Erie Otters

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Erie Otters
City: Erie, Pennsylvania
League: Ontario Hockey League
Conference: Western
Division: Midwest
Founded: 1996-97
Home Arena: Louis J. Tullio Arena
Colors: navy blue, red, yellow and gold
Head Coach: Robbie Ftorek
General Manager: Sherwood Bassin
Affiliate(s): Huntsville-Muskoka Otters
Franchise history
1953-60: Hamilton Tiger Cubs
1960-74: Hamilton Red Wings
1974-76: Hamilton Fincups
1976-77: St. Catharines Fincups
1977-78: Hamilton Fincups
1978-84: Brantford Alexanders
1984-88: Hamilton Steelhawks
1988-96: Niagara Falls Thunder
1996-Present: Erie Otters

The Erie Otters are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They have played in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA from 1996 to present, at the Louis J. Tullio Arena. The Otters are the only Pennsylvania team in the OHL, and one of only three United States-based teams in the league.

Contents

[edit] History

The Niagara Falls Thunder were relocated in 1996 from Niagara Falls, Ontario, becoming the Erie Otters. The team took its name from the otter, a water creature common to the south shore of Lake Erie.

The Otters' ownership partners are Ron Sertz, Jeff Fatica and Ray Irwin. Sherwood Bassin is the general manager and a managing partner of the team. Walt Wingfield is the head scout of the Otters.

The first three years in Erie were building years for the Otters, with the team eliminated in the first round of the playoffs each year. In the fourth year, all the hard work paid off with their first Midwest Division championship.

For the Otters it would be their first of three consecutive Midwest Division championships, culminating in an OHL Championship in 2001-2002. Dave MacQueen won the Matt Leyden Trophy in 2000-01 as the OHL Coach of the Year. Sherwood Bassin was awarded OHL Executive of the Year in 2001-02 for his role as general manager in building a championship team.

The Erie Otters celebrated their 10th anniversary in the 2005-2006 season.

[edit] 2001-2002 OHL Champions

In the 2001-2002 season, the Erie Otters became only the second OHL team based in the United States of America, to win the OHL Championship. The first were the 1995 champions Detroit Junior Red Wings (now the Plymouth Whalers).

After a disappointing loss to the Plymouth Whalers the previous year in the conference finals, the Otters used their experience and work ethic to push themselves through the playoffs. Otters players had a puck holder hung on the wall of the dressing room with sixteen slots to fill for the sixteen wins needed for the title. Erie earned that 16th puck defeating the Barrie Colts in game 5 of the 2002 finals.

The Otters bid to host the 2002 Memorial Cup, but the Guelph Storm were chosen instead as hosts. The Otters earned a berth in the tournament as OHL Champions but ultimately finished in third place.

Two-time OHL MVP Brad Boyes led the Otters as captain. Team members for the 2002 championship were:

T.J. Aceti, Chris Berti, Brad Bonello, Brad Boyes, Chris Campoli, Carlo Colaiacovo, Noel Coultice, Sean Courtney, Brandon Cullen, Scott Dobben, Jeff Doyle, Chris Eade, David Herring, Alex Karaulchuk, Mical Kokavec, Brian Lee, Thomas Lee, Chris Martin, Mike McKeown, Adam Munro, Cory Pecker, Mike Rice, Dave MacQueen (coach), Sherwood Bassin (GM)

[edit] Championships

[edit] Coaches

Dave MacQueen won the Matt Leyden Trophy in 2000-01 as the OHL Coach of the Year.

Multiple years in parentheses

[edit] Players

Since the franchise relocated to Erie prior to the 1996-1997 season, a total of 21 players have been selected at the National Hockey League Entry Draft including a five-year stretch from 1997-2001 in which seven members of the team were selected in the first round (1997 Jason Ward, 11th, Montreal; 1998 Michael Rupp, ninth, New York Islanders; 1999 Tim Connolly, fifth, New York Islanders; 2000 Nikita Alexeev, eighth, Tampa Bay and Brad Boyes, 24th, Toronto; 2001 Carlo Colaiacovo, 17th, Toronto and Adam Munro, 29th, Chicago).

