Two 10-Year Old Girls Surprised With Bowling Provincial Title; Advance to National Championships In Regina

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Two 10-year-old girls Tatum Hutchinson and Taylar McCallum were given a pleasant surprise when they heard their names be called champions of the Ontario Youth Bowling Championship in St. Mary’s on Sunday.

Hutchinson, 10, a Grade 5 student at Queen Elizabeth Public School (left) and McCallum, 10, a Grade 5 student at Keith Wightman Public School (right) are practicing every Wednesday in preparation for the national championships with occasional weekends. Photo by David Tuan bui.

The duo is believed to be the youngest Peterborough bowlers to win a provincial title and qualify for the national championships in Regina, Sask from May 6 - 9.

The news of them winning the tournament came as a shock.

“It was exciting,” said Hutchinson. “We didn't know until it got announced. We didn't even know where we were on the board.

“It really surprised me when they called us up for first place,” explained McCallum. “I was really speechless for a while and I still am about it. I'm really excited and all my friends congratulated me when I came back to school.”

McCallum got into bowling from her father who also participated in the Youth Bowling Championships and was a former provincial champion. She started when she was four or five years old.

“It's a family thing,” explained McCallum. “My dad got me into it after he stopped doing it. I used to go to tournaments to watch him bowl.”

Hutchinson started bowling around the same as her teammate and met through bowling. That partnership helped them perform as a team when they won provincials.

“We're really close so it's easy for us to compete together,” explained Hutchinson.

This is the first time that the girls are travelling outside the province to compete in any sporting event.

“I'm nervous about going there since I've only been on a plane since I was a baby and I'm also really excited because I get to go somewhere new that I haven't been before,” explained McCallum.

“I’m nervous and excited at the same time,” said Hutchinson.“It’s going to be fun.”

The girls are practicing every Wednesday at Lakeview Bowl and occasionally throughout the week to prepare for the national championships.

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Peterborough Petes Playoff Tickets On Sale After Clinching Postseason Birth

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The Peterborough Petes have put this year’s playoff tickets on sale having clinched a spot from Friday’s win over the Kingston Frontenacs with first-round games played between March 30 and April 11.

Petes Season Ticket Members can purchase playoff tickets by using the playoff pre-authorization form. Full ticket details will be released once the first-round schedule is finalized.

Non-Season Ticket Members can put down a deposit on 2023-24 season tickets or by purchasing a Playoff 6-Pack.

This is the team’s seventh trip to the OHL Playoffs in the last 10 seasons. The Petes clinched a spot in the 2019-20 playoffs but the postseason was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Petes have missed the postseason only eight times in their 67-year history. They are searching for their 10th OHL Championship when the playoffs begin on March 30.

The Petes currently hold fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 33-25-2-2. A fourth-place finish will result in the Petes holding a home-ice advantage for games one and two of round one.

The Petes head to North Bay to wrap up their series with the Battalion on Thursday.

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Peterborough Petes Let Up in the Third Period, Fall to North Bay Battalion 5-3

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The Peterborough Petes kept pace with the North Bay Battalion until the third period, losing a tight game, 5-3 on the road on Thursday night.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

Seven minutes into the game, North Bay drew first blood as Kyle Jackson put North Bay up. Peterborough retaliated late in the period as Owen Beck finished a give-and-go from Avery Hayes to tie the game at 1-1. A minute and a half later, Tucker Robertson pouned on a rebound on the powerplay to give Peterborough a 2-1 lead into the second.

North Bay struck first again as Liam Arnsby scored to tie the game at 2-2. Three minutes later, Kyle McDonald gave the Battalion the a 3-2 lead. Konnor Smith evened things up with a point shot to tie the game at 3-3 into then third.

North Bay struck first again just 12 and a half minutes in as McDonald struck again with a one-timed shot beating Michael Simpson for a 4-3 lead. The Battalion added an empty netter with 10 seconds left to seal the 5-3 win. 

Peterborough continues their road trip against the Sudbury Wolves on Friday with puck drop at 7:05 p.m.

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Seventh Annual Tebey Golf Classic Held at Wildfire Golf Club To Support Peterborough Youth

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The seventh annual Tebey Golf Classic has been announced for June 1 at Wildfire Golf Club in support of Peterborough Youth Services and the YES Shelter announced on Thursday.

Photo courtesy of Tebey.

