Ramis Sadikov’s season debut should take place tonight. It can’t arrive soon enough.

The struggles for the Erie Otters’ young, injury-plagued defense continued from the start Friday night in a 5-1 loss to the Plymouth Whalers in front of 2,158 at Tullio Arena on Friday night.

The Whalers scored on the power play 3:45 into the games to spark a three-goal barrage in the opening period. The Otters (1-9-0-0), which have lost five straight, has allowed at least four goals in all 10 games. They rank last in the OHL with 58 goals against (5.8 per game).

Tom Wilson scored his first goal of the season on Rickard Rakell and Garrett Meurs. Then at the 12:30 mark of the period, Wilson assisted on Mitchell Heard’s team-leading seventh goal. Heard scored off a rebound, with highly touted rookie J.T. Miller also earning an assist on the play.

Plymouth capped the decisive scoring barrage with a goal at the 17:47 mark, as Meurs redirected Dario Trutmann’s centering pass into his third goal and a 3-0 Whalers’ lead. The Otters gained a bit of momentum after killing off the Whalers’ nearly two-minute, two-man advantage to start the second.

The Whalers (5-4-2-0) stole momentum midway through the period. Jamie Devane turned Michael Whaley’s into a 4-0 lead 8:01 into the middle period. Three minutes later, Wilson scored his second goal on assists from Rakell and Danny Vanderwiel for a 5-0 lead. The Otters finally got on the scoreboard, as Brett Thompson scored on assists from Brett Cook and Greg McKegg with 6:08 left in the period.

Wilson (two goals, assist) and Rakell (three assists) led the Whalers with three points apiece. Meurs had two points while goaltender Matt Mahalak made 22 saves to improve to 3-2-0-0 on the season. Tyson Teichmann made 33 saves for the Otters.

- Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters have signed goaltending prospect Devin Williams, the club announced Friday.

Williams, 15, a fifth-round pick in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection, piqued the interest of club officials during a strong performance at training camp.

The Saginaw, Mich., native has a 6-2-0-0 record, 3.34 goals-against average and .911 save percentage with the Metro Jets, a NA3HL team in Waterford, Mich. He also led the United States to the gold medal at the Five Nations Tournament this past summer.

“It’s a huge stepping stone for my career,” Williams said of joining the Otters.

Williams was Tyson Teichmann’s backup for Friday’s game against Plymouth. He was expected to rejoin the Jets for tonight’s game against the Flint (Mich.) Jr. Generals. “I’ve got to look forward to playing here next year,” Williams said. “It’s a big jump, but I’m looking forward to it.”

- Victor Fernandes

Check out this story fr0m The Saginaw (Mich.) News, which reports that G Devin Williams, a fifth-round pick in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection, is expected to sign with the Erie Otters today and dress for the club in Friday’s game against Plymouth at Tullio Arena.

Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager, didn’t immediately return a telephone message today. The Otters have two goaltenders, Ramis Sadikov and Tyson Teichmann , ready to play this weekend. Teichmann is expected to start against the Whalers. It’s believed Sadikov, one of the league’s top goaltenders last season, will make his season debut Saturday against Ottawa.

No one can blame goaltending for the Erie Otters’ latest defeat.

Tyson Teichmann gave the Otters a chance to win with save after save – a career-high 55 in all.

Yet his teammates gave him little support at either end of the ice in a 6-3 loss to defending OHL champion Owen Sound in front of 2,409 at Tullio Arena on Saturday night. The Attack outshot the Otters 61-23 on their way to splitting the weekend doubleheader, including 47-10 in the final two periods.

Teichmann kept the game from being a rout.

The Attack built an early 1-0 lead on the Otters for the second straight night, as Brendan Childerley poked a wrap-around past goaltender Tyson Teichmann 1:28 into the opening period. But as in a 7-4 win Friday, the Otters responded.

Veteran forwards Luke Cairns and Greg McKegg, who combined for two goals and 11 points on Friday, teamed up on Cairns’ third goal in two nights to tie the score at 1 at the 3:37 mark.

Then late in the period, Sondre Olden’s hustle behind Owen Sound’s net led to fellow rookie Connor Brown’s first OHL goal. Olden deflected goaltender Jordan Binnington’s errant pass. Brown picked up the loose puck and slipped it into the open net for a 2-1 Otters’ lead with 5:44 left in the period.

