Visors and Risers

Courtesy of www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com The 2016-2017 annual coaches poll * that was released on March 16 was dominated by both the Peterborough Petes and the Erie Otters as both teams combined for 28 players being nominated for awards. This comes as no surprise for either team as they both were dominant in their respective Conferences, Peterborough finished 1st overall in the Eastern Conference while Erie finished x in the Western Conference. Award winners for each teams are as follows: Most Underrated Player Peterborough- Logan DeNoble (#1 overall in Eastern Conference with 35 points) Erie- Kyle Maksimovich (#2 overall in Western Conference with 20 points) Most Improved Player  Peterborough- Zach Gallant (#3 overall in the Eastern Conference with 16 points) Smartest Player Erie- Dylan Strome (#1 overall in the Western Conference with 32 points) (Strome also finished first in 2015-2016 and 3rd in 2014-2015) Hardest Worker Peterborough...

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)...

OHL in Primetime: LA Kings Prospect Erik Cernak traded to Tampa Bay  Credit NHL.com Just four days before the NHL trade deadline the LA Kings and Tampa Bay Lighting have completed a trade sending goaltender Ben Bishop and a 2017 5th round pick in the draft to Los Angeles and in return Tampa Bay receives Erie Otters Defensemen Erik Cernak, Goaltender Peter Budaj, and a 2017 7th round draft pick. Erik Cernak  Credit Hockeyfutures.com Cernak , a six foot tall 19 year old defenseman, is currently playing in his second season in the OHL for the Erie Otters. He was drafted by the otters in the first round of the 2015 OHL import draft, #54 overall, and in the second round of the 2015 NHL draft by the LA Kings, #43 overall.  In 82 total games Cernak has 32 points (7 goals, 25 assists) and a  +34 rating helping to lead the Otters to the playoffs in consecutive seasons. Cernak is now one of three Otters players who's rights are owned by Tampa...

Atlantic Hockey Rankings  1- Canisius  2- Air Force  3- Army  4- RMU  5- Holy Cross  6- RIT  7- Mercyhurst  8- Bentley  9- Sacred Heart  10- AIC  11- Niagara  Playoff Round #1 (March 3rd-5th) This round is a best of 3 game series hosted by the higher. The top 5 teams in the conference receive a bye and will host the winners from round #1  #11 Niagara Vs. #6 RIT  - RIT will be hosting this series at the Gene Polisseni Center  in Rochester, NY  - RIT swept the regular season series against Niagara, beating Niagara 7-1 and 6-2  - Niagara is currently on a 12 game losing streak  #10 AIC Vs. #7 Mercyhurst  - Mercyhurst will be hosting this series at the Mercyhurst Ice Center in Erie, PA  - Mercyhurst split the season series with AIC, losing the first game 3-5 but coming back the next night and winning 6-3 - Mercyhurst is currently ...