Peterborough Petes Struggle To Find the Back of the Net, Shutout In Game One of OHL Championship 3-0

The 2006 OHL Championship rematch started on the wrong foot for the Peterborough Petes as they were shutout by the London Knights in Game One, 3-0 at the Budweiser Gardens in London on Thursday night.

Peterborough won the series 4-0 during the 2006 OHL Championship against the London Knights. Photo courtesy of David Pickering and the Peterborough Petes.

The Petes found themselves in an unfamiliar position as they were trailing in shots on goal, a stat they typically lead in. They were up 3-1 in shots then let nine consecutive shots from London after that. Petes goalie Michael Simpson stood tall and stopped all 12 in the period to keep the Knights off the board. Peterborough only registered seven shots and Zach Bowen was able to shut them all down for London for a 0-0 tie into the second.

The shots were exactly the same with London restricting Peterborough’s chances once again. Gavin White had a close one, ringing it past Bowen from the point but off the post during a powerplay to keep the game scoreless. Owen Beck received a pass to the high slot but Bowen robbed him with an incredible glove save that kept the former in disbelief. London eventually broke the deadlock as Denver Barkey gained the zone and skated to the side of the net. He dished it to Easton Cowan who had a wide-open chance and sent it home for a 1-0 lead going into the third.

Peterborough was able to register more shots in this period than the Knights, 10-8 but struggled to get one past Bowen. Jacob Julien doubled the lead as he had shot sent wide however on a fortunate rebound, it got back to his stick and took advantage of an aggressive Simpson for a 2-0 lead with under 6:30 left in the game. London added an empty netter to seal it and took Game One.

Bowen, Easton Cohen and Isaiah George, all form London were awarded the three stars of the game.

The Petes seek a series split as Game Two is on Saturday in London.

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Peterborough Petes Game Three and Four OHL Championship Tickets On Sale

Tickets for Peterborough Petes’ Game Three and Game Four for the OHL Championship at the Peterborough Memorial Centre (PMC) have gone on sale to the public.

The Petes defeat3d the London Knights for the OHL Championship in 2006. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PETERBOROUGH PETES.

The tickets went on sale as of 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

An official watch party for Game One is being held at the PMC Pub and Grill at 6 p.m. Thursday. Food and drink are available with prizes to be won according to the Petes.

The full schedule for the OHL Final against the London Knights is as follows:

• Game One – Thursday, May 11 at London, 7 p.m.

• Game Two – Saturday, May 13 at London, 7 p.m.

• Game Three – Monday, May 15 at Peterborough, 7 p.m.

• Game Four – Wednesday, May 17 at Peterborough, 7:30 p.m.

• Game Five – Friday, May 19 at London, 7:30 p.m.

• Game Six – Sunday, May 21 at Peterborough, 7 p.m.

• Game Seven – Monday, May 22 at London, 7 p.m.

*If necessary

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Peterborough Primed To Win OHL Championship Against London Knights In 2006 Rematch

Shortly after winning the Bobby Orr Trophy as OHL Eastern Conference Champions, the Peterborough Petes begin their quest to win the OHL Championship with Game One against the London Knights in a deja vu situation beginning Thursday.

Both teams split the series with teh home team winning their respective games in their regular-season matchups. Photo courtesy of Kenneth Andersen and the Peterborough Petes.

This is a rematch of 2006 where both teams faced each other in the OHL Championship with Peterborough sweeping London for the title.

The Peterborough Petes defeated the Sudbury Wolves in four games, Ottawa 67’s in six games and North Bay Battalion in seven games to advance to the OHL Championship.

Peterborough and London faced each other twice during the regular season, splitting the series with both victories at home. London won 5-2 on Dec. 10 while the Petes shutout the Knights 3-0 on Jan. 26 at the Peterborough Memorial Centre.

