The number one seed in the Ontario Hockey League playoffs and the best sports team currently in Erie is advancing to the Western Conference Finals. After sweeping the Saginaw Spirit in four games, the Otters beat the Sault Sainte Marie Greyhounds 4-1 in the Conference Quarterfinals. They won the final game of the series by a score of 5-2 with a dominating performance by team captain Dylan Strome, as he notched his first career hat trick and added two assists. Strome, the top point scorer in the OHL in 2015 and the third overall pick of the Arizona Coyotes last year has an impressive 18 points in 9 postseason games, good enough for fourth most in the playoffs. Additionally, center Alex DeBrincat, a potential first round pick in the 2016 NHL draft, has a solid 16 points in the playoffs so far.
The Otters will face off against the London Knights, who finished one win behind Erie in the regular season, as both teams had a total of 105 points. They defeated the Owen Sound Attack in six games in the first round, and then they swept the Kitchener Rangers to get here. London features the most productive offense in the league, led by stars Christian Dvorak and Mitchell Marner. Dvorak lead the league in goals (52) and was second overall in points (121) and Mitchell was right behind him in points at 116. They have a total of 46 points in the postseason. The team as a whole scored a whopping 319 goals, compared to the 269 scored by Erie.
This series will also showcase the top two goalies in the OHL, Tyler Parsons of London and Devin Williams of the Otters. They finished first and second in goals against average, respectively, in the regular season, and Williams has the lowest in the playoffs. Two of the top teams in junior hockey will be competing for the Wayne Gretzky trophy, and the Otters are going to give it their all to advance and win their first OHL title since 2002.