Erie Otters rookie winger Johnny McGuire will rejoin the Lindsay Muskies’ Junior A club, since he has reached the league’s 10-game limit allowed for unsigned affiliated players. “He deserves to stay,” said Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager. “But he’ll develop (more in Lindsay) because he’s going to play a lot.” McGuire will rejoin the Otters after the Muskies’ season ends.

Shawn Szydlowski scored a goal, moving him within one of the first 30-goal season of his career. … Defenseman Tyler Hostetter (hand) will play next weekend. … Forward Andrew Yogan (shoulder) could have the date of his season debut determined by the end of this week. … Rookie winger Chris Marchese (shoulder) needs to wait until Feb. 15 to determine his return date.

- Victor Fernandes

What: Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (16-26-5-2) at Erie Otters (25-23-1-1)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Where: Tullio Arena

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

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (34 goals, 30 assists, 64 points), C Brett Thompson (28-24-52), RW Shawn Szydlowski (27-24-51), C Phil Varone (23-25-48), RW Anthony Luciani (17-30-47)

Sault Ste. Marie – C Daniel Catenacci (21-33-54), C Nick Cousins (17-26-43), LW Vern Cooper (18-22-40), LW David Broll (10-18-28), C Carson Dubchak (15-13-28)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters return home for two games after losing three of five on a season-long road trip that ended last weekend. … They have slipped to eighth in the tight Western Conference, where nine points separate third-place Kitchener and the Otters. … Thompson, a native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, faces his former team for the first time since being acquired Jan. 10. He has three goals and six points in nine games with the Otters. … The Otters also face former teammate Broll for the first time since being dealt in the Thompson trade. The second-year winger has two goals and six points in nine games with the Greyhounds. … Varone has seven goals and 14 points in an eight-game point streak, three shy of equaling his career high set in the 2007-08 season with London. He finished January with nine goals and 19 points – the highest point total in one month in his career. … The Otters finished January with a 7-5-0-0 record. … G Ramis Sadikov (25-16-1-1 record, 2.97 goals-against average, .910 save percentage, 2 shutouts) had a personal eight-game winning streak snapped last weekend in Owen Sound. … The Otters have eight hat tricks this season (Szydlowski 4, McKegg 3, Varone) – five shy of the franchise record of 13 set in 1998-99. … Students with school identification can purchase a ticket to tonight’s game for $5. … McKegg had nine goals in 10 January games, his second-best monthly total this season (11 in November). He needs four goals to eclipse his single-season career high of 34, set last season. … Luciani has points in three straight games (five points). … D Tyler Hostetter (broken hand) could end a nearly three-month absence as early as next weekend, said Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager. … F Andrew Yogan (shoulder) could make his season debut in two to three weeks, Bassin said. … Rookie LW Chris Marchese (shoulder) hasn’t played since being injured at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Sault Ste. Marie – The Greyhounds won 7-3 at home Oct. 22 to extend their winning streak over the Otters to three straight games. … They have lost three straight and nine of their last 11 games to slip to last in the West and 13 points out of a playoff spot. … They are 2-7 under general manager/interim coach Dave Torrie, who fired then-coach Denny Lambert Jan. 11. … They have seven road wins – the fourth-lowest total in the OHL behind Barrie (two), Belleville (six) and Sarnia (six). … They rank near the bottom on the power play (18.1 percent) and penalty kill (78.1).

Up next: vs. Windsor (Saturday, 7 p.m.), at Ottawa (Feb. 11, 7:30 p.m.)

– Victor Fernandes

Brett Thompson (Contributed/Terry Wilson, OHL Images)

A decade after acquiring Cory Pecker from Sault Ste. Marie, Erie Otters GM Sherry Bassin has made his next huge splash with a former Greyhound.

It’s been a long wait – four losing seasons and seven-year playoff drought long. But it came at the perfect time – for their success on the ice and in the crowd.

With the addition of Brett Thompson, one of the OHL’s top goal scorers the past two seasons (67 goals in 117 games), the Otters are a legitimate contender in the wide-open Western Conference title chase – and even for the Memorial Cup.

With Mississauga St. Michael’s hosting the CHL’s 2011 championship tournament, the champion of the West earns an automatic berth if the Majors win the East.

The Otters have the right pieces in place to accomplish that.

These Otters can score goals as well as any team in the league. Opposing teams “have to pay attention to all three (top) lines,” Bassin said.

