Peterborough Petes Hire Nate Oke As An Assistant Coach

The Peterborough Petes have hired Nate Oke as an assistant coach for the 2023-24 season announced on Monday evening.

Mark Million is the owner of The Capital PTBO which opened in late January of last year. File Photo.

Oke served as the team’s Skill Development Coach last season.

“We’re very excited to add Nate as an assistant coach,” said Michael Oke, Petes general manager. “He did a great job last year as the team’s skill development coach and left a lasting impression on everyone he worked with. Nate already has a great relationship with the players and coaching staff, having spent a lot of time working closely with the team through the season, playoffs and Memorial Cup.”

The Fenelon Falls native has been working in the area of player skill development for the past eight years, providing both in-season and off-season skill training for players at the pro, junior and minor hockey levels. Last season, he head coached the Central Ontario Wolves U16s, who were captained by Petes 2023 first-round pick, Carson Cameron. They also won the Steve Richey Tournament on Jan. 22.

“I’m very excited about the opportunity to be an assistant coach with the Petes,” said Nate. “I had an opportunity to work closely with the staff and players last season so I’m already well acquainted with everyone. I’d like to thank Mike Oke, Rob Wilson and everyone involved with the Peterborough Petes for this opportunity and I can’t wait to get started this week.”

In May, Nate was named head coach of the Peterborough Petes U18s. He continues to support the U18 program working alongside Petes U18 assistant coaches Clair Cornish and Ian Armstrong.

Nate joins Petes head coach Rob Wilson, associate coach Andrew Verner and assistant coach Paddy O’Connor on the Petes coaching staff.

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Peterborough Petes Hire Mark Million As New Director of Merchandise

The Peterborough Petes have hired Mark Million as the new director of merchandise, taking over the position from long-time employee Don Sharp, announced on Monday afternoon.

Mark Million is the owner of The Capital PTBO which opened in late January of last year. File Photo.

“On behalf of the Peterborough Petes, I’d like to welcome Mark to the organization,” said Michael Oke, Petes general manager. “Mark is a longtime resident of Peterborough with an extensive knowledge of retail and the community. While getting to know Mark, it was clear that he is passionate about the Petes and we’re excited to move forward with him as the Director of Merchandise.”

Million, the hometown entrepreneur has been working in retail for decades. He is the owner of The Capital PTBO in downtown Peterborough, a retail store specializing in licensed hats and apparel for local and professional sports teams. Million is a graduate of the Fleming College Sporting Goods Business program.

“It’s a dream come true to be joining the Petes organization,” said Million. “Being from Peterborough, I’ve always had a love for the Petes and the city. I’m looking forward to getting to know our customers and fanbase as they come shopping at the Petes Store.” 

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AON Inc. Holding Peterborough Petes Support Rally at Princess Gardens On Sept. 16

Fans can meet the Peterborough Petes prior to the regular season as Aon Inc. is hosting a support rally to meet and greet with the team at Princess Gardens on Sept. 16.

J.R. Avon fist bumps with fans during the OHL Championship celebration at QUaker Foods City Square. Photo by Samantha Bianco.

The Gardens are located at 100 Charlotte St. where fans can meet the team from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

An autograph signing, slapshot contest and vendor booths will take place at the event.

All are welcome to come out to the meet and greet.

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Peterborough Petes Announce 2023 Training Camp Schedule

The Peterborough Petes have officially announced the schedule for their 2023 Training Camp beginning with fitness testing at Hybrid Sports this Tuesday.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

The camp will have on-ice practices, scrimmages and the annual Maroon vs. White game.

All scrimmages are at the Peterborough Memorial Centre with all welcome to attend. It will also be streamed live on the Petes Facebook Page.

The roster for training camp will be released on Monday. All players will be assigned to one of three teams:

• Team East Side Mario’s (White)

• Team Sign-A-Fied (Black)

• Team Hybrid (Maroon)

The schedule for Training Camp can be found below:

Tuesday - CLOSED to public

• 12:00 p.m. - Welcome/Registration/Opening remarks

• 2:15 p.m. - Fitness testing at Hybrid Sports

Wednesday - Scrimmages OPEN to public

• 8:30 a.m. - Scrimmage - Team East Side Mario’s (White) vs Team Sign-A-Fied (Black)

• 9:20 a.m. - Scrimmage - Team Sign-A-Fied (Black) vs Team Hybrid (Maroon)

• 10:10 a.m. - Scrimmage - Team Hybrid (Maroon) vs Team East Side Mario’s (White)

• 2:00 p.m. - Scrimmage - East Side Mario’s (White) vs Team Sign-A-Fied (Black)

• 2:50 p.m. - Scrimmage - Team East Side Mario’s (White) vs Team Hybrid (Maroon)

