BELLEVILLE, Ontario – The OHL’s lowest-scoring offense took control from the outset Monday. Then the league’s worst defense, led by overage goaltender Ramis Sadikov, took over from there.

The Erie Otters produced a rare all-around effort against Belleville. That allowed the Otters to salvage the final game of a three-game East Division trip with a 4-1 win in front of 3,276 fans at Yardmen Arena.

The Otters (9-42-3-2) received goals from Sondre Olden, Connor Brown and Kris Grant in a 1-minute, 16-second stretch early in the first period to take a 3-0 lead against Malcolm Subban, the top-rated North American goaltender on NHL Central Scouting’s midseason ranking for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Olden scored again with 3:24 left in the second to take a 4-0 lead. Along the way, a defense that has allowed 264 goals held the Bulls off the scoreboard until Jake Worrad’s goal with 3:17 left in the game.

Sadikov sparked the defense with 41 saves. Brown led the Otters with his 20^th goal of the season and an assist. Grant scored his first goal since Dec. 10, 2010 – a span of 66 games. Erie, which snapped a two-game losing streak with their third straight win in Belleville, returns to action at Tullio Arena Friday at 7 p.m. against Sault Ste. Marie and Saturday against Kingston. The Bulls fell to 27-28-1-0.

SUMMARY

Otters 4, Bulls 1

Erie  3  1  0  —  4

Belleville  0  0  1  —  1

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Sondre Olden 8 (Glass, Betz), 8:09. 2. Erie, Connor Brown 20 (Fox, McDowell), 8:55. 3. Erie, Kris Grant 1 (Brown), 9:25. Penalties — Simmonds (B) tripping, 1:42.

2^nd Period — 4. Erie, Olden 9 (Eisenberg), 16:36. Penalties — Cortellessa (E) hooking, 1:11; Hooey (B) tripping, 13:39; McDowell (E) roughing, 19:03; Judson (B) roughing, 19:03.

3^rd Period — 5. Belleville, Jake Worrad 4 (Carnevale, Silas), 16:43. Penalties — Fox (E) cross checking, 4:21; Erie, too many men (served by Olden), 5:31; Corson (B) tripping, 12:19.

Shots on goal — Erie, 20-9-4—33; Belleville, 13-12-17—42.

Goaltenders — Erie, Ramis Sadikov 5-20-3-1 (42 shots, 41 saves); Belleville, Malcolm Subban 17-10-0-0 (33 shots, 29 saves).

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

Referees — Dave Koziel, Garrett Rank. Linesmen — Chad Drown, Mike Hamilton.

Attendance — 3,276.

Three stars

* Ramis Sadikov, Otters (41 saves) ** Sondre Olden, Otters (2 goals) *** Connor Brown, Otters (goal, assist)

KINGSTON, Ontario – The Erie Otters enjoyed a strong start in Kingston Friday night.

They held a two-goal lead in the opening 4½ minutes. But it was all downhill from there.

The Frontenacs scored nine of the game’s final 10 goals, including four straight goals in a decisive seven-minute stretch of the second period, to hand the Otters a 9-3 loss in front of 3,180 at K-Rock Centre.

Anthony Cortellessa and Jake Evans scored less than three minutes apart to give the Otters (8-41-3-2) an early two-goal lead. But Spencer Green’s goal at the 11:48 mark of the first sparked a streak of seven consecutive goals that was capped by Cody Alcock’s second of three goals five minutes into the third.

The Otters allowed their second-highest goal total of the season. They surrendered 10 in a 10-2 loss to Guelph Sept. 30. The Frontenacs (17-32-3-3), which are last in the Eastern Conference, finished with 57 shots on goal against overage goaltender Ramis Sadikov (48 saves).

The Otters have allowed 119 shots in their last two games.

Evans scored his second goal of the night early in the third for the Otters, which played without veterans Dane Fox and Adam Pelech, who reportedly were out with the flu. Alcock had four points to lead the Frontenacs, while Alex Gudbranson (goal, two assists) and Darcy Greenaway had three assists.

Kingston had points from 15 of their 18 skaters. The Otters return to action Sunday at 2 p.m. in Ottawa.

