Peterborough Petes Tucker Robertson Named OHL Player of the Week

Peterborough Petes forward Tucker Robertson OHL Player of the Week, following five points including three goals and two assists after a pair of victories announced Monday.

Photo Courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

Robertson got the Petes going on last Thursday with a goal and two assists in the 4-3 home win over the Hamilton Bulldogs. He earned first star honours going 21-for-29 in the faceoff circle getting the Petes’ third win of the season.

The forward scored another pair of goals on Saturday against the Niagara IceDogs 5-4. Robertson was once again the game’s first star, going 16-for-30 in faceoffs while recording four shots on goal.

“I had a great summer, the 18 months off because of COVID-19 helped me out a lot for training,” said Robertson. “I want to get to the highest level and I want to be the best I can be. I’ve had a lot of great people around me, and the coaches have had a lot of trust in me. I have a lot of great teammates as well.”

An 18-year-old product of Toronto, Ont., Robertson is second among OHL skaters producing 1.78 points-per-game this season. His 16 points (6-10–16) over nine contests pace the Peterborough offence while his 238 faceoffs are the third-most in the League as he currently boasts a 58.8 percent success rate.

Robertson recorded 18 points (8-10–18) over 55 games in 2019-20 after being a fourth-round (72nd overall) pick from the Toronto Marlboros U16 program in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection. He attended rookie camp with the Carolina Hurricanes this past September.

Robertson along with teammates Sam Alfano and Justin DeZoete were named to NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch List last month.

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Peterborough Singers Prepare to Deck the Halls with Yuletide Cheer Concert

Peterborough Singers have announced that their annual Yuletide Cheer concert will take place on Nov. 27.

Yuletide Cheer Concert 2016. Photo courtesy of Peterborough Singers.

Hosted at Emmanuel United Church, George St.N, Concert go-ers will hear seasonal repertoire, including instrumental music from the brass ensemble Venabrass, and the Peterborough Singers premiere performance of ‘To be continued …’, a commissioned piece by Len Ballantine.

The concert will be approximately 75 minutes long and will not include an intermission.

All tickets must be purchased online.

All audience members are required to wear a mask at all times and must be fully vaccinated. Choir members will also be masked.

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Local Man Takes Cancer Diagnosis in Stride and Starts 'Dave's Walk Against Cancer' to Raise Funds for PRHC

Local man Dave Graham is taking his cancer diagnosis in stride and fundraising for the Cancer Clinic at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC).

Dave meets one of his neighbors on his walks. Photo courtesy of Dave Graham.

Graham was diagnosed with colon cancer in March, had surgery and is now receiving chemotherapy twice a month.

“It took me totally by surprise,” he said. “I had no symptoms, no nothing. I thought ‘this is crazy’. But the more I thought of it I figured there has to be some sort of good come out of it.”

He visited PRHC and got to work setting up his fundraiser, in partnership with the PRHC Foundation.

Starting in August, Graham committed to walking 7,000 steps each day until Dec. 17 in hopes to raise $5,000.

Walking rain or shine, by the end of this fundraiser he will have walked 775,000 steps.

Not even one month into his fundraiser, after his ninth cancer treatment, Graham has raised over $6,700. After seeing the success his fundraiser is having he has changed his goal to $10,000.

“It’s just phenomenal. I’m so pleased with what Christ has done to encourage donations. The people donating - I know most of them, they’re wonderful people.”

Graham says these walks have allowed him to meet neighbors he never has before, and he now appreciates even more the landscape around his home with fall colours coming through.

“I start my walk at about 7:30, walk about two miles and it takes about an hour. I come home and my wife has the coffee ready, it’s exciting.”

In addition to his personal fundraiser, Graham’s son and daughter have started their own fundraisers for the Cancer Centre at PRHC.

“It’s almost like we’re starting a family business,” he says.

Dave says the cows he walks by daily have become quite friendly. Photo courtesy of Dave Graham.

“Cancer blew me away, but through His grace I’ve been able to do what I am doing. My faith has carried me through but my determination has also helped considerably.”

Graham says his walks have helped him to feel good throughout his diagnosis, his last round of treatment is Dec. 1.

