Memorial Cup Notebook: Records fall in high-scoring affair

WINDSOR, Ont. – They were considered by some to be the top two teams entering the tournament and the Erie Otters made a statement.

A five-goal outburst in the first period paced the Ontario Hockey League champions to a convincing 12-5 win over the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Saint John Sea Dogs at the WFCU Centre on Monday night.

It was a game that saw multiple tournament records set.

The Otters 12-goal outburst set a tournament record, originally set by Quebec in 1974 and tied by Regina in 1980.

It was also a night that saw Dylan Strome set a tournament record with seven points, including four goals. The previous record of six was set by Joe Contini of Hamilton in the 1976 tournament before being tied by Guy Rouleau of Hull, who scored six points in a game twice, both in the 1986 tournament.

The 17 total goals is also the most in tournament history. The previous high was 16, set in 1984 when the Kitchener Rangers beat the Kamloops Blazers 9-7.

“It’s pretty crazy to have that much offence on both sides,” said Otters defenceman Owen Headrick, a product of Garden River. “It was a pretty crazy game.”

Playing with a player of Strome’s calibre has been an enjoyment for Headrick, who joined the Otters in January.

“It’s really cool,” Headrick said of playing with the Arizona Coyotes prospect. “He’s a really special player. He’s one of the best players in the league right now and he’s going to be really good at the next level.”

Erie forward Taylor Raddysh finished the night with six points, thanks to a pair of goals and four assists. Darren Raddysh added two goals and two assists while Alex DeBrincat and Anthony Cirelli also had four points with a goal and three assists each.

Kyle Maksimovich had a goal and an assist while Ivan Lodnia also scored. Warren Foegele assisted on two Erie goals.

Otters goaltender Troy Timpano stopped 18 shots.

“Both team’s transitional games were really good,” Erie Coach Kris Knoblauch said. “The difference for us was that we really capitalized on our chances on odd-man rushes and were able to get out to an early lead.”

Cedric Pare scored a pair of goals for Saint John. Mathieu Joseph had a goal and an assist while Thomas Chabot assisted on a pair of goals. Spencer Smallman and Julien Gauthier also scored for the Sea Dogs.

Callum Booth got the start for Saint John but surrendered five goals on 14 shots in the opening period. Alex D’Orio stopped 18 of 25 shots in relief.

Saint John will head into its round robin finale on Tuesday night needing a win over the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds to stay alive in the tournament as both teams hold 0-2 records.

Saint John Coach Danny Flynn called Erie and Windsor, who beat the Sea Dogs in the tournament opener, “the two best teams we’ve seen this year.”

Flynn called the Otters “much better than us tonight.”

The winner of Tuesday’s game will face the loser of Wednesday’s all-OHL game between the host-Windsor Spitfires and the Otters in Friday’s semifinal game.

“Our guys have been a great group and they hate to lose,” Flynn said. “We were a little surprised at how good the teams are in this tournament and we’ve been on our heels a little bit.”

The winner of the Spitfires-Otters game will advance directly to Sunday’s championship game.