North Bay, Ont. – The Peterborough Petes found a way in Game 7, defeating the North Bay Battalion 3-2 to capture the Bobby Orr Trophy as 2023 OHL Eastern Conference Champions on Monday night.
A native of nearby Selwyn, Ont., J.R. Avon emerged as the third period difference-maker for his hometown team, scoring the game-winner 5:42 into the third frame before the Petes held North Bay to just six third period shots to preserve the win before a crowd of 4,219 at the North Bay Memorial Gardens.
“I’m very proud of our team. It’s a group that’s really come together here and I couldn’t be prouder of them,” said Petes Head Coach Rob Wilson.
“We were able to get some good combinations out there and we knew that we could pretty-much play any player with anyone else and the guys did great with that,” he added. “The bench was lively tonight and you couldn’t give some of our guys enough ice. It was a huge goal by Beck, then Othmann comes up with another for us and then J.R. gets a huge one to put us into the final.”
Wilson commended the North Bay Battalion on an outstanding season after the game.
“Both teams were outstanding,” he said. “I have to take my hat off to North Bay. They were exceptional and they had an exceptional season. Two Conference Finals in a row? That’s pretty hard to do.
“This series could have gone in any direction at any time with a bounce either way. It was really hard fought and they deserve a ton of credit for the season they had.”
Josh Bloom opened the scoring for the Troops midway through the opening period before Peterborough came out strong in the opening half of the second with goals from Owen Beck and Brennan Othmann. Battalion captain Liam Arnsby knotted the score at two just beyond the midway point of the second before Avon scored the difference-maker with his sixth of the postseason.
Peterborough outshot North Bay 27-24 in Game 7, winning nearly 60 percent of the game’s faceoffs as Owen Beck went 17-for-23 in the dot.
“Becker’s been just great,” said Wilson. “His faceoff percentage is through the roof, he blocks shots at key times. He’s been such a huge pick-up along with Avery (Hayes) and Gavin (White) from Hamilton.”
The Petes lost captain Shawn Spearing to injury after he took a puck to the face. Wilson commended Spearing for his character demonstrated both on and off the ice.
“Our captain’s been just outstanding for us with shot blocks all playoffs,” he said. “They love this guy, and he’s at the hospital right now. Shawn has come out huge for us in these playoffs and I know the players love him but the coaching staff thinks the world of him too. Not many guys will go into a game and block a shot with their face and he did, twice tonight. He’s at the hospital now but he’s jumped pumped that we won.”
Michael Simpson stopped 22 of 24 shots sent his direction to secure the win as the Petes claim their second Bobby Orr Trophy as Eastern Conference Champions after first securing the honour in 2006 when they went on to win an OHL Championship.
The Petes prevailed despite trailing North Bay 3-2 midway through the third period of Game 6 when defenceman Samuel Mayer scored the game-tying goal, setting the stage for Avery Hayes to win the game in overtime and force Monday night’s Game 7 in North Bay.
“Our players gave us everything they had,” said Battalion Head Coach Ryan Oulahen. “We’ve been building this for four years now and it’s been a lot of work to get to where we are. We really thought we had as good a chance as anybody to win at the end of the day here, so, it’s tough.
“It’s a special group of guys and it’s going to be tough to say goodbye to a lot of them.”
The Battalion enjoyed a franchise-best 99-point season in 2022-23, claiming a second straight Central Division title with a record of 48-17-0-2. The Troops eliminated the Mississauga Steelheads in six games to open the playoffs before besting the Barrie Colts in seven second round matchups. They fall to Peterborough in their second consecutive Eastern Conference Championship Series appearance, with overagers Kyle McDonald, Avery Winslow and Kyle Jackson playing in their final OHL contest.
The Bobby Orr Trophy was presented to the Peterborough Petes by OHL Vice President Cole Butterworth. The Petes face the London Knights in the 2023 OHL Championship Series that gets underway on Thursday night at Budweiser Gardens in London. Peterborough is in pursuit of their 10th Robertson Cup title following previous championships in 1959, 1972, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1989, 1993, 1996 and 2006.
SERIES SUMMARY:
Peterborough wins series 4-3
Game 1, Apr 28 – Peterborough 3 at North Bay 2
Game 2, Apr 30 – Peterborough 1 at North Bay 3
Game 3, May 2 – North Bay 2 at Peterborough 3
Game 4, May 3 – North Bay 5 at Peterborough 2
Game 5, May 5 – Peterborough 2 at North Bay 6
Game 6, May 7 – North Bay 3 at Peterborough 4 OT
Game 7, May 8 – Peterborough 3 at North Bay 2
