GAME 2 PREVIEW: Petes Look to Even Series with Battalion at Home
It was a hard fought battle in game 1 between the North Bay Battalion and the Peterborough Petes. After Easton Rye set the tone early with a massive save two minutes into the game, the Petes faithful knew that they would have a goaltender battle on their hands. A physical, gritty two periods followed, with neither team really having the upper hand. It wouldn’t be until late in the second period, when an innocent looking shot from Lirim Amidovski hit off of the crossbar, then off of Rye’s back, trickled over the goal line to break the ice. Peterborough would push for an equalizer in the third, at one point hitting three posts in a 20 second stretch, but would be unable to find it as North Bay took Game 1 by a score of 1-0.
Tonight, the two teams face off once again at the PMC, with Peterborough looking to tie the series before heading to North Bay for games 3 and 4. This will be the first time since the 2023 playoffs that the Petes play at home on back-to-back nights. Game 1 is now the fourth out of five games this season between Peterborough and North Bay that has been decided by one goal, with the fifth being a Battalion 3-1 win with an empty netter. The series so far looks like it is going to be the series to watch for the first round of the OHL playoffs.
In game 1, Easton Rye showed why he was the winner of the Petes Executive Trophy this season (MVP as voted by teammates). Rye put the team on his back, making multiple huge saves all night. After 60 minutes, Rye stopped 29/30, a stellar OHL playoff debut. To get a result tonight, the Petes offence will need to show what they can do. They showed flashes of brilliance last night, but will have to show more consistency moving forward. With only six players on this Petes team having any previous playoff experience, it’s the veterans’ time to take over and lead this team to hit their full potential.
On the North Bay side, their playoff experience certainly showed in game one. Opposite the Petes, the Battalion only have six players on their roster without any previous playoff experience. Jack Lisson proved to be a rock behind the North Bay defence, stopping all 26 Petes shots in his OHL playoff debut. The Battalion penalty kill really stepped up in Game 1. Both captain Ethan Procyszyn and Ryder Cali were forces on the PK, not only pressuring the Petes power play, but forcing multiple shorthanded chances.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at the Peterborough Memorial Centre. Tickets for the game can be purchased by clicking here, calling (705) 743-3561, or by visiting the Doane Grant Thornton Box Office during office hours. Fans can also catch the game live on YourTV Peterborough, Freq 90.5, and FloHockey.
