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The Sarnia Sting will be out to snap a three-game
losing streak when they host the Erie Otters Friday
night at the RBC Centre.
Game time for the Ontario Hockey League contest is
7:05 p.m.
It’s the first of two home games this weekend for
the Sting as they also take on the Peterborough
Petes Sunday at 2 p.m.
This will be Erie’s first visit to Sarnia this
season. The two teams have played once this year
back in early December in Erie when Craig Hottot
scored the winning goal for Sarnia in a 3-2 shootout
victory.
“Erie added some players at the deadline and also
have got a couple of their injured players back,”
said Sting head coach Dave MacQueen on Thursday.
“They are a good hockey team. They believe they can
compete with anyone on our side, (Western
Conference).
“They are an older team and a deep team. They
acquired Brett Thompson from Sault Ste. Marie at the
deadline. Their goalie (Ramis) Sadikov gives them a
chance to win in most games.”
Sarnia is coming off a weekend where they lost in a
shootout to London, lost in overtime to Plymouth and
got pounded 8-2 in Plymouth.
“Obviously when you get into the middle of January
and beyond, every Conference game becomes than much
more important. Our message is the same as what it
was last week and the week before that. We have to
be better in our end of the ice.”
MacQueen says that comes from a total team effort.
“It’s a combination of goaltending, defence and the
forwards. That six-man unit has to be more committed
in our zone. That is blocking shots, not getting
beat along the wall, making the big save, and
getting the puck out of our end when we have the
opportunity so we don’t give the opposition second
and third chances.”
The Sting sit in ninth place in the Western
Conference with a 17-19-4-2 record, three points
back of Guelph for the last playoff spot with 26
games remaining. Erie is in sixth place in the
Western Conference.
Sadikov has played more minutes in goal than any
other netminder in the OHL. Prior to Thursday
night’s game with Mississauga, Sadikov had appeared
in 2,331 minutes and sported a respectable 2.93
goals against average and a .909 save percentage.
Troy Passingham will get the start in goal for the
Sting. Since being acquired from Windsor at the
deadline, Passingham has played four games. Sarnia
has picked up six of a possible eight points in
those games.
MacQueen said forward Brandon Francisco is close to
returning to the lineup and could play this weekend.
He has missed seven games with an upper body injury.
But defenceman Anthony Donati is listed as doubtful
after suffering a lower body injury in practice this
week while Brett Ritchie has not practiced this week
due to the flu. Ritchie currently sports a 12-game
consecutive points streak. In the last 12 games,
Ritchie has 12 goals and seven assists.
Overager Kale Kerbashian and rookie Nail Yakupov
share the lead in Sting scoring with 61 points
apiece. Yakupov has 30 goals and 31 assists and
Kerbashian 25 goals and 36 assists. Overall in
league scoring, the pair is tied for seventh.
Rookie Alex Galchenyuk is next in team scoring with
15 goals and 30 assists for 45 points, Tyler Peters
has 16 goals and 23 assists for 39 points while
Ritchie rounds out the top five with 19 goals and 13
assists for 32 points.
Prior to last night’s game, Gregg McKegg, a draft
pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs, was the Otters top
scorer with 31 goals and 30 assists for 61 points.
Brett Thompson was second with 49 points on 26 goals
and 23 assists while Shawn Szydlowski is third with
22 goals and 20 assists. Phil Varone, who the Otters
acquired earlier this year from London, had 18 goals
and 22 assists.
Ex-Sting Brett Appio makes his first appearance back
in Sarnia since being traded to Erie at the trade
deadline a year ago. Appio has six goals and two
assists in 31 games and 82 penalty minutes.
Tyler Toffoli of the Ottawa 67s leads the OHL in
scoring with 41 goals and 38 assists for 79 points.
Teammate Shane Prince is second with 76 points on 21
goals and 55 assists while Kitchener’s Jason Akeson
is third is 16 goals and 54 assists for 70 points.
STING NOTES
- Sarnia ranks 12th in the OHL on the power play at
19.8 percent while Erie is sixth at 21.0 percent.
Erie is 11th in penalty killing at 79.8 percent
while the Sting has slipped to 19th at 76.9 per
cent.
- After Friday’s game, Sarnia and Erie have two
games left with each other, but those games won’t be
played until March.
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