“ (This was) a victory built on a group of players who fully bought into our system from day one,” said Mark MacDonell, Petes U13 AA head coach. “Their commitment shows every single practice by demonstrating relentless effort, attention to detail, and a drive to get better that carries straight into how they compete on game day.”
The team capped their regular season by going undefeated with eight wins (two in overtime). The Petes opened their season with a 4-0 win over the North Durham Warriors on Feb. 8, then beat the Quinte West Hawks, 2-1, two days later. A Valentine’s Day date with the Kingston Canadians saw Peterborough win convincingly, 5-1. On the second game of a back-to-back, the Petes defeated the Oshawa Generals, 4-1.
Peterborough had a six-day rest before taking down the Hawks a second time, 5-2. The next day, the Petes beat Kingston again, 3-2. The team had two consecutive days of games to start off March and closed their regular season with a pair of wins, 6-0 over the Warriors and 3-2 over the Generals.
The eight-game winning streak earned the Petes a spot in the semifinals against the Whitby Wildcats. The latter swept the best-of-three series with a 1-0 win on March 4 and a 4-2 victory on March 7.
Peterborough met their rival, the Oshawa Generals, in the finals in another best-of-three series. Peterborough won game one, 3-1 at the Healthy Planet Arena on Friday, before capping off the perfect season with a 3-2 win on Monday night.
“What makes this team truly special is how tightly connected they are; they play for each other, push each other and support each other like brothers,” said MacDonnell. “Our coaching staff poured everything into helping these players grow and their dedication set the tone for the culture we built together.”
The win qualifies the Petes to participate in the OMHA Championship in Whitby from March 27 to 29.
“As their coach, watching this group grow into champions, both in skill and in character, has been something I’ll never forget,” concluded MacDonnell.