• 3:40 p.m. - Scrimmage - Team Hybrid (Maroon) vs Team Sign-A-Fied (Black)

Thursday - Scrimmages OPEN to public

• 8:30 a.m. - Scrimmage - Team Sign-A-Fied (Black) vs. Team Hybrid (Maroon)

• 9:20 a.m. - Scrimmage - Team East Side Mario’s (White) vs. Team Sign-A-Fied (Black)

• 10:10 a.m. - Scrimmage - Team East Side Mario’s (White) vs. Team Maroon (Maroon)

• 2 p.m. - Scrimmage - Team Hybrid (Maroon) vs. Team Sign-A-Fied (Black)

• 2:50 p.m. - Scrimmage - Team Hybrid (Maroon) vs. Team East Side Mario’s (White)

• 3:40 p.m. - Scrimmage - TEast Side Mario’s (White) vs. Team Sign-A-Fied (Black)

Friday, September 1, 2023 - Maroon and White Game OPEN to public

• 4:05 p.m. - Maroon vs. White Game

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Hometown PTBO: Riley Watson On Winning Three Gold Medals In Rowing at the 139th Royal Canadian Henley Regatta

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks with competitive rower Riley Watson about his performance at the 139th Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, his training regimen and his post-secondary rowing future.

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Registration For the Ennismore Curling Club Is Open

Registration for the 2023-2024 season of the Ennismore Curling Club is now open.

Photo courtesy of the ENnismore Curling Club.

Curlers can register online for League Curling, Learn to Curl and Friday Drop-In Curling.

In-person registration and a club social is taking place on Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. at the club, located at 555 Ennis Rd. in Ennismore. Participants are invited to get a drink and catch up with their friends during this night.

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Six Nations Chiefs Sweep Peterborough Lakers To Win the MSL Championship In 10-5 Win

The Peterborough Lakers ‘Drive For Five’ comes to an unfortunate end as they got swept by the Six Nations Chiefs with a 10-5 loss in Game Four at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Wednesday night.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Lakers.

Six Nations came out firing to start the game as league MVP Lyle Thompson continued where he left off in this series scoring the first two goals of the game. Austin Staats also on a tear this postseason scored the next two for the Chiefs and Six Nations was riding a 4-0 lead halfway through the period. Kiel Matisz finally got Peterborough on the board with his third goal of the playoffs with 8:13 left in the period. No more goals were scored and Six Nations were looking to sweep the Lakers with the 4-1 lead into the second.

The Lakers had an early power play in the period but it went the other way as the other Staats brother Randy got into the mix and scored shorthanded for a 5-1 lead. More special teams troubles plagued the Lakers as Shayne Jackson scored on the power play for Six Nations to put Peterborough’s deficit at five. Six Nations tacked on another two goals including a hat trick from Austin to round out the period and Peterborough was in danger, trailing 8-1.

Peterborough’s offense started to work as they drew first blood in the third period thanks to Matt Gilray’s seventh goal of the playoffs. Eric Fannell countered with his own for Six Nations but Peterborough went on a three-goal run to try and mount the seemingly impossible comeback with 8:54 left to play. Unfortunately, the Lakers could not get anything past Chiefs goaltender and 2019 President’s Cup MVP Warren Hill and Tim Edwards put the dagger into the Lakers with an insurance marker with 3:16 left to play. The Chiefs shrugged off the Lakers and won convincingly 10-5 and captured the MSL Final championship.

Landon Kells gets the loss for the Lakers in net and Hill gets the win for Six Nations with a sweep of Peterborough.

With the win, Six Nations are MSL champions, their first title since 2016. They play the winner of the Western Lacrosse Association final between the New Westminster Salmonbellies and Langley Thunder for the Mann Cup in British Columbia.

Austin Staats was given the Shooter Davis Award for the MSL Final’s Most Valuable Player.

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Peterborough Petes Introduce Dave Lorentz as New Team President; Dave Pogue Steps Down From Role After Seven-Year Tenure

The Dave Loretz era began as he was introduced to the public as team president in a press conference at the Peterborough & District Sports Hall of Fame on Wednesday afternoon.

(From Left to Right) Petes Board of Directors Rod McGillis, Dave Lorentz, George Gillespie and Dave Pogue. Loretz becomes the second team president to ever play for the Petes behind the late Pat Casey who passed away peacefully last Saturday. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Lorentz takes over the role after former president Dave Pogue announced his retirement at the Petes 2023 Awards Banquet on March 28. The latter remains on the Board of Directors as Past President and Alternate Governor after a seven-year tenure with the Petes.

“I think it's time for a different voice. Eventually, you could become white noise in certain circles so it was time,” explained Pogue. “I've got some other ventures that I want to concentrate on and I'm going to start on the board assisting Dr. Bob Neville at the league level because I've made some good relationships with other owners in the league and just trying to work on bettering the Petes within the league and certainly to get a new facility.”

