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Erie Otters Vs. Niagara Ice Dogs March 3, 2017

Friday March 3, 2017 
Erie Insurance Center, Erie PA 
Erie Otters (44-12-3, 1st in the Western Conference) 
 Vs. 
Niagara Ice Dogs (20-29-10, 8th in the Eastern Conference) 
Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images North America

 This is a Matchup of two teams in almost polar opposite positions in the standings. Erie, who clinched a playoff spot almost two weeks ago to the day, is just coming off of a 14 game win streak but more recently has been struggling with lower seeded teams due to injuries and lack of motivation. Niagara, who on the verge of being eliminated from the playoffs baring a late season surge, has been unable to find a way to consistently win more than one or two games in a row. I believe that this matchup will be closer than you think, as Erie is most likely going to coast into the playoffs while Niagara is still fighting for their playoff lives.

 Erie: 

 Taylor Raddysh (Tampa Bay Lightning 2016 2nd round pick, #58 overall)\
- Drafted by the Otters in the first round of the 2014 OHL draft (#19 overall)
- In three seasons with the Otters he has posted 196 points (81 goals, 115 assists)
- His brother Darren has been on the Otters for the past five seasons (Defenseman)

Anthony Cirelli (Tampa Bay Lightning 2015 3rd round pick, #72 overall)
- Traded from the Oshawa Generals for a prospect and five picks
- Has posted 17 points (5 goals, 12 assists) in 16 games this season with the Otters
- Has 146 total points (52 goals, 94 assists) in 3 seasons in the OHL

Niagara: 

 Ryan Mantha (New York Rangers 2014 4th round pick, #104 overall)
- Has 101 points (29 goals, 72 assists) in three seasons in the OHL
- Named as 2016-2017 Ice Dog Captain
- Enjoying career years in goals (13), assists (37), and points (51)

Aaron Haydon (Dallas Stars 2014 6th round pick, #154 overall)
- Five year veteran in the league, all seasons with the Ice Dogs
- In 269 games he has 80 points (31 goals, 49 assists)
- Taken in the first round of the 2012 OHL draft by the Ice Dogs (#20 overall)

Goaltenders: 

 Erie: 
Troy Timpano (Sudbury Wolves (OHL) 2013 2nd round pick, #27 overall)
- Recently coming off an illness that kept him from playing for over two weeks and lost 20 pounds
- Traded to the Otters by the Sudbury Wolves at the beginning of the season for 3 picks
- In 35 games this season he has a record of 30-5-0 with a 2.37 goals against average and .906 save %

Niagara: 
Stephen Dhillon (Niagara Ice Dogs (OHL) 2014 3rd round pick, #52 overall)
- From Buffalo, NY, less than 30 miles from where he currently is playing
- Three year veteran of the league, however this is his first season as #1 goaltender
- In 50 games this season he has a record of 18-23-8 with 3.26 goals against average and .917 save %

Last time they met: 

 The last time these two teams met the Erie Otters used a dominant all around team performance to beat the Ice Dogs 7-2 in front of 2,664 fans at the Erie Insurance Center. The Otters had a well balanced attack as 7 different otters each scored one goal (Sambrook, Debrincat, Petit, Fellows, D.Raddysh, Foegele, and Puddubnyi) and goaltender Troy Timpano posted 25 saves on 27 shots in his 60 minutes on the ice.

 Where to get tickets: 

Either at the box office of the Insurance Center or online here

Attendance and Score prediction: 

 Erie beats Niagara 7-1 in front of a crowd of 3,500 fans 



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