It appears Erie Otters forward Andrew Yogan will need shoulder surgery and should miss the first half of the 2010-11 OHL season.

Here’s a report posted today on NorthJersey.com:

The Rangers also announced today that left wing Andrew Yogan, their fourth round pick this June, will undergo left shoulder surgery this week to repair a tear. Yogan said he suffered the injury last season while playing (and fighting) for Erie (OHL) and the Rangers said the extent of the injury was determined during team medicals on Friday. Yogan said he tried to strengthen the shoulder through the summer without surgery. The (18)-year-old expects to be ready for the second half of the OHL season.

“It’s nothing too bad,” Yogan said. “It’s a little frustrating but I’m not too worried about it. I’m still young. I’ll be back halfway through my season.” Yogan, who will return home to Florida after the surgery, added the procedure was mostly precautionary to guard against his shoulder “falling out” again when he’s fighting.

- Victor Fernandes

Ontario Hockey League playoff previews

Conference finals (best-of-seven series)

Western Conference

No. 1 Windsor Spitfires vs. No. 3 Kitchener Rangers

Season records: Windsor 50-12-1-5, Kitchener 42-19-4-3

Season series: Tied 2-2

Players to watch: Windsor – LW Taylor Hall (9 goals-7 assists-16 points, 5 power-play goals), D Ryan Ellis (2-14-16), C Adam Henrique (6-4-10), RW Dale Mitchell (6-4-10), RW Zack Kassian (2-8-10); Kitchener – C Jeff Skinner (12-8-20), LW Chris MacKinnon (4-16-20), LW Jeremy Morin (8-5-13, 5 PPG), RW Gabriel Landeskog (7-9-16), RW Jason Akeson (5-10-15)

Playoff recap: Windsor def. No. 8 Erie 4-0, def. No. 4 Plymouth 4-0; Kitchener def. No. 6 Saginaw 4-2, def. No. 2 London 4-3

Outlook: The Spitfires’ offense has been potent as usual. But defense and goaltending have been strong, as the Spitfires have allowed 16 goals in their eight wins. That makes them even more dangerous.

Prediction: Windsor in 6 games

Series schedule

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

Game 2 – Saturday at Kitchener, 7 p.m.

Game 3 – Sunday at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.

Game 4 – Tuesday at Kitchener, 7 p.m.

Game 5 – April 22 at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.*

Game 6 – April 23 at Kitchener, 7:30 p.m.*

Game 7 – April 25 at Windsor, 2:05 p.m.*

* If necessary

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Barrie Colts vs. No. 3 Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors

Season records: Barrie 57-9-0-2, Mississauga 42-20-4-2

Season series: Tied 3-3

Players to watch: Barrie – RW Bryan Cameron (8-5-13, 5 PPG), C Alexander Burmistrov (7-6-13, 2 PPG), D Alex Pietrangelo (2-9-11, plus-9 rating), C Luke Pither (5-8-13), RW Matt Kennedy (4-4-8); Mississauga – G Chris Carrozzi (5-1-1 record, 2.21 goals-against average, .925 save percentage, 1 shutout), LW Devante Smith-Pelly (6-6-12, 2 PPG), C Casey Cizikas (6-5-11), D Cameron Gaunce (0-10-10), LW Dustin Ekelman (4-2-6), LW Riley Brace (2-7-9)

Playoff recap: Barrie def. No. 8 Sudbury 4-0, def. No. 5 Brampton 4-0; Mississauga def. No. 6 Peterborough 4-0, def. No. 2 Ottawa 4-3

Outlook: The Colts survived a seven-game series against Ottawa despite not having RW Alex Hutchings at all because of a reported groin injury. With or without him, the Colts will win this series, too.

Prediction: Barrie in 6 games

Series schedule

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

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

Game 3 – Saturday at Barrie, 7:30 p.m.

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

Game 5 – April 21 at Barrie, 7:30 p.m.*

Game 6 – April 23 at Mississauga, 7:30 p.m.*

Game 7 – April 24 at Barrie, 7:30 p.m.*

* If necessary

Vic’s picks

Semifinal record: 4-0

Postseason record: 12-0

KITCHENER, Ontario – Kitchener’s season sweep of the Erie Otters is complete.

And as usual, Jeremy Morin sparked the Rangers.