The Otters are solid defensively with a veteran group in front of Ramis Sadikov. “We’ve got a lot of guys up front now, and our defense has been strong all year,” captain Greg McKegg said. “We’ve got a really good lineup right now. Hopefully we can put it all together.”

Fans hope that happens, too. They have waited a long time for a championship-caliber team – since the 2001-02 team won the 15-year-old franchise’s only league title. Fans have suffered through the down years and rebuilding seasons.

“They’re not fair-weather fans. They’re always there for us,” McKegg said. “It’s nice to have them there.”

Yet they have grown tired of having to ‘Wait till next year.’

If Bassin hadn’t acquired Thompson – and in turn, confirmed the Otters are making a run at the championship  this season – perhaps the fan base would have begun to dwindle. Why support that never seems to be in position to win? But now, this team is in great shape, especially when forward Andrew Yogan (shoulder surgery) and defenseman Tyler Hostetter (broken hand) rejoin the lineup.

“To have the team we have right now is exciting for them and for us,” McKegg said. “It’s going to be a good second half. They’ve waited a few years for this.”

* News and notes: Six to eight clubs inquired about Bassin’s group of seven 2010 OHL draft picks that are currently playing in Tier II and Junior B. “I said they’re not going anywhere,” Bassin said of a group that includes forwards Drake Caggiula (third round) and Mitchell Eisenberg (ninth round) and defenseman Liam Maaskant (eighth round). “They’re just too good.”

- Victor Fernandes

What: Niagara IceDogs (23-9-2-2) at Erie Otters (18-18-1-1)

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 (25 goals, 29 assists, 54 points), RW Shawn Szydlowski (18-15-33), RW Anthony Luciani (13-20-33), G Ramis Sadikov (18-14-1-1 record, 2.95 goals-against average, .911 save percentage, 2 shutouts), C Phil Varone (14-15-29)

Niagara – C Ryan Strome (22-32-54), C Andrew Agozzino (24-19-43), C Alex Friesen (18-23-41), LW Darren Archibald (22-16-38), G Dalton McGrath (5-1-0-0, 2.29, .921)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters enter their first home game of 2011 – and first since a 3-2 win against Sudbury Dec. 18 – with a 1-2 record in the second half. They lost in Plymouth and Saginaw before salvaging the final game of a three-game West Division trip in Windsor. … The slow second-half start has dropped the Otters into eighth in the Western Conference. … The Otters are 9-8-0-1 at home, only slightly better than their 9-10-1 road mark. They finished the first half with two losses in three home games. … The Otters and IceDogs meet twice in the next eight days after not having played since the IceDogs’ 5-4 home win Sept. 30. … C Mike Cazzola (10-16-26 in 20 games) rejoined the lineup Friday after a two-month absence with a broken wrist. … Rookie LW Chris Marchese (3-7-10), rookie D Adam Pelech (1-5-6, plus-1) likely won’t rejoin the team in time for tonight’s game. They played for Team Ontario in the gold-medal game of the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge Tuesday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. … Sadikov’s franchise record of consecutive starts stands at 28 games. … The Otters are 10-1 in games when Varone scores a goal. … McKegg has one point in three second-half games. He remains among the OHL’s top five in points and the top 10 in goals. … D Tyler Hostetter (broken hand) returned to Erie Monday after a five-week rehabilitation stint at home in Lititz, Pa. He skated for the first time Tuesday and hopes to rejoin the lineup by the end of January.

Niagara – The IceDogs have won two straight and five of their last six games. … They are second to Eastern Conference-leading Mississauga St. Michael’s in the Central Division and third in the conference. … The IceDogs are one of only three teams (Guelph, Ottawa) with five 15-goal scorers (Strome, Agozzino, Friesen, Archibald and LW Freddie Hamilton 15). … Strome is tied for fifth in scoring with McKegg. … Strome and Agozzino are among the top 15 in goals. … They rank eighth in the OHL with 138 goals scored and second with 100 goals against. … They will play without top G Mark Visentin (13-4-2-2, 2.30, .921, 1 SO), who is representing Canada in tonight’s gold-medal game against Russia at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo. … McGrath has won five of his six games in Visentin’s place. … They are among the top 10 on the power play (20.5 percent) and penalty kill (80.9).

Up next: at Kitchener (Friday, 7:30 p.m.), vs. Kingston (Saturday, 7 p.m.)

