Milestone-Filled Home Opener For Peterborough Petes Gets 5-4 Shootout Win Over Erie

Several milestones came with the Peterborough Petes’s home opener, as they defeated the visiting Erie Otters 5-4 in a shootout at the Peterborough Memorial Centre (PMC) on Thursday night.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

Petes head coach Rob Wilson got his 100th career Ontario Hockey League (OHL) win and Seattle Kraken prospect, Tucker Robertson, scored his 50th career OHL goal and 100th career point.

Connor Lockhart Led Peterborough with three assists, Nick Lardis tacked a pair of goals, Tucker Robertson had a goal and an assist, Donovan McCoy had two assists and Michael Simpson stopped stopped 32 shots for the first win.

Erie started hot with two goals in the first six minutes from Christian Kyrou and Bruce McDonald. Robertson responded with a goal of his own to have the Petes in a one-goal deficit going into the second.

Lardis scored his first of the season to tie the game at 2-2 early in the second. Erie’s Brett Bressette put the Otters up 3-2 heading into the second intermission. 

The Otters continued the pressure with another goal in the first minute of the third from Casey Terrance. Justin DeZoete scored for Peterborough just under four minutes later and Nick Lardis would score late in the period to send the game to overtime and the eventual shootout.

Shootout results:

• Petes – Tucker Robertson (Goal)

• Otters – Brett Bressette (No goal)

• Petes – Nick Lardis (No goal)

• Otters – Christian Kyrou (No goal)

• Petes – Connor Lockhart (No goal)

• Otters – Casey Lawrence (No goal)

The Petes’s next home game is on Saturday against the defending OHL Champion Hamilton Bulldogs who eliminated Peterborough in last season’s playoffs. The PMC is hosting the four-peat Mann Cup Champion Peterborough Lakers for that night.

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Hometown PTBO: Parker Burgess on Being On the National Baseball Team and Going Off to College

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks with baseball pitcher Parker Burgess about making the Canadian baseball national team, how he got into the sport and growing up with a love of hockey and baseball.

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Locally Made Docuseries of Concussion Awareness Released for Rowan's Law Day

In honour of Rowan’s Law Day to raise concussion awareness, local man Ryan Sutton and project leader Seth Mendelsohn have released a docuseries, ‘Recognize, Remove, Manage, Prevent’ for Peterborough schools and the general public on Wednesday.

Erica Evans, Trent University women’s field lacrosse head coach (pictured) is one of several Peterborough figures featured in the docuseries. Photo courtesy of PACA.

Rowan’s Law Day is named after Rowan Stringer, a 17-year-old rugby player who died in May 2013 from sustaining multiple head injuries.

The docuseries was created just under two years ago where the title focuses on four key pillars of a concussion. All Peterborough schools within the Catholic and public school boards are It was created by Peterborough Athletics Concussion Awareness (PACA).

It is directed toward parents with children in sports, coaches, healthcare providers and anyone associated with youth sports.

The docuseries is focused on the Peterborough area with testimonials from local athletes, coaches and healthcare professionals. However, it is relevant to anyone involved in youth sport.

Mendelsohn and Sutton were former youth athletes. Both had suffered concussions at young ages and had to cope with their injuries growing up.

“We started to learn that although we both sustained concussions, both in high school, both from sports, the way they both presented each other was very different,” said Sutton. “Concussions are all unique to each person who sustains so that’s another thing that we always try and highlight. Just because someone sustained it in one way and maybe they recovered very quick, it doesn’t mean it’s always going to be like that for everybody.”

They created the docuseries roughly two years ago to provide free, accessible educational and awareness resources to understand how to recognize a concussion, what to do if you suspect one has occurred, how to manage its symptoms and ways to prevention.

Sutton has had eight concussions with five before the age of 20 and three in high school.

“As a young person going through the injury, you don’t really understand what’s fully happening,” he explained. “You don’t grasp the full scope of the injury itself and it’s really hard to navigate through social situations when you’re not feeling like yourself, you’re not feeling like being capable of being there even though you look like you’re able to be there.”

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Peterborough Petes Locked and Loaded for Home Opener on Thursday

It’s a new season as the Peterborough Petes kick off their home opener against the Erie Otters at the Peterborough Memorial Centre (PMC) at 7:05 p.m. on Thursday.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

“I think we want to set the tone right off the bat and it's a big game against Erie and I think we want to leave our mark for the season,” said Shawn Spearing, Petes captain.

