Peterborough Blogs
Petes Ball Hockey Program Launches at St. Paul Elementary School
/St. Paul Catholic Elementary School welcomed Petes’ business staff and current players J.R. Avon, Konnor Smith and Donovan McCoy for a launch assembly of the Petes Ball Hockey program on Monday.
The program will provide 2,000 students and 11 schools in Peterborough and the Kawarthas with equipment, training and support required for the sport for free. All students grades 4 to 6 regardless of their hockey experience or physical or cognitive abilities can participate in the program. The Petes Ball Hockey program is meant to help the grassroots development of hockey in Peterborough, and aid in eliminating barriers when it comes to participating in the sport.
St. Paul’s students had the opportunity to play ball hockey, meet Petes players and even get an official Petes hockey photo taken after the assembly.
The first phase of the program starts with the following local schools:
St. Paul Catholic Elementary School, Peterborough
St. Paul Catholic Elementary School, Lakefield
Kaawaate East City Public School
Terry Fox Public School
Burnham Public School
St. Anne Catholic Elementary School
Edmison Heights Public School
Bobcaygeon Public School
CR Gummow Public School
Alexandra Public School
Rhema Christian School
Students also received an official Petes t-shirt, equipment bag, ball hockey rule guide and a letter from Peterborough-born Petes right-winger Chase Stillman.
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Pink in the Rink Game Brings in Record Crowd as Petes Raise Over $60,000 For Cancer Care
/The Peterborough Petes welcomed the Oshawa Generals to the Peterborough Memorial Centre for the 14th annual Pink in the Rink game this past Saturday.
Although the Generals would ultimately take the game with a final score of 7-5, the Petes had many successes that night, including drawing in an all-time record attendance of 3,912 hockey fans.
The large crowd also broke a Pete’s record for 50/50 draw prize total, awarding $9,360 to one lucky fan.
The Petes note that this year’s campaign raised a preliminary fundraising total of $62,600.
Five local hockey moms, Jennie Ireland, Dara Gosselin, Elke Rye, Karen Tarkington and Dana Thorn were named ambassadors for the 2023 Pink in the rink campaign. They joined Physician Ambassador Dr. Neera Jeyabalan and PRHC Foundation President and CEO Leslie Heighway on the ice before the game for a ceremony recognizing each of their cancer journeys.
This year’s Pink in the Rink Fundraising efforts were highlighted by amounts raised in several categories, including the Hockey Mom Ambassadors fundraising pages, a game-worn jersey auction, chuck-a-puck and t-shirt sales.
The highest single bid was $3,000 for Brennan Othmann’s jersey.
In Saturday’s game, Tommy Purdeller led the way for the Petes with two goals, while Jonathan Melee added a goal and two assists. Owen Beck had two assists, and J.R. Avon and Sam Mayer each had a goal. Brian Zanetti, Gavin White, Chase Stillman and Jax Dubois each had an assist in the loss.
The Peterborough Jesse’s Tap and Grill U13 AAA Petes Win the Icefest Tournament
/The 2022-2023 Peterborough U13 AAA Petes take home the gold in the Boston Pizza Icefest championships against the Ottawa Valley Titans in the final game at the Healthy Planet Arena.
After the team placed six of 10 in the preliminary rounds of the Thursday-Sunday tournament, they went on to beat both the Central Ontario Wolves 2-0 in the quarter-final game, and the Clarington Toroes 4-2.
In the semi-final game of the three-division, 36-team tournament, the boys scored three goals in the final 50 seconds of the game and secured there
During Sunday afternoon’s championship game, they beat the Ottawa Valley Titans 2-1 and took home the title. After putting the Petes on the board with a first period goal by Colton Adams, the Titans brought the score to 1-1 with 50 seconds left and their goalie pulled.
The tied score called for three-on-three overtime, and after three minutes a player from each team was removed. A goal was then scored by Evan Fitzgerald in the fifth minute, bringing the final score to 2-1.
After the U12 team’s loss in the semi-finals of the same tournament last year, the U13’s were determined to reclaim the title.
Peterborough Petes Seeking Breakthrough Performances For Upcoming Training Camp
/The Peterborough Petes began the season’s training camp looking for the team’s next breakout star with physical testing and assessments at Hybrid Sports on Tuesday.
Expectations are high for the players in the camp, both returning and new. Several athletes look to make their mark and land a full-time spot with the Petes for the coming season, ‘opportunity’ seemed to be the word of the day.
“Our message at the opening meeting today was that there is opportunity,” said Michael Oke, Petes general manager. “This week on the ice, during scrimmages and practices, an individual player has the chance to turn that word, ‘opportunity,’ into action.”
Smiling faces, handshakes and hugs were spotted on the players throughout the opening day of the training camp. There were 58 players that showed up to prove themselves and make a roster spot. The facility training was a welcome change from last year when COVID-19 forced additional precautions and private training sessions.
"We have made a lot of strides with the public health and public safety to the point where now we're pretty much back to normal," said Oke. "We still have to make sure that we are diligent and follow various protocols. Certainly, this year feels a lot more of a normal style of training camp and we're just simply excited to get going."
Fans are invited to attend the upcoming events or view them online from their Facebook page.
The following is this year’s training camp schedule:
Wed., Aug. 31
8:30 a.m.: Team East Side Mario’s (White) vs Team Pat McCauley (Black) scrimmage
9:30 a.m.: Team Pat McCauley (Black) vs Team Hybrid (Maroon) scrimmage
10:30 a.m.: Team Hybrid (Maroon) vs Team East Side Mario’s (White) scrimmage
2:00 p.m.: Team East Side Mario’s (White) vs Team Pat McCauley (Black) scrimmage
3:00 p.m.: Team East Side Mario’s (White) vs Team Hybrid (Maroon) scrimmage
4:00 p.m.: Team Hybrid (Maroon) vs Team Pat McCauley (Black) scrimmage
Thu., Sep. 1
8:30 a.m.: Team Pat McCauley (Black) vs Team Hybrid (Maroon) scrimmage
9:30 a.m.: Team East Side Mario’s (White) vs Team Pat McCauley (Black) scrimmage
10:30 a.m.: Team East Side Mario’s (White) vs Team Hybrid (Maroon) scrimmage
2:00 p.m.: Team Hybrid (Maroon) vs Team Pat McCauley (Black) scrimmage
3:00 p.m.: Team Hybrid (Maroon) vs Team East Side Mario’s (White) scrimmage
4:00 p.m.: Team East Side Mario’s (White) vs Team Pat McCauley (Black) scrimmage
Fri., Sep. 2
9:00 a.m.: Team White on-ice practice
10:15 a.m.: Team Maroon on-ice practice
4:05 p.m.: Maroon & White Game
Sat., Sep. 3
10:30 a.m.: On-ice practice
Sun., Sep. 4
2:05 p.m.: Pre-Season Game vs Oshawa @ Asphodel-Norwood Community Centre