SUMMARY

Frontenacs 9, Otters 3

Erie  2  0  1  —  3

Kingston  1  4  4  —  9

1^st Period — 1. Anthony Cortellessa 3 (Cairns, Brown), 1:40 (pp). 2. Erie, Jake Evans 5 (Harper), 4:30. 3. Kingston, Spencer Green 6 (Nevins, Dupuy), 11:48. Penalties — Stokes (K) unsportsmanlike conduct, 1:29; Maaskant (E) high sticking, 5:12; Morbeck (K) elbowing, 18:28.

2^nd Period — 4. Kingston, Nathan Cull 4 (Gudbranson, Steele), 5:06. 5. Kingston, Cody Alcock 19 (Moffat, Kujawinski), 9:00. 6. Kingston, David Mazurek 6 (Hutchinson), 10:28. 7. Kingston, Cull 5 (Alcock, Greenaway), 11:48. Penalties — McCarthy (E) 5-min. fighting, :59; Morbeck (K) 5-min. fighting, :59; Donnay (E) 5-min. fighting, 19:27; Stokes (K) 5-min. fighting, 19:27.

3^rd Period — 8. Kingston, Alex Gudbranson 2 (Morbeck), 4:42. 9. Kingston, Alcock 20 (Gudbranson, Greenaway), 5:00. 10. Erie, Evans 6 (Wood, Grant), 7:13 (pp). 11. Kingston, Alcock 21 (Steele, Greenaway), 9:24 (pp). 12. Kingston, Ryan Kujawinski 12 (Jenkins, Stokes), 18:02. Penalties — Kingston, too many men (served by Mazurek), 6:01; Grant (E) holding, 8:42; Steele (K) goaltender interference, 12:51.

Shots on goal — Erie, 9-17-7—33; Kingston, 22-19-16—57.

Goaltenders — Erie, Ramis Sadikov 4-20-3-1 (57 shots, 48 saves); Kingston, Jacob Riley 1-2-0-1 (33 shots, 30 saves).

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

Referees — Tom Sweeney, Joe Park. Linesmen — Andrew Brown, Jordan Browne.

Attendance — 3,180.

Three stars

* Cody Alcock, Frontenacs (3 goals, assist) ** Nathan Cull, Frontenacs (2 goals) *** Alex Gudbranson, Frontenacs (goal, 2 assists)

Devin Williams did everything but score a goal for the Erie Otters.

But the Otters finally scored – two late goals, actually – to reward Williams for the game of his life.

The rookie goaltender stopped a career-high 61-of-62 shots in Erie’s 2-1 comeback win against the Eastern Conference-leading Niagara IceDogs in front of 2,121 at Tullio Arena Wednesday night.

“What can you say? The kid was amazing,” said Peter Sidorkiewicz, Otters assistant/goaltending coach.

For the game’s first 55 minutes, it appeared the Otters’ struggling offense would spoil one of the best performances in franchise history. The Otters (8-40-3-2) rarely tested former teammate Chris Festarini (16 saves).

“The guys found a way to put one in,” Sidorkiewicz, referring to rookie Connor Brown’s rebound on the power play, which trickled past Festarini to tie the score at 1 with 5 minutes, 55 seconds left in the game.

Then during the Otters’ sixth and final power play of the night, Brown’s pass found rookie Sondre Olden to the right of Festarini. The Otters’ 18^th and final shot on goal of the game found the back of the net.

The goal with 43.6 seconds left was all Williams needed to finish off the IceDogs (35-16-0-3).

Williams’ effort also provides club officials with a difficult decision to make. The coaching staff has spoken with Sherry Bassin, managing partner and general manager, about possibly signing Williams to a player card. That would allow him to play with the team full time for the rest of the season.

Williams, a fifth-round pick in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection, has spent more half of the season with the Otters as a floating affiliate. That limits his game total to 10 games until his original team, the Metro Jets from Waterford, Mich., completes their season in the North American Tier III Hockey League.

He has played six games. The Otters have 15 games left in the season. Sidorkiewicz said club officials still want to play overager Ramis Sadikov in games in hopes of helping him earn a professional contract. But Sidorkiewicz said they also would like to play Williams more.