– Victor Fernandes

What: Brampton Battalion (12-14-0-5) at Erie Otters (16-15-1-1)

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 (24 goals, 26 assists, 50 points), RW Shawn Szydlowski (17-14-31), RW Anthony Luciani (13-17-30), G Ramis Sadikov (16-11-1-1 record, 2.95 goals-against average, .911 save percentage, 2 shutouts), C Phil Varone (12-13-25)

Brampton – LW Ian Watters (17-10-27), RW Michael Santini (10-10-20), RW Scott Tanski (8-12-30), D Spencer Abraham (3-14-17), LW Barclay Goodrow (8-9-17)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters conclude the opening half of the OHL season with consecutive home games against Central Division teams. They have a 3-2 record against that division, including a season-opening 5-1 win in Brampton Sept. 24. … The Otters have a 3-2 record in December after posting a 9-3 mark in November. … They are 13-6-0-1 since acquiring Varone from London Oct. 26. … The Otters have five hat tricks in the past eight games (McKegg 2, Szydlowski 2, Varone). That’s more than the team recorded in a season seven of the past eight years. … Szydlowski has tied the franchise record of three hat tricks in one season (Tim Connolly 1998-99, Brad Boyes 1999-2000, Cory Pecker 2001-02 and Luciani 2009-10). … McKegg is fourth overall in goals – three behind Saginaw LW Josh Shalla (27) and Ottawa RW Tyler Toffoli (27) and one behind Owen Sound LW Garrett Wilson (25). … McKegg also is fourth in points – four behind Ottawa LW Shane Prince (54), two behind Kitchener RW Jason Akeson (52) and one behind Toffoli (51). … McKegg is on pace to be the first player in franchise history to top 100 points in a season. Pecker set the mark of 99 in 2001-02. … If Sadikov starts tonight, he will set a franchise mark with 24 consecutive starts. He currently shares that mark with Josh Disher (23 from Sept. 28-Nov. 27, 2003). … Sadikov has played 1,772 minutes this season, which leads the league by 251 (Petr Mrazek, Ottawa – 1,521). … C Mike Cazzola (9-16-25 in 19 games), who has missed the past six weeks with a broken wrist, began skating with no contact or shooting this week. Yet he won’t rejoin the lineup until sometime after the Christmas break. D Tyler Hostetter (broken hand) and LW Andrew Yogan (shoulder) continue rehabilitating at their respective homes in Lititz, Pa., and Boca Raton, Fla.

Brampton – The Battalion’s roster has changed since they played the Otters in September. They traded former Otter Sean Jones, their leading scorer last season, to Kingston last month. They also traded D Kyle Pereira to Guelph and G Jacob Riley to Sudbury. … The Battalion have lost seven of their past 11 games. … They rank near the bottom of the league with 96 goals scored but in the top 10 in goals against (112). … They are 14^th on the power play (18.2 percent) but fifth on the penalty kill (82.6). … They lead the league with five shootout losses and are tied for the lead with five overtime/shootout defeats.

Up next: vs. Sudbury (Saturday, 7 p.m.), at Plymouth (Dec. 28, 2 p.m.)

– Victor Fernandes

What: Erie Otters (9-13-1-0) at Oshawa Generals (11-5-2-2)

When: Friday, 7:35 p.m.

Where: General Motors Centre – Oshawa, Ontario

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

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (13 goals, 17 assists, 30 points), G Ramis Sadikov (9-10-1-0 record, 2.77 goals-against average, .915 save percentage, 1 shutout), RW Shawn Szydlowski (10-11-21), RW Anthony Luciani (4-6-10 in 9 games), D Derek Holden (2-10-12)

Oshawa – RW Christian Thomas (12-11-23), RW Nicklas Jensen (7-10-17), RW Alain Berger (11-5-16), LW Andy Andreoff (8-8-16), D Calvin de Haan (2-14-16, plus-7)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters snapped a six-game losing streak in Peterborough with a 4-1 win Thursday. Now they look to end a three-game skid at Oshawa in which they have been outscored 18-4. Erie last won in Oshawa on Oct. 20, 2006 (7-6 in a shootout). … The Otters lost 4-2 at home to the Generals on Oct. 30. … The Otters are 4-6-1-0 on the road. … D Brady Austin (bruised shoulder) remained out of the lineup Thursday. The Otters already are without C Mike Cazzola (broken wrist) and D Tyler Hostetter (hand). … Sadikov has started 13 straight games. … Luciani, who missed a month with a broken wrist, has points in seven of nine games he has played this season. … McKegg ranks among the OHL’s top 15 in scoring.

