Peterborough Blogs
Peterborough U9 Petes Go On Undefeated Run To Capture League Title
/The Peterborough U9 MD Durham Industrial Petes swept the Lakeshore MD Championships in Kingston going a perfect 5-0 in a three-day tournament from Friday to Sunday.
Photo courtesy of Peterborough Minor Petes.
The team rang off four straight wins in the round-robin of their division (McDavid division), defeating the Quinte West Golden Hawks (7-0), Belleville U9 MD Jr. Bulls (8-2) Whitby Wildcats (3-2) and Ajax Pickering Raiders (16-0) for the top seed in the championship game.
The Petes gave the Wildcats no chance at redemption in the finals as Peterborough earned a 6-0 shutout for the championship.
The win is the first title for Peterborough Minor Petes hockey for the 2022/23 season.
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Peterborough U16 AAA Petes Primed For Championship Run
/As the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) championship in Oakville draws closer on March 17 - 19, the top-ranked Peterborough U16 AAA Petes have a pair of playoff games this weekend to build momentum for a provincial title.
The U16 Minor Petes are ranked FIRST (ETA) with 39-1-2 record and rank second in the OHL Cup rankings behind Toronto Marlboros of the Greater Toronto Hockey League. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The team is currently undefeated in the playoffs and has already qualified for the OMHA championship. They rang off four straight playoff wins the Richmond Hill Coyotes twice (14-0, 9-0), Kingston Jr. Gaels (10-0) and York-Simcoe Express (4-1) dating back to Feb. 25.
“The boys are putting in the work on-and-off the ice and we're really gelling right now,” said Andrew MacNeil, Minor Petes defenceman. “ (We’re) finding a way and sacrificing for everybody in the room and it's getting the job done so far.”
Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The U16 Petes have back-to-back games to round out their playoffs. Head coach Michael Farrugia says the team is not going to let up and needs to keep winning as they head into the OMHA championship.
“We're not going to change our gameplan,” he said. “We're going to play like they mean something because they do. They're two momentum games to take us to the OMHAs and we've got to be ready to play no matter what it means in the standings.
Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The players agreed with the coach that they need to continue their winning ways.
“We need to keep playing the way we are,” said Cohen Bidgood, Minor Petes forward. “We're playing fine right now so that will get it done.”
"We're just looking to stick to the structure, play hard and these games create good habits going into next week at the OMHA championship,” said MacNeil.
The Petes take on the Oshawa Generals at home in the Healthy Planet Arena on Saturday at 4:15 p.m. then clash with the York-Simcoe Express on the road at St. Andrews College in Aurora on Sunday at 6 p.m.
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Frontenacs Steal 5-4 Overtime Win Over Petes; $16,000 Raised For World Kidney Day
/While the Kingston Frontenacs walk away with a 5-4 victory, the real winners are Peterborough and the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) as over $16,000 was raised on World Kidney Day at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Thursday night.
The Petes are second in the East Division with 66 points with the Hamilton Bulldogs but have a game in hand. Photo courtesy of Kenneth Andersen and the Peterborough Petes.
The game recognized Petes’ associate coach, Andrew Verner, who was diagnosed with glomerulonephritis in 1999 and received a kidney transplant exactly two years ago to the day.
The night was created to raise awareness about organ donor registration and to raise funds for equipment used in the lifesaving delivery of dialysis treatment at Peterborough Regional Health Centre. Through the PRHC Foundation, a donation page has been set up in Verner’s name and can be found online. A silent auction also ran during the game, featuring NHL-signed memorabilia. An activation was set up in the concourse during the game encouraging fans to sign up to be organ donors.
The Petes started on the right foot with Brennan Othmann tipping an Avery Hayes shot for a 1-0 lead, five minutes into the game. Peterborough cough up two straight goals after a turnover and a powerplay. Quinton Pagé responded quickly for the Petes as he was alone in front of the net and beat Ivan Zhigalov to tie the game at 2-2. Tucker Robertson restored the lead for the Petes as he ripped a puck home with just over a minute left in the first.
The second period saw Owen Beck force a turnover at the blue line, deked out Zhigalov on the breakaway and scored his 21st of the season. The score became 4-2 heading into the third.
The final frame saw Kingston claw back into the game and tie it with goals from Gabriel Frasca and Paul Hughes for a 4-4 tie. The score remained that way after regulation and the game went into overtime.
In the extra frame, Kingston forced a turnover which led to a breakaway for Christopher Thibodeau but instead of taking a shot, he passed it to Alec Belanger who one-timed it home for the 5-4 win and his second of the night.
The Petes have a chance at revenge as they play Kingston against as part of a home-and-home series to wrap up their season series with the Frontenacs on Friday.
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Local Students Receive Career Advice From Mentors In World of Choices Program
/165 elementary school students were left with words of wisdom as they attended Junior Achievement of Northern and Eastern Ontario (JA-NEO) and Peterborough Petes’ World of Choices (WOC) program listening to various mentors about career paths on Thursday morning.
Burton Lee, Petes executive director of business operations (left) addressing the 165+ students in grades 7 and 8 about his career experience with the team. Photo by David Tuan bui.
The event at the Peterborough Memorial Centre hosted grade 7 and 8 students from Crestwood, Chemong Public School, Prince of Wales and Immaculate Conception. They listened to five different mentors to gain first-hand insight into career options, benefits and career challenges in the professional sports and entertainment industry. Mentors included organizations from the Peterborough Petes, Rawscoe's Sport Collectibles, RBC, YourTV Cogeco, Corus Entertainment and more that spoke to the pre-teens.