Williams stopped all 21 shots he faced in the first period. He stopped 23-of-24 in the second, with only Freddie Hamilton’s shot from in close slipping through with 5:02 left in the period. Williams turned aside all 17 shots in the third, which gave the Otters the opportunity they needed to rally and snap a four-game losing streak.

SUMMARY

Otters 2, IceDogs 1

Niagara  0  1  0  —  1

Erie  0  0  2  —  2

1^st Period — None. Penalties — Wigle (N) hooking, :38; Olden (E) slashing, 1:35; McGuire (E) 4-min. checking from behind, 12:33; Beukeboom (N) instigating, 12:33; McGuire (E) 5-min. fighting, 12:33; Beukeboom (N) 5-min. fighting, 12:33; Beukeboom (N) 10-min. misconduct, 12:33; Mercer (N) high sticking,. 15:51.

2^nd Period — 1. Niagara, Freddie Hamilton 25 (Strome, D. Hamilton), 14:58 (pp). Penalties — Evans (E) tripping, 4:03; Doan (N) elbowing, 7:01; Maaskant (E) delay of game, 14:45.

3^rd Period — 2. Erie, Connor Brown 19 (Fox, Cairns), 14:05 (pp). 3. Erie, Sondre Olden 7 (Brown, Cairns), 19:16 (pp). Penalties — Kuhnhackl (N) slashing, 7:03; Shipley (N) slashing, 12:31; Graham (N) checking from behind, 18:36.

Shots on goal — Niagara, 21-24-17—62; Erie, 5-7-6—18.

Goaltenders — Niagara, Chris Festarini 11-10-0-0 (18 shots, 16 saves); Erie, Devin Williams 2-2-0-1 (62 shots, 61 saves).

Power plays — Niagara (1-4), Erie (2-6).

Referees — T.J. Foster, Craig Spada. Linesmen — R.J. King, Jesse Wilmot.

Attendance — 2,121.

Three stars

* Devin Williams, Otters (career-high 61 saves) ** Sondre Olden, Otters (GW goal) *** Luke Cairns, Otters (2 assists)

The Erie Otters have a rare winning streak.

The Otters captured their second straight win with a 7-4 come-from-behind victory against Brampton in front of 2,565 at Tullio Arena Friday night. The Otters (7-37-3-1) rallied from a 3-0 second-period deficit.

Erie was propelled by rookie Connor Brown’s first OHL hat trick and the power play’s four goals on five chances. Luke Cairns added three assists, as 12 different Otters contributed points.

The Battalion (27-14-3-6), which entered the game near the bottom of the OHL with 147 goals scored, took control with two goals in the opening 7 minutes, 20 seconds.

Matt MacLeod scored off a scramble in front 1:57 into the game. Jamie Lewis and Jordan Auld assisted on the goal. Then Brandon Robinson scored off assists from Brett Mackie and Patrik Machac 7:20 into the opening period for a 2-0 lead.

Brampton extended its lead to 3-0 on Robinson’s second goal of the night 7:04 into the second period.

But Brown’s tip-in on the power play 8:48 into the second ignited the Otters’ three-goal comeback. Fellow rookie Stephen Harper poked a rebound of Kris Grant’s shot past Battalion goaltender Keegan Wilson 1:20 later to pull the Otters within 3-2. Then Adam Pelech’s blast from the point, which briefly lifted the net off its moorings, tied the score at 3 with 1:59 left in the period.

Meanwhile, Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov overcame his struggles earlier in the game to stop 20-of-21 shots in the middle period. The Otters entered the third tied despite being outshot 36-17. Sadikov finished with 47 saves to offset Brampton’s 51-30 shot advantage.

Both teams took a conservative approach through the opening half of the third. But the Otters capitalized on the power play for the second time, this time from an unexpected source – Mac McDonnell.

He scored his first goal since Dec. 10 and fifth of the season on an assist from Troy Donnay to snap the 3-3 tie with 9:26 left. The Battalion tied the score at 4 with 6:13 left on Sam Carrick’s 26^th goal of the season.

But the Battalion’s second penalty for delay of the game – and the fourth such penalty overall – led to Brown’s tiebreaking power-play goal with 3:13 left. McDonnell’s second goal iced the victory.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Otters 7, Battalion 4

Brampton  2  1  1  —  4

Erie  0  3  4  —  7

1^st Period — 1. Brampton, Matt MacLeod 7 (Lewis, Auld), 1:57. 2. Brampton, Brandon Robinson 11 (Mackie, Machac), 7:20. Penalties — Maaskant (E) delay of game, 13:56; Pelech (E) delay of game, 3:48.