All money raised will help fund the equipment and technology PRHC’s Cancer Care team use to provide compassionate cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment.

Online donations will go directly to the PRHC Foundation and a receipt will be issued automatically. Donations can also be made by cash or cheque (made out to the PRHC Foundation) through Dave Graham who will pass them on to the Foundation.

Tax receipts will be issued by the Foundation in time for the 2021 tax deadline.

To donate click here.

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Undefeated Trent Excalibur Women's Field Lacrosse Team Wins Back-To-Back Championships

A successful title defence for the Trent Excalibur women’s field lacrosse team as they won the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Patterson Cup championships at Vaso’s FIeld in Oshawa on Sunday afternoon.

Queen’s Gaels had defeated the Trent Excalibur four times during the regular season. Photo courtesy of Trent Excalibur.

Trent defeated the Queen’s Gaels 10-9, maintaining a lead the entire match. It was the first victory all season that Trent had over Queen’s.

Mackenzie Manuliak led Trent’s offence with four goals while OUA all-star Avery Digiorgio scored twice. Jocelyne Lemay rounded out the Excalibur scoring with three goals.

Excalibur head coach Tori Wasson was awarded Coach of the Year while midfielder Avery Digiorgio and defender Victoria Clark were named First Team All-Stars.

“It’s all about the team, and the leadership from the student-athletes and coaches,” said Deborah Bright-Brundle, director of Athletics and Recreation at Trent University. “To come back to the pitch from an intensive training year due to pandemic to win the Patterson Cup once again and win gold in 2021 is truly amazing. We could not be prouder of our women’s lacrosse team and program. All credit goes to our coaches and student-athletes.”

Trent defeated the Guelph Gryphons 12-5 and trounced the Wilfred Laurier Golden Hawks 19-5 on Saturday to advance to the semifinals on day one of the tournament. They defeated the Western Mustangs 13-5 on Sunday to advance to the championship game.

“Our team worked hard for this win,” said Wasson following the gold medal victory. “I’m so proud of each player. This win was all them – the heart, getting to this point, and rising as a team is so important.”

In just eight years, the team has won the Patterson Cup three times, first in 2016, then again in 2019 and 2021. In 2018, the team won bronze at the OUA Championship.

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Peterborough Museum and Archives Receives Grant From Canadian Heritage

The Peterborough Museum & Archives (PMA) has been awarded a grant of $6,500 by the Department of Canadian Heritage.

The grant was provided through the Museums Assistance Program Exhibition Circulation Fund, in support of the of The Ones We Met: Inuit Traditional Knowledge and the Franklin Expedition, currently on display until Dec. 5.

This exhibition, produced by the Canadian Museum of History in partnership with the Inuit Heritage Trust, explores the role of Inuit oral history in solving the mystery of the Franklin expedition.

“The Ones We Met” features photographs, illustrations and an animated map of routes chartered by Europeans looking for a northwest passage 350 years before Franklin’s expedition. Visitors can also listen to recordings of the late Inuit historian Louie Kamookak, including his reflections on the ongoing importance of oral histories.

“An important part of the PMA’s mandate is to present exhibitions that are of interest to our community. Funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage allows us to share Canadian and globally relevant stories with visitors of all ages,” said Councillor Lesley Parnell, Council representative on the Museum and Archives Advisory Committee.

Visit www.peterborough.ca/museum to learn more.

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BST Vacations Roll the Dice and Add Las Vegas to Their 2022 Peterborough Departures Lineup

Blowes and Stewart Travel Group Ltd (BST Vacations) has announced that travelers can hit the strip in Las Vegas as part of their 2022 Peterborough Departures lineup.

In October 2022 BST Vacations will be heading to Las Vegas, flying from the Peterborough Airport.

“Vegas has been a destination that our clients have been asking us to travel to for years. We are so happy that this is finally coming to fruition and we are able to fly there as part of our Peterborough Departures program,” said Scott Stewart, President of BST Vacations. “The pandemic forced us to cancel our 2020 and 2021 departures so we are very excited to be able to have such a robust lineup for 2022.”

BST Vacations recently entered into an agreement for their Departures with Canadian North, an airline based in Northwest Territories and Nunavut. This agreement is what has made further reaching destinations possible, as BST will be using Canadian North’s 737-700 Aircraft for the charter.