“We haven’t played them much in the last couple of years due just with all the Covid and stuff going on,” said Chase Stillman, Petes forward. “I felt like we match up pretty well against them in the regular season, in the two games we played them and it’s going to be sticking to the same structure in the playoffs so far.”

“We’ve got work to do,” said Rob Wilson, Petes head coach.”We know they’re a good team. The whole organization is a tough opponent but we have to start with the coaches and then the players have to bring what they can bring. It's one game at a time.”

The Petes brought in several players at the trade deadline with Brennan Othmann, Gavin White, Avery Hayes, Owen Beck and more. Several of the acquisitions have made major impacts for the Petes during the playoffs, something Petes general manager intended to do for a playoff push.

“We knew that we owed it to the players and to the organization and fans that because of the play that we demonstrated in the first half, we were going to do whatever could do to strengthen and solidify the roster,” said Michael Oke, Petes general manager.

The Petes depth has been tested during the series. Johnathan Melee sustained a lower-body injury in Game Five (and was out for the series), captain Shawn Spearing sustained a head injury after blocking a shot in the first period in Game Seven and Avery Hayes had a lower-body injury from blocking a shot in Game One. Hayes returned to the lineup in Game Three. Spearing has yet to be cleared to play and Wilson said he has yet to receive a prognosis on Spearing’s condition.

Cam Gauvreau and Chase Stillman also served two-game suspensions in that were doled out in Games Six and Three respectively.

“Anytime you go into the playoffs, depth is key,” said Oke. “It's going to be challenged, there's going to be adversity. We've got a resilient group, it seems that if one guy goes down, someone else picks it up.”

Wilson credits the players for coming together at the right time when it matters most.

“It's a credit to players that were here and it's a credit to the players that were brought in,” he explained. “These guys have really come together and they've really wanted to play for each other and I think they've proved that.”

Rob Wilson ahs been head coach of the Petes since 2018. Photo by David Tuan bui.

The full schedule for the OHL Final against the London Knights is as follows:

• Game One – Thursday, May 11 at London, 7 p.m.

• Game Two – Saturday, May 13 at London, 7 p.m.

• Game Three – Monday, May 15 at Peterborough, 7 p.m

• Game Four – Wednesday, May 17 at Peterborough, TBD

• Game Five – Friday, May 19 at London, TBD*

• Game Six – Sunday, May 21 at Peterborough, Time TBD*

• Game Seven – Monday, May 22 at London, TBD*

*If necessary

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Peterborough Petes Win Bobby Orr Trophy As Eastern Conference Champions, Defeating North Bay 3-2 in Game Seven; Will Face London Knights in OHL Championship

The Peterborough Petes are returning home with the Bobby Orr Trophy as Eastern Conference Champions after a 3-2 victory over the Battalion in Game Seven at the North Bay Memorial Gardens on Monday night.

The Peterborough Petes won back-to-back games on consecutive nights to win the series against the North Bay Battalion. Photo courtesy of David Pickering and the Peterborough Petes.

Both teams finished Game Six in Peterborough on Sunday and are on the second leg of back-to-back games.

North Bay opened the scoring 10:56 into the period as the Battalion recovered the puck in their own zone and started their rush. Josh Bloom made a cross-ice pass to Justin Ertel who took a shot. It was blocked by Gavin White and went back to the stick of Bloom who had a wide open net and scored for a 1-0 lead. That remained the score after the first with Peterborough leading in shots, 14-8.

Peterborough got in rhythm early in the second as Montréal Canadiens prospect Owen Beck started the attack from his own end. He took advantage of a Battalion player who slipped, gained the offensive zone and rifled it past North Bay goaltender Dom DiVincentiis top shelf for a 1-1 tie. Brennan Othmann continued to stay hot during the playoffs as he sniped a shot from a sharp angle to give the Petes a 2-1 lead. That was Othmann’s seventh goal of the playoffs and the eighth point of the series. He has failed to register a point in two of 17 playoff games this postseason for Peterborough. North Bay would tie the game with 7:11 left in the period as Ty Nelson made a point shot and got tipped by Battalion captain Liam Arnsby as both teams headed into the third.