The Attack tied the score at 2 on Joseph Blandisi’s rebound goal 3:41 into the second. Then the Otters’ ability to clear their defensive zone led to the tiebreaking goal with 7:42 left in the period. Daniel Catenacci scored off a scramble in front, with Jarrod Maidens and Keevin Cutting earning the assist.

The Otters were fortunate to trail only 3-2 heading into the third. Owen Sound outshot the Otters 28-5 in the middle period to build a 41-16 advantage after 40 minutes. Teichmann made several key saves, including a sprawling save in which he swatted the puck off the goal line.

He kept Erie’s deficit at a goal for most of the third period. But former Otters winger Brett Appio scored the clinching goal off a rebound to hand the Attack a 4-2 lead with 6:20 left. He had a goal and assist – his first points of the season.

Cameron Brace added an insurance goal on a breakaway less than two minutes later. Travis Wood scored for the second straight night 1:18 after Brace’s goal. Fellow rookie defenseman Liam Maaskant earned the assist for his first career point.

SUMMARY

Attack 6, Otters 3

Owen Sound  1  2  3  —  6

Erie  2  0  1  —  3

1^st Period — 1. Owen Sound, Brendan Childerley 3 (Nastasiuk, Appio), 1:28. 2. Erie, Luke Cairns 3 (McKegg, Cook), 3:37 (pp). 3. Erie, Connor Brown 1 (Olden), 14:16. Penalties — Bigras (O) hooking, 2:30; Holden (E) slashing, 10:36; Bigras (O) cross checking, 14:36; Cook (E) roughing, 18:46; Blandisi (O) roughing, 18:46; Grant (E) hooking, 19:23.

2^nd Period — 4. Owen Sound, Joseph Blandisi 3 (Petgrave, Zweep), 3:41. 5. Owen Sound, Daniel Catenacci 4 (Maidens, Cutting), 12:18. Penalties — None.

3^rd Period — 6. Owen Sound, Brett Appio 1 (Rose, Smith), 13:40. 7. Owen Sound, Cameron Brace 3 (Blandisi), 15:04. 8. Erie, Travis Wood 2 (Maaskant), 16:12. 9. Owen Sound, Mike Halmo 3 (Petgrave, Catenacci), 19:00 (en). Penalties — McGuire (E) interference, 1:30.

Shots on goal — Owen Sound, 13-28-20—61; Erie, 11-7-5—23.

Goaltenders — Owen Sound, Jordan Binnington 3-3-0-0 (23 shots, 20 saves); Erie, Tyson Teichmann 0-3-0-0 (60 shots, 55 saves).

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

Referees — Bob Langdon, Joe Celestin. Linesmen — Drew Jackson, Mike Harrington.

Attendance — 2,409.

Three stars

* Joseph Blandisi, Attack (goal, assist) ** Brett Appio, Attack (goal, assist) *** Luke Cairns, Otters (goal)

The Erie Otters allowed fewer shots on goal in their home opener Saturday night.

But that didn’t stop Oshawa from adding to the Otters’ goals-against total in Erie’s 7-4 loss in front of 4,911 at Tullio Arena. The Otters (04-0-0) have allowed 28 goals in their season-opening, four-game losing streak.

A winless start to the season “is unacceptable,” said goaltender Tyson Teichmann, who allowed seven goals on 36 shots. The Generals snapped a 3-3 tie on Boone Jenner’s second goal of the night 1 minute, 45 seconds into the third period.

Then Josh Graves scored less than three minutes later to headline a decisive four-goal outburst in the final period. Jenner (two goals, assists) and Lucas Lessio (goal, three assists) led the Generals (2-2-0-0) with four points apiece. Nicklas Jensen added a goal and two assists.

The 36 shot against fell slightly below Erie’s season average of 43.6 per game. But that didn’t stop the “We Want Rammer” chants from the crowd after the Generals’ sixth goal late in the game.

Overage goaltender Ramis Sadikov, who’s on the trade market, hasn’t dressed for a game since returning from Detroit Red Wings camp earlier in the week. “It means we have to pick up our play (in net),” Teichmann said of having Sadikov on the roster. “It’s not just the defense.” Veteran defenseman Brett Cook offered a different assessment of the defensive performance.

“We have hung them out to dry,” he said, referring to Teichmann and Chris Festarini.

