Young Scores First as a Pete in 4-2 Loss to 67’s
It was a classic Thursday night matchup at the PMC as the Peterborough Petes hosted the rival Ottawa 67’s on January 25. The game was sponsored by the Ontario Nurses Association and celebrated local health care workers who were in attendance for the game. The Petes welcomed back 2023 OHL Champion Sam Mayer, who was traded to Ottawa at the trade deadline in exchange for three picks. Peterborough looked to take a commanding 4-1 lead in the season series, after starting off 3-0 against the 67’s this year. Both the Petes (0-7-1-0) and Ottawa (0-2-1-0) were looking to snap their losing streaks with a win on the night.
It was a tough start for the Maroon and White at home, with Ottawa coming out firing. Just two minutes into the game, a Matthew Mayich point shot made its way through traffic and into the net to give the 67’s an early lead. The Petes would fight back late. With just over two minutes remaining in the period, Tommy Purdeller sprung Chase Lefebvre on a break away. Lefebvre made a beautiful move to beat 67’s goaltender Collin MacKenzie and tie the game up heading into the break. Liam Sztuska continued his hot play in the period, stopping 15/16 through one.
The second period would see Ottawa strike early once again. Three minutes in, Bradley Horner tipped a Caden Kelly point shot past Sztuska to give the 67’s the lead back. Sztuska bounced right back, refusing to be beaten for the remainder of the frame, stopping 19/20 second period shots. As the buzzer sounded, Ottawa remained up 2-1 heading into the Final Frame.
With Ottawa pushing to hold their lead in the third, the Petes would break through seven minutes in. After a scramble behind the net, Caden Taylor fired the puck out to Aiden Young, who scored his first goal as a Pete to tie the game at 2-2. With Ottawa in control of the play late, they would score on the power play to retake the lead with five minutes remaining. The 67’s added an empty netter and won the game by a score of 4-2.
Liam Sztuska led the way for the Petes, stopping 52/55 shots in the loss. Aiden Young scored his first goal as a Pete, while Chase Lefebvre scored his sixth goal in his last eight games. Tommy Purdeller, Nico Addy, Caden Taylor, and Cam Gauvreau all picked up an assist on the night.
The Petes are back in action on Friday, January 26, when they travel to London to take on Michael Simpson and the London Knights. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Budweiser Gardens. Fans can catch the game at the Official Road Game Watch Party at Shoeless Joe’s Peterborough. The game will also be broadcasted on YourTV Peterborough and Freq 90.5.