Pogue has fully endorsed Lorentz as the new team president and says he will be able to maintain the high standards and championship aspirations that the team exhibited last year when they captured the OHL title.

“Dave helped create that standard. We have been working very hard as a group to get to this point and 17 since our last championship, we've learned a lot over those years and Dave has been part of the driving force there,” he said. It won't be 17 years before we win another one, I can tell you that.”

Lorentz played three years for the Petes from 1987 to 1990 and was captain of Peterborough’s 1989 OHL Championship team. The team made deep playoff runs including a championship in the 1988-89 season. Lorentz wants to maintain the current atmosphere and mentality as team president to win another OHL Championship and hopefully a Memorial Cup title.

“I think building a culture of winning, building a culture that you're going to go for it when you have the opportunity and be successful builds champions,” he explained. “I'm expecting in the near future that we will do this again because I really want a Memorial Cup ring.”

Lorentz added that he did not want to change much in terms of the face of the organization but to put an emphasis on the Petes to foster a positive experience for everyone in the company.

“My focus is going to be directed to the players and the staff, trying to find ways that we can enhance their experience in Peterborough,” he said. “As a former player and alumni, I want those players coming here to experience the best that they can because not all of them are going to make the pros but they're going to go on to great careers. If we can provide them with every opportunity to achieve their goals then that's what we need to do.”

Single-game tickets for the Petes go on sale this Friday at 9:30 a.m. through the PMC Grant Thornton Box Office.

Fans can get tickets by visiting the Grant Thornton Box Office in person, calling (705) 743-3561 or going online.

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Peterborough Lakers In 3-0 Series Deficit After Being Routed 13-5 By Six Nations Chiefs

The Peterborough Lakers Drive For Five is in jeopardy as they are on the brink of elimination following a 13-5 loss to the Six Nations Chiefs at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena in Hagarsville. The Lakers are behind 3-0 in the MSL Finals.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Lakers.

The Lakers and Chiefs split two goals apiece in the opening frame including a a shorthanded goal from Taite Cattoni and power play goal from Randy Staats (who scored both Chiefs goals this period). Thomas Hoggarth rounded out the period with a goal and the teams were tired 2-2.

MSL MVP Lyle Thompson got the ball rolling for Six Nations to open up the period, scoring his 14th of the playoffs. The Lakers seemingly found their groove as Hoggarth scored the next two goals on the power play including a hat trick to put Peterborough ahead 4-3. Holden Cattoni added another goal for the Lakers and had a 5-3 lead early in the second.

It went downhill for Peterborough from there as Six Nations played championship-calibre lacrosse from there. They responded with four straight goals to round out the period and had a 7-5 lead into the third.

The Lakers could not stop the bleeding as they were shut out in the third period while allowing six goals for 10 consecutive scores from the Chiefs. The Lakers could not score in the last 34:57 of the game. Six Nations easily won game three with a 13-5 win and have a 3-0 series lead over the Peterborough Lakers.

Landon Kells takes the loss in net for the Lakers while Doug Jamieson gets the win for Six Nations.

The Lakers are looking to avoid elimination and the sweep on Wednesday night as Game Four is back at the Peterborough Memorial Centre.

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Peterborough Petes Alumnus and Director Pat Casey Passes Away at 84

Peterborough Petes alumnus and longtime Director Pat Casey passed away peacefully on Saturday at the age of 84, reported by the team on Sunday.

The Kirkland Lake, Ont. native was one of the original members of the Peterborough Petes organization, suiting up for the Peterborough TPT’s in their inaugural season in 1956-57 and played for three seasons and won Peterborough’s first J. Ross Robertson Cup and Memorial Cup berth in 1958-59. After the Petes, Casey would go on to win an NCAA Championship in 1961 with Michigan Tech, and a USHL Championship in 1965 with the Waterloo Blackhawks.

After his playing career, Pat returned to Peterborough in 1971. Eight years later, he became a member of the Petes the Board of Directors. This resulted in a 40-year tenure that included stints as vice president (1979-84), president (1984-87 and 1997-2002), as well as Treasurer which he held for a decade before retiring in 2016.

During his Board of Directors tenure, Casey was part of the introduction of the OHL Scholarship Program, Peterborough’s hosting of the 1996 Memorial Cup, 2011 Hockey Day in Canada and support for former Petes President Dave Pogue in the launch of the OHL’s Talk Today Mental Health Awareness Program.

In 2016, he won the Bill Long Award for Distinguished Service presented in recognition and appreciation of outstanding contributions to the OHL.

In honour of Casey’s contributions to the Petes, the team is recognizing him by wearing special decals on their helmets this season. The team will also be honouring Casey on the ice with details to come according to a press release.

Pat Casey’s obituary and service information can be found online.

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