SUMMARY

Generals 7, Otters 4

Oshawa  1  2  4  —  7

Erie  1  2  1  —  4

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Greg McKegg 2 (Cazzola, Grant), 10:42 (pp). 2. Oshawa, Boone Jenner 1 (Carlisle, Lessio), 12:05. Penalties — McGuire (E) 5-min. fighting, 6:13; Clark (O) 5-min. fighting, 6:13; McCarthy (E) tripping, 7:31; Carlisle (O) slashing, 10:07.

2^nd Period — 3. Nicklas Jensen 1 (Lessio, Jenner), 1:37. 4. Erie, Nick Betz 1 (unassisted), 6:35. 5. Oshawa, Colin Suellentrop 1 (Labardo), 15:48. 6. Erie, Sondre Olden 2 (Marchese, Wood), 18:26 (pp). Penalties — Lessio (O) boarding, 8:57; Brown (O) checking to the head, 11:27; Thompson (E) roughing, 13:22; Jenner (O) checking to the head, 17:42.

3^rd Period — 7. Oshawa, Jenner 2 (Lessio, Jensen), 1:45. 8. Oshawa, Josh Graves 1 (Labardo, Hughes), 4:19. 9. Oshawa, Lucas Lessio 2 (Jenner, Jensen), 13:53. 10. Oshawa, Sebastian Uvira 2 (Hope), 19:14. 11. Erie, Brett Thompson 2 (Betz, Wood), 19:51. Penalties — Cook (E) unsportsmanlike conduct, 17:37; Lessio (O) unsportsmanlike conduct, 17:37

Shots on goal — Oshawa, 8-11-17—36; Erie, 5-13-17—35.

Goaltenders — Oshawa, Dan Altshuller 2-2-0-0 (35 shots, 31 saves); Erie, Tyson Teichmann 0-2-0-0 (36 shots, 29 saves).

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

Referees — Darren Price, T.J. Foster. Linesmen — Mike Harrington, Adam Harris.

Attendance — 4,911.

Three stars

* Boone Jenner, Generals (2 goals, 2 assists) ** Lucas Lessio, Generals (goal, 3 assists) *** Nick Betz, Otters (goal, assist)

The Erie Otters won’t have second-year forwards Luke Cairns and Connor Crisp for at least the opening games of the regular season this weekend at Sarnia and Plymouth.

Coach Robbie Ftorek confirmed Crisp has an injured shoulder.

” We don’t know yet. We still haven’t heard back from the doctors what that might be,” Ftorek said, referring to the extent of Crisp’s injury and a timetable for his return.

“We do know that he’s getting more range of motion,” Ftorek said. “So things are good that way.” Ftorek was much more tight-lipped about Cairns. Ftorek wouldn’t divulge the injury or a timetable. “Cairns is out, just out,” he said. “He’s just not ready to play yet.”

Ftorek said he has chosen his starting goaltender for Friday night’s season opener in Sarnia. As expected, he wouldn’t disclose if he has picked Chris Festarini or Tyson Teichmann. Yet Ftorek inserted some levity into his choice to not comment.

“If I said no, I’d be lying. If I said yes, you’d want to know who. I’m not going to tell you. So no I haven’t decided yet,” he said with a grin.

- Victor Fernandes

WINDSOR, Ontario – Chris Marchese and rookie Mitchell Eisenberg had a goal and assist apiece in Friday night’s matchup against Windsor.
But it wasn’t enough for the Erie Otters to post their first win of the preseason, as the Spitfires earned a 4-2 win at WFCU Centre in these rivals’ first meeting since Windsor ended the Otters’ season with a Game 7 win in the 2010-11 OHL playoffs. Tyson Teichmann took the loss for the Otters after allowing three goals on 19 shots. Chris Festarini, who replaced him midway through the second period, stopped 11-of-12 shots. Michael Clarke scored twice for the Spitfires, which built a 4-0 lead through two periods.
Eisenberg scored the Otters’ first goal of the preseason 7 minutes into the final period. Marchese scored with 1:19 left for the Otters, which lost 2-0 to Niagara at Tullio Arena last weekend. Erie heads to Woodstock, Ontario, on Saturday for a 6 p.m. game against defending OHL champion Owen Sound.

The Erie Otters dropped their preseason opener 2-0 to Niagara at Tullio Arena on Saturday night.