New Petes forward and Vancouver Canucks prospect, Connor Lockhart will face his former team while former Pete Sam Alfano makes his return against Peterborough as an Otter. Both players were part of the same trade between the two teams on Aug. 8.

The game also features Peterborough Minor Petes product and Otters forward, Noah Sedore, visiting the PMC for only the second time in his OHL career.

At the time of this publication, Artem Guryev (San Jose), Chase Stillman (New Jersey) and J.R. Avon (Philadelphia) are all still attending NHL training camps.

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Peterborough Laker and Curve Lake Resident Drafted to the NLL's Philadelphia Wings

Peterborough Jr. A Lakers and Curve Lake’s Deacan Knott has been drafted 38th overall in the 2022 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft by the Philadelphia Wings.

File photo.

The 20-year-old goaltender was selected 38th overall and joins Paul Day, Lakers general manager with the Wings.

Knott is the only Wings draftee who has no college commitment so he is eligible to report to the team’s training camp. All other drafted players will not be seen by the Wings until next year.

The Curve Lake resident won gold with Canada at the World Junior Box Lacrosse Championships. Knott made 46 saves on 55 shots en route to a 16-9 win for Team Canada over Team Haudenosaunee in the finals.

Knott was named All-World First Team for all goalkeepers during that tournament.

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Peterborough Lakers' Shawn Evans Signs With NLL's Vancouver Warriors to a One-Year Deal

Eight-time Mann Cup champion and Peterborough’s Shawn Evans has been signed by National Lacrosse League’s (NLL) Vancouver Warriors to a one-year agreement on Wednesday.

Evans is an eight-time Mann Cup champion, winning the title in 2004, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2017-19 and 2022. He is one of three lacrosse players in history to win two Minto Cups back to back (2006 and 2007) with two different Junior teams. Photo courtesy of David Pickering and the Peterborough Century 21 Lakers.

Evans was traded from the Rochester Knighthawks to the Halifax Thunderbirds on Mar. 9. He signed with Vancouver as a free agent.

“I’m extremely excited to join the Vancouver Warriors,” remarked Evans. “I believe this team is heading in the right direction and I’m hoping to be a part of bringing a winning culture to this organization.

Evans is fresh off his eighth Mann Cup Championship with the Peterborough Century 21 Lakers, defeating the Langley Thunder in seven games. He also became the Mann Cup all-time leading scorer during that series with 207 points.

In the NLL, Evans has won league MVP twice and ranks in the top 10 in goals scored (457 - 10th), assists (838- fifth) and points (1295 - sixth).  Evans is a four-time first-team NLL All-Star and helped Rochester win the NLL Championship in 2007.

“Shawn is a highly intelligent and skilled lacrosse player,” said Troy Cordingley, Warriors head coach. “His competition level is through the roof and for Shawn, losing is not an option.  Shawn will battle for every inch that he can get and will not back down from anyone.  He leads by example.”

“To sign a player of Shawn Evans’ calibre is a big step for this organization,” said Dan Richardson, Warriors general manager. “He wins at every level and will have an immediate impact on our team.”

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Peterborough Petes Introduces New Marketing Department For Upcoming Season

New faces have hit the Peterborough Petes marketing team where two were hired internally into new roles and the other two as returning employees for the 2022-23 season.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

The following are the four employees who have stepped into the marketing roles:

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

Adam King (director, marketing) - King joined the Petes Business Operations team in December last year as coordinator, game operations & major events.

In July, he began the role of director of marketing with the Petes. King previously worked for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment as a game presentation coordinator and worked with Toronto FC, Argonauts, Maple Leafs and the Marlies. A Brock University graduate, he did his undergraduate and Master’s degree in Sport Management.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

Jordan Downer (coordinator, game operations and major events) - Downer originally joined the Petes in 2013 as a volunteer and has held multiple part-time roles with the team including game night host and DJ.

He was named the coordinator of game operations and major events at the start of the 2022-23 season.  His responsibilities are managing all aspects of a game night from a fan’s perspective, such as in-seat and on-ice activities, game night music and visual video board content.  Born and raised in Peterborough, Downer still resides in the city with his dog Dax.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

Morgan Blaind (coordinator, marketing and community engagement) - Blaind joined the Petes as an intern last year. She soon transitioned into a part-time role after graduating from the Sport Management program at Durham College before getting hired full-time in November last year as the coordinator of administration and community engagement.

After demonstrating knowledge and interest in marketing, she made the transition to the coordinator of marketing and community engagement in August.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

Connor Massie (coordinator, communication) - Massie rejoins the Petes as coordinator, communication. He handles the Petes social media, public relations and graphic design.

