Resilient Petes fall short to Battalion in overtime
Tucker Robertson found the score sheet in his 100th OHL game, while Samuel Mayer and JR Avon each added one a piece as well in an overtime loss to the Battalion.
The maroon and white got off to an energetic start as soon as Jax Dubois won the game’s opening faceoff. The Carroll-Avon-Lardis line followed that shift from the fourth line up with a nice display of offensive zone possession themselves. Between the two lines, the Petes had registered the first five shots of the game in a minute and a half of play.
Fives minutes into the first, the Battalion gained the Petes zone. Forward Owen Van Steensel gathered a soft Kyle Jackson dish at the right dot and quickly delivered a low hard drive on net that got behind a surprised Michael Simpson. Despite the Petes lively start to the night, Van Steensel’s 7th of the year gave the Battalion an early lead.
The Petes continued to outshoot the Battalion all throughout the first period and generated no shortage of good looks in hopes of a tying marker.
With six minutes remaining in the first, the top line went to work. Emmett Sproule received a Chase Stillman feed down low and promptly put a centering pass on the tape of Tucker Robertson in the high slot. Robertson corralled the pass, slightly adjusted his shooting angle, and fired a perfectly placed snapshot past the glove hand of Joe Vrbetic. Robertson celebrated his 100th OHL game with his team-leading 26th goal on the play.
The high percentage scoring area or Tucker Robertson’s office? You tell us! ????#GoPetesGopic.twitter.com/uI6ILVURey
— Peterborough Petes (@PetesOHLhockey) February 19, 2022
At around the two minute mark of the first, the Battalion made a valiant effort to take a lead into intermission on a cross-crease play between Matvey Petrov and Brandon Coe, but Michael Simpson had other plans.
Brick wall, waterfall, Michael Simpson stops them all! #SoBoomWithThatAttitude ???? pic.twitter.com/nDrnshqVcz
— Peterborough Petes (@PetesOHLhockey) February 19, 2022
The Petes and Battalion were all knotted up at one heading into first intermission, with shots on goal favouring the Petes 13-7.
Two minutes into the middle frame, the Battalion took a bench minor penalty for too many men, sending the Petes to their first powerplay of the night. The Petes did not succeed on the man advanatage, but went right back to the powerplay just two seconds after the first one ended as a result of goaltender interference. With nine seconds left in the goalie interference minor, the Battalion took yet another penalty, this time for roughing.
The Petes were unable to make good on what amounted to six consecutive minutes of powerplay time, and the game remained even at one.
With 9:54 to go in the second. Battalion D Ty Nelson crept in from the right point to maintain offensive zone position. He made a pass to the middle of the ice to overage forward Mitchell Russell, who turned towards the Petes net and let go off a wrister that got by the blocker hand of Michael Simpson.
Just 40 seconds later, the Petes received another powerplay opportunity after Nick Lardis was clipped by an errant high stick that resulted in a double minor. On the ensuing powerplay, Emmett Sproule made a backhand pass to powerplay quarterback Samuel Mayer, who sent a point shot through a maze of bodies and behind Vrbetic. Mayer’s 9th of the season brought the game back to even.
???? Sam Mayer avec le but égalisateur! Bravo! #GoPetesGo pic.twitter.com/0seaF2At04
— Peterborough Petes (@PetesOHLhockey) February 19, 2022
The Petes found themselves in a bit of penalty trouble of their own to close out the second period. Artem Guryev went off for hooking and then Samuel Mayer soon followed him for cross-checking, which tasked the Petes with trying to kill off a 5-on-3 without two key members of the PK unit.
Guryev’s penalty came off the board, but the Petes were not so fortunate for the rest of the kill. The Battalion worked the puck from low to high and onto the stick of Kyle Jackson, who blasted a one-timer from the left dot past the glove side of Simpson.
The Battalion carried a 3-2 lead into the final frame.
At the 13:59 mark of the third, The Petes set up for an offensive zone faceoff on the right side of the ice. The draw was not won cleanly, and the puck was eventually knocked loose towards the Battalion goal. JR Avon hunted down the 50/50 puck and picked it up just as Vrbetic attempted to poke check it away. The failed poke check attempt caused Vrbetic to scramble, while Avon demonstrated excellent patience to wait out the outstretched Battalion netminder and put the tying goal away.
???? Sam Mayer avec le but égalisateur! Bravo! #GoPetesGo pic.twitter.com/0seaF2At04
— Peterborough Petes (@PetesOHLhockey) February 19, 2022
With four minutes left in the third, Artem Guryev laid a thunderous hit on Battalion captain Brandon Coe, which resulted in a couple of off-setting minor penalties after the fact. The Petes and Battalion played a few of the final minutes of regulation with some extra ice during 4-on-4 action, but neither team broke the 3-3 tie.
This game need overtime!
The Petes won the opening draw in overtime, which results in a nice chance off the rush. Brian Zanetti made the breakout pass to Emmett Sproule, who attacked the offensive zone from the left side of the ice. Sproule threaded a pass over to Tucker Robertson, who was driving the net, and his attempt narrowly missed.
The Battalion had the next big opportunity in the opening minute of overtime. Matvey Petrov blazed down the left wing into a 2-on-1 opportunity and approached the situation with a shot-first mentality, which proved wise for him. His wrist shot attempt snuck under the arm of Michael Simpson to secure the win for the Battalion. The Petes came out of the night with a single point.
The Petes return to the PMC on Monday afternoon at 2:05 pm to host the Barrie Colts for their Next Gen Game. You can watch the game on Channel 700 on YourTV Peterborough or tune into Freq 90.5 on your radio.