But Otters coach Robbie Ftorek said he was “pleased with what they did on the ice.”

The Otters featured a lineup filled with young players, nine of which made their OHL debut. They faced a veteran-laden IceDogs club that included NHL first-round picks Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Strome and Mark Visentin.

But the Otters battled the IceDogs from start to finish.

Chris Festarini and Tyson Teichmann, who are vying for the No. 1 goaltending job, allowed a goal apiece while splitting time in net. Festarini stopped 17-of-18 shots while Teichmann had seven saves.

Mitch Bennett snapped the scoreless tie 7 minutes, 35 seconds into the second period on the IceDogs’ first power-play chance of the game. The IceDogs finished 1-for-2 compared to the Otters’ 0-for-5. David Pacan capped the scoring with 4:32 left in the game.

The Otters scratched several veterans from the lineup – goaltender Ramis Sadikov, defensemen Brett Cook, Derek Holden and Kris Grant and forwards Mike Cazzola, Greg McKegg and Brett Thompson.

Left wing Sondre Olden, the club’s highly regarded top pick in the CHL Import Draft, also was scratched because the International Ice Hockey Federation hasn’t officially approved his paperwork. Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager, expects that to happen Tuesday or Wednesday. Bassin also announced the signings of several prospects – 2011 draft picks Nick Betz, Patrick Murphy and Travis Wood, 2010 pick Connor Brown and 2009 pick Johnny McGuire.

SUMMARY

IceDogs 2, Otters 0

Niagara  0  1  1  —  2

Erie  0  0  0  —  0

1^st Period — 1. None. Penalties — Niagara, too many men (served by Desautels), 5:17; Shipley (N) hooking, 15:28.

2^nd Period — Niagara, Mitch Bennett (Strome, F. Hamilton), 7:35 (pp). Penalties — D. Hamilton (N) elbowing, :50; McCarthy (E) roughing, 6:51; Cairns (E) hooking, 9:33; Verhaeghe (N) hooking, 9:40; Beukeboom (N) slashing, 17:53.

3^rd Period — 2. Niagara, David Pacan (F. Hamilton), 15:28. Penalties — McGuire (E) 5-min. fighting, 2:57; Desautels (N) 5-min. fighting, 2:57; McGuire (E) game misconduct, 2:57; Desautels (N) game misconduct, 2:57; Cairns (E) delay of game, 6:25; Windsor (N) delay of game, 6:25; D. Hamilton (N) cross checking, 6:54.

Shots on goal — Niagara, 10-11-5—26; Erie, 11-6-9—26.

Goaltenders — Niagara, Mark Visentin (13 shots, 13 saves), Mike Gallardi (13 shots, 13 saves); Erie, Chris Festarini (18 shots, 17 saves), Tyson Teichmann (8 shots, 7 saves).

Power plays — Niagara (1-2), Erie (0-5).

Referees — Craig Spada, Keith Kaval. Linesmen — Ray King, Mike Harrington.

Tyson Teichmann

Age: 18

Hometown: Belleville, Ontario

Position: Goaltender

Height: 6 foot

Weight: 150 pounds

How acquired: Trade with Belleville (Aug. 2)

2010-11 club: Belleville (OHL)

Erie Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov enjoyed a quick skate late Thursday afternoon before watching his teammates in an intra-squad scrimmage later in the evening.

But how long will they remain his teammates?

Sadikov, 20, will practice with the team until he leaves Sept. 8 to play for the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, Mich. He hopes his performance at the tournament and at the Red Wings’ main camp will earn him a professional contract.

“I will show them what I’ve come to do,” said Sadikov, who arrived from Moscow, Russia, on Thursday.

Sadikov could return to Erie whether he signs or not. But Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager, has said Sadikov isn’t a part of the team’s current plans, given his pro possibilities and the 18-year-old goaltending tandem of Chris Festarini and the recently acquired Tyson Teichmann. Bassin has expressed interest in trading Sadikov.

“I feel bad,” Sadikov said of possibly being traded. “Erie is my family.”

But he added, “I would say goodbye to my fans and get new ones (with a new OHL team).” However, one piece of Sadikov would stay in Erie – his unique post-game victory celebrations, which have been synonymous with the Otters the past two seasons.

“(There will be) no celebrations with a different team,” he said.

- Victor Fernandes