The Peterborough Examiner e-edition

Petes win season opener in shootout

Robertson gets lone goal in extra time, while Rob Wilson wins his 100th contest as a coach

MIKE DAVIES EXAMINER SPORTS DIRECTOR CLIFFORD SKARSTEDT EXAMINER

It wasn’t pretty but the Peterborough Petes showed some resilience in rallying to win their 2022-23 season opener Thursday night.

Tucker Robertson had the lone shootout goal while Michael Simpson made three saves to go with 32 in 65 minutes of game time in a 5-4 win over the Erie Otters before 3,209 fans at the Memorial Centre.

Outworked for much the opening 40 minutes, the Petes twice rallied from two-goal deficits, 2-0 and 4-2, to force overtime.

Robertson scored on a deke to his backhand to beat Otters goalie Marshall Nicholls on the winning tally. It was less than 24 hours after Robertson, who had a goal and assist in regulation time, returned from Seattle Kraken training camp.

“It meant a lot to help the guys get the win today,” said Robertson, who hit the 50-goal and100-point career OHL marks with his first goal of the season.

“Honestly, it was a pretty brutal start. The first period we got outworked the whole time. I was pretty pissed off in the room, but after they scored their fourth goal at the start of the third we caught fire.”

Robertson also set up Nick Lardis with 4:22 left in the third to tie the game 4-4. Lardis had the Petes opening goal, as well, with Chase Lefebvre’s pass out of the corner setting up Lardis’s one-timer in the slot. Justin DeZoete had the other Peterborough goal set up by Donovan McCoy’s work along the boards for one of his two assists.

Petes newcomer Connor Lockhart also had a big night, chipping in three assists in his first game against his former Otters teammates. The Petes acquired the former third OHL draft pick overall in an off-season trade for Sam Alfano and two selections.

“It was a little bit funny playing your former team in your first game in a new uniform,” Lockhart said.

“It was definitely a bit of a rocky start for me personally. I can say my first period was unacceptable. We

had a tough start, but to be able to bounce back in the third period, winning a lot of puck battles was key for us, was an awesome feeling for me to win against my former team. I’m really excited for all the guys because we battled hard in the third.”

Simpson made a point-blank save off of Brett Bressette in overtime to get it to a shootout. Erie outshot the Petes 36-25. The Otters were twofor-four on the power play. Peterborough was zero-for-five including an OT man-advantage.

“Our battle rate was really poor for

the first game of the year in the first two periods,” said Peterborough head coach Rob Wilson, who won his 100th game as Petes coach. “In the third period I give them a lot of credit because our battle rate was completely different.

“They worked hard and earned a draw. In the shootout, you hope your skill guys can score and Tucker did that and Simmer made the big saves.”

Christian Kyrou led Erie with a goal and two assists, while Bressette had a goal and an assist. Carey Terrance and Bruce McDonald also scored. Former AAA Minor Petes player Noah Sedore had one assist.

Petes captain Shawn Spearing, who missed two-thirds of last season to injury and illness, appeared to jam his wrist or hand in the second period and didn’t play the third. Wilson said he didn’t have an immediate update on his condition.

Notes The Petes will honour the 2022 Mann Cup four-peat champion Peterborough Century 21 Lakers in a pre-game ceremony Saturday and host the players and Mann Cup in The Sandbar Presented by Sanbagger when they host the Hamilton Bulldogs at 7:05 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets to join the Lakers in The Sandbar for $15 plus taxes and fees ... Artem Guryev has made an impression at San Jose Sharks camp. “All hell breaks loose when he’s out there,” Sharks GM David

Quinn, told local media. “He’s got a tenacity to his game that not a lot of guys have, as a young kid, 19 years old. He’s got to learn to corral it a little bit, but if you’re gonna play in this league, you have to have a special quality. He’s got size, he can skate. Shown the ability to make a good outlet pass. Just got to corral his aggressiveness, (keep) him on the inside a little more. There’s a lot to like about him.”… J.R. Avon hasn’t participated in any Philadelphia Flyers camp scrimmages because of an injury sustained at Petes training camp. Peterborough GM Mike Oke said, when Avon is returned to the Petes, he’s expected to be ready to return to action …

Chase Stillman also remains at New Jersey Devils camp ... Scratched for the Petes with upperbody injuries were Tommy Purdeller and Zack Lewis.

SPORTS

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2022-10-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-10-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

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