Music: {allcanada} OHL: OTTERS DROP ICEDOGS, CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT; 67'S BEAT BULLS

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

{allcanada} OHL: OTTERS DROP ICEDOGS, CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT; 67'S BEAT BULLS

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ERIE, Pa. -- Rookie goaltender Chris Festarini earned his second straight win and the Erie Otters clinched an Ontario Hockey League playoff spot with a 4-1 win over the Niagara IceDogs on Wednesday.

Festarini, who recorded his first career win Saturday in a 2-1 win against Kitchener, made 23 saves. Phil Varone and Brett Thompson led the offence with a goal and two assists apiece.

The Otters (34-26-2) held Niagara without a shot on goal for the opening eight minutes of the game. But Ryan Strome, the OHL's third-leading scorer, pounced on a defensive giveaway in the Otters' zone and scored on the IceDogs' first shot on goal.

The Otters' defence stymied the IceDogs (38-16-6) for the rest of the period, allowing only four more shots on goal against Festarini.

Anthony Luciani slipped a wrist shot between IceDogs goaltender Mark Visentin's pads to tie the score at 1-1 early in the second. Luciani had a goal and assist to extend his goals streak to four straight games and his point streak to six consecutive games.

Varone's 30th goal of the season broke open the tie 1:22 into the third. Varone reached 30 goals for the first time in his five-year OHL career.

The Otters extended their lead on Thompson's 41st goal of the season with 4:41 left in the game. Greg McKegg's empty-netter with 1:18 left -- his team-leading 42nd of the season -- sealed the win.

Monahan's hat trick gives 67's win over Bulls

BELLEVILLE, Ont. -- Sean Monahan had a hat trick as the Ottawa 67's beat the Belleville Bulls 5-4 Wednesday night in Ontario Hockey League action.

Ryan Martindale and Remy Giftopoulos also scored for the 67's (39-19-3) while Petr Mrazek made 23 saves in the win.

Belleville (18-38-4) got two goals from Austen Brassard and singles from Brendan Gaunce and Adam Payerl. Malcolm Subban made 24 saves.

Ottawa opened the scoring in the first when Monahan was found all alone in front and wristed a shot past Subban. Brassard tied things up but Ottawa retook the lead on the power play when Martindale was found streaking to the net.

Ottawa extended their lead in the second after Giftopoulos crashed hard to the net and jammed the puck home. Belleville was able to close the gap to one less than a minute and a half later on a perfect passing play capped off with Brassard's second of the game.

The back-and-forth action continued in the third when Monahan grabbed a rebound in front of a wide open net for his second of the game.

Monahan put the game seemingly out of reach with his third of the game but the Bulls came back with two of their own starting with Gaunce and then Payerl. The Bulls had a great chance to tie the game on the power play to close the game but were unable to capitalize.