Former Erie Otter Spencer Sova helps Brampton beat current Erie Otters

Assistant coach Wes Wolfe said new goaltender Noah Erliden has been as advertised for the Erie Otters through the opening weekend of their new Ontario Hockey League season.

Unfortunately for them, so was Brampton on Saturday.

The Steelheads, who were listed second in the league's initial power rankings, showed why early and late in the Otters' home opener. The former Mississauga franchise scored on two of its first five shots and then three times within a three-minute span late in the third period for a 5-2 victory at Erie Insurance Arena.

A crowd of 5,114 was on hand to watch the Otters in person for the first time since their first-round elimination in last season's Robertson Cup playoffs. They dropped to 1-1 a night after they won at Kitchener by the same final score as Saturday's game.

"We were pretty flat coming out for that first period," Wolfe said. "The second period, we really found our legs and generated a lot of good scoring chances. But obviously, (the game) slipped away from us at the end.

"To have a game like this, though, against (Brampton) still bodes well for our group."

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Super start for Steelheads

Brampton (2-0) blanked Brantford Bulldogs 7-0 in its Friday season opener. The Steelheads didn't allow their first goal until Sam Alfano made good on an Erie power play just shy of the halfway point for Saturday's game.

The Otters' Malcolm Spence tied matters at 2-all with 7:02 left in regulation. However, the Steelheads never trailed after Lucas Kamiris, with Erliden out of position in the crease, converted his go-ahead goal with 3:34 left.

Adam Zidlicky and Angus MacDonell followed quickly followed with insurance goals.

Erie lost even though it outshot the visitors 35-31. Brampton goalie Jack Ivankovic was voted the game's first star for his 33 saves.

Erliden, a native of Sweden, finished with 25 saves. The Otters' No. 1 pick in this year's import draft was pulled for an extra attacker when the Otters trailed 4-2.

Erliden stopped 32 of Kitchener's shots by the end of his OHL debut Friday.

"He is so competitive," Wofle said. "He'll give us a chance to win every night."

Foiled by familiar face

Brampton's Spencer Sova was a factor during his first game vs. the OHL team that drafted him in 2020. Erie's team captain last season assisted on the Steelheads' first and second goals.

Sova was sent to Brampton last month in one of three trades made by Otters general manager Dave Brown. The one that involved the defenseman saw him sent to the Steelheads, along with a 2028 draft pick, in return for a package of three picks over the next three drafts and the rights to defenseman Coben Bryan.

Teams to meet again

Erie coach Stan Butler instinctively referred to the Steelheads as being from "Mississauga" during a media session earlier this week.

While Butler corrected himself, he also said in his mind that team will always hail from the Toronto suburb.

The franchise originated as the Toronto St. Michael's Majors in 1996, the same year the former Niagara Falls (Ontario) Thunder moved to Erie. It made the short move to Mississauga in 2007 and renamed the Steelheads in 2012.

Brampton, a member of the OHL's Eastern Conference, returns to Erie for a Nov. 20 game. The Otters also will face them at the CAA Centre on Dec. 8 and again next Feb. 7.

The Otters are on the road for Oct. 4-5 games against London and Saginaw. They'll begin a three-game homestand vs. North Bay on Oct. 11.

Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNcopper.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Former Erie Otter Spencer Sova helps Brampton beat current Erie Otters