The Petes made their stamp early in the third period as just under six minutes in, Selwyn’s J.R. Avon had a partial breakaway and chipped it over DiVincentiis to give Peterborough a 3-2 lead. The Petes clamped down defensively despite coughing up a penalty as the limited North Bay to five shots in the period. The Battalion pulled their goalie with under two minutes to go in desperation to tie the game. Several Petes blocked many shots to prevent a score and Peterborough held on for a 3-2 win.

Captain Shawn Spearing had taken two blocked shots to the face during the contest and was taken to a local hospital to treat his injuries. During the presentation of the Bobby Orr Trophy for the Eastern Conference Champions, the team held up Spearing’s jersey, honouring their captain’s sacrifice and effort for the win.

Avon, Brian Zanetti and Arnsby were awarded the three stars of the game.

The win gives Peterborough a spot for the franchise’s 14th OHL Championship series and will face the Wayne Gretzky Trophy-champion London Knights for the J. Ross Robertson Cup in a 2006 rematch.

This is Peterborough’s second Bobby Orr trophy since it was introduced in 1999. The Petes made 12 appearances in the OHL Final before the trophy was introduced. The team is looking to capture its 10th J. Ross Robertson Cup.

The full schedule for the OHL Final against the London Knights is as follows:

• Game One – Thursday, May 11 at London, 7 p.m.

• Game Two – Saturday, May 13 at London, 7 p.m.

• Game Three – Monday, May 15 at Peterborough, 7 p.m

• Game Four – Wednesday, May 17 at Peterborough, TBD

• Game Five – Friday, May 19 at London, TBD*

• Game Six – Sunday, May 21 at Peterborough, Time TBD*

• Game Seven – Monday, May 22 at London, TBD*

*If necessary

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Adam Scott Captures Canadian High School Ultimate Frisbee Championships In Ajax

The Adam Scott Collegiate Vocational Institute Lions are returning to Peterborough with gold from the Canadian High School Ultimate (Frisbee) Championships as they defeated Bowmanville High School 13-4 at the Ajax Community Centre Soccer Fields on Sunday.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Hickey and Ultimate Canada.

Adam Scott was the only Peterborough representative for the two-day tournament as one of 16 teams across the country. Schools from Manitoba, Quebec and New Brunswick were in attendance.

The Lions were in Pool A with Collége Sturgeon Heights Collegiate from Winnipeg, Mitchell-Montcalm from Quebec and Merivale High School in Ottawa.

They captured the number one seed after three round-robin games on Saturday and one inter-divisional game on Sunday before qualifying for the playoffs.

The last championship was held by Kelvin High School who are two-time defending champions for 2018 and 2019. Following their finals loss, Bowmanville has been runner-up for three consecutive years.

The Canadian High School Ultimate (Frisbee) Championships have not run since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Peterborough Petes Force Game Seven With 4-3 Comeback Win in Overtime Over North Bay

The Peterborough Petes staved off elimination and forced a game seven after coming back in overtime to get a walk-off goal for a 4-3 victory at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Sunday.

The Peterborough Petes are 7-1 at home during the playoffs. Photo courtesy of Kenneth ANdersen and the Peterborough Petes.

New Jersey Devils first-round pick Chase Stillman returned to the lineup after serving a two-game suspension that he got in game three for slew-footing.

The Petes got the start that they wanted six minutes into the game, when Shawn Spearing made a long stretch pass to J.R. Avon despite being deflected off a North Bay stick. He ripped it past Battalion goalie Dom DiVincentiis for a 1-0 lead. One minute later, Stillman made his presence felt after being reinserted into the lineup as he tipped home a Connor Lockhart shot to make it 2-0 going into the second.