The trip to Las Vegas is for 3 nights/4 days and passengers will stay at the Planet Hollywood Resort. Overlooking the Las Vegas Strip, this sprawling high-rise casino resort is in the heart of the action and offers plenty of options for dining, entertainment, and gambling.

Las Vegas is one of eight departures BST Vacations is operating out of the Peterborough Airport in 2022. Other destinations include St. John’s, Newfoundland (sold out); Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; Nashville, Tennessee (2 departures – limited space); New Orleans, Louisiana (limited space); Savannah, Georgia; & Atlantic City, New Jersey.

For full details on this or any of the departures, visit the BST Vacations website here.

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Selwyn Public Library is Hosting an Online Auction to Support Library Services

The Selwyn Public Library is holding an online silent auction from Nov. 1- Nov. 12, to raise funds toward the Support Our Library Campaign.

Bridgenorth Branch of Selwyn Public Library. Photo courtesy of Selwyn Public Library.

Fundraising revenues support library services such as virtual collections and resources (eBooks and eAudiobooks), adult and children’s programs, and community outreach initiatives including the home library service, pop-up libraries, and our pollinator garden.

These funds have traditionally been raised through the effort of volunteers at the libraries New-to-You stores, along with annual book sales. However, with the required intermittent closures of these stores and the inability to hold our annual book sales due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the library has been exploring new ways to raise these revenues.

This year's goal is to raise $10,000.

Selwyn Public Library’s Auction will be completely online, allowing participants to bid for items from home.

The auction is made possible through generous donations from community members and local businesses. It will feature a wide variety of interesting items including artwork, gift baskets, unique experiences, and gift certificates.

To view items and to bid, visit www.galabid.com/selwynlibrary

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Hometown PTBO: Bill Speers On His Father's NHL Legacy, The Lindsay Clipper and Relationship With Bobby Orr

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday speaks with Bill Speers of Lindsay about this father Francis William Speer and his NHL legacy, the story behind the "The Lindsay Clipper" nickname and relationships with Bobby Orr and other hockey greats.

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PTBOCanada's First-Ever Kids Pumpkin Decorating Contest With Lansdowne Place Results

The inaugural “PTBOCanada Kids Pumpkin Decoration Contest” with Lansdowne Place was a great success with loads of entries from Peterborough and surrounding communities.

The following are the top three pumpkins for this year’s contest:

• First place - Ocean Hurd, age 8

• Second place - Aiden Rogers, age 11

• Third place - River Gerolomy, age 3

Us at PTBOCanada and everyone at Lansdowne Place would like to thank all participants in our contest, and hope that it got you in the Halloween spirit!

Take a scroll through some more great entries below.

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Sam Alfano of the Petes named OHL Academic Player of the Month

The Ontario Hockey League announced on Friday that Sam Alfano of the Peterborough Petes has been named the OHL’s East Division Academic Player of the Month for October.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

Alfano holds a 96% average in five Grade 12 U/M level courses at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School and posted the highest grade in the class with a perfect 100% on his Grade 12 University Data Management midterm.

He is described by his teacher as a hard worker, well-mannered and very interactive with the students while balancing a busy hockey schedule.

The 17-year-old forward was drafted by the Petes 23rd overall in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection out of the Southern Tier Admirals U16 program and has scored one goal over his first eight OHL games.

The Cayuga, Ont. native was named OMHA-SCTA Player of the Year in the 2019-20 season with 63 points over 32 games with the Admirals.

“It’s been awesome. The transition coming from my hometown to Peterborough has been made easy with the support of my parents, the Petes staff and our Academic Advisor Shannon Fife,” said Alfano.

Owen Beck (Mississauga Steelheads; Central Division), Cal Uens (Owen Sound Attack; Midwest Division), and Bronson Ride (Windsor Spitfires; West Division) were also named Academic Players of the Month for October.

A total of 343 graduates utilized their OHL Scholarship at post-secondary institutions across North America during the 2020-21 academic year, with a total contribution by teams of over $3.1 million. Over the past 10 seasons, OHL Scholarship payments have totalled more than $25 million.

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