The Peterborough Examiner e-edition

Petes remain winless in exhibition play

Justin DeZoete scores for second game in a row

MIKE DAVIES EXAMINER SPORTS DIRECTOR mike.davies @peterboroughdaily.com

As long as the Peterborough Petes compete hard, coach Rob Wilson won’t sweat the early results.

The Petes are searching for their first win three games into the OHL pre-season after a 5-2 loss to the Sudbury Wolves at Sudbury Community Arena Friday night.

Sudbury built a 3-0 lead on a pair of goals 1:48 apart late in the first period and another 67 seconds into the second. The Petes, now 0-2-1, scored two quick goals to draw within 3-2 before Sudbury added third period insurance.

Coming off a 9-2 loss to the Kingston Frontenacs Thursday, Wilson said he expected tough games with only one player in his lineup with a full season of OHL experience under his belt in Keegan McMullen.

“We had a very slow start. I think the bus legs got the better of us after playing last night,” he said. “The second period we played really well. In the third period we just ran out of gas.”

The one thing Wilson has liked is the compete level of his players even when the score has slipped away.

“Compete is very important and hard to teach,” he said. “You can teach a lot of things but if

you have guys who don’t want to compete you’re going to have trouble. This group is showing they want to compete.

“It’s hard right now when you look at Keegan as our only experienced player in the lineup this weekend, I mean the only one with real league experience and he’s played one year with us as a 17-year-old. There’s a lot to ask of these guys right now and the one thing you want to see is will you compete?

“Will you come when the chips are down and you’re playing three games in four nights

and everybody is exhausted. Are you going to block a shot? Are you going to stick up for your teammates? Are you going to get a puck out at the blue-line or go to the front of the net or wear guys down. We’re showing we have that in our game.

“Obviously you’re not happy when you’re losing but with what we’re doing and who is in the lineup and who is not, we’re at least showing that’s something we’re willing to do.”

The Petes were held scoreless until the 14:33 mark of the second period when they struck

twice in 33 seconds.

Justin DeZoete, the Petes’ third pick in the 2020 draft, scored his second goal in as many nights with Kallaway Mercer setting him up for a second straight game.

Artem Guryev drew the Petes within a goal with an unassisted tally.

Sudbury put the game away with two third-period markers. Nick DeGrazia led Sudbury with a goal and two assists while Evan Konyen had a goal and assist. Also scoring were David Goyette, Ethan Larmand and

Ryan Smith.

The Petes were zero-for-seven on the power play and Sudbury was one-for-five.

Michael Simpson stopped 25 shots in his pre-season debut for the Petes after attending Arizona Coyotes development camp. Mitchell Weeks made 24 saves for Sudbury.

Next up the Petes host the Sarnia Sting at the Memorial Centre on Thursday at 7:05 p.m.

NOTES: The Petes made one lineup change on Friday inserting Jaden Reyers into the lineup and removing Jack Falkner. Shawn Spearing was a healthy scratch as Petes coach

Rob Wilson evaluates the younger defencemen. Five players remain away at NHL development camps, J.R. Avon and Brian Zanetti in Philadelphia, Tye Austin (Florida),

Mason McTavish (Anaheim) and Tucker Robertson (Carolina)… Rachelle Levesque, a nurse at Peterborough Regional Health Centre’s emergency department, is the latest winner of the Petes Frontline Worker Drop the Puck program. She will be honoured prior to a regular season game this season.

SPORTS

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2021-09-20T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-09-20T07:00:00.0000000Z

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