“I’m really looking forward to getting home for our annual golf fundraiser with GPSHF, Your Family Health Team Foundation,” said Tebey. "As someone who has expressed my own challenges with mental health well-being over the years, it's really important to me to support initiatives in this area of health services."

Foursomes are $1000 and include a shotgun tee-off, meet and greet with Tebey, access to private in-person VIP acoustic performance with Tebey and special guests (TBA), activities and contests throughout the course, meals, prizes, professional photos of your group, and a chance to play one of Ontario’s top private courses that has hosted PGA tour events. 

A $200 tax receipt will be provided to all foursomes, with funds raised going to support Youth Mental Health programming through Peterborough Youth Services and YES Shelter for Youth and Families.

"The Tebey Golf Classic is one of the highlights of our year at YES,” said Aimeé Le Lagadec, Yes Shelter executive director. “This incredible event has become crucial to the support provided to young people and families struggling severely with their mental health while experiencing homelessness in Peterborough."

“These funds help us to reduce wait times and to provide specialized services for children, youth and families,” said Gord Langill, Peterborough Youth Services Executive Director. “Mental health issues are affecting more people in more complex ways, and resources are limited, so every fund-raised dollar makes a difference.”

 A shotgun tee-off will be scheduled at 12:30 p.m., with an outdoor acoustic performance taking place at 7 p.m.

The annual Tebey Golf Classic raises funds in partnership with GPHSF, Your Family Health Team Foundation, to support youth mental health programming across the Peterborough region. More than $175,000 has been raised over the past six years creating programming that previously did not exist in our community. This includes: 

  • Reducing wait times and to provide specialized services for children, youth and families

  • Covid-19 Response Drop In Centre - YES Youth Emergency Shelter for Youth and Families

  • YES Homelessness Prevention Program partnership with Peterborough Youth Services and YES Year one and Year two Funding

  • 211 Awareness Campaign – Peterborough Youth Services and YES Shelter

  • Ongoing education for Mental Health Clinicians of the Peterborough Family Health Team to support free patient mindfulness programming

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Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Former Peterborough Pete Cameron Butler a Three-Year Entry-Level Contract

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Former Peterborough Petes forward Cameron Butler has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL announced on Thursday.

Butler played with the Petes from 2018-20 with 30 goals and 15 assists during that span. Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

The 20-year-old has spent the past five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League and is currently with the Oshawa Generals. He registered 71 goals and 77 assists for 148 points with 289 penalty minutes, 22 power play goals and 529 shots in 253 games with the Oshawa Generals, Niagara IceDogs and Peterborough Petes.

He has set career highs in goals, points and penalty minutes with 24-25-49 in 59 games with the Generals. He also tallied 111 PIM, 132 shots and three game-winning goals. He leads the club and ranks second in the OHL in penalty minutes, is tied for third with Oshawa in goals and power play goals (six) and is tied for fourth in points in 2022-23.

"Cameron is a physical forward with size, strength, toughness and tremendous character and leadership," said Jarmo Kekalainen, Blue Jackets general manager. "He is a hard-working, competitive player and we are excited to welcome him to the Blue Jackets family."

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Peterborough's Nolan Burke One Goal Away From 50 For OHL Season

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A two-goal night for Peterborough’s Nolan Burke of the Sarnia Sting against the Hamilton Bulldogs puts him at 49 goals on the season, one short of breaking the 50 mark from Wednesday’s game.

Photo courtesy of Tim Burke.

Both goals came from rebounds on point shots. Burke scooped up the puck and got it past Bulldog goaltenders Matteo Drobac in the first period and Tristain Malboeuf in the third.

Burke is currently second in the league with goals behind Matthew Maggio of the Windsor Spitfires. He ranks first in the league with powerplay goals with 22, ahead of Peterborough Petes’s Avery Hayes with 19.

Only four other Sarnia Sting players have broken the 50-mark in OHL history during the regular season. Reid Boucher in 2012-13 (62), Steven Stamkos in 2007-08 (58), Ivan Novoseltsev in 1998-99 (57) and Jon Sim in back-to-back seasons from 1995-97 (56).

The 20-year-old forward can break the 50-mark on St. Patrick’s Day this Friday on the road against the Guelph Storm. His father Tim Burke organized the 20th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Peterborough that took place last Sunday.

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Fleming Knights Men's Curling Team Competing in National Championships in Sudbury

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The Fleming Knights Men’s Curling Team is heading to the Canadian College Athletic Association (CCAA) Curling Championships in Sudbury running from Wednesday to Sunday.

