Five Peterborough Petes To Participate In NHL Training Camps

Owen Beck (Montreal Canadiens), Sam Mayer (LA Kings), Donovan McCoy (Calgary Flames), Michael Simpson (Pittsburgh Penguins) and Konnor Smith (Anaheim Ducks) of the Peterborough Petes are attending NHL Camps beginning this week.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough PEtes.

“On behalf of the Petes, I’d like to wish all of these players good luck as they head to NHL Camps this week,” said Michael Oke, Petes general manager. “They have all worked hard and earned these opportunities and we know that they’ll make the best of them. We’re excited for the experience that they’ll bring back to the Petes this season.”

Beck, Mayer, McCoy, Simpson and Smith join six players from last year’s OHL Championship-winning team that will also be attending NHL Camps.

“I’d also like to recognize J.R. Avon (Philadelphia Flyers), Avery Hayes (Pittsburgh Penguins), Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers), Tucker Robertson (Seattle Kraken), Chase Stillman (New Jersey Devils) and Gavin White (Dallas Stars),” said Oke. “We wish them the best of luck as they head to their respective camps.”

Full player details can be found below:

Owen Beck - Montreal Canadiens - Signed (Drafted, second round, 33rd overall in 2022)

Beck, a 2004-born forward from Port Hope, Ont., was acquired by the Petes in a trade with the Mississauga Steelheads in January. In 30 regular season games with Peterborough, Beck scored seven times and added 18 assists for 25 points. Beck also picked up eight goals and eight assists in 22 playoff games, helping the Petes to their first OHL Championship since 2006. The Championship capped off a career season for Beck, who signed with the Montreal Canadiens in October, won a gold medal with Canada in the 2023 World Junior Championships, and made his NHL debut with Montreal on January 28.

Sam Mayer - Los Angeles Kings (Free Agent)

Mayer, an over-age defenceman from L’Orignal, Ont., was originally selected by the Petes in the first round, 15th overall in the 2020 OHL U18 Priority Selection. Mayer has never missed a game in his two years as a Pete, suiting up in 136 games as well as 27 playoff games for the Maroon and White. Over his two seasons in the league, Mayer has solidified himself as a top offensive defenceman, scoring 20 goals and adding 65 assists for 85 points. He will be attending LA Kings Camp as a Free Agent, after participating in their Development Camp in July.

Donovan McCoy - Calgary Flames (Free Agent)

McCoy, a 2004-born defenceman from Belleville, Ont., was a first-round pick, 15th overall, by the Petes in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection. Over two seasons with the Petes, McCoy has suited up for 126 games, scoring two goals and adding 27 assists for 29 points. During the Petes 2023 OHL Championship run, he added an extra step to his game offensively, scoring two goals and adding eight assists for 10 points in 22 games. McCoy will be attending Calgary Flames Camp as a Free Agent, after attending their Development Camp in July.

Michael Simpson - Pittsburgh Penguins (Free Agent)

Simpson, an over-age goaltender from London, Ont., was selected by the Petes in the 10th round, 193rd overall by the Petes in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection. He had a breakout year last season, finishing third in the OHL in GAA (2.73), second in SV% (.914), and first in shutouts (5), all while leading the league in games played (51). Simpson continued his career season into the playoffs, finishing with a 2.80 GAA and a .914 SV% in 23 games, leading the Petes to an OHL Championship and winning the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as the playoff MVP. Simpson will be attending Pittsburgh Penguins Camp as a free agent, after attending their Development Camp in June.

Konnor Smith - Anaheim Ducks (Drafted, fourth round, 97th overall in 2023)

Smith, a 2004-born defenceman from Windsor, Ont., was originally selected by the Petes in the ninth round, 175th overall, in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection. Standing at 6’6”, Smith had a career year for the Petes in 2022-23. In 65 games, Smith scored three goals and added 12 assists for 15 points. He added another two assists playing in all 23 playoff games for the Petes, helping lead them to an OHL Championship. In the 2023 Memorial Cup, Smith picked up an assist playing in all five games. This led to Smith being selected by the Anaheim Ducks with the first pick in the fourth round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft in June.