2^nd Period — 3. Brampton, Robinson 12 (Machac), 7:04. 4. Erie, Connor Brown 16 (Grant, Cairns), 8:48 (pp). 5. Erie, Stephen Harper 16 (Grant, Olden), 10:08. 6. Erie, Adam Pelech 2 (Fox, McDowell), 18:01. Penalties — Mackie (B) interference, 7:40; Pelech (E) tripping, 14:29.

3^rd Period — 7. Erie, Mac McDonnell 5 (Donnay), 10:34 (pp). 8. Brampton, Sam Carrick 26 (Goodrow, Miller), 13:47. 9. Erie, Brown 17 (Wood, Cairns), 16:37 (pp). 10. Erie, McDonnell 6 (McCarthy), 17:13. 11. Erie, Brown 18 (Cairns), 19:42 (pp-en). Penalties — Wind (B) tripping, 1:04; Carrick (B) delay of game, 8:41; Watters (B) delay of game, 14:55; Carrick (B) cross checking, 18:25; Donnay (E) roughing, 18:25; Miller (B) roughing, 18:25; Carrick (B) 10-min. misconduct, 18:25.

Shots on goal — Brampton, 15-21-15—51; Erie, 9-8-13—30.

Goaltenders — Brampton, Keegan Wilson 9-5-3-2 (29 shots, 23 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 4-18-3-1 (51 shots, 47 saves).

Power plays — Brampton (0-3), Erie (4-5).

Referees — Keith Kaval, Joe Celestin. Linesmen — Ryan Holmstead, Jesse Wilmot.

Attendance — 2,565.

Three stars

* Connor Brown, Otters (3 goals) ** Mac McDonnell, Otters (2 goals) *** Ramis Sadikov, Otters (47 saves)

The Erie Otters endured two close calls this weekend.

After a one-goal loss to Niagara on Friday, the Otters lost 2-1 in overtime to Peterborough in front of 3,524 at Tullio Arena on Saturday night.

Petes winger Lino Martschini scored 3 minutes, 8 seconds into overtime to send the Otters (5-36-2-1) to London on Sunday with a 10-game losing streak.

The Otters and Petes played to a scoreless tie in the opening period. But the Otters had a chance to take control early in the game. Derek Mathers knee-to-knee hit on Otters winger Dane Fox, which briefly shook up Fox, led to Mathers’ game misconduct and a five-minute power play for the Otters.

Yet the Otters managed only three shots on goal during the extended man advantage. The teams finished the period with 10 shots on goal apiece. Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov and the Petes’ Mike Morrison traded saves in the opening half of the second period as well.

But the Otters’ Dane Fox snapped the tie. His shot from a tight angle along the side of the net caromed off Morrison and trickled into the net to hand the Otters a 1-0 lead with 6:35 left in the period. Connor Brown and Sondre Olden had assists.

Meanwhile, Sadikov stopped the Petes (21-18-3-3) on all 15 shots in the period. But he couldn’t stop Nick Ritchie’s tying goal 37 seconds into the third. Alan Quine turned a blocked shot at the Petes’ blue line into a centering pass to Ritchie for the goal.

Sadikov and Morrison stood tall for the rest of the period, with Sadikov stopping 11-of-12 in the third. But Martschini’s shot slipped past Sadikov and tucked into the left corner of the net to keep the Otters winless in the second half of the season.

Sadikov finished with 39 saves while Morrison stopped 28-of-29 shots. Former Otter Andrew Yogan, who had two goals in the Petes’ home win against the Otters last month, had no points and was a minus-1 in his first game in Erie since being traded in August.

The Otters face off against London – and former teammates Brett Cook, Greg McKegg and Tyson Teichmann – at John Labatt Centre on Sunday at 2 p.m. Fox and Troy Donnay play against the Knights for the first time since the trade earlier this month.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Petes 2, Otters 1 (OT)

Peterborough  0  0  1  1  —  2

Erie  0  1  0  0  —  1

1^st Period — None. Penalties — Glass (E) high sticking, 1:39; Mathers (P) 5-min. kneeing, 10:03; Mathers (P) game misconduct, 10:03; Erie, too many men (served by McDonnell), 19:10.