Photo courtesy of Fleming College.

They qualified after coming fourth in the Ontario College Athletic Association (OCAA) Curling Championships at Niagara College.  

The Knights are led by skip Nolan Galardo and teammates Cameron Fraser, Michael Duffy, Finn Duffy and Ben Potter. They will face off against the top curling teams from across Canada’s collegiate ranks.  

Coaches Todd Freeman and Tara Welbourn are guiding the team to return to the podium since Fleming won it all in 2015.

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Avery Hayes's Hat Trick Propels Peterborough Petes to 5-2 Win Over Mississauga Steelheads

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Avery Hayes had the green tops flying at the Peterborough Memorial Centre as his hat trick helped the Peterborough Petes get a 5-2 over the Mississauga Steelheads on St. Patrick’s Day night on a rare Tuesday night game.

The Petes are tied with 70 points in the East Division with the Hamilton Bulldogs but are in second place with a game in hand. Photo courtesy of Kenneth Andersen and the Peterborough Petes.

Both goaltenders Liam Sztuska and Ryerson Leenders were perfect in the first period stopping 16 and 12 shots respectively and faced multiple high-scoring chances throughout the period. The game remained scoreless after one.

Mississauga broke the ice after getting a powerplay eight seconds in. Former Peter Pete Jack Van Volsen nailed a one-timed shot to put Mississauga up 1-0. Less than a minute and a half later, Hayes picked up a loose puck and sniped it past Leenders on a solo mission to tie at one a piece. Peterborough saw more offense with 18 shots but the score remained tied into the third.

The final period was all Peterborough Petes, beginning with Brennan Othmann pouncing on a rebound, getting his 28th of the season on the powerplay for a 2-1 lead. Owen Beck got on the scoresheet against his former team, blasting a slapshot to give Peterborough a 3-1 lead. Lucas Karmiris tipped in a point shot from Kasper Larsen past Sztuska to get the Steelheads within one for a 3-2 game. Avery Hayes took over, nailing his 40th and 41st goal season to put the game out of reach and a hat trick.

The Petes head to North Bay to wrap up their series with the Battalion on Thursday.

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Champions Gymnastics Take Home Over 30 Event Medals and Titles at Gasparilla Classic in Florida

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Champions Gymnastics had 18 athletes representing Canada at the Gasparilla Classic International Gymnastics in St. Petersburg, Florida from Feb. 24 to 26.

The Gasparilla Classic is one of the largest gymnastics meets in the world, with over 6,000 athletes from 21 states and 7 countries competing at the home of the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

Led by Head Coach Etienne Rene and Tracy Taylor, Champions took home first place Team trophies in Level 4 and Level 6. Individually, Champions athletes won five All Around Titles and 12 All Around Silver.

Along with winning over 33 individual event medals, Taylor says that the Champions athletes made many friends among the countries represented. For athletes used to small Ontario meets this was a huge event for the young team.

“All in all a great experience for coaches, athletes and families,” said Taylor. “Everyone is already looking forward to next years event planned for Cancun, Mexico in January.”

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Peterborough U16 AAA Petes Capture Top Seed For OMHA Championship

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The Peterborough U16 AAA Petes are entering the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) Championship in Oakville as the top seed of their gourp after winning back-to-back playoff games over the weekend.

The team went a perfect 6-0 during the playoffs to earn the first seed for the OMHA Championships. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The team shut out the Oshawa Generals at home in a 6-0 win at the Healthy Planet Arena on Saturday. The team on the second leg of a back-to-back, travelled to Aurora and earned a 3-2 victory over York-Simcoe Express on Sunday to clinch the top seed.

The team played four playoff games prior to the weekend. They defeated the Richmond Hill Coyotes twice (14-0, 9-0), Kingston Jr. Gaels (10-0) and York-Simcoe Express (4-1) when playoffs began on Feb. 25. The team went undefeated with a 6-0 record during the playoffs.

The U16 Petes are placed in the top seed of Group 1 with the Central Ontario Wolves. The Southern Tier Admirals of South Central AAA (SCTA) will join the two teams in the group. York-Simcoe Express and Ajax-Pickering Raiders qualified in Group 2.

The OMHA Championship is at the Joshua Creek Arenas in Oakville and is a three-day tournament that runs from Friday to Sunday. The Petes play two games on Friday, one game on Saturday with championship games occurring on Sunday with opponents to be determined.

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