Carroll’s Hat Trick Powers a Peterborough Win At Home
A blitz of goals through two periods scattered the visiting Kingston Frontenacs as the Peterborough Petes snapped a six game losing streak to defeat the Frontenacs 6-4 at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Thursday night.
Joe Carroll recorded a hat trick for the first time in a Peterborough uniform while Emmett Sproule returned from injury to have a two-point night. Nick Lardis, Sproule and J.R Avon recorded goals. Tye Austin backstopped the Maroon and White for their 25th win of the season.
The Lift lock lads fell behind at first. Kingston sophomore Maddox Callens tipped Paul Ludwinski‘s shot in front of the net above Austin’s left shoulder at 5:31 of the first period. Lardis replied with his 18th goal of the season to tie the game less than a minute later. Jonathan Melee recorded his fifth assist and ninth point as a Pete.
.@NickLardis91 is a certified goal scorer 🎯#GoPetesGo | @SUBWAY pic.twitter.com/UC7Z2bib9p
— Peterborough Petes (@PetesOHLhockey) March 31, 2022
The Fronts had a response of their own in the form of a quick goal 31 seconds after. Martin Chromiak, who sits fourth in team scoring with 74 points, bolstered his goal total to 35 at this point to make the score 2-1 in favor of Kingston. The Maroon and White would not be intimidated.
Spearheaded by a Sproule and fellow overager Carroll, Peterborough grabbed momentum in the first period. A dump-in play saw Sproule shove the Kingston defender out of position as a speeding Carroll dragged the puck across the crease and around Aidan Spooner, who went for the poke check. Carroll’s goal, his 20th of the season, marks the second 20-goal OHL season for the Petes veteran. Artem Guryev and Jax Dubois picked up the assists.
.@joe_carroll19 is so fancy 😮💨
His 20th of the season ties it up, 2-2!#GoPetesGo pic.twitter.com/7n2fT1oDjG
— Peterborough Petes (@PetesOHLhockey) March 31, 2022
Sproule generated Peterborough’s first lead of the night on a short-handed goal. Sproule intercepted a pass in the Petes zone and then quickly charged up the ice. With Tucker Robertson a step behind, Sproule decided to shoot the puck with the Fronts defenceman in front of him as a screen instead of waiting to possibly set up the one-timer. The shot blazed right under Spooner’s arm.
WELCOME BACK, EMMETT 🚨
Sproule's 4th shorthanded goal of the season puts us ahead 3-2, and we slide into 1st in the @OHLHockey with 16 shorthanded goals!#GoPetesGo | @SUBWAY pic.twitter.com/VRQTUwDHBL
— Peterborough Petes (@PetesOHLhockey) March 31, 2022
If it works once, try it again. That’s what Carroll and Sproule teamed up to do on the fourth goal for Peterborough. As the puck was tossed into the opposing zone, Sproule bumped Kingston’s defenceman off the puck for Carroll to swoop in and wheel in front of Spooner. Carroll went five hole this time to extend Peterborough’s lead.
EXACTLY THE SAME AS HIS FIRST GOAL 🚨 We lead 4-2!#GoPetesGo | @joe_carroll19 pic.twitter.com/xgPDGKodXM
— Peterborough Petes (@PetesOHLhockey) April 1, 2022
Kingston head coach Luca Caputi decided he had seen enough. He pulled Spooner out for the Finnish netminder Leevi Merilainen to spark his team.
The narrative tonight was high-scoring. The Fronts stormed back with a couple high quality chances before trimming Peterborough’s lead to one goal. Alec Belanger, assisted by Ludwinski, scored that goal.
A hat trick was on the horizon for Carroll and the overager was not going to be denied no matter who stood in the Kingston crease. Samuel Mayer made the first pass out of the Peterborough zone to Sproule, who threaded it to a streaking Carroll uncovered on the near boards. Carroll sent a laser top shelf past Merilainen to extend the lead to 5-3. The hats rained down and the game took a couple minutes to clear the ice.
The Fronts proved why they have one of the best power plays in the OHL. A scrum in the far corner deep in the Petes zone resulted in Kingston gaining possession. Shane Wright threw it toward the blue line. Lucas Edmonds was there and he slid the puck cross ice to Chromiak. Chromiak managed to shoot the puck through a maze of players who impaired Austin’s ability to see the shot unfold, and the puck found its way to the back of the net.
Peterborough trailed in shots, 28-21, but led in goals 5-4 through the first 40 minutes of back and forth action.
Neither team surrendered any easy chances in the third period. Both goalies made the saves when called upon, but the ice certainly seemed smaller. The only goal, Avon’s empty-netter, came at 19:21.
Austin turned aside 34 shots in the winning effort.
The Petes play one more game at home against the Ottawa 67’s this Saturday, Apr. 2. With three points separating the Petes and 67’s in the standings, this game has major playoff implications!