2^nd Period — 1. Erie, Dane Fox 17 (Brown, Olden), 13:25. Penalties — Donnay (E) roughing, 1:18; Hatcher (P) hooking, 17:14.

3^rd Period — 2. Peterborough, Nick Ritchie 10 (Quine), :37. Penalties — None.

Overtime — 3. Peterborough, Lino Martschini 12 (unassisted), 3:08. Penalties — None.

Shots on goal — Peterborough, 10-15-12-4—41; Erie, 10-9-8-2—29.

Goaltenders — Peterborough, Mike Morrison 8-12-2-3 (29 shots, 28 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 3-17-2-1 (41 shots, 39 saves).

Power plays — Peterborough (0-3), Erie (0-2).

Referees — Ben Wilson, Jason Goldenberg. Linesmen — Ryan Wilson, Rick Janco.

Attendance — 3,524.

Three stars

* Ramis Sadikov, Otters (39 saves) ** Dane Fox, Otters (goal) *** Mike Morrison, Petes (28 saves)

The Erie Otters had a chance to beat the short-handed Niagara IceDogs on Friday night.

But the Otters mustered only 21 shots on goal in a 3-2 loss in front of 2,469 at Tullio Arena, which extended their second-longest losing streak of the season to nine straight games.

Even without several key veterans, including NHL first-round picks Ryan Strome (facial fractures) and Dougie Hamilton (10-game suspension), Niagara dominated the Otters from the outset.

The IceDogs built a 20-7 advantage in shots in the opening period. They also built a 2-0 lead through 20 minutes on goals from Alex Friesen and David Pacan 40 seconds apart midway through the period.

Friesen turned Andrew Agozzino’s centering pass into his 16^th goal of the season at the 9:13 mark. Then Pacan redirected Myles Doan’s cross-ice pass past Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov, who had 43 saves.

The IceDogs controlled the play to start the second period as well. But a fortunate bounce allowed the Otters to slice Niagara’s lead in half at 2-1. Goaltender Mark Visentin stopped Dane Fox’s shot, but the rebound caromed to Connor Brown. The rookie winger scored into an empty net 6:45 into the period.

Jimmy McDowell also earned an assist on the goal for his first point as an Otter. Niagara regained a two-goal lead at 3-1 on Agozzino’s rebound – his 24^th goal of the season – with 10:53 left in the period. But Fox scored on the power play on an assist from McDowell to pull the Otters within 3-2 just 3 minutes later. The Otters were within a goal despite being outshot 36-17 through two periods.

Yet the Otters couldn’t find their offense in the third. They recorded one shot on goal in the opening 10 minutes of the third. They finished with four shots on goal in the period. Their best chance to tie the game – Anthony Cortellessa’s shot from the right wing – caromed off the post behind Visentin.

Agozzino had a goal and assist for the IceDogs (27-13-0-3), which has won six straight and 10 of their past 11 games. Fox (goal, assist) and McDowell (two assists) paced the Otters (5-36-1-1).

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

IceDogs 3, Otters 2

Niagara  2  1  0  —  3

Erie  0  2  0  —  2

1^st Period — 1. Niagara, Alex Friesen 16 (Agozzino), 9:13. 2. Niagara, David Pacan 20 (Doan, Verhaeghe), 9:53. Penalties — Fox (E) hooking, 2:51; Agozzino (N) goaltender interference, 12:00.

2^nd Period — 3. Erie, Connor Brown 15 (Fox, McDowell), 6:45. 4. Niagara, Andrew Agozzino 24 (Ritchie, Doudera), 10:53. 5. Erie, Dane Fox 16 (McDowell), 13:46 (pp). Penalties — Graham (N) interference, 12:48.

3^rd Period — None. Penalties — Kuhnhackl (N) high sticking, 3:11; McDowell (E) interference, 10:14.

Shots on goal — Niagara, 20-16-10—46; Erie, 7-10-4—21.

Goaltenders — Niagara, Mark Visentin 15-7-0-2 (21 shots, 19 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 3-17-1-1 (46 shots, 43 saves).