Massie originally joined the Petes in January 2020 as the game operations intern, then moved into a marketing role. He then worked as manager, game operations & community events for the Cape Breton Eagles of the QMJHL before returning to the Petes in August.

Born and raised in Peterborough, Massie attended Lakefield College School and holds an advanced diploma in Sports Management from Durham College.

The Petes are also welcoming five new Marketing & Communication Interns for the upcoming term. A full list of the Petes Business Operations team can be found here.

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Peterborough Petes Trade Defenseman To Niagara Icedogs For 15th Round Conditional Pick

The Peterborough Petes have acquired a 2024 conditional 15th round OHL Priority Selection pick (2024) from the Niagara Icedogs in exchange for the rights to Petes prospect, Gabe Runco announced on Wednesday.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

Runco was drafted in the eighth round, 154th overall by the Petes in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection. He spent last season playing for the Brantford Bandits of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL).

If Runco plays 30 OHL games between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, the 15th-round pick becomes the Oshawa Generals eighth-round pick in 2024.

This is the team’s third trade in the last two months.

The Petes acquired Vancouver Canucks prospect Connor Lockhart in exchange for Sam Alfano and two picks on Aug. 8. Three days prior, they traded defenceman Josh Kavanagh to the Barrie Colts for a conditional sixth-round pick.

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Peterborough Lakers Win Fourth Consecutive Mann Cup In a 13-9 Game Seven Win Over Langley Thunder

A four-peat for the Peterborough Century 21 Lakers as they won their fourth consecutive Mann Cup, defeating the Langley Thunder 13-9 in game seven at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Saturday.

Photo courtesy of David Pickering and the Peterborough Century 21 Lakers.

The win gave Peterborough their 18th national title. They became the second team in the box lacrosse era to win four straight Mann Cups in a row, following the 1951-54 Peterborough Timbermen/Trailermen.  

“It’s been a roller coaster of emotions this week but well worth it,” said Shawn Evans, Lakers forward. “It was an unbelievable series and topped off by winning in seven in front of our family, friends and the fans/community of Peterborough. It was a dream come true.“

Langley won the first two games of the series but the Lakers won three straight to remain in the series. Langley forced a winner-take-all game seven with a 9-4 win to keep tensions high in game six on Friday.

In the final playoff game, the Lakers led 7-5 after the first period after a huge offensive showing, despite losing Evans to an injury the night prior. Langley took a brief 9-8 lead in the second but Cory Vitarelli tied the game 9-9 with 1:14 left in the period.

Lakers Matt Vinc and the defence held the Thunder scoreless while the Lakers scored four times. Thomas Hoggarth scored the game-winning goal 2:07 into the final frame.  

Curtis Dickson of the Langley Thunder was awarded the Mike Kelley Award as the Mann Cup MVP. He had 42 points in seven games, including 18 goals and 24 assists.  

Holden Cattoni led the Lakers over the series with 20 goals and 23 assists for 43 points.

Lakers game leaders: 

• Holden Cattoni (3-6) 

• Cory Vitarelli (3-2) 

• Mark Matthews (3-2) 

• Joe Resetarits (2-4) 

• Thomas Hoggarth (2-2) 

• Kiel Matisz (0-3) 

• Turner Evans (0-2) 

• Austin Hasen (0-1) 

• Mitch Ogilvie (0-1) 

• Bryce Sweeting (0-1) 

• Matt Vinc: 35 saves 

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Peterborough Petes Bring Back the Standing Room for Upcoming Season

Since 2003, the Peterborough Petes have reopened its standing room for fans during their home games called ‘The Sandbar’ announced on Friday.

Photo courtesy of David Pickering and the Peterborough Petes.

The room is through a partnership between the Petes and Sandbagger Hard Seltzer.

The section, located at ice level in the area closest to the glass at the south end of the rink (also called “Section C20”, where the Petes are on offense in the first and third periods), will feature full food and beverage service, high-top tables and other amenities.

“We’ve been listening to our fans relive some of their favourite moments at Petes games, and so many of them involve cheering on the mighty maroon and white in standing room areas prior to the renovations,” said Petes Sales Manager Mike Kosciesza.

“The creation of The Sandbar gives Petes fans another exciting way to experience the best hockey in the province,” noted Jeremy Giles, Peterborough Memorial Centre facility manager. “Fans will feel like they are a part of the action in this new up close end zone area. Witness the speed, skill, and size of the best junior hockey players Peterborough has to offer from The Sandbar all season long.”

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