Alex DeBrincat of the Erie Otters did something on Friday night in London not seen in the OHL for 29 years.
It took 59 minutes and 34 seconds, but DeBrincat scored a goal in a 19th consecutive game, sealing a 4-1 Erie win at Budweiser Gardens. That streak tied the Ontario Hockey League record that was set in 1988 at the London Gardens.
Ricci also scored his goal into an empty net to break the previous mark of 18 straight games that was set by Knights’ forward Brian Dobbin in the 1984-85 season. Dobbin didn’t even get a chance to celebrate what he did on the ice.
“Back then, the same attention wasn’t paid to things like that. About a month after it happened, the head coach, Don Boyd, brought me a plaque and told me I had set a record. I had no idea.”
DeBrincat was able to celebrate his goal on the ice as well as a large victory for his team. Erie stayed three points ahead of the Soo Greyhounds for first overall and they now lead the Knights by six points. London has five games remaining and they have a game in hand on the Otters.
The Knights got off to an excellent start in the game, outshooting Erie 15-7 in the first period and scoring the only goal of the first periodm which came on a London power play. Olli Juolevi rifled a pass across the ice from the left side of the Otters’ zone to Pu who was stationed to the right of the Erie net. Pu snapped the puck high over Troy Timpano. The Sabres prospect had his 35th goal of the season and the Knights took a 1-0 lead.
Erie generated chances that sometimes went under Tyler Parsons and past the post, or into a pileup in front and out the other side.
The Otters found a way to bury three chances in the second period. Twelve seconds into Erie’s first power play, Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick, Taylor Raddysh ripped a shot through traffic from the right side of the London zone past Tyler Parsons to tie the game at 8:59.
After London got chances on a man advantage of their own, Troy Timpano kicked out a shot and a puck was fired forward to Ivan Lodnia just as he exited the penalty box. Lodnia went in on a breakaway, deked to his left and was denied by Parsons. Erie kept the puck in at the blue line before Lodnia got the puck to Warren Foegele, who scored to put the Otters ahead 2-1.
A second power play goal stretched Erie’s lead to 3-1 as Owen Headrick got a shot away from the middle of the blue line into more traffic. The puck got through and Erie took a two-goal lead in the third period.
The Knights pressed to tie the game in the third, but any chance they were able to create wound up in the glove of Timpano, who seemed to find his game against London after enduring some struggles following a bout with a nasty flu virus that saw him hospitalized in Ottawa.
As time wound down, Parsons went to the bench for an extra attacker and the Otters’ defence held, blocking shots and passes.
DeBrincat got a chance at an empty net to tie Ricci’s record and only a good play by Evan Bouchard deflected the puck wide. Into the final minute, the Knights worked the puck around the boards and it ended up on the stick of DeBrincat again. He got into centre ice and took another try at the empty net. It hit a body, but wound up bouncing between the posts, sending him into the record books alongside Ricci. The Michigan native will have a chance to own the record for longest goal-scoring streak on home ice at the Erie Insurance Arena against London on Tuesday night.
Before that London will travel to Guelph for a game against the Storm on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. AM 980’s coverage will begin at 1:30.
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