Power plays — Niagara (0-2), Erie (1-3).

Referees — Joe Celestin, Garrett Rank. Linesmen — Adam Harris, Mike Harrington.

Attendance — 2,469.

Three stars

* Andrew Agozzino, IceDogs (goal, assist) ** Dane Fox, Otters (goal, assist) *** Ramis Sadikov, Otters (43 saves)

The Erie Otters had their chance to finally post their sixth win of the season Saturday night.

But a third-period collapse turned a two-goal lead into a 6-4 loss to Midwest Division rival Kitchener in front of 3,232 at Tullio Arena. The Rangers (26-11-1-0) scored four goals in the third, headlined by Matia Marcantuoni’s go-ahead goal with 4 minutes, 32 seconds left in the game.

Cody Sol’s empty-net goal, shot from Kitchener’s zone, sealed a fifth straight loss for the Otters (6-31-1-1). Until the final period, Erie’s OHL-worst offense (97 goals) kept pace with the Rangers’ potent attack in the first period.

Jake Evans opened the scoring 12:39 into the game on a rebound of fellow rookie Sondre Olden’s shot. Kitchener tied it at 1 on Zach Lorentz’s goal with 4:02 left in the period.

The Otters regained the lead at 2-1 on Mike Cazzola’s goal with 2:30 left in the period. Dane Fox assisted on the goal for his first point as an Otter, as did Connor Brown. Then 1:10 later, Ben Fanelli’s rebound beat Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov to pull the Rangers even at 2-2 heading into the intermission.

But Fox scored his first goal as an Otter – a rebound past goaltender Franky Palazzese 37 seconds into the second period to give the Otters a 3-2 lead. Moments later, a faulty pane of glass prompted a 30-minute delay in which the players warmed up, headed to the dressing room and then warmed up again.

The Otters maintained their one-goal lead after play resumed. Then newly acquired Troy Donnay joined Fox in scoring his first goal with the Otters – and in Donnay’s case, his first OHL goal. The second-year defenseman scored late in a two-man advantage to hand the Otters a 4-2 lead with 6:16 left in the period.

Kitchener sliced Erie’s lead to 4-3, as Marcantuoni redirected Fanelli’s pass past Sadikov 5:57 into the third. Then Radek Faksa turned an errant pass at the Otters’ blue line into the tying short-handed goal with 6:11 left. Marcantuoni snapped the tie less than two minutes later.

Cazzola (goal, two assists) and Fox (goal, assist) paced the Otters while Brown had two assists. Sadikov stopped 32-of-37 shots. Marcantuoni, who was injured late in the game, and Fanelli’s goal and two assists led the Rangers. Sol and Lorentz had a goal and assist apiece. Palazzese finished with 28 saves.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Rangers 6, Otters 4

Kitchener  2  0  4  —  6

Erie  2  2  0  —  4

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Jake Evans 3 (Olden), 12:39. 2. Kitchener, Zach Lorentz 13 (Ming, Fanelli), 15:58. 3. Erie, Mike Cazzola 2 (Brown, Fox), 17:30. 4. Kitchener, Ben Fanelli 2 (Ming, Lorentz), 18:40. Penalties — None.

2^nd Period — 5. Erie, Dane Fox 14 (Glass, Cazzola), :37. 6. Erie, Troy Donnay 1 (Brown, Cazzola), 13:44 (pp). Penalties — Grant (E) hooking, 10:21; Lorentz (K) hooking; 11:51; Murphy (K) unsportsmanlike conduct, 11:51; Betz (E) tripping, 17:34; Sadikov (E) unsportsmanlike conduct (served by Cortellessa), 20:00; Sol (K) unsportsmanlike conduct, 20:00.

3^rd Period — 7. Kitchener, Matia Marcantuoni 8 (Fanelli, Sol), 5:57. 8. Kitchener, Radek Faksa 17 (unassisted), 12:49 (sh). 9. Kitchener, Marcantuoni 9 (Crescenzi, Genovese), 15:28. 10. Kitchener, Cody Sol 8 (unassisted), 19:41 (en). Penalties — McGuire (E) 5-min. fighting, 2:13; Genovese (K) 5-min. fighting, 2:13; Pelech (E) checking from behind, 3:37; Pedersen (K) checking from behind, 11:32.

