Petes win first OHL title in 17 years
The Peterborough Petes have punched their ticket to the 2023 Memorial Cup presented by Kia as OHL Champions after a 4-2 series win over the London Knights.
The Petes won Game 6 2-1 Sunday night in London to secure the 10th J. Ross Robertson Cup in franchise history.
Peterborough is a one-time Memorial Cup champion and will make their 10th appearance at the tournament and first since 2006. They were crowned champions in 1979.
Tucker Robertson (SEA) scored the game-winner with 8:50 left in regulation as he tipped in Donovan McCoy’s point shot. Avery Hayes had given Peterborough a second period lead before Max McCue tied things up in the third but Robertson buried the series clincher 3:11 later.
Petes goaltender Michael Simpson collected the ‘Wayne Gretzky 99 Award’ as OHL Playoffs MVP after he recorded a 2.80 GAA and .918 save percentage in 23 games. Brennan Othmann led Peterborough in postseason scoring with 25 points while Avery Hayes’ 12 goals were a team-high. Five different Petes (Avon, Hayes, Lockhart Othmann, Robertson) all had multiple game-winners throughout the playoffs.
.@PetesOHLhockey captain Shawn Spearing lifts the J. Ross Robertson Cup for the 10th time in franchise history! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/oj5bPthoz9
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) May 22, 2023
After they finished fourth in the Eastern Conference with 74 points, the Petes made quick work of Sudbury in the first-round with a four-game sweep. In Round 2, the Petes eliminated the OHL’s regular season champion Ottawa 67’s in six games that was highlighted by Connor Lockhart’s (VAN) Game 6 hat-trick.
In the Eastern Conference Championship Series, Peterborough bested North Bay in Game 7 after a 3-2 win where J.R. Avon (PHI) had the game-winner.
After London shutout Peterborough in Game 1 of the OHL Championship Series, the Petes rattled off four straight wins to close the series out. Tucker Robertson (SEA) had four points in a 5-3 Game 2 win before he buried the overtime winner in Game 3 to complete a 6-5 victory. Avon had two goals in a 5-3 win in Game 4 while Michael Simpson made 50 saves. The Petes were beaten 4-1 in Game 5 but rebounded to claim a 10th OHL title on home ice Sunday evening.
After a slow start to the regular season, Michael Oke made radical moves that began with the acquisition of Brennan Othmann (NYR) from Flint in November. Ahead of the OHL Trade Deadline, Oke picked up Owen Beck (MTL), Avery Hayes and Gavin White (DAL) to join a nucleus that already featured Avon, Lockhart, Samuel Mayer, Robertson and Chase Stillman (NJ).
Hayes and White are now two-time OHL Champions after they hoisted the J. Ross Robertson Cup last season with Hamilton and are the only two Petes to have previously played in the Memorial Cup.
Peterborough will open its 2023 Memorial Cup presented by Kia campaign May 27 against either Seattle before they battle the host Kamloops Blazers a day later. They will conclude their round-robin schedule against Quebec on May 30.
All 2023 Memorial Cup games will be broadcasted in Canada on TSN and RDS. Games will also be available in the United States on the NHL Network and for subscribers of CHL TV outside of North America. A very limited supply of tickets for the 2023 Memorial Cup presented by Kia, including for single games of the tournament, are available for purchase here.
2023 Memorial Cup presented by Kia Schedule:
May 26 – Game 1: Kamloops vs. Quebec — 6p.m. PT
May 27 – Game 2: Peterborough vs. Seattle — 3p.m. PT
May 28 – Game 3: Peterborough vs. Kamloops — 3p.m. PT
May 29 – Game 4: Quebec vs. Seattle — 6p.m. PT
May 30 – Game 5: Quebec vs. Peterborough — 6p.m. PT
May 31 – Game 6: WHL vs. Kamloops — 6p.m. PT
June 1 – Tie-Breaker, if necessary, — 6p.m. PT
June 2 – Semi-final — 6p.m. PT
June 4 – Final — 4p.m. PT