Morin, an Atlanta Thrashers prospect, scored the game’s final three goals to seal a 5-2 win in front of 6,384 at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium – the Rangers’ eighth win in eight games against the Otters.

Morin’s second hat trick against the Otters this season – he scored the final three goals in a 6-1 win Jan. 18 – broke open a 2-2 tie late in the third period. He has burned the Otters for 15 goals and 20 points in the eight games. His first of two straight power-play goals snapped the tie with 6 minutes, 18 seconds left.

Morin, pictured above, scored his second power-play goal less than two minutes later for a 4-2 Rangers’ lead. His empty-net goal with 21 seconds left capped Kitchener’s 40^th win and secured the No. 3 seed in the OHL’s Western Conference playoffs. Morin has 45 goals on the season, which is tied for fourth in the league.

Teammate Tyler Randell has only nine goals this season. But he scored Kitchener’s first two goals.

His first goal tied the score at 1 early in the second. Mike Cazzola’s 35^th goal of the season handed the Otters a 2-1 lead with 4:05 left in the second. But Randell responded 42 seconds later to tie the score.

Then Morin took over the tight game, sending the Otters (31-27-5-2) to their third straight loss despite goaltender Adam Courchaine’s 41-save performance. David Shields scored Erie’s other goal. Rookie Brady Austin received a game misconduct for removing his helmet before a fight with defenseman Branden Morris.

The Otters remain seventh in the West, one point behind sixth-place Saginaw and four behind No. 5 Sault Ste. Marie. Plymouth’s 3-0 win against Sault Ste. Marie ended Erie’s hopes of capturing the fourth seed and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

- Victor Fernandes

Middle of the pack

The battle for the Nos. 4-8 seeds in the Western Conference:

(games through Thursday)

No. Team        GL       Record            Pts.

4. x-Plymouth  4          37-25-0-2        76

5. x-S.S. Marie 4          34-25-1-4        73

6. x-Saginaw    4          32-26-4-2        70

7. x-Erie           3          31-27-5-2        69

8. Guelph         4          31-29-3-1        66

9. Owen Sound            3          27-31-4-3        61

GL – games left; x-clinched playoff berth

Note: Top eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs.

If the OHL playoffs began today, the Erie Otters would face Kitchener in the first round.

That’s not good for the Otters.

They have faced the Rangers seven times this season. The Otters have lost all seven, the latest being a 6-4 loss in front of 3,758 at Tullio Arena Sunday night. The Rangers (39-17-4-2), which have already clinched an OHL playoff spot, spoiled Erie’s chance of clinching a berth for the second straight season.

The Otters (31-25-5-2) remained tied for fifth with Sault Ste. Marie for fifth in the Western Conference, although the Greyhounds faced London Sunday night. Seventh-place Saginaw, a 4-3 winner against Guelph Sunday, moved within a point of the Otters in the standings.

Kitchener grabbed the early lead on John Moore’s 10^th goal of the season 3:48 into the opening period.

The Otters responded on Mike Cazzola’s deflection of Paul Cianfrini’s point shot – Cazzola’s 34^th goal of the season – with 5:11 left in the period. But the Rangers’ Julian Cimadamore turned a fortunate bounce off surprisingly lively end boards into the tiebreaking goal with 28.2 seconds left in the period.

The Rangers started the second period quickly, as Jeff Skinner scored an unassisted goal – his 39^th of the season just 16 seconds into the period. Otters winger Anthony Luciani responded with a hard-working unassisted goal of his own. He beat goaltender Brandon Maxwell, a former Otters’ draft pick, to a loose puck deep in the Rangers’ zone. Then Luciani banked a shot off Rangers rookie Ryan Murphy’s shin pad and into the open net to move the Otters within 4-2 at the 1:30 mark.

The Rangers regained a two-goal lead at 4-2 on Jeremy Morin’s 5-on-3 goal with 10:38 left in the period.

Yet, rookie David Broll, pictured at right, pushed a rebound created by a scramble in front of the net past Maxwell to move the Otters within 4-3 with 8:27 left in the second.

But the Rangers burned the Otters for an early goal in the third, too. And of course, Morin scored, which handed the Rangers a 5-3 lead at the 2:48 mark. Morin, pictured above, has 42 goals and 76 points this season – 12 goals and 17 points against the Otters in seven meetings. He has seven of those goals in Erie.