Shots on goal — Kitchener, 18-8-12—38; Erie, 10-11-11—32.

Goaltenders — Kitchener, Franky Palazzese 12-5-1-0 (32 shots, 28 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 3-13-1-1 (37 shots, 32 saves).

Power plays — Kitchener (0-3), Erie (1-3).

Referees — Dave Gauthier, Jason Faist. Linesmen — Adam Harris, Ryan Holmstead.

Attendance — 3,232.

Three stars

* Matia Marcantuoni, Rangers (2 goals) ** Mike Cazzola, Otters (goal, 2 assists) *** Dane Fox, Otters (goal, assist)

The new-look Sarnia Sting looked better than the new-look Erie Otters Friday night.

Ryan Spooner had two goals and an assist and J.P. Anderson stopped all 30 shots to lead the Sting to a 4-0 win against the Otters in front of 2,395 at Tullio Arena.

With the win, the Sting (20-14-1-4) snapped a two-game losing streak to the rebuilding Otters (5-31-1-1), which lost their fourth straight game.

The Sting unveiled the newly acquired Anderson, defenseman Adrian Robertson and forwards Spooner and Tyler J. Brown. Forward Dane Fox and defenseman Troy Donnay made their debuts for the Otters.

Fox and Donnay were acquired Thursday in the trade that sent veterans Greg McKegg, Brett Cook and Tyson Teichmann to London. The newest members of the Sting made an immediate impact.

Spooner and Brown assisted on rookie Connor Murphy’s first OHL goal, a power-play score that opened the scoring with 2:12 left in the first period. Then Spooner fired a wrist shot past Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov with 34.6 seconds left in the period. Robertson assisted on Spooner’s 100^th career goal.

Meanwhile, Anderson stopped all 13 shots he faced. He was acquired from Mississauga St. Michael’s on Friday for former Otters draft pick Brandon Maxwell and two picks. The Sting built a 3-0 lead with 8:48 left in the second, as Craig Hottot’s shot trickled past Sadikov and just across the goal line.

Anderson continued his strong start, as he stopped 9-of-9 shots to keep his shutout bid intact. Then Spooner scored his second goal on an unassisted breakaway for a 4-0 Sting lead 4:37 into the third. Anderson capped his first shutout of the season and ninth of his career. Hottot had a goal and assist. Sadikov made 26 saves in a losing effort for the Otters.

In other news, McKegg had a goal and assist in his debut for the Knights, a 3-1 win in Sudbury on Friday. Cook had an assist and was a plus-1. Teichmann didn’t dress for the Knights. Derek Holden didn’t play for Windsor on Friday in Sault Ste. Marie. But former Otter Chris Marchese scored twice in the Spitfires’ 5-3 win. He has five goals and seven points in six games.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Sting 4, Otters 0

Sarnia  2  1  1  —  4

Erie  0  0  0  —  0

1^st Period — 1. Sarnia, Connor Murphy 1 (Spooner, Brown), 17:48 (pp). 2. Sarnia, Ryan Spooner 15 (Hottot, Robertson), 19:25. Penalties — Hottot (S) high sticking, :49; Dundas (S) interference, 10:03; Grant (E) cross checking, 17:12.

2^nd Period — 3. Sarnia, Craig Hottot 14 (Thompson, DeAngelo), 11:12. Penalties — Basso (S) checking to head, 2:13; Donnay (S) high sticking, 9:11.

3^rd Period — 4. Sarnia, Spooner 16 (unassisted), 4:37. Penalties — McGuire (E) cross checking, 6:32.

Shots on goal — Sarnia, 13-9-8—30; Erie, 11-8-11—30.

Goaltenders — Sarnia, J.P. Anderson 16-11-1-3 (30 shots, 30 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 3-12-1-1 (30 shots, 26 saves).

Power plays — Sarnia (1-3), Erie (0-3).

Referees — T. J Foster, Craig Spada. Linesmen — Ryan Wilson, Daryl Wolfe.

Attendance — 2,395.

Three stars

* Ryan Spooner, Sting (2 goals, assist) ** Craig Hottot, Sting (goal, assist) *** J.P. Anderson, Sting (30 saves, shutout)

The deals needed to be done.

