Peterborough Petes Have a 3-1 Series Stranglehold With 5-3 Win Over the London Knights In Game Four
/Another record-setting 4,046 fans went home happy as the Peterborough Petes have a commanding 3-1 series lead with a 5-3 win over the London Knights at the Peterborough Memorial Centre (PMC) on Wednesday night.
The Petes are 9-1 at home this this postseason. Photo courtesy of Kenneth Andersen and the Peterborough Petes.
The Petes ran into early troubles as 1:19 into the game, Gavin White turned over the puck from behind his net that resulted in an unassisted goal from London’s Easton Cowan for a Knights 1-0 lead. The Petes failed to score in the first period however settled things down by evening the shot count, a stat that went against Peterborough during this series. The shots were 16-14 in favour of London after the stanza.
The second period was all Peterborough Petes. They got on the board 1:19 into the middle frame, as Connor Lockhart fed J.R. Avon for a breakaway. The hometown forward went to the backhand to beat Zach Bowen for the 1-1 tie. Peterborough continued their assault as Brennan Othmann opted to instead of shooting from the slot, dished it to Owen Beck for a one-timer for a 2-1 lead. Two minutes later, J.R. Avon on a turnaround shot from inside the point, wired it through traffic and find the back of the net for his second of the game and a 3-1 Peterborough lead going into the third.
The Petes continued where they left off as Donovan McCoy got on the score sheet and went bar-down for his second of the playoffs. The Knights put their resilience on display in the final six minutes of the game. London got a powerplay and pulled their goalie for a six-on-four situation. Sam Dickenson blasted a one-timer shot that beat Petes goaltender Michael Simpson to cut the deficit to two. Just under three minutes later, London got another powerplay and created another six-on-four situation. Denver Barkey initially could not handle the one-timed pass but was able to chip in a floater that sailed over a split-legged Simpson to make it 4-3 with 3:09 remaining. Avery Hayes put a dagger in the Knights’ hopes as he won a puck battle against Dickenson who could not corral the pass. The former Hamilton Bulldog sealed it with an empty-net goal for a 5-3 Petes win and a 3-1 series lead and are one win away from the OHL Championship.
Wilson (left) and Avon (right) during the post-game press conference. Avon has registered nine goals and five assists for 14 points in 10 games this postseason. Photo by Samantha Bianco.
“One game away doesn’t mean anything,” said Avon. “They can come back and get to do something crazy so we haven’t won anything yet, we have to keep going.”
Avon, Simpson and Beck earned three stars of the game.
“You to be able to sacrifice and when you sacrifice, good things happen,” said Rob Wilson, Petes head coach. “You do the right things and then the next minute, the puck’s back on your stick.”
@ptbo_canada 🏒 After a 5-3 win, the @Peterborough Petes are one win away from an @Ontario Hockey League Championship! Let’s bring it home, boys! #GoPetesGo #ohlhockey #ohl #peterboroughontario #playoffhockey ♬ Let's Go - M.Hustler
