 (Quesnele), 19:07 (sh-en). Penalties — McCarthy (E) slashing, 9:53; Fuller (S) hooking, 13:34; Durocher (S) delay of game, 19:00.

Shots on goal — Sault Ste. Marie, 14-10-12—36; Erie, 3-16-14—33.

Goaltenders — Sault Ste. Marie, Matt Murray 12-17-0-1 (33 shots, 30 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 5-21-3-1 (35 shots, 30 saves).

Power plays — Sault Ste. Marie (0-2), Erie (1-3).

Referees — Pat Myers, Seth Ferguson. Linesmen — Ryan Holmstead, Darryl Wolfe.

Attendance — 2,869.

Three stars

* Stephen Harper, Otters (2 goals) ** Nick Cousins, Greyhounds (goal, 2 assists) *** Luke Cairns, Otters (2 assists)