Petes Primed for Battles Against Hamilton, Kingston, and Ottawa This Week
The Peterborough Petes set their sights on four opponents this week as they cling to the last playoff spot entering the final eight games of the season. The Petes, who are slotted in eighth place in the OHL Eastern Conference standings, are three points ahead of the ninth-place Sudbury Wolves. Peterborough host the Hamilton Bulldogs tomorrow, the Kingston Frontenacs this Thursday, and battle the Ottawa 67’s this Saturday before concluding the week with a road trip to FirstOntario Centre to square off against Hamilton one last time.
The Petes and Bulldogs last met on March 15 when the Mighty Maroon and White defeated the top-seeded Bulldogs, 3-1. Seven Petes recorded a point. Tucker Robertson scored his 34th goal of the season to open the scoring. The Petes didn’t have hometown product and New Jersey Devils prospect Chase Stillman in the lineup that night but dominated en route to victory. Petes fans should be excited to see how their team fares when top prospects Stillman and Artem Guryev (San Jose Sharks) and the rest of the club suit up to duel Hamilton tomorrow at the Peterborough Memorial Centre at 7 pm. The Petes will have a pre-game ceremony with Mason McTavish as he’ll take on the Petes for the first time since being dealt at this year’s deadline.
The Petes have a day off before playing again on Thursday against the Fronts. These teams have been trading victories since Jan. 7 except for Sunday’s road game in Kingston. As teams are getting ready for playoffs, the intensity on the ice grows as does the hatred between these squads. Peterborough led in shots, 10-6, after the first period on Sunday and narrowly trailed in the shot totals, 35-33 after 60 minutes. Brian Zanetti scored his fourth goal of the season and was assisted by Kaspars Ziemins. Zanetti broke his 15 game goal drought. Puck drops at 7:05 pm at the Memorial Centre.
The Petes and 67’s close out their season series at Lock and Lansdowne Street this Saturday. Overall, Peterborough holds a 6-5 in the season series and has defeated Ottawa in two of the last three outings. Ottawa does not do well in the Memorial Centre. They have lost four of five visits and have been outscored 16-10. J.R. Avon, Joe Carroll, Robertson, and Emmett Sproule each collected two points on Feb. 10, the last time Peterborough hosted Ottawa.
In the only game away from the best fans in the OHL, the Petes and Bulldogs will play their final regular season game against one another on Sunday in Hamilton. The contest could be a measuring stick for the OHL playoffs as the likely opening round matchup for the Lift Lock lads is against the Dogs. Hamilton is tied for third for giving up the most short handed goals this season. On the other side, Peterborough is tied with the Saginaw Spirit for most short handed goals at 15. Though Hamilton is a very good team, the Petes have proven they can beat really good teams throughout the 2021-22 campaign. Peterborough won against Hamilton the first time they met each other this season so it would be poetic justice for the Petes to take this game.
