The Erie Otters have suspended defenseman Frank Grzeszczak indefinitely for violating team rules, club officials announced today. He didn’t travel with the team for its three-game road trip to Barrie, Owen Sound and Brampton. Grzeszczak, 18, was suspended indefinitely in October for conduct detrimental to the team, as was defenseman Brian Shaw. Both missed a week before being reinstated.
Grzeszczak, acquired from Plymouth at last season’s trade deadline for forward Sean O’Connor, has one goal, 12 points, a minus-22 rating and 32 penalty minutes in 35 games this season. He has one goal, 22 points, a minus-36 rating and 56 penalty minutes in 60 career games with the Otters.

– Victor Fernandes

Defenseman Frank Grzeszczak has been sent home to Plantation, Fla., to serve his indefinite suspension, coach Robbie Ftorek said. Erie Otters officials suspended Grzeszczak, 18, for violating team rules late last week. He didn’t travel with the team for last weekend’s road trip to Barrie, Owen Sound and Brampton.
But Ftorek declined to comment further on the matter, namely on what team rules Grzeszczak violated and when or if he would rejoin the club. Grzeszczak was indefinitely suspended, along with defenseman Brian Shaw, in October for conduct detrimental to the team. Both missed a week before being reinstated on Oct. 29, the same day club officials introduced Ftorek as its new coach.
“We’ll see what happens down the road,” Ftorek said. “Indefinitely is indefinitely until it changes. I don’t really have anything to say about it.” Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner/general manager, didn’t immediately return a telephone message today. Attempts to reach Grzeszczak were unsuccessful.

– Victor Fernandes

Defenseman Frank Grzeszczak has been sent home to Plantation, Fla., to serve his indefinite suspension, coach Robbie Ftorek said. Erie Otters officials suspended Grzeszczak, 18, for violating team rules late last week. He didn’t travel with the team for last weekend’s road trip to Barrie, Owen Sound and Brampton.
But Ftorek declined to comment further on the matter, namely on what team rules Grzeszczak violated and when or if he would rejoin the club. Grzeszczak was indefinitely suspended, along with defenseman Brian Shaw, in October for conduct detrimental to the team. Both missed a week before being reinstated on Oct. 29, the same day club officials introduced Ftorek as its new coach.
“We’ll see what happens down the road,” Ftorek said. “Indefinitely is indefinitely until it changes. I don’t really have anything to say about it.” Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner/general manager, didn’t immediately return a telephone message today. Attempts to reach Grzeszczak were unsuccessful.

– Victor Fernandes

Erie Otters defenseman Robyn Sertic returned to practice Monday after missing the past two games with what he called bumps and bruises. He declined to specify the nature of his injury. Sertic expects to play in this weekend’s home games against Brampton and Saginaw.
Meanwhile, right wing Doug Clarkson remains out with a nagging right knee injury. He still awaits test results to determine the extent of his injury. But he hopes to resume skating later this week.
Clarkson originally bruised the knee in December while playing with Kitchener. But he only missed two games. But during the Otters’ game against Windsor on Jan. 18, his first home game with the club, “I fell on (my knee) twice,” he said. Clarkson didn’t travel with the club for last weekend’s road trip.

– Victor Fernandes

Offense
No. Name GP Goals Assists Pts. P/M PIM
25 Justin Hodgman 49 28 37 65 -3 63
22 Zack Torquato 49 16 30 46 -21 65
9 Ryan O'Reilly* 44 16 27 43 -8 8
19 Nick Palmieri 36 22 12 34 -14 96
21 Jordan Skellett 49 9 16 25 -24 53
39 Kelly Geoffrey 50 9 14 23 -16 30
12 Sean Jones 29 8 15 23 -5 23
23 Luke Gazdic 51 11 10 21 -28 104
20 Robyn Sertic* 42 3 14 17 -12 16
18 Shawn Szydlowski* 50 4 11 15 -18 44
7 Frank Grzeszczak@ 35 1 11 12 -22 32
10 Tyler Hostetter* 46 1 7 8 -19 23
8 Paul Cianfrini 26 3 4 7 +2 23
4 Mitch Gaulton# 19 2 5 7 -10 19
14 Anthony Peluso^ 21 3 3 6 -12 41
40 Ronny Rogers^ 23 3 3 6 -4 44
2 Josh Kidd 26 3 3 6 -10 54
5 David Shields* 43 1 3 4 -19 27
15 Stanislav Polodna^ 21 0 4 4 -15 4
11 Josh Sidwell*^ 14 3 0 3 -9 2
29 Shayne Taylor^ 22 3 0 3 -15 24
17 Brian Shaw 40 0 3 3 -21 62
24 Michael Liambas 43 0 3 3 -5 99
28 Brett Cook*^ 3 0 1 1 0 6
27 Doug Clarkson*# 7 0 1 1 -2 12
36 Kyle Ramsay^ 10 0 1 1 +1 0
11 Patrick Lee^ 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 Samuel Coyne*^ 1 0 0 0 0 0
13 Dan Pinkney^ 1 0 0 0 0 2
33 Justin Garay^ 5 0 0 0 0 2
8 Matthew Paton*^ 8 0 0 0 -3 2
3 Lyon Messier*^ 8 0 0 0 -4 4
1 Shane Owen* 18 0 0 0 0 2
32 Jaroslav Janus* 36 0 0 0 0 2
Totals 51 149 238 387 -316 988