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Peterborough Petes Education Fund Awards Two $500 Scholarships to Local Students

Goaltender Yianni Karkoulas and defenceman Lauren Jeffery are recipients of the Peterborough Petes Education Fund of $500 for the 2022-2023 season.

Jeffery (left) and Karkoulas (right) as members of the U18 Ice Kats AA and Petes U18 AAA respectively. Photo courtesy of the PEterborough Petes.

The players are selected from the Petes U18 AAA and U18 Ice Kats AA by their coaches.

“Yianni is a fantastic kid who comes from a great family,” said Scott Roche, Petes U18 AAA head coach. “He’s extremely self-driven and highly motivated. First on the ice and always the last one off. We had to drag him off the ice sometimes. I coached him for two years and every teammate thought the world of him.”

Karkoulas currently plays for the Aurora Tigers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. He aspires to play in the OHL, move on to university hockey and then pursue a professional career. The goalie went to IE Weldon in Lindsay for his high school degree.

“I accept the award as a true honour and compliment to my commitment to the game and an awesome start to my future growth,” said Karkoulas. “I am extremely grateful to the Petes organization for the opportunity.” 

Jay Legault and the U18 IceKats coaching staff selected defenceman Lauren Jeffery as the other recipient.

“Lauren was a pleasure to coach for the last two seasons. She is a quiet leader who understands the game of hockey,” said Legault. “If you are looking for a smart, steady, responsible defence — and everyone is —, then you would be happy to have Lauren on your team.”

Jeffery is attending the University of Dubuque and is playing for their hockey in the NCAA division III league. She graduated from St. Peter Secondary School last June and played defence for the Saints girls hockey team that finished fourth at the AAA OFSAA championships in Windsor last March. 

“I am honoured to be selected for this award since it will contribute to my college fund,” said Jeffery.

The Petes Education Fund is overseen by Mike Martone, president; Rod McGillis secretary and treasurer and Laura Kennedy, vice president. Pat Casey, long-time Peterborough Petes board member and Petes player alumni started the Petes Education fund in the 1980s to help student-athletes further their education. Casey passed away in August.

“We are going to miss Pat Casey incredibly at the rink and helping out with the Petes Ed Fund,” said McGillis. “We all feel honoured and privileged to have known Pat and serve with him. It’s amazing he had the foresight to set up the education fund for the Petes and he knew how important education was to any hockey player and person. He will be dearly missed but we are proud to continue what Pat started.” 

There were $500.00 scholarships distributed to St. Peter, Holy Cross, TASSS, Crestwood, Adam Scott and Kenner each June. The school awards the Petes Education Fund scholarship to a graduating student who has improved themselves through their hard work over their four-year high school career.

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Peterborough Petes to Host Final Preseason Game at the Cavan-Monaghan Community Centre For Sept. 23

The Peterborough Petes’s final home preseason game against the Niagara IceDogs is being hosted at the Cavan-Monaghan Community Centre (CMCC) on Sept. 23 at 7:05 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Kenneth Andersen Photography and the Peterborough Petes.

Two types of tickets are available for purchase:

• Club Seats ($25) - guaranteed access to the CMCC Seating area, in and out privileges allowed, fully licensed area.

• General Admission ($20) - access to all areas of the CMCC except the Club seating area. Enjoy the game from the Lobby area or from above at the walking track or relax in the community room and watch on the big screen closed circuit feed.

Tickets are on sale by emailing tickets@millbrookhockey.com (please specify what ticket type and how many tickets you need). They are also available in person at Home Hardware - Millbrook, The Shack Pro Shop (Distillery St. Millbrook), and the CMCC Concession Stand.

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'Fleming Phoenix' Unveiled As New Mascot For Fleming College

During a celebration at Fleming College’s Sutherland Campus, the Fleming Phoenix was unveiled ‘Fleming Phoenix’ as the new athletics brand and mascot.

Photo courtesy of Fleming College.

The mascot represents the best of the Fleming College community as a mythical creature embodying the concepts of transformation and rebirth according to a press release.

