Wells on the Nice List as Petes Top Fronts
Photo credit: Terry Wilson/OHL Images
The Petes travelled East down the 401 on Friday night for their first trip to the Rogers K-Rock Centre this campaign, looking to head into the Christmas break on a high note. Dylan Wells stole the show on Friday Night Hockey, shutting down Kingston on all but one occasion as the Petes put a lump of coal in the Fronts’ stockings, winning 3-1.
The Electric City Boys wasted no time cracking the double-goose eggs, as overager Michael Clarke finished a play just 27 seconds into the opening frame to open the scoring on an unassisted goal.
Kingston controlled the remainder of the first period, but rookie keeper Dylan Wells was in top form throughout the opening frame, stopping 14 Kingston shots to close out the opening frame up 1-0.
Peterborough only put four shots on Kingston starter Lucas Peressini in the first period, and the story was much the same in period two, with the Fronts keeper only facing seven Petes chances. Kingston was again the aggressor in the second, but Wells dominated the second stanza as well, making numerous saves from in close.
The high-performance goaltending gave Petes’ forwards a spark toward the end of middle period, and with just three seconds to play in the second Josh MacDonald doubled the Petes lead on a great hustle play from Clarke and Steve Lorentz. The Fronts lead 28-11 in shots after two periods.
In the final frame, Kingston looked to get on the board early but young Wells continued to shine. With just over twelve minutes to play in regulation, though, the Fronts capitalized on a big rebound as Ryan Verbeek scored from Conor McGlynn and Roland McKeown at 8:48 to cut the Petes’ lead to 2-1.
Kingston couldn’t make any more waves, however, and with the Fronts’ net empty, Josh MacDonald flipped the puck into the gaping cage to lock up the Petes’ win with an unassisted marker. When the clock ticked to zero, Dylan Wells had made 36 saves for the win.
Wells, Clarke, and Robert Polesello were the first, second, and third stars of the game, respectively. The Petes are off until December 28, when they visit the Oshawa Generals after a nine-day layoff.
Tickets are available here for the New Year’s Day home game against Niagara, which will be followed by a free skate with the Petes. Follow the Petes on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for the latest updates.