The Otters’ power play sliced Kitchener’s lead 5-4 at the 7:36 mark, as Greg McKegg scored his 36^th goal of the season – 16^th with the man advantage. But Skinner’s power-play goal, on assists from Morin and Murphy, sealed the Rangers’ win. Skinner has seven goals against the Otters this season. Skinner and Morin had two goals and an assist apiece to lead the Rangers. Zack Torquato (two assists) and Cazzola (goal, assist) paced the Otters.

* News and notes: The Otters scratched defenseman Derek Holden (sore back) for a second straight game. … Right wing Matthew Paton missed the game because of migraines.

- Victor Fernandes

What: Kitchener Rangers (38-17-4-2) at Erie Otters (31-24-5-2)

When: Today, 4:30 p.m.

Where: Tullio Arena

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

Players to watch

Erie – C Zack Torquato (29 goals, 57 assists, 86 points), C Greg McKegg (35-43-78, 15 power-play goals), C Mike Cazzola (33-43-76), RW Anthony Luciani (32-29-61), G Adam Courchaine (11-4-0-0 record, 2.53 goals-against average, .927 save percentage, 2 shutouts in 16 games with Otters)

Kitchener – LW Chris MacKinnon (29-56-85, 15 PPG), C Jeff Skinner (45-38-83, 19 PPG), LW Jeremy Morin (39-35-74, 19 PPG), RW Jason Akeson (24-48-72), D John Moore (9-34-43)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters have lost all six meetings with the Rangers this season by a combined 33-11 score. … They have won 11 of 13 home games in the second half. But the two losses were to the Rangers – 6-1 Jan. 18 and 6-3 Feb. 14. The Otters last home loss to a team other than Kitchener was Dec. 19 against Mississauga St. Michael’s – the final game before Christmas break. … The Otters are 21-8-2-0 at home this season with three games left. … A win tonight moves the Otters into second place on the 14-year-old franchise’s single-season home wins list. … The Otters’ 31 wins is tied for sixth on the franchise’s single-season wins list. … Torquato, pictured at left, had two assists Saturday against Ottawa, moving him into sixth place on the Otters’ single-season points list. … Torquato (tied for third), McKegg (10^th) and Cazzola (11^th) rank among the OHL’s top 15 in scoring. … McKegg has moved into the top 10 in goals. … Cazzola is in the top 20 in goals. … Torquato is tied for the league lead in assists with Windsor LW Taylor Hall and Saginaw LW Jordan Skellett, a former Otter. … McKegg is tied for sixth in power-play goals. … RW Shawn Szydlowski (19-25-44) needs four goals and two points to match career highs set last season (23 goals, 46 points). … Cazzola, McKegg and Torquato have points in five straight games and nine of the last 10 (Cazzola eight goals, 17 points; McKegg 10 goals, 20 points; Torquato five goals, 16 points). … Cazzola has four goals and seven points in the first two games of the home stand. … McKegg has recorded his best month of the season (10 goals and 20 points). … Luciani has eight goals and 10 points in the past four games. … Yogan has points in four straight games (two goals, six points).

Kitchener – Morin, pictured at right, has nine goals and 14 points in six games against the Otters this season. … The Rangers trail London by eight points with seven games left in the race for the Midwest Division title and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. … MacKinnon and Skinner are fifth and sixth overall, respectively, in scoring, while Morin and Akeson are among the top 15. … Skinner and Morin are in the top five in goals. … Morin and Skinner are 1-2 in power-play goals, while MacKinnon is tied for sixth. … G Brandon Maxwell (19-13-2-2, 3.73, .902, 1 shutout), a 2007 Otters’ draft pick, has a 4-0 record against his former team. But backup Mike Morrison (5-1-1-0, 3.36, .900) has faced the Otters in the last two meetings (2-0, 2.00, .932). … The Rangers are third in the league with 259 goals scored.

Up next: vs. Guelph (Wednesday, 7 p.m.), at Kitchener (Friday, 7:30 p.m.)

- Victor Fernandes

The NHL’s New York Rangers have reassigned former Erie Otters goaltender Steve Valiquette to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. Read more by clicking the link.