Fleming continues to explain that it embodies Fleming students’ rise to new levels of success each day; Obstacles are an opportunity to transform into the best version of themselves. It is a symbol to Fleming’s dedication to continuous improvement according to the college.

The Phoenix replaces the now-retired Fleming Knight that served the school for over 50 years.

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Trent Excalibur Men's Lacrosse Nab Home Opener With 8-5 Victory Over Queen's University

There was no champion’s rust for the Trent Excalibur men’s lacrosse team as they defeated Queen’s University in their season opener 8-5 at the Justin Chiu Stadium on Wednesday night.

Photo courtesy of Trent University.

The Excalibur were coming off their Baggataway Cup championship with an undefeated 2022/23 season.

Jordan Dool got things rolling for Trent, scoring for Trent early in the first quarter. Cole Hanrahan followed with a second goal for the Excalibur. Jack Faller got on the board for Queen’s with 4:23 left in the quarter to cut the deficit in half and the score remained 2-1 going into the second.

Hanrahan continued where he left off with his second goal of the game while Jack MacAlpine, Holden Lowes, and Ben MacDonnell each tallied a goal to give the Excalibur a commanding 6-1 lead over the Gaels at the half.

Queen’s took advantage of the extended rest and came out firing in the third quarter. Reed Allen, Dano Realini and Faller all whipped the ball past Excalibur goaltender Jackson Brown to make it a 6-4 game heading into the last quarter.

Once again, Hanrahan struck again to kick off the fourth quarter, getting the hat trick to extend Trent’s lead by three. Dool tacked on his second of the night for and 8-4 lead. Queen’s got a late goal with 2:37 to play but Trent hung on for the 8-5 win and came out on top.

The Excalibur continue their homestand to take on the Ottawa Gee Gee’s on Saturday for 6:30 p.m.

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Peterborough Petes to Host First Regular Season School Day Game For Oct. 19

The Peterborough Petes are hosting their first-ever regular season school day game against the Soo Greyhounds at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Oct. 19 with puck drop at 11:05 a.m.

Photo courtesy of the PEterborough Petes.

This is the second school day game at the PMC this year after the Petes hosted the PWHPA OHL Showcase on Feb 10. The game saw over 3,400 students and fans cheer on some of the world’s best women’s hockey players. Names like Marie-Philip Poulin and Rebecca Johnston were playing in the game.

“The Petes are extremely excited to be hosting our second school day game this season,” said Adam King, Petes director of marketing. “With the success of last years’ PWHPA school day game, we thought this was a great opportunity to welcome local students back to the PMC for a regular season game and pack the building once again with tons of energetic (and loud) students.”

Student tickets are $15 and fundraising and anthem opportunities are also available to local schools according to the Petes.

Season Ticket Members are invited to attend the game with the Gibson’s Finest Club Section being held for interested parties. They will have one ticket voucher for every season ticket that they have on their account. The voucher(s) can be redeemed for any 2023-24 Petes home regular season game, including the school day game, beginning Monday.

Tickets for the school day game will not go on sale to the public at this time, as seats are being held for local school groups and Season Ticket Members to have first priority according to a press release. Interested fans are encouraged by the Petes to check back on Oct. 16 for ticket releases.

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Hometown PTBO: The Peterborough Minor Hockey Association Giving Back to the Community With a $80,000 Surplus

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks with Walter DiClemente and Chad Cavanagh of the Peterborough Minor Hockey Association about how they are giving back to community organizations with an $80,000 surplus from the Peterborough Petes championship season.

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Peterborough City U14 Girls Defend Title As Back-to-Back Soccer Champions

The Peterborough City U14 Girls of the Durham Region Soccer League have defended their championship, going back-to-back with a 3-1 win over Northumberland United on Tuesday.

Bottom Row (Left to Right): Lily Elizabeth Papageorge, Grace Plunkett, Kathryn Murphy, Ellie Lewington, Nia Spence, Charlotte Donaldson, Allie Hamilton

Top Row (Left to Right): Assistant Coach Nick Powers, Gabrielle Savoy, Brynne Bartleman, Payton Rogers, Elaina Wilson, Head Coach David Bartleman, Sydney Smith, Lily-May Borges, Bridgette Powers, Danica Bennett, Nora Staples, Assistant Coach Nicole Plunket Photo courtesy of David Bartleman.

