Strome, whom the Coyotes drafted third overall in 2015, has produced three goals and three assists in the series, and ranks second in OHL playoff points with 31 in 21 games, six behind teammate Alex DeBrincat.
"It's a special night," Strome told the Erie Times-News after the Otters won Game 4 on Wednesday to set up a potential series-clinching win on home ice. "We've never been in this position before."
Strome, who is the captain of the Otters and is in his fourth season with the team, notched a goal and an assist in Wednesday's victory to become Erie's all-time playoff scoring leader with 83 points.
Should Erie win the series it would advance to the Memorial Cup, an 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 will run from May 19-28.
• Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson missed Sweden's preliminary-round game vs. Latvia at the 2017 IIHF World Championship on Thursday because of illness, according to a published report citing a team spokesman. Ekman-Larsson, who has notched one goal and one assist in three games, is considered day-to-day.
• Coyotes forward Clayton Keller ranks tied for second in goals scored after one week of games at the 2017 IIHF World Championship. Keller, who is playing for Team USA, has scored four goals in four games. His shooting percentage is an eye-popping 40 percent.