Peterborough had 14 shots to North Bay’s six in the second period but the score did not reflect the story. Spearing on a powerplay lost control of the puck and turned it over in the neutral zone. Josh Bloom picked up the loose puck and scored shorthanded to get North Bay on the board. In the final minute of the period, North Bay kept on the attack as Liam Arnsby took a shot that deflected wide, bounced off the half-wall and squirted out in front for Anthony Romani to pick up the loose change to make it a 2-2 tie into the third.

Momentum carried in North Bay’s favour into the third as Matvey Petrov on the rush was able to beat Michael Simpson through the five-hole for a 3-2 lead. Sam Mayer’s poise showed up again this series similar to when he scored the game-winning goal in game three. He took a cross-ice pass from Brennan Othmann and wristed it home as DiVincentiis was screened for a 3-3 tie. No goals were recorded for the rest of the period as the game required overtime to settle it.

In overtime, Avery Hayes blocked a shot and created an odd-man rush with him and Othmann leading the charge. The latter passed it to Hayes who one-timed it past DiVincentiis and gave the Petes a 4-3 win in game six.

Hayes, Mayer and DiVincentiis were named three stars of the game.

The Petes and Battalion finish their series in North Bay for Game Seven on Monday night.

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Three Curve Lake Players Selected to Represent Team Ontario In 2023 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships

Mikayla Williams, Emerson Taylor and Sidney Wakely of Curve Lake are headed to Winnipeg to represent Team Ontario in the 2023 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships held from Sunday to May 13.

Williams (left), Taylor (middle) and Wakely (right) are all from the same bloodline from Curve Lake. Photos courtesy of Mike Williams.

Williams is the lone Curve Lake representative for the Ontario female roster as a defenseman. She played 30 games and three playoff games with the U18 Okanagan Hockey Academy Female Prep of the U18 Canadian Sport School Hockey League. She logged one assist and two penalty minutes for the season.

Taylor played left wing for the Mississauga Reps U16 AAA in 26 games this season in the U16 AAA Greater Toronto Hockey League. He had one assist and four penalty minutes during that span. He makes the team as an alternate.

Wakely played 43 games for the Port Hope Panthers of the Provincial Junior Hockey League this season. He had six goals and 13 assists, tying the team for fourth in the latter category. He had two goals and six assists in 19 playoff games. He also played for the U15 AAA Peterborough Petes in the 2019-20 season.

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Local Girl Earns Gold Medal In U16 Female Judo Tournament in Brampton; Ninja Academy Brings Home Seven Medals

Avery Fam of Peterborough’s Ninja Academy captured gold at the Tora Judo Tournament in Brampton in the Gold in U16 Female Division on Sunday.

Photo courtesy of Ninja Academy.

“Our athletes have been training up to five days every week over the past several months and the results can be seen in their accomplishments,” said Paul Teleki, Ninja Academy instructor. “Avery’s successful results are owing to her dedication, commitment and perseverance, we are all proud and inspired by her achievements.”

Fam’s teammates Alexa Hendriks, Orion Teleki, and Liam Brown brought home silver while Benjamin O’Bomsawin and Hunter Lawson earned bronze medals in the tournament. Teleki joined the club with a bronze medal in the 73 kg. Masters division.

Photo courtesy of Ninja Academy.

“When we all focus on the success of our athletes as our end goal, the results become evident,” said Teleki.

Ninja Academy has launched its adult Judo programs on Tuesdays and Fridays at 8 p.m. at the Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre.

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Peterborough Petes Sign First-Round Pick to Standard Player Agreement

The Peterborough Petes have signed 2023 first-round OHL Priority Selection pick Carson Cameron to a standard player agreement, announced on Thursday.

Cameron was introduced to the public at a press conference at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on April 22. Photo by David Bui.

