Strome Helps Erie Win OHL Title, Advance to Memorial Cup
Coyotes prospect Dylan Strome assisted on title-winning goal in OT
by Dave Vest @davest4yotes / Coyotes Sr. Director of News Content
Coyotes prospect Dylan Strome is headed to the 2017 Memorial Cup.
Strome notched three assists on Friday night, including the primary helper on Erie's overtime goal, as the Otters rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Mississauga, 4-3, in Game 5 of the Ontario Hockey League's best-of-seven championship series. Erie won the series, four games to one, and finished the OHL playoffs with a 16-6 record. They outscored opponents 95-59.
"It feels unbelievable," Strome, the Otters team captain, told OHL TV. "... Playing my last game in Erie, it feels right to cap it off with a championship. We've been so close so many times. I think we just learned from our past experiences ... It feels good to be on top and on the other side of things."
With the victory, Erie not only captured the J. Ross Robertson Cup but also a berth in this year's Memorial Cup, the annual four-team, round-robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the Canadian Hockey League's three member leagues: the OHL, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and the Western Hockey League (WHL). This year's host team is the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. The tournament begins May 19 and the championship game is set for May 28.
"Obviously our goal is (to win) the Memorial Cup," Strome said. "We wrote on the board '5/28/17' and it's been on the board for the whole playoffs. That's our goal, and that's what we want to do."
Strome, whom the Coyotes drafted third overall in 2015, ranks second among the Otters in playoff points with 34 (14 goals, 20 assists) in 22 games. He produced three goals and six assists in the championship series vs. Mississauga, his hometown.