GM Sherry Bassin needed to trade Greg McKegg, Brett Cook and Derek Holden in order t officially begin rebuilding the Erie Otters. None will be in the OHL next season.

It’s too early to know if third-year forward Dane Fox and second-year defenseman Troy Donnay will develop into the players that will help turn the Otters into contenders in the next couple of seasons. But the first step is done.

Fox is a proven young player who has averaged nearly a point per game in London (13 goals, 32 points in 34 games) this season. He arrives in Erie as the team’s leading scorer. Now he has to evolve into a frontline scorer on a team that will rely heavily on youth (Stephen Harper, Connor Brown, etc.) to produce offensively.

At 6 feet 7 inches and 183 pounds, Donnay should grow into an imposing presence with what should be decidedly greater ice time with the Otters. He has only 48 games of OHL experience to date.

But here’s the problem I have with the two deals the Otters made Thursday – Tyson Teichmann. What happens in goal?

Bassin traded 18-year-old defenseman Brady Austin to Belleville in August to acquire Teichmann. He was supposed to be in the future in net along with fellow 18-year-old Chris Festarini. They were entrenched enough to make overage goaltender Ramis Sadikov expendable – the same Sadikov who last season set a franchise record with 36 wins and nearly led the Otters past Windsor in the first round of the playoffs despite having a torn groin.

Festarini was traded to Niagara in October. Now Teichmann is in London. So barring an unforeseen deal, Sadikov is the team’s No. 1 goaltender for the rest of the season. Interest in Sadikov from other teams has waned. “We spent the better part of a month talking to some teams about Ramis,” said Dave Brown, Otters assistant manager of hockey operations.

But teams aren’t interested in a goaltender that fills precious OA and Import spots on a roster. Besides, 16-year-old backup Devin Williams has 18 minutes of OHL experience. That makes me think Bassin will dangle players like forwards Mike Cazzola and Sondre Olden in front of fellow GMs in hopes of landing a young goaltender to back up Sadikov this season and lead the way in net next season.

Either that, or Bassin heads a familiar route – the CHL Import Draft – for another Sadikov or Jaroslav Janus. Either way, the Otters need a proven goaltender next season to make this rebuild work. As Bassin always says, goaltending is 75 percent of the game. Unless you don’t have one, then it’s 100 percent. And right now, the Otters don’t have one.

- Victor Fernandes

Erie Otters (5-27-1-1) at Oshawa Generals (13-18-1-3)

When: Today, 7:05 p.m.

Where: General Motors Centre – Oshawa, Ontario

On the air: WJET-AM/1400, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)

Up next: at Peterborough (Thursday, 7:05 p.m.), at Barrie (Saturday, 7:30 p.m.)

Fast facts: The Otters begin the second half with a three-game Eastern Conference road trip. They are 0-9 against the East, including home losses to Oshawa (7-4 on Oct. 1) and Barrie (4-3 in a shootout on Dec. 2). … The Otters ended the first half with a 5-3 home win against Sarnia on Dec. 17. … C Mike Cazzola (hand) and D Brett Cook (knee) are expected to play tonight. They have missed a combined 37 man games this season. Cazzola has played in only seven of 34 games while Cook sat out the past 10 games. … Their return leaves F Connor Crisp (shoulder) as the only player on the injured list. … Coach Robbie Ftorek needs to scratch Cazzola, Cook or D Derek Holden if G Ramis Sadikov starts. … LW Sondre Olden has rejoined the team after capturing a silver medal with his native Norway at the IIHF World Junior Championship’s Division I Group A tournament in Germany earlier this month. … LW Stephen Harper and Ontario began their pursuit of gold at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge on Thursday against Germany. The tournament runs until Jan. 4 in Windsor, Ontario. … The Otters rank fifth in the OHL on the power play (21 percent), but are last on the penalty kill (78 percent). … The Generals begin the second half with losses in four straight games and seven of their last 10. … They have slipped to ninth in the East, six points behind Sudbury, Mississauga St. Michael’s and Peterborough for one of the conference’s final playoff spots. … They have allowed 136 goals, the OHL’s third-worst total behind only Erie (176) and Saginaw (144). … The Generals rank seventh with 123 goals scored.

- Victor Fernandes