The Peterborough Petes secured a spot in the Memorial Cup semifinals after defeating the Kamloops Blazers 5-4 in overtime, with J.R. Avon scoring the game-winning goal. Alongside Avon, Connor Lockhart, Brennan Othmann, Samuel Mayer, and Brian Zanetti also scored for the Petes, while Michael Simpson made 43 saves. On the other hand, Logan Stankoven, Olen Zellweger, Harrison Brunicke, and Logan Bairos replied for the Kamloops Blazers, with Dylan Ernst stopping 25 shots.
Despite falling to Peterborough 4-2 in their final round-robin game, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champions Remparts earned a spot in the finals after opening the tournament with wins over Kamloops and Seattle. The Petes will now face the Western Hockey League champions Seattle Thunderbirds in the semifinal for a chance to take on the Remparts in the final on Sunday.
During the game against Kamloops, Lockhart opened the scoring just under eight minutes into the first period, with Stankoven responding and scoring his second goal of the tournament, and Zellweger putting Kamloops in the lead on a power play. Brunicke then piled on for the Blazers with just under three minutes remaining in the first period, sending the score to 3-1 in their favor.
In the second period, Bairos widened the gap and secured a 4-1 lead for Kamloops. However, the Petes began to swing the momentum back in their favor three minutes later when Othmann stripped the puck from Bairos and scored. Mayer made it a one-goal game on a power play, while Zanetti tied the score for the Petes.
The teams struggled to capitalize on prime scoring opportunities in the third period, leading to a scoreless end and extra time to settle the winner. Following a near-miss by Zellweger, Owen Beck took the puck up the ice for Peterborough and dropped it off for Avon, who scored the game-winning goal to seal the Petes’ spot in the semifinals.
The Peterborough and Kamloops teams had faced each other earlier in the tournament, with Kamloops securing a 10-2 victory. However, in that game, Othmann laid a hit on Blazers defenseman Kyle Masters, who fell awkwardly into the boards. Masters had to be stretchered off the ice and was taken to Royal Inland Hospital, with head coach and general manager Shaun Clouston later confirming that the defenseman was out for the tournament with a lower-body injury.
The Canadian Press published this report on June 1, 2023.
