Erie Otters take 3-1 lead over Saginaw with first home win in teams' OHL playoff series
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Fifteen seconds
That's the time span Pano Fimis required to demonstrate why he's the Erie Otters' nominee for the Ontario Hockey League's most valuable player award.
Fimis scored 59 seconds into the third period of Thursday's fourth game in the Robertson Cup playoff series between the Otters and Saginaw.
The team's regular season scoring leader also converted the game's next shot past Spirit goaltender Kaleb Papineau while his first goal was still being announced to an already jubilent crowd at Erie Insurance Arena.
Fimis' goals comprised the first half of four the Otters recorded within the period's first seven minutes. The other two, power play scores by Dylan Edwards and Gabriel Frasca, concluded their offense en route to a 7-3 victory.
The Otters, the Western Conference's fifth seeds, took a 3-1 advantage in their quarterfinal series vs. the fourth-seeded Spirit.
"That's now two games in (this series) where Pano has really solidified the confidence for our group," Erie coach Kris Mallette said. "To get that start to the third (period) was a dream."
Fimis learned earlier this week that he's a finalist for the league's 2025 Red Tilson Trophy. Despite that honor, the Otters center still downplayed his vital role in Thursday's outcome.
"It was everyone, honestly," Fimis said. "We were all able to capitalize and (those) goals turned it around for us."
Come Saturday, Fimis is among the Otters who can claim the franchise's first OHL playoff series victory since its Robertson Cup championship season of 2016-17.
Game five at Michigan's Dow Event Center is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
Breaking the pattern
One series first was achieved Thursday.
A home team finally won.
That was a crucial for Erie, which scored 17 goals over its two victories on Saginaw's rink. However, the Spirit countered with Tuesday's 3-2 win at EIA.
That outcome that wasn't determined until Saginaw's Zayne Parekh, a Calgary Flames draft pick, scored just over 14 minutes into overtime.
"We wanted to take care of home ice (Thursday)," Mallette said. "It's as cliche as it comes, but it's the playoffs. It's shift to shift and period to period."
Potential percussion ritual
Another Erie first occurred Thursday.
Whether it continues throughout the playoffs and beyond remains to be seen.
The Otters initially mobbed goalie Noah Erliden, who recorded 31 saves, upon the game's final horn. Most then held aloft their sticks to salute the fans.
Edwards, though, still wasn't done.
The forward asked for the hand drum and stick used by Otto, Erie's mascot, and led his teammates to the center ice circle. Once there, the Otters collectively improvised the beat to Queen's "We Will Rock You."
"I think that was Marty's idea (Martin Misiak), but I really have no clue," Frasca said. "Hopefully, this (becomes) a tradition."
Other results
The London Knights became the conference's first team that advanced to the tournament's next round. The top seeds completed their four-game sweep of No. 8 Owen Sound with Thursday's 8-4 road victory.
Noah Read recorded a hat trick and assisted on a fourth goal for London, which next faces the lowest remaining conference seed.
That could be the Otters, based on the current status of the conference's other quarterfinals.
Like Erie, third-seed Kitchener went up 3-1 with Thursday's 5-1 win at sixth-seed Flint. Christian Humphreys and Matthew Hlacar capped the Rangers' latest win with power play goals in the third period.
No. 2 Windsor can close out its series against No. 7 Sault Ste. Marie with a home win in Friday's fifth game.
Series schedule
March 27: Erie 8, Saginaw 5
March 29: Erie 9, Saginaw 5
Tuesday: Saginaw 3, Erie 2 OT
Thursday: Erie 7, Saginaw 3 (Erie leads 3-1)
Saturday: Erie at Saginaw, 7:05 p.m.
April 7: Saginaw at Erie, 7 p.m. (if necessary)
April 8: Erie at Saginaw, 7:05 p.m. (if necessary)
Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNcopper.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie Otters one win shy of first OHL playoff series victory since 2017
