Resilient Otters Season Ends in Second Round Loss to London; Future Bright in Erie

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OHL Erie Otters

Resilient Otters Season Ends in Second Round Loss to London; Future Bright in Erie

April 17, 2025 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Erie Otters News Release


Erie, Pennsylvania - Backs against the wall. Do or die. Survive and advance. Win and stay in, lose and go home. Any number of adages can be aligned with the situation of the Erie Otters coming into a 3-0 series deficit on home ice. After a 4-0 loss in Game 3 on Tuesday evening, Erie would have one last gasp at extending its season to live another opening faceoff in Game 4 at home. On the opposing side of the ice, the London Knights would look to wrap-up their second-straight series sweep, and prepare for their third-straight trip to the Western Conference Finals. A big night in downtown Erie with plenty on the line would bring about a rowdy crowd ready for the action.

The puck would drop in a do or die Game Four, and it would become very clear that the Erie Otters would have to be dragged kicking and screaming from the OHL playoffs. Charlie Burns would earn his second playoff start in net for Erie and come up big in the opening minutes to deny the Knights at the door. The number one seed however, would not be deterred. Easton Cowan (8) would open the scoring for London seven minutes into the frame and give the Knights a 1-0 lead. The Otters would have the first power play of the game but be unable to convert. With five minutes left in the period, the Otters would head to the penalty kill. Thanks to Charlie Burns and some sprawling heroics, the penalty would be killed with no further damage, and the Otters would go on their second power play of the period with 2:15 left. An Erie penalty thirty seconds later would see temporary four-on-four play, but it would not stop Pano Fimis (9) from equalizing in the final minutes of play. Score tied at 1-1, time would expire and the Otters would return to the locker room.

The Otters would return to the ice with something to prove, and Erie would find an unlikely hero in defensemen Ty Henry (1). His first playoff goal could not have come at a more opportune time and would give the Otters their first lead of the series with 16:25 left to play. In the final half of the second, a series of miraculous Charlie Burns saves would keep the Knights from equalizing, even on a roughing penalty kill in the final eight minutes. The highlight reel saves would not be enough to stop Sam Dickinson (4) from finding the back of the net and knotting the game up again at 2-2 with 6:31 left to play. Erie would go on their fourth penalty kill of the night with four minutes left to play, and the Knights would take advantage. Sam O'Reilly would tap the puck past Charlie Burns with 2:32 left in the period to give the Knights a 3-2 lead. With momentum surging in the opposite direction, the Otters would be gifted a power play in the final 75 seconds, but stellar London defense would see the period to a 3-2 end.

Down 3-2, being outshot 31-18, the Otters would have 20 minutes to keep their playoff hopes alive. Erie would have 46 seconds left of a five-on-four advantage but be unable to do any damage before returning to even strength. After a quiet first three games, Malcolm Spence (4) would find his first goal of the series and tie the game up 3-3 with 17:04 left to play. The Otters would have another chance on the power play, but be unable to convert. From there, chaos would reign on the ice. The shots came hard and the checks would come harder, and despite the shot counter rising, neither team would have an answer. As precious time ticked down, overtime would go from a far-off possibility to a present reality. Game Four would see extra time.

Overtime would have the London Knights written all over. From the puck drop, the Knights would exert their offensive dominance with shot after shot, forcing even left winger Alexis Daviault to pull off some goaltender-worthy saves. Erie's efforts would be for naught as the London Knights seemed to have put the game-winner away - if not for a late offsides call. All of Erie Insurance Arena would wait with baited breath until the refs confirmed the offsides and play would continue in front of a newly invigorated Erie crowd. With a second chance and a new life, the Otters would play with a fire under them until Sam O'Reilly (5) would put the puck away for good, dashing Erie's playoff hopes in a clean sweep.

A tremendous Otters season comes to an end, with an even brighter future ahead under the tutelage of head coach Kris Mallette. Ahead for the organization, they prepare to host Orientation Camp for the 2025 OHL Priority Selection and U18 Draft picks in May, the NHL Draft in late June with the hope of hearing Matthew Schaefer and Malcolm Spence 's names called early in the first round, and the CHL Import Draft to follow. As the summer sun casts upon the City of Erie, the future remains one full of hope and optimism for the return of Otters hockey in the autumn, and the continued pursuit of excellence on and off the ice.

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