Special Teams Give Peterborough Petes Give 4-2 Win Over Sudbury Wolves, Lead 1-0 In Playoff Series

The Peterborough Petes were scoring in multiple ways with their special teams and take game one in their first-round playoff series against the Sudbury Wolves in a 4-2 win at the Peterborough Memorial Centre (PMC) on Thursday night.

The Petes and the Wolves have met four times in the OHL Playoffs, with Peterborough winning all four matchups. Photo courtesy of Kenneth Andersen adn the Peterborough Petes.

Sudbury opened the scoring with an odd-man rush with a goal from Quentin Musty beating Petes goaltender Michael Simpson for a 1-0 lead. Peterborough struggled to find the back of the net after 16 shots, unable to solve Kevyn Brassard. As things looked worse for Peterborough after getting a late penalty from Donovan McCoy in the last minute of the period, Jonathan Melee turned the momentum around. Avery Hays forced a turnover and Melee scooped up the loose puck. He fired a shot that was blocked and went wide but bounced back to him and buried it, shorthanded with three seconds left to tie the game at 1-1. The Petes would lead in shots 17-8, their most in a period this game.

Sudbury struck again on the odd-man rush as David Goyette fed Matthew Mania for a one-timer that got past Simpson again to restore their one-goal lead, 2-1. The Petes came close on several occasions but hit the post multiple times in the period. Peterborough appeared to be in trouble again as they had a delayed penalty call against them that became the game’s turning point. Musty retreating in his own zone passed the puck intended for Jakub Chromiak. The latter failed to corral it and have it slip into the net for an own goal in an incredibly strange sequence. Melee was credited for the score, his second of the night.

The Petes took over in the third period as they capitalized on their powerplay opportunity. Hayes scored on a one-timer with a pass from Brennan Othmann behind the Wolves’ net to make it 3-2. Hayes added an empty netter as the dagger for a 4-2 Petes win. Michael Simpson stopped 26 of 28 for his first career playoff victory as the Petes lead the playoff series 1-0 in a best-of-seven series over Sudbury.

The Petes stay at home for game two on Friday night at the PMC against the Sudbury Wolves with the puck drop at 7:05 p.m.

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