Meteors open preseason with 3-1 loss to Pelham

The Fort Erie Meteors began their preseason with a 3-1 loss to the Pelham Panthers on Saturday at the Fort Erie Leisureplex.

It was the first game for a roster remade over the summer. Five 20-year-olds aged out of junior hockey after last season’s Game 7 overtime playoff loss, and the coaching staff spent the exhibition evaluating the newcomers signed to replace them.

Fort Erie outshot Pelham 31-29 in front of 350 fans.

Pelham’s Anthony Stasiowski and Tyler Lee scored in the second period. Fort Erie rookie Hudson Ellis, a young centre from Buffalo, made it 2-1 just 15 seconds into the third before Aidan Witkowski hit an empty net with 1:13 remaining.

“We knew (Ellis) was a great player but he kind of showed us a little more and we were really excited about that,” associate coach Anthony Passero told Fort Erie Radio.

Meteors goaltender Rafael Tremblay stopped 26 of 28 shots. Pelham starter Liam Edgcumbe, who Passero expects to be among the best in the Greater Ontario Hockey League (GOHL), turned aside 30 of 31. Fort Erie went 0-for-3 on the power play.

The Meteors went 39-9-2 last season, a franchise-best .800 winning percentage, before falling 3-2 in overtime to the St. Catharines Falcons in Game 7 on April 7. Several of the players who aged out after that run had spent three to five seasons in Fort Erie.

“You lose, it’s like losing part of your family,” said Passero. “They’ll definitely be tough to replace, but at the same time, it’s exciting to be able to kind of start fresh.”

He and head coach and general manager Nik Passero have about three weeks of training camp before the regular season begins.

“Nik and I get an opportunity to mould some new guys into what those guys were, and we’re excited for that,” said Passero.

“I don’t see a reason why we would take a step back, as long as these guys get in here and mesh like the guys last year, I think we’re going to be just fine.”

The Meteors also held their alumni golf tournament on Monday with a full field of 144 golfers. Passero estimates about 75 per cent were former Meteors, from his father’s era through the players who left in the spring.

“It’s kind of what we’re about, and it’s just something we’re trying to get better at every single year,” he said.

The Meteors have since named forward Hunter Coley captain for 2026-27, the franchise’s 70th season since its founding in 1957.

The Leisureplex will host an Ontario Hockey League exhibition between the Erie Otters and Niagara IceDogs on Friday, September 11 at 7 p.m. The Meteors’ home opener is the following night.

Stay Informed

Events, offers, contests, and breaking news, all delivered straight to your inbox.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Subscribe