The Peterborough Petes hosted their first OHL Championship Series contest in 17 years on Monday night, and hometown product J.R. Avon had a part in the 6-5 overtime win over the London Knights to take a 2-1 series lead.
Avon’s seventh of the playoffs came 1:42 into the second period as he showed off his signature speed, taking a pass from Owen Beck before beating London goaltender Zach Bowen in alone on a breakaway to tie the score at two.
J.R. Avon buries on the breakaway! 😱
The local product @Avonjr_1010 ties the game for the @PetesOHLhockey 🎥#OHLChampionship | #LDNvsPBO pic.twitter.com/MC3bc9nK3r
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) May 16, 2023
The 2022-23 edition of the Petes have lost just once at home in these playoffs, and assistant captain Avon attributes their success to the immense support the maroon and white faithful have provided. Having grown up in nearby Selwyn, Avon attended a lot of Petes games growing up. He hasn’t seen any crowds like this, though.
“It’s crazy when you look up and see a wall of white,” he explained.
“Words can’t describe it, honestly.”
The Petes have sold out 13-straight home games, providing their fans with rally towels and asking them to join the “whiteout” by wearing white.
Outside of the conventional motivations of a veteran player on a championship-contending team, Avon has a bit extra riding on this series. First, his step-father is former NHL All-Star and Peterborough legend Steve Larmer, who played his OHL rookie season with the Petes in 1977-78. Avon says he can’t state the importance of having his stepdad around enough.
“I’d like to say we try and keep [our conversations] non-hockey [related], but it’s 24/7 hockey with him,” he said with a smile.
“It’s always a nice shoulder to lean on when you’re looking for advice.”
Additionally, Avon’s step-brother Chad Heffernan was a member of the 2016 London Knights team that went on to capture the Memorial Cup in Red Deer, Alta. – in front of a 12-year-old Avon. This time around, the roles have been reversed.
“We’ve been talking a lot, He came to the last game in London,” detailed Avon.
“I told him it’s crazy that he won it in London and now we are playing London.”
“It’s a weird feeling knowing you could have done something amazing,” he explained.
“But having the chance [to win another championship] is unbelievable.”
Avon, who was voted the Eastern Conference’s fastest skater for a second straight year in the OHL Coaches Poll, has donned maroon and white for the better part of his hockey career. He was a star with the Peterborough Petes U16 AAA program when the Petes selected him 11th overall in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection.
Avon’s OHL career has seen gradual development, being limited to 11 points as a 16-year-old in 2019-20, missing out on the Covid-affected 2020-21 season before signing as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Flyers in September 2021. His past two seasons have seen him take on a lead role with the Petes, playing top-six minutes up front while recording over a point-per-game.
Avon and the Petes are now two wins away from an OHL championship, setting their sights on Wednesday’s Game 4 at the Peterborough Memorial Centre that gets underway at 7:30pm. Tune in to Wednesday’s contest live across the country on TSN 1/3, in the United States on NHL Network, as well as streaming live online at ohllive.com.