[edit] Award winners

[edit] NHL alumni

[edit] Retired numbers

[edit] Current roster

as of March 13, 2008

Goalies

Defencemen


Forwards

[edit] Team records

Team Records for a single season
Statistic Total Season
Most Points 102 2000-01
Most Wins 45 2000-01
Most Goals For 271 1998-99
Least Goals For 181 2002-03
Least Goals Against 171 2000-01
Most Goals Against 378 2006-07
Individual player records for a single season
Statistic Player Total Season
Most Goals Sean Courtney 53 2001-02
Most Assists Colin Pepperall 60 1997-98
Most Points Cory Pecker 99 2001-02
Most Points, rookie Tim Connolly 62 1997-98
Most Points, defenceman Chris Campoli 66 2003-04
Best GAA (Goalie) Adam Munro 2.31 2000-01
Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played



[edit] Season-by-season results

[edit] Regular season

Legend: OTL = Overtime loss, SL = Shoot Out Loss

Season Games Won Lost Tied OTL SL Points Pct % Goals
For		 Goals
Against		 Standing
1996-97 66 23 36 7 - - 53 0.402 240 260 5th Central
1997-98 66 33 28 5 - - 71 0.538 261 252 4th Central
1998-99 68 31 33 4 - - 66 0.485 271 297 3rd Midwest
1999-00 68 33 28 4 3 - 73 0.515 224 229 1st Midwest
2000-01 68 45 11 10 2 - 102 0.735 264 171 1st Midwest
2001-02 68 41 22 4 1 - 87 0.632 246 218 1st Midwest
2002-03 68 24 35 6 3 - 57 0.397 181 248 5th Midwest
2003-04 68 29 26 6 7 - 71 0.471 221 212 5th Midwest
2004-05 68 31 26 6 5 - 73 0.500 186 207 4th Midwest
2005-06 68 26 35 - 4 3 59 0.434 219 266 5th Midwest
2006-07 68 15 50 - 1 2 33 0.243 209 378 5th Midwest
2007-08 68 18 46 - 2 2 40 0.294 206 343 5th Midwest
Total: 812 349 376 52 28 7 785 - 2728 3081 -

[edit] Playoffs

  • 1996-97 Lost to Guelph Storm 4 games to 1 in division quarter-finals.
  • 1997-98 Lost to London Knights 4 games to 3 in division quarter-finals.
  • 1998-99 Lost to Guelph Storm 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.
  • 1999-00 Defeated Brampton Battalion 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals.
    Lost to S.S. Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 3 in conference semi-finals.
  • 2000-01 Defeated London Knights 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.
    Defeated Brampton Battalion 4 games to 1 in conference semi-finals.
    Lost to Plymouth Whalers 4 games to 1 in conference finals.
  • 2001-02 Defeated Sarnia Sting 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.
    Defeated London Knights 4 games to 2 in conference semi-finals.
    Defeated Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 1 in conference finals.
    Defeated Barrie Colts 4 games to 1 in finals. OHL CHAMPIONS
    Lost to Victoriaville Tigres 5-4 (OT) in the Memorial Cup semi-finals.
  • 2002-03 Out of playoffs.
  • 2003-04 Defeated Sarnia Sting 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals.
    Lost to London Knights 4 games to 0 in conference semi-finals.
  • 2004-05 Lost to Kitchener Rangers 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals.
  • 2005-06 Out of playoffs.
  • 2006-07 Out of playoffs.
  • 2007-08 Out of playoffs.

[edit] Uniforms and logos

The team mascot of the Erie Otters is an anthropomorphic otter named Shooter, who wears a home jersey. The Otters home uniforms are white background, and the road uniforms are navy blue background. Both have red, yellow & gold trim. The logo is an angry otter with a hockey stick.

For the 2005-2006 season (the team's 10th/Diamond Anniversary), the Otters unveiled a third jersey as part of the Make other teams bleed campaign. The jersey has a red background with navy blue, white and gold trim. The third logo has "Erie" in big letters across the chest with "Otters" written beneath it.

[edit] Arena

The Erie Otters play home games at the Louis J. Tullio Arena located in downtown Erie, Pennsylvania. The arena was built in 1983 and seats 5,500 spectators. The Tullio arena is one of the loudest in the league and works well for home ice advantage. The arena is part of the Erie Civic Center Complex which includes Jerry Uht Park, a baseball stadium, home to the AA Erie SeaWolves.

The team occasionally plays training camp at the Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena in Jamestown, New York.

[edit] External links

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Ontario Hockey League
East Division
Central Division
Midwest Division
West Division
Defunct teams
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