The Peterborough U14 team captured their second-straight Tier 1 division title. Grace Plunkett struck twice for two scores and Charlotte Donaldson found the back of the net for Peterborough. Ellie Lewington kept the scoresheet low for her opponents as the goalkeeper, getting a league-leading eight shutouts on the season.

The team capped off an undefeated season of 12 wins and one draw.

The championship season saw the U14 girls have three top 10 goal-scorers in Plunkett (18), Danica Bennett (9) and Donaldson (9).

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Peterborough Petes Drop Second Preseason Game 5-3 To Oshawa Generals In Port Hope

It was a sold-out crowd of over 1,200 at the Jack Burger Sports Complex in Port Hope but the Peterborough Petes came out in a losing effort 5-3 against their rival Oshawa Generals on Monday night.

Oshawa Generals Ethan Tomms (left) and Peterborough PEtes Carson Cameron (right) jostling for position in Port Hope. Cameron was the first pick for the Petes in the last OHL Priority Selection. Photo courtesy of Jessica van Staalduinen and the Peterborough Petes

Chase Lefebvre scoring twice for the Petes while Tommy Purdeller also found the back of the net. Connor Lockhart and Jonathan Melee both got an assist. Carson Cameron and Dylan Woulds also had an assist each, getign their first points as Petes.. Michael Simpson stopped 19/23 shots in two periods while Easton Rye made six saves on seven shots in the third period. 

Scoring Summary

First Period: 

• Oshawa Goal - Owen Griffin (1), Assist - Luca Marrelli (1)

• Peterborough Goal - Tommy Purdeller (1), Assists - Connor Lockhart (1), Dylan Woulds (1)

• Oshawa Power Play Goal - Tyler Graham (2), Assists - Luca Marrelli (2), Owen Griffin (1)

• Peterborough Goal - Chase Lefebvre (1), Unassisted

Second Period: 

• Oshawa Goal - Beckett Sennecke (2), Assist - Dylan Roobroeck (1)

• Oshawa Goal - Owen Griffin (2), Assist - Stuart Rolofs (1)

Third Period:

• Peterborough Power Play Goal - Chase Lefebvre (2), Assists - Jonathan Melee (1), Carson Cameron (1)

• Oshawa Goal - Dylan Roobroeck (1), Unassisted

The game was the first of three Petes preseason home games to be held at local arenas. The other two taking place in Norwood and Millbrook on Sept. 23, and 24.

The Petes continue their preseason on Friday as they hit the road to Sudbury to take on the Wolves at 7:05. Fans can follow the action on the Petes Twitter Page.

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Darling and Sentinel Risk Insurance Fundraises To Food For Kids With Revival Of Golf Tournament After Three-Year Hiatus

After three years on the shelf, Darling Insurance and Sentinel Risk Insurance has come back with their annual charity golf tournament at the Peterborough Golf & Country Club on Thursday.

Mitch Ahrens of Darling Insurance playing the putting game as he practices for the tournament in support of Food For Kids. All photos by David Tuan Bui.

The last tournament was in 2019 where proceeds were split between Community Care Peterborough and The Peterborough Humane Society. The COVID-19 pandemic prevented the annual event from launching for the past three years.

“It's been something we've been doing for over 25 years,” said Peter Blodgett, Darling Insurance owner. “What we do is try and give back to a community that's been awfully good to us.”

Roughly over 100 golfers hit the links in a tournament to support of Food for Kids Peterborough and Food for Kids Kawartha Lakes.

“With what's going on in the world these days and the economic scenarios that we deal with in this community, we just felt that doing something for kids was just a worthwhile effort,” explained Blodgett.

A count has yet to be fully tallied for money raised but Darling Insurance in its last outing raised roughly $20,000 in 2019.

Darling Insurance wanted to thank the following organizations for helping put on the tournament:

• Wawanesa Insurance

• CAA Insurance

• The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group

• Intact Insurance

• Aviva Canada

• Gore Mutual Insurance

• LLF Lawyers

• Heartland Farm Mutual Insurance

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