Oshawa – The Generals have won three of their last four games. … They lead the league in penalty minutes (466). … They are fourth on the penalty kill (82.9 percent). … The Generals are next to last at home on the power play (13.0). In contrast, they are No. 2 on the road (26.7). … de Haan, a New York Islanders prospect, ranks among the top 10 defensemen in scoring.

Up next: at Barrie (Saturday, 7:30 p.m.), vs. Belleville (Thursday, 7 p.m.)

- Victor Fernandes

What: Erie Otters (8-13-1-0) at Peterborough Petes (4-13-1-1)

When: Thursday, 7 p.m.

Where: Peterborough Memorial Centre – Peterborough, Ontario

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

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (12 goals, 17 assists, 29 points), G Ramis Sadikov (7-10-1-0 record, 2.86 goals-against average, .913 save percentage, 1 shutout), RW Shawn Szydlowski (7-11-18), RW Anthony Luciani (4-5-9 in 8 games), D Derek Holden (2-10-12)

Peterborough – LW Matt Puempel (12-10-22), D Kalle Ekelund (5-8-13), C Austin Watson (4-9-13), C Alan Quine (5-7-12), D Slater Koekkoek (3-9-12)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters, which have won three of their last four games, face their longest road trip since playing three games in five day at Kitchener, Windsor and London from Oct. 11-15. … The Otters lost all three games by a combined 17-5 score in last season’s trip to Peterborough, Oshawa and Barrie. … They have lost six straight games in Peterborough by a combined 35-12 score since a 4-3 win on Jan. 29, 2004. … The Otters, which are 3-6-1-0 on the road, begin the three-game road trip without C Mike Cazzola (broken wrist) and D Tyler Hostetter (hand). Cazzola is one of the OHL’s top 20 scorers (9-16-25). Hostetter is one of the top scoring defensemen (4-13-17). … The Otters also could play without D Brady Austin (bruised shoulder), who missed part or all of last weekend’s games and missed practice time this week. … Sadikov has started 12 straight games. He leads the league with 1,153 minutes played and ranks among the top 10 in goals-against average and save percentage. … Szydlowski has one goal and five points in the past seven games – with three of those points in a win against Guelph on Nov. 10. … The Otters haven’t allowed a power-play goal since Oct. 29 against Windsor – a span of 26 straight chances. … Holden, who has points in three straight games, faces his former team in his hometown of Peterborough for the first time since being acquired from the Petes on Oct. 24, 2009. … LW David Broll (3-8-11) snapped a 16-game goal-less streak on Saturday against London. … The Otters are 3-7 in one-goal games.

Peterborough – The Petes have lost seven straight and nine of their past 10 games. … They are tied with Barrie for the league’s fewest wins and have the second-worst home record (3-7-1-0). … They have lost six of eight one-goal games. … They have scored a league-low 53 goals and allowed the third-most goals (87). … The Petes traded high-profile C Ryan Spooner (12-11-23) to Kingston last week. … Quine, the No. 2 pick in the 2009 OHL Priority Selection, has one goal and one point in three games since joining the Petes in the Spooner deal. … Koekkoek, the team’s 2010 first-round pick, ranks third among rookie defensemen and among the top 20 overall in scoring.

Up next: at Oshawa (Friday, 7:35 p.m.), at Barrie (Saturday, 7:30 p.m.)

- Victor Fernandes

One-goal games haven’t been kind to the Erie Otters. But on Saturday night at Tullio Arena, the Otters held off London 2-1 in front of 3,272 at Tullio Arena.

Yet the Otters (8-13-1-0) couldn’t celebrate much, since they may have lost another key veteran to a serious injury. Defenseman Tyler Hostetter injured his right hand in a fight with Knights winger Michael MacDonald three seconds into the second period.

Hostetter headed to Hamot Medical Center during the game for X-rays. Club officials had not received official confirmation after the game.

But Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager, said, “It didn’t look good.” The Otters are already without top-line center Mike Cazzola (broken wrist) and forward Andrew Yogan (shoulder). Right wing Anthony Luciani only rejoined the lineup on Wednesday after missing a month.

“It’s almost on the edge of ridiculous,” Bassin said of the injuries. “It’s inconceivable.”

Even without Hostetter, goaltender Ramis Sadikov and the defense held strong against the Knights (10-6-2-1).