Cameron was selected 13th overall in the first round by the Petes. The 6’0”, 171 lbs defenceman captained the Central Ontario Wolves U16 AAA last season, where he recorded 11 goals and 21 assists for 32 points in 29 games played. His team defeated the AAA U16 Peterborough Petes in the Steve Richey Tournament final in January. Cameron also played a big role as a member of the gold medal-winning Team Ontario in the Canada Winter Games, picking up five points in six games played.

“It’s all pretty surreal,” said Cameron. “It really is a dream come true. I can’t wait to put on the jersey and get to work.”

“We’re really excited to welcome Carson to our team," said Michael Oke, Petes general manager Michael Oke. "He is a talented young defenceman who has a bright future ahead of him. We know Petes’ fans are going to really enjoy watching him play.”

The Petes play Game Five on the road in North Bay on Friday as the series has turned into a best-of-three. Tickets for Game Six go on sale starting at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday.

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Peterborough Petes Take First Home Playoff Loss From North Bay Battalion in 5-2 Loss; Series Tied at 2-2

The Peterborough Petes get their first home playoff loss in a 5-2 defeat against the North Bay Battalion to even the series at 2-2, at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Wednesday night.

Peterborough had led in faceoffs, penalties drawn and shots on net in Wednesday’s game. Photo courtesy Kenneth Andersen and the Peterborough PEtes.

North Bay wasted no time opening up the scoring as they forced a turnover in the offensive zone. This resulted in Owen Van Steensel putting home the opening goal, beating Michael Simpsons for a 1-0 Battalion lead. The Petes drew a roughing penalty from North Bay but were unable to score on the man advantage. Fresh off the penalty kill, Josh Bloom forced a turnover in the neutral zone for North Bay. He passed it to Kyle Jackson after crossing the blue line and the latter sniped it past Simpson to give North Bay a 2-0 lead not halfway through the first period. Peterborough started to find their groove as Brennan Othmann carried the puck into the offensive zone with patience as he waited for help to arrive off a line change. Tommy Purdeller came to aid on the play, almost scored on his first shot but got his own rebound and buried it to cut the deficit in half at 2-1. That score would carry into the second period with the shots at 12-11 in favour of the Battalion.

Peterborough had a power play 3:41 into the period and seemingly had a wide-open net for a one-timer but the Petes could not get it at the net as the game remained 2-1. Four minutes later, North Bay had an outnumbered attack on Peterborough as Ty Nelson was able to rifle it past Simpson through the five-hole and the Battalion extended their lead, 3-1. The Petes would not go down quietly as just over five and a half minutes left in the period, J.R. Avon got a nice pass from Purdeller and sniped it past Dom DiVincentiis to make it a one-goal game, 3-2. That was Purdeller’s second point of the night as Shawn Spearing had the secondary assist. Peterborough drew a tripping minor penalty with 2:07 left to go but that was a blessing in disguise for North Bay. The Petes fumbled the puck at the blue line and resulting in a Van Steensel breakaway. Simpsons was up to the task and made the save. Shortly after the Battalion possessed the puck in their own zone, they had a two-on-two situation as Van Steensel got redemption and scored on a  sharp-angle shot for a 4-2 lead going into the third.

The Petes pushed hard to get on the board in the third period. The Petes were given their first penalty under eight minutes into the period but it eventually led to a shorthanded breakaway from Brennan Othmann. He chipped it just wide and the score remained the same. The Petes pulled the goalie in the final few minutes of the game, desperate to close the gap. Battalion captain Liam Arnsby was able to force a turnover while Peterborough had the extra attacker and added the dagger for a 5-2 lead. Peterborough registered 18 shots on net to North Bay’s seven but couldn’t solve DiVincentiis and the Battalion was able to split their road trip for a 2-2 series tie.

Van Steensel, Nelson and Purdeller were the three stars of the game.

The Petes play Game Five on the road in North Bay on Friday as the series has turned into a best-of-three. Tickets for Game Six go on sale starting at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday.

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