The Bobby Orr Trophy is in the building at the North Bay Memorial Gardens tonight.
For the first time since 2016, the second-ever Game 7 matchup between the North Bay Battalion and Peterborough Petes takes centre stage as the two clubs go head-to-head for the right to be crowned Eastern Conference champions.
Down 3-2 in the series entering Sunday’s Game 6 matchup, it was an action-packed nail-biter as Peterborough came out on top. Avery Hayes was the hero for the Petes, scoring the overtime winner 2:20 into the extra frame. Brennan Othmann remained a top playmaker for the Petes, assisting Sam Mayer‘s third period equalizer on top of the game-winner as Peterborough shut down the Battalion by a score of 4-3 at home.
Othmann leads all Petes in playoff points (6-13-19), producing points in five of the six games played against North Bay this series. Vancouver Canucks prospect Connor Lockhart also continues to be a top point-producer for Peterborough, recording six goals, seven assists and 13 points (6-7-13) over 16 playoff games.
Michael Simpson remains reliable for the Petes, as the veteran netminder returns between the pipes tonight.
The Petes are without Cam Gauvreau, who received an indefinite suspension following Game 5 of the series.
Across the ice, Seattle Kraken prospect Ty Nelson leads all OHL skaters in playoff points with his 24 tallies in 19 games. Edmonton Oilers draftee Matvey Petrov has continued his playmaking ways, contributing 18 assists throughout the playoffs.
Dom DiVincentiis continues to be the Battalion’s backbone, stopping 139 shots over four games played last week as the OHL Goaltender of the Year earned OHL Goaltender of the Week recognition.
Though big Dallas Stars prospect Kyle McDonald leads North Bay with 14 playoff goals, the Petes have managed to keep him off the scoresheet in five of the six games throughout the series. McDonald scored the game-winner in Game 7 of the second round against the Barrie Colts at the Gardens on April 25th.
North Bay remains without Pasquale Zito, who left Game 5 of the series with an injury and hasn’t played since.
Coming off a season with 48 wins and 99 points, the Battalion look to continue their best campaign in franchise history with a Game 7 victory tonight.
Tonight marks the fourth Game 7 in North Bay Battalion history. Their first instance saw them defeat the Niagara IceDogs in the opening round of the 2014 OHL Playoffs before going-on to win an Eastern Conference title. They also bested the Petes in Game 7 of the second round of the 2016 OHL Playoffs, before defeating the Barrie Colts in the second round of the 2023 OHL Playoffs last month.
The Petes prepare for their 10th Game 7 in franchise history, with their most recent win coming over the Kingston Frontenacs in the second round of the 2014 