The Otters, which entered the game with seven one-goal losses, held onto that tenuous one-goal lead deep into the third period. The Knights pulled Houser with 1:17 left for an extra attacker. That sparked London’s pursuit of the tying goal. But the Otters held on for their fourth win in the past six games.

Meanwhile on offense, coach Robbie Ftorek shuffled all four lines for the matchup against the Knights. One of those new combinations – the line of Greg McKegg, Luciani and former Knight Phil Varone – handed the Otters a 1-0 lead early in the opening period. McKegg scored his team-leading 12^th goal of the season at the 7:16 mark on assists from Luciani and Derek Holden.

The goal seemed to spark the Otters on offense. They had several scoring opportunities in the period, including on two power plays. But Knights goaltender Michael Houser kept the Otters at bay.

David Broll’s rebound in front – his first goal in the past 16 games – beat Houser for a 2-0 Otters’ lead with 6:32 left in the second period. But the Knights sliced the Otters’ lead in half 58 seconds later, as MacDonald scooped a loose puck and slipped a backhand past Sadikov.

Luciani (two assists) and McKegg (goal, assist) led the Otters. Sadikov finished with 26 saves while Houser had 19 stops for the Knights.

SUMMARY

Otters 2, Knights 1

London  0  1  0  —  1

Erie  1  1  0  —  2

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Greg McKegg 12 (Luciani, Holden), 7:16. Penalties — Broll (E) 5-min. fighting, 7:18; Terreri (L) 5-min. fighting, 7:18; Knight (L) goaltender interference, 9:19; Donnay (L) holding, 15:23.

2^nd Period — 2. Erie, David Broll 3 (Luciani, McKegg), 13:28. 3. London, Michael MacDonald 6 (Fox), 14:26. Penalties — Hostetter (E) 5-min. fighting, :03; Brown (L) 5-min. fighting, :03; McKegg (E) hooking, 10:04; Martin (L) holding, 11:21; Szydlowski (E) slashing, 16:36.

3^rd Period — None. Penalties — Cook (E) hooking, 4:53.

Shots on goal — London, 7-12-8—27; Erie, 8-7-6—21.

Goaltenders — London, Michael Houser 9-5-2-1 (21 shots, 19 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 8-10-1-0 (27 shots, 26 saves).

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

Referees — Ryan Carroll, Jason Faist. Linesmen — Dustin McCrank, Daryl Wolfe.

Attendance — 3,272.

Three stars

* Greg McKegg, Otters (goal, assist) ** Anthony Luciani, Otters (two assists) *** David Broll, Otters (goal)

What: London Knights (10-5-2-1) at Erie Otters (7-13-1-0)

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 (11 goals, 16 assists, 27 points), G Ramis Sadikov (7-10-1-0 record, 2.97 goals-against average, .910 save percentage, 1 shutout), RW Shawn Szydlowski (7-11-18), D Tyler Hostetter (4-13-17), RW Anthony Luciani (4-3-7 in 7 games)

London – RW Vladislav Namestnikov (9-15-24), C Daniel Erlich (7-14-21), RW Jared Knight (7-12-19), LW Michael MacDonald (5-11-16), RW Seth Griffith (4-11-15)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters have split the first eight games of a key nine-game stretch that concludes tonight with the last of eight home games. … They are 4-7-0-0 at home, which ranks near the bottom in the OHL, despite outscoring opponents 37-34. … The Otters and Knights split the first two games of their six-game season series. Erie won 5-2 at home Oct. 2 and lost 5-3 in London Oct. 15. … Varone faces his former team for the first time since being traded to the Otters three weeks ago. … Hostetter and the Knights’ Michael D’Orazio (4-13-17) are tied for second overall in scoring by defensemen. Hostetter has multi-point outings in three of his last four games. … Sadikov has started 11 straight games.

London – The Knights have lost six of their last 10 games. But they enter tonight’s game off an 8-1 home win against Barrie on Friday. … D’Orazio completes a two-game suspension tonight. He earned a game misconduct in Wednesday’s overtime loss at Windsor for being in a second fight during the same stoppage. … The Knights have played 12 of their first 18 games at home. They are 2-3-1-0 on the road. … Their once vaunted power play stands 15^th in the league at 17 percent (18-for-106).

Up next: at Peterborough (Thursday, 7 p.m.), at Oshawa (Friday, 7:35 p.m.)

- Victor Fernandes