Goaltending
No. Name GP Min. W L OTL SL GA GAA Shots Saves Save Pct. SO
32 Jaroslav Janus* 36 2,045 7 23 2 1 159 4.67 1,438 1,279 .889 0
1 Shane Owen* 18 852 3 11 0 0 86 6.06 616 530 .860 0
33 Justin Garay^ 5 172 1 3 0 0 18 6.28 119 101 .849 0
Totals 51 3,069 11 37 2 1 263 5.14 2,173 1,910 .879 0
* Rookie # Injured ^ Not on the team @ Suspended

Power Play
Home – 24-of-136 (17.6 pct.)
Away – 20-of-154 (13.0 pct.)
Overall – 44-of-290 (15.2 pct.)
Goal leaders: Hodgman 13, Palmieri 11, O'Reilly 4, Peluso 3, Skellett 2, Geoffrey 2, Kidd 2, Gazdic 2
Short-handed goals against: 5

Penalty Killing
Home – 81-of-119 (68.1 pct.)
Away – 129-of-192 (67.2 pct.)
Overall – 210-of-311 (67.5 pct.)
Short-handed goals: 11 (Hodgman 3, O'Reilly 3, Torquato 2, Sertic 1, Geoffrey 1, Palmieri 1)

Goals by Period 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total GPG
Otters 56 48 44 1 1 150 2.9
Opponents 83 87 96 2 1 269 5.3

Shots on Goal 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total SPG
Otters 559 544 467 9 1 1,580 31.0
Opponents 670 739 693 10 1 2,113 41.4

Home
9-13-0-0, 18 points, 75 goals for, 97 goals against
Away
2-24-2-1, 7 points, 75 goals for, 172 goals against

Attendance
Home
22 dates: 73,732 (average 3,352)
Away
29 dates: 116,957 (average 4,033)

Offense
Goals
No. Name Club GP Goals
1. Brett MacLean^ Oshawa 45 50
T2. Steven Stamkos Sarnia 43 37
T2. Luca Caputi Niagara 50 37
4. Patrick Asselin Oshawa 45 36
5. Chris Terry Plymouth 51 35
18. Justin Hodgman Erie 49 28

Assists
No. Name Club GP Assists
1. Justin Azevedo Kitchener 49 67
2. John Tavares Oshawa 41 61
3. Brett MacLean^ Oshawa 45 51
4. Ryan Wilson Sarnia 40 49
5. John Hughes Brampton 51 47
T22. Justin Hodgman Erie 49 37

Points (overall)
No. Name Club GP Pts
1. Brett MacLean^ Oshawa 45 101
2. Justin Azevedo Kitchener 49 97
3. John Tavares Oshawa 41 93
4. Chris Terry Plymouth 51 81
5. Luca Caputi Niagara 50 77
T14. Justin Hodgman Erie 49 63

Points (rookies)
No. Name Club GP Pts
1. Patrick Maroon* London 46 73
2. Taylor Hall* Windsor 47 52
T3. Mikkel Boedker* Kitchener 44 47
T3. Ryan Ellis* Windsor 47 47
5. Ryan O’Reilly* Erie 44 43

Power-play goals
No. Name Club GP PPG
1. Brett MacLean^ Oshawa 45 25
2. Nick Spaling Kitchener 38 20
3. Justin DiBenedetto Sarnia 48 18
T4. 3 tied with 17
T12. Justin Hodgman Erie 49 13

Short-handed goals
No. Name Club GP SHG
T1. Dustin Jeffrey Sault Ste. Marie 40 5
T1. Michael Del Zotto Oshawa 47 5
T1. Kevin Baker Oshawa 51 5
T1. Brandon MacLean Sault Ste. Marie 52 5
T5. 3 tied with 4
T8. Ryan O’Reilly* Erie 44 3
T8. Justin Hodgman Erie 49 3

Goaltending
Wins
No. Name Club GP W
1. Kyle Gajewski Sault Ste. Marie 45 28
2. Mike Murphy Belleville 38 27
3. Josh Unice* Kitchener 35 26
T4. Steve Mason London 31 22
T4. Andrew Perugini Sarnia 41 20
T27. Jaroslav Janus* Erie 36 7

Goals-against average
Name Club GP GAA
1. Mike Murphy Belleville 38 2.24
2. Josh Unice* Kitchener 35 2.46
3. Kyle Gajewski Sault Ste. Marie 45 2.51
4. Thomas McCollum Guelph 36 2.52
5. Chris Carrozzi Mississauga 36 2.58
26. Jaroslav Janus* Erie 36 4.66
Minimum of 960 minutes played

Save percentage
No. Name Club GP SV %
1. Mike Murphy Belleville 38 .933
T2. Jeremy Smith Plymouth 30 .921
T2. Andrew Perugini Sarnia 41 .921
4. Chris Carrozzi Mississauga 36 .916
5. Sebastian Dahm Niagara 41 .915
T21. Jaroslav Janus* Erie 36 .889

Shutouts
No. Name Club GP SO
T1. Josh Unice* Kitchener 35 4
T1. Chris Carrozzi Mississauga 36 4
T1. Thomas McCollum Guelph 36 4
T4. 3 tied with 3
* Rookie ^ Former Otter

Western Conference
Pos. Team GP W L OTL SL Pct. Pts.
1 xy-Kitchener Rangers 50 39 8 1 2 .810 81
2 x-Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 52 32 14 2 4 .673 70
3 Windsor Spitfires 52 29 14 5 4 .644 67
4 London Knights 50 30 16 2 2 .640 64
5 Plymouth Whalers 51 28 19 2 2 .588 60
6 Sarnia Sting 50 28 20 2 0 .580 58
7 Guelph Storm 50 24 17 5 4 .570 57
8 Saginaw Spirit 50 23 21 4 2 .520 52
9 Owen Sound Attack 52 20 28 2 2 .423 44
10 Erie Otters 51 11 37 2 1 .245 25

Eastern Conference
Pos. Team GP W L OTL SL Pct. Pts.
1 x-Belleville Bulls 51 34 12 3 2 .716 73
2 x-Brampton Battalion 51 30 18 1 2 .618 63
3 Oshawa Generals 50 32 12 2 4 .700 70
4 Niagara IceDogs 50 28 21 0 1 .570 57
5 Mississauga St. Michael's Majors 51 25 24 1 1 .510 52
6 Ottawa 67's 51 23 24 2 2 .490 50
7 Peterborough Petes 50 23 24 0 3 .490 49
8 Barrie Colts 51 21 24 3 3 .471 48
9 Kingston Frontenacs 47 14 31 0 2 .319 30
10 Sudbury Wolves 52 12 37 1 2 .260 27
x-division leaders; y-clinched playoff spot
Notes: Top eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs; four division winners earn the top spots.

Victor Fernandes ranks the top 10 OHL teams every week:

No. Club Record Last week
1. Kitchener 39-8-1-2 No. 1
2. Belleville 34-12-3-2 No. 2
3. Oshawa 32-12-2-4 No. 3
4. Sault Ste. Marie 32-14-2-4 No. 4
5. Windsor 29-14-5-4 No. 5
6. London 30-16-2-2 No. 6
7. Brampton 30-18-1-2 No. 7
8. Plymouth 28-19-2-2 No. 8
9. Sarnia 28-20-2-0 No. 10
10. Niagara 28-21-0-1 No. 9

* Clarkson still out: Right wing Doug Clarkson has classified his right knee injury as a deep bruise. But he expected to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam as soon as late Thursday or at some point this weekend. Those tests should determine the severity of his injury. “I don’t think it’s going to be serious,” he said Thursday. But he didn’t expect to play tonight against Brampton or Saturday against Saginaw.
* Merlini update: Derek Merlini, 22, an Otters defenseman from 2003-06, recently began his first professional season with the International Hockey League’s Port Huron (Mich.) Icehawks. He has one goal, two points, a minus-2 rating and two penalty minutes in 16 games this season. He had 12 goals, 48 points and 240 penalty minutes in 152 games with the Otters before being traded to Plymouth in his final season.
Merlini, a Clinton Township, Mich., native, played nine games with the University of Windsor (Ontario) last season. His Icehawks’ teammate, Jeff Zehr, 29, played for the Otters from 1997-99, totaling 35 goals, 82 points and 169 penalty minutes in 60 games. He has 17 goals, 38 points and 59 penalty minutes in 38 games with the Icehawks this season. Stan Drulia, Icehawks coach/general manager, has held the OHL record for career points (479) since 1989.

– Victor Fernandes

* Memorable experience: Forward Justin Hodgman savored his experience in the 2008 OHL All-Star Classic. Normally outgoing and outspoken, he remained quiet while watching how the league’s top players prepared and performed. “I wanted to take it all in,” said Hodgman, who was paired on a line with Kitchener’s Justin Azevedo and Nick Spaling. “It was unbelievable.” Most importantly, Hodgman felt like he belonged with this group of players by the end of Wednesday night’s game.
* Feeling the heat: Left wing Luke Gazdic has felt better about his play late in the season. He recently posted a career-high, six-game point streak. That has made Gazdic feel better about the progress Dallas Stars officials have seen. “I know they’re watching. I get nervous when I think about it,” said Gazdic, a sixth-round pick (No. 172 overall) in the 2007 Entry Draft. “But I try to play the game I’ve always played.”
* Around the rink: The Otters scratched defensemen Mitch Gaulton (left elbow) and Frank Grzeszczak (team-imposed suspension) and right wing Doug Clarkson (bruised right knee). … Brampton scratched defensemen Ben Alavie, Brad Albert and Alexander Eriksson and right wing Kody Musselman.

– Victor Fernandes

* Injured IceDogs: Niagara remained without two injured leaders – right wing Stefan Legein and defenseman Matt Corrente. Legein, a Columbus prospect, hasn’t played since IIHF World Junior Championship because of a separated shoulder, according to The St. Catharines Standard. Corrente has a broken wrist, according to The Standard. Then early in the game, center Alex Friesen left the game with an apparent leg injury early in the first period and didn’t return. He watched the rest of the game on crutches.
* Stefan, Mavety suspended: The OHL has suspended Plymouth coach Greg Stefan and Kingston coach Larry Mavety for eight and four games, respectively, for their actions in the clubs’ Feb. 10 game. The teams were involved in a series of altercations in the third period. OHL officials determined that Stefan didn’t properly control his players during the incident. Mavety was disciplined for stepping onto the ice and verbally interacting with Stefan. The league also fined the Whalers $2,000.
* Around the rink: The Otters scratched defensemen Mitch Gaulton (left elbow) and Frank Grzeszczak (team-imposed suspension) and right wing Doug Clarkson (bruised right knee). … Niagara scratched goaltender Adrian Volpe, defenseman Vladimir Bessenov and Corrente and forwards Legein, Stephen Ceccanese, Johnson Andrews, Andrew Agozzino and Matthew Sisca.

* Grzeszczak update: Club officials will decide suspended defenseman Frank Grzeszczak’s fate in the next week, Sherry Bassin, managing partner/general manager, said Saturday. He hasn’t ruled out reinstating Grzeszczak this season. But for now, Bassin said, “We’ll leave him on the hook,” Bassin said.
Officials sent Grzeszczak home to Plantation, Fla., nearly three weeks ago for violating team rules. “He breached (team rules),” said Bassin, who indicated the suspension was stiffer because it was Grzeszczak’s second suspension of the season. Grzeszczak, 18, was suspended indefinitely in October for conduct detrimental to the team, as was defenseman Brian Shaw. Both missed a week before being reinstated.
* Petes’ homecoming: Peterborough rookie center Zach Tatrn played in front of about 60 family members and friends at Tullio Arena Saturday night. Tatrn is a native of Lower Burrell, located roughly an hour northeast of Pittsburgh.

– Victor Fernandes

Otters Talk, a weekly one-hour Internet chat session focusing on your favorite team and league, has been moved from tonight to 9 p.m. Wednesday. The chat returns to Tuesdays next week.
Head to www.goerie.com/ottersot and click on the Otters Talk link. Type your name in the login box to enter the room. A password is not needed. For more information about Otters’ coverage, call Victor Fernandes at (814) 870-1716 or e-mail him at victor.fernandes@timesnews.com.

* OHL honors Renaud: The OHL will distribute a video tribute honoring Windsor captain Mickey Renaud to all 20 clubs to show before their next home games, the league announced Tuesday. Every player in the league will wear a commemorative No. 18 sticker on their helmet for the rest of the season. The Spitfires will wear a commemorative crest on their sweaters through the end of the season.
“We take great pride in Mickey’s involvement in our league during the past three years,” OHL Commissioner David Branch said in a statement, “and recognize the leadership, passion, love of the game and the respect for teammates and opponents that brought to the rink every day. We are proud to dedicate these initiatives to honor the memory of a young man that was cherished in the community.”
Otters officials haven’t determined if they will honor Renaud in any other ways before Saturday’s home game against Ottawa, said Mark Jeanneret, director of media relations.
* On the mend: Rookie winger Shawn Szydlowski (right knee) practiced with the team Tuesday, his first time on the ice since being struck by a puck in Saturday’s win against Peterborough. The puck hit the inside of his knee. Then his knee hit the ice awkwardly. He spent the rest of the game on crutches. Then head trainer Kyle Creasy chose to keep Szydlowski out of Sunday’s game in Guelph, Szydlowski said.
“I’m going to try it out today,” Szydlowski said Tuesday. “Then I’ve got a doctor’s appointment (today) to follow up to make sure everything’s OK. Then hopefully I’ll be playing this weekend.”

– Victor Fernandes

* Palmieri heads home: Right wing Nick Palmieri has returned home to Clinton, N.Y., for family reasons. He will miss this weekend’s three games, but will return next week.
* Around the rink: Rookie wingers Shawn Szydlowski (right knee) and Doug Clarkson (bruised right knee) practiced Wednesday. Both could play this weekend. … OHL officials have postponed Sunday’s game between Windsor and Oshawa. According to the league’s statement, not playing the game “would be in the best interests of the Windsor players and the community in general to postpone Sunday’s game.” On Tuesday, the league postponed the Spitfires’ game against Plymouth on Thursday.

– Victor Fernandes

* Strong Erie connection: Rookie winger Shawn Szydlowski has felt at home in his first season in Erie. The St. Clair Shores, Mich., native has several relatives in town. He lives with his aunt and uncle, Steve and Diane Pappas. His grandfather, Carl Lupp, also lives in Erie. Denise Szydlowski, Shawn’s mother, is an Erie native. His father, Steve, spent the 1985-86 season as a defenseman with the Erie Golden Blades of the now-defunct Atlantic Coast Hockey League. He had one goal and 11 points in 33 games.
Szydlowski has enjoyed spending his first OHL season in familiar surroundings. Only one drawback exists, he said. “She’s not as lenient as I thought she would be,” he said of his aunt.
* Going home: Right wing Doug Clarkson will face Kitchener, his former team, for the first time tonight at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. He spent 1½ seasons with the Rangers before being acquired by the Otters on Jan. 10. “I still talk with a lot of those guys on Kitchener,” said Clarkson, who is uncertain how Rangers’ fans will react to him. “Hopefully it’s not too bad,” he said.

– Victor Fernandes

* On the mend: Defenseman Tyler Hostetter (concussion) should return to the ice this week, Sherry Bassin, managing partner/general manager, said Sunday. Hostetter suffered the injury Friday in Kitchener.
* Grzeszczak update: Club officials plan to discuss the fate of suspended defenseman Frank Grzeszczak this week, Bassin said. Grzeszczak has missed nearly a month for violating team rules, his second team-imposed suspension of the season. He was indefinitely suspended, along with defenseman Brian Shaw, in October for conduct detrimental to the team. Both missed a week before being reinstated on Oct. 29.
* Prospect plans: Bassin said he hopes to recall top prospects such as center Josh Sidwell (London Knights midget club) and defenseman Brett Cook (Huntsville Jr. A). But Bassin needs to wait until those prospects’ clubs finish their respective playoffs. Sidwell’s club began its Minor Hockey Alliance of Ontario’s semifinal series against the Hamilton Reps Sunday night. Cook’s Otters are tied 1-1 with Stouffville in the first round of the Ontario Hockey Association playoffs.
* Around the rink: The Otters scratched defenseman Mitch Gaulton (left elbow), Grzeszczak and Hostetter and forwards Nick Palmieri (family reasons) and Justin Hodgman (suspension). … Kitchener scratched goaltender Matt Smith, defenseman Myles Barbieri and forwards Matt Halischuk (high ankle sprain), Michael Catenacci, Josh Schram, Jason Akeson and Jordan Hardy.

– Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters appear close to completing a deal to keep coach Robbie Ftorek with the club, Sherry Bassin, managing partner/general manager, said after Sunday’s game. “I feel we’re real close,” Bassin said.
Ftorek replaced current assistant coach Peter Sidorkiewicz as head coach on Oct. 29, 2007. But Ftorek committed through the end of the season. At the time, Bassin said he would wait until the end of the season to discuss a new contract with Ftorek. But on Sunday, Bassin said he has been in discussions with Ftorek. Conditions of the agreement, including its length, haven’t been finalized, Bassin said.
But Bassin said he has disclosed to Ftorek that “we want him.” When asked about his future with the club, Ftorek said, “You’ll have to ask Sherry.”

– Victor Fernandes

Defenseman Mitch Gaulton resumed skating Wednesday, his first time on the ice since re-injuring his dislocated left elbow on Jan. 10 against Windsor. He skated on his own during practice at Tullio Arena, occasionally pushing the puck around with both hands. “I’m just going to give it a shot, just go out there for a skate (and) get my legs back,” said Gaulton, who was medically cleared on Tuesday.
Gaulton could begin participating in non-contact drills with the team in the next week to 10 days. But he won’t play in any of the club’s final nine games. “It’s not a smart idea. The season’s pretty close to being over. Might as well take the rest of it off,” Gaulton said. “Last time, I hurt my arm (after) five games. It’s not worth (recuperating) all summer and not doing workouts in the summer.”
Gaulton suffered the initial injury Oct. 27 in Owen Sound. He played five games in early January before being forced out of the lineup again. He has played only 20 games this season.

– Victor Fernandes

Erie Otters coach Robbie Ftorek focuses on the team’s success, not his future with the club. But before Thursday’s practice at Mercyhurst College, Ftorek said, “I plan on coming back.” Ftorek followed that comment by saying, “It’s a long summer and it’s a long end of the season. We’ll see what happens.”
Yet, he also said, “I’ve got a lot of stuff to learn. It’s been fun.”
On Sunday, Sherry Bassin, managing partner/general manager, said he felt close to completing a deal that would keep Ftorek with the club. Ftorek committed through the end of this season when he agreed to replace current assistant coach Peter Sidorkiewicz as head coach on Oct. 29, 2007.

– Victor Fernandes

Offense
No. Name GP Goals Assists Pts. P/M PIM
25 Justin Hodgman 55 30 38 68 -6 75
22 Zack Torquato 57 19 37 56 -21 89
9 Ryan O'Reilly* 52 18 27 45 -15 12
19 Nick Palmieri 41 24 12 36 -18 100
39 Kelly Geoffrey 58 11 20 31 -16 47
21 Jordan Skellett 56 10 18 28 -27 55
12 Sean Jones 37 10 16 26 -6 25
23 Luke Gazdic 59 14 11 25 -28 126
18 Shawn Szydlowski* 57 5 13 18 -21 50
20 Robyn Sertic* 49 3 15 18 -13 26
7 Frank Grzeszczak@ 35 1 11 12 -22 32
2 Josh Kidd 34 4 5 9 -13 58
8 Paul Cianfrini 34 3 6 9 0 37
10 Tyler Hostetter*# 52 1 8 9 -18 27
4 Mitch Gaulton# 19 2 5 7 -10 19
14 Anthony Peluso^ 21 3 3 6 -12 41
40 Ronny Rogers^ 23 3 3 6 -4 44
5 David Shields* 51 1 3 4 -23 31
15 Stanislav Polodna^ 21 0 4 4 -15 4
17 Brian Shaw 47 0 4 4 -20 68
11 Josh Sidwell*^ 14 3 0 3 -9 2
29 Shayne Taylor^ 22 3 0 3 -15 24
24 Michael Liambas 51 0 3 3 -8 134
27 Doug Clarkson* 10 0 2 2 -3 14
28 Brett Cook*^ 3 0 1 1 0 6
36 Kyle Ramsay^ 10 0 1 1 +1 0
11 Patrick Lee^ 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 Samuel Coyne*^ 1 0 0 0 0 0
13 Dan Pinkney^ 1 0 0 0 0 2
33 Justin Garay^ 5 0 0 0 0 2
8 Matthew Paton*^ 8 0 0 0 -3 2
3 Lyon Messier*^ 8 0 0 0 -4 4
1 Shane Owen* 20 0 0 0 0 2
32 Jaroslav Janus* 42 0 0 0 0 4
Totals 59 168 266 434 -349 1162

Goaltending
No. Name GP Min. W L OTL SL GA GAA Shots Saves Save Pct. SO
32 Jaroslav Janus* 42 2,405 8 28 2 1 184 4.59 1,671 1,487 .890 0
1 Shane Owen* 20 977 4 11 0 1 91 5.59 687 596 .868 0
33 Justin Garay^ 5 172 1 3 0 0 18 6.28 119 101 .849 0
Totals 59 3,554 13 42 2 2 293 4.95 2,477 2,184 .882 0
* Rookie # Injured ^ Not on the team @ Suspended

Power Play
Home – 29-of-165 (17.5 pct.)
Away – 21-of-165 (12.7 pct.)
Overall – 50-of-330 (15.1 pct.)
Goal leaders: Hodgman 15, Palmieri 12, O'Reilly 5, Peluso 3, Torquato 3, Kidd 3
Short-handed goals against: 6

Penalty Killing
Home – 109-of-153 (71.2 pct.)
Away – 148-of-214 (69.1 pct.)
Overall – 257-of-367 (70.0 pct.)
Short-handed goals: 12 (Hodgman 3, O'Reilly 3, Torquato 2, Sertic 1, Geoffrey 1, Palmieri 1, Jones 1)

Goals by Period 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total GPG
Otters 61 56 49 1 1 168 2.8
Opponents 94 95 107 2 2 300 5.1

Shots on Goal 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total SPG
Otters 622 636 536 17 1 1,812 30.7
Opponents 755 840 809 12 2 2,418 41.0

Home
11-16-0-1, 23 points, 89 goals for, 119 goals against
Away
2-26-2-1, 7 points, 80 goals for, 181 goals against

Attendance
Home
28 dates: 95,889 (average 3,425)
Away
31 dates: 126,937 (average 4,095)

Offense
Goals
No. Name Club GP Goals
1. Brett MacLean^ Oshawa 53 51
T2. Steven Stamkos Sarnia 53 46
T2. Luca Caputi Niagara 60 46
T4. Matt Beleskey Belleville 56 40
T4. Ryan McDonough Saginaw 57 40
T21. Justin Hodgman Erie 55 30

Assists
No. Name Club GP Assists
1. Justin Azevedo Kitchener 59 77
2. John Tavares Oshawa 49 66
T3. Michael Swift Niagara 60 56
T4. John Hughes Brampton 61 56
T5. Ryan Wilson Sarnia 50 55
T5. Brett MacLean^ Oshawa 53 55
T30. Justin Hodgman Erie 55 38

Points (overall)
No. Name Club GP Pts
1. Justin Azevedo Kitchener 59 113
2. Brett MacLean^ Oshawa 53 106
3. John Tavares Oshawa 49 102
4. Luca Caputi Niagara 60 99
5. Chris Terry Plymouth 59 90
T20. Justin Hodgman Erie 55 68

Points (rookies)
No. Name Club GP Pts
1. Patrick Maroon* London 56 87
T2. Taylor Hall* Windsor 54 60
T2. Mikkel Boedker* Kitchener 54 60
4. Ryan Ellis* Windsor 54 54
5. Ryan O’Reilly* Erie 52 45

Power-play goals
No. Name Club GP PPG
1. Brett MacLean^ Oshawa 53 26
2. Nick Spaling Kitchener 48 22
3. Steven Stamkos Sarnia 53 19
T4. Justin DiBenedetto Sarnia 50 18
T4. Bryan Cameron Belleville 60 18
T11. Justin Hodgman Erie 55 15

Short-handed goals
No. Name Club GP SHG
1. Dustin Jeffrey Sault Ste. Marie 49 7
T2. Kevin Baker Oshawa 59 6
T2. Luca Caputi Niagara 60 6
T2. Brandon MacLean Sault Ste. Marie 61 6
T5. Michael Del Zotto Oshawa 55 5
T10. Ryan O’Reilly* Erie 52 3
T10. Justin Hodgman Erie 55 3