WOC is a career exploration event aimed at helping students discover new career choices and learn from local industry professionals. Students had the opportunity to get familiar with potential educational paths and grasp a better understanding of the day-to-day duties of several careers.
“We’re excited to partner with The Peterborough Petes to help local students understand and explore a wide array of career options,” said John McNutt, JA-NEO president and CEO. “Following the completion of today’s program, students will feel empowered to continue their education towards a chosen career and be better equipped to meet the challenges of today’s working world.”
All participating students received a ticket to attend the Petes’ game that night with a family member against the Kingston Frontenacs.
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Hometown PTBO: Andrew Verner and His Kidney Transplant Leading to World Kidney Day With The Peterborough Petes
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This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday speaks with Peterborough Petes assistant coach Andrew Verner about the Petes history, their future and a heartwarming story about his kidney transplant.
The Peterborough Petes are hosting World Kidney Day on March 9 at the Peterborough Memorial Centre as they and Verner are raising money in support of equipment used in the lifesaving delivery of dialysis treatment at Peterborough Regional Health Centre.
Note: This interview was conducted back in September of 2021.
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Douro Boxer Cody Crowley Fundraising $55K For Suicide Prevention To Honour Father's Memory
/Boxer Cody Crowley is pledging to raise $55,000 for Team 55: Let’s Tackle Suicide Awareness in honour of his late father ahead of his 22nd professional fight on March 25 in Las Vegas.
Photo courtesy of Addison Brown.
The 21-0-0 Crowley is scheduled to box Abel Ramos in a 12-round World Boxing Council (WBC) title elimination fight at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. The Douro boxer has dedicated the fight to honour his late father Jim Crowley who passed away last year.
The ‘55 for 55’ fundraising raffle features prizes such as dinner for Dr. J’s BBQ & Brews, WBC-signed gloves from boxing legends such as Julio Cesar Chavez, Roberto Duran, Gerry Cooney, a One With Life tequila package and a grand prize for a round-trip flight, accommodations and ringside seats to see Cody’s fight.
Photo courtesy of Addison Brown.
Raffle tickets are available at Dr. J’s with a limited amount left with the deadline at 6 p.m. Wednesday and the draw at 7 p.m. Cody will make a virtual appearance at the drawing to talk about his upcoming fight and the fundraiser according to Dr. J’s owner Addison Brown.
The two have been friends for roughly eight years and have supported each other through similar times.
“When he was looking for sponsorships throughout Peterborough, I reached out to him saying ‘I’ve been following you and growing up as an athlete, I’ve had a lot of support with the community and I wanted to sponsor you for the next fight,’” explained Brown. “We grew and developed a relationship. He helped me when I was going through some things about my brother and I did with his father.”
Fleming College Student Recognized As OCAA Volleyball All-Star
/Fleming College student Dion Pearson-Laviolette has been named by the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) as a men's volleyball Second Team All-Star.
Photo courtesy of Fleming College.
Pearson-Laviolette was recognized at the 2022-2023 year-end awards prior to last week’s OCAA Men's Volleyball Championship at Fanshawe College in London, Ont.
The Fleming all-star is from Paisley, Ont. studying raphic design. The fifth-year OCAA athlete and outside hitter leading the Fleming Knights in several statistical categories.
Pearson-Laviolette played three years for the Knights before this season and had previously won Most Improved and Most Dedicated player.
He was ninth in the league in points with 230.5 and eighth in points per set for the Knights. The majority of his points came from kills where he had 178 on the year.
Pearson-Laviolette also had 36 total blocks (10th in the league) and 109 digs (21st in the league) leading the team to the playoffs with a 9-9 record.
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Peterborough Lakers Hire Jordan Winch as Team's Full-Time Coordinator
/The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers have added Jordan Winch as the team’s new full-time coordinator for marketing, sales and community events announced on Sunday.
Winch was present during the Lakers jersey presentation at The Pizza Factory on Jan 27 and the championship ring unveiling on Feb. 26. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
Winch started his tenure with the team in December. His responsibilities are to assist the Board of Directors with sales, sponsorships, marketing initiatives and community events.
“As a volunteer group, we thought it would be best to have someone doing this full time in order to better serve our fans, sponsors and community partners,” said Len Powers, board chair. “We are excited about the new ideas, strategies and tactics Jordan has already brought to the table.”
Born in Peterborough, Winch is a Brock University Sports Management program graduate in 2018. He completed an internship with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Community Relations department. He worked in service and sales in the sporting goods industry for the past four years prior to joining the Lakers.
“Growing up in Peterborough, I know how special the Lakers are to this city and how hard the board of directors, players, staff, volunteers and sponsors work to create such a successful product both on the floor and in the community,” said Winch. “I want to assist these individuals, while also implementing new strategies, ideas and initiatives that will further enhance the strong impact the Lakers already have in this community.”
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Peterborough's Harrison O'Connor Named to Great Britain U16 Team For Riga Hockey Cup in Latvia
/Peterborough’s Harrison O’Connor is representing Great Britain and their U16 team for the Riga Hockey Cup in Latvia that is running from April 21 to 23.
Seven other Canadians were selected with O’Connor to be part of the U16 Great Britain team. Photo courtesy of Patrick O’Connor.
