GAME PREVIEW: Petes Host Colts in Final Home Game of the Regular Season
The Peterborough Petes are coming off of a massive win in North Bay on Sunday, which saw them inch closer to securing home ice for the first round of the 2026 OHL Playoffs. Brennan Faulkner played the hero once again for the Petes, scoring his 27th goal of the year in overtime to secure the Petes only win over the Battalion this season. It is guaranteed that the Petes and North Bay will face off in round one of the playoffs, but with each team having three games left on the schedule, and the Battalion sitting two points behind Peterborough, home ice is still very much up for grabs. The Petes do hold the tiebreaker in ROW (regulation plus overtime wins) meaning that North Bay will have to finish with more points to secure fourth place in the conference.
Tonight, the Petes host the Barrie Colts at the Peterborough Memorial Centre for the only time this season. The game is the Petes 23rd sell-out of the season and is presented by Freq 90.5. With the Colts loss in Kingston last night, Brantford has officially clinched the Eastern Conference crown, meaning that this game will have no impact on the standings from Barrie’s side, as they will finish second in the Conference and first in the Central Division. The pressure will be on the Petes from the other side, as a win will get them closer to clinching fourth. The Petes will have a special guest in attendance tonight, as they welcome 2026 Paralympic Wheelchair gold medalist and Dunsford native Jon Thurston to the game. Thurston will be in the Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame beginning at 6:05 p.m. before dropping the puck alongside Freq 90.5.
It’s all about the OA’s tonight as Brennan Faulkner, James Petrovski, and Matthew Soto all make their final regular season appearance on home ice. Each player will be recognized before the game with a presentation highlighting their amazing OHL careers.
Soto (KIngston) and Petrovski (Owen Sound, Flint) were both acquired from the Petes for their OA season, and have both made a huge impact on the team this season. Soto currently sits fourth on the team in scoring with 49 points, while Petrovski leads all Petes defencemen in points with 30. Both players are on pace to finish their OHL careers with 299 games played, as they wrap up their regular season on Sunday night in Oshawa.
Faulkner, a former U18 first round pick, will finish his time in the OHL as a career Pete. Having cracked the lineup out of training camp in 2023-24, he has played in 194 games and counting in Maroon and White. After having only scored six goals in his first two seasons, Faulkner is having a career year, having scored 27 times while picking up 19 assists. He has also solidified himself as one of the top defensive forwards in the league and was recently named twice in the OHL’s Coaches Poll (defensive forward, most improved).
Soto will attend Bowling Green University next season, while Faulkner heads to Robert Morris University. Petrovski is still yet to make a decision on where he will play next year.
Tonight’s game is sold-out, but fans can catch the game on YourTV Peterborough, Freq 90.5, and FloHockey.