Goaltending
Wins
No. Name Club GP W
1. Kyle Gajewski Sault Ste. Marie 53 35
2. Mike Murphy Belleville 43 31
3. Josh Unice* Kitchener 39 29
4. Steve Mason London 37 28
5. Andrew Perugini Sarnia 44 23
T28. Jaroslav Janus* Erie 42 8

Goals-against average
Name Club GP GAA
1. Mike Murphy Belleville 43 2.26
2. Kyle Gajewski Sault Ste. Marie 53 2.37
3. Thomas McCollum Guelph 44 2.51
4. Josh Unice* Kitchener 39 2.52
5. Bryan Pitton Brampton 35 2.54
28. Jaroslav Janus* Erie 42 4.59
Minimum of 1,140 minutes played

Save percentage
No. Name Club GP SV %
1. Mike Murphy Belleville 43 .930
T2. Jeremy Smith Plymouth 37 .921
T2. Andrew Perugini Sarnia 44 .921
4. Sebastian Dahm Niagara 50 .917
5. Steve Mason Kitchener 37 .916
T23. Jaroslav Janus* Erie 42 .890

Shutouts
No. Name Club GP SO
T1. Josh Unice* Kitchener 39 4
T1. Chris Carrozzi Mississauga 42 4
T1. Thomas McCollum Guelph 44 4
T4. 5 tied with 3
* Rookie ^ Former Otter

Western Conference
Pos. Team GP W L OTL SL Pct. Pts.
1 xy-Kitchener Rangers 60 48 9 1 2 .825 99
2 xy-Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 61 40 15 2 4 .705 86
3 y-Windsor Spitfires 59 33 15 6 5 .653 77
4 y-London Knights 60 33 21 4 2 .600 72
5 y-Plymouth Whalers 59 32 22 2 3 .585 69
6 y-Guelph Storm 60 29 22 5 4 .558 67
7 y-Saginaw Spirit 59 30 23 4 2 .559 66
8 y-Sarnia Sting 60 32 26 2 0 .550 66
9 z-Owen Sound Attack 62 20 36 2 4 .371 46
10 z-Erie Otters 59 13 42 2 2 .254 30

Eastern Conference
Pos. Team GP W L OTL SL Pct. Pts.
1 xy-Belleville Bulls 60 42 12 4 2 .750 90
2 xy-Brampton Battalion 61 37 20 1 3 .639 78
3 y-Oshawa Generals 58 36 15 3 4 .681 79
4 y-Niagara IceDogs 60 35 24 0 1 .592 71
5 y-Barrie Colts 61 27 28 3 3 .492 60
6 Ottawa 67's 59 26 28 2 3 .483 57
7 Mississauga St. Michael's Majors 59 27 30 1 1 .475 56
8 Peterborough Petes 60 25 32 0 3 .442 53
9 Kingston Frontenacs 58 18 38 0 2 .328 38
10 z-Sudbury Wolves 61 15 42 2 2 .279 34
x-division leader/champion; y-clinched playoff spot; z-eliminated from playoff contention
Notes: Top eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs; four division winners earn the top spots.

Victor Fernandes ranks the top 10 OHL teams every week:

No. Club Record Last week
1. Kitchener 48-9-1-2 No. 1
2. Belleville 42-12-4-2 No. 2
3. Sault Ste. Marie 40-15-2-4 No. 4
4. Oshawa 36-15-3-4 No. 3
5. Windsor 33-15-6-5 No. 5
6. Brampton 37-20-1-3 No. 6
7. London 33-21-4-2 No. 7
8. Niagara 35-24-0-1 No. 8
9. Plymouth 32-22-2-3 No. 9
10. Guelph 29-22-5-4 NR

Sherry Bassin, Erie Otters managing partner/general manager, has agreed in principle to a new deal with coach Robbie Ftorek, Bassin said before Friday night’s game against Owen Sound. “We want him here. He wants to be here,” Bassin said. They haven’t finalized terms of the deal, Bassin said.
In other Otters’ news, club officials haven’t made a decision on suspended defenseman Frank Grzeszczak, Bassin said. Grzeszczak, who was suspended indefinitely a month ago for violating team rules, could finish the season at home in Plantation, Fla., Bassin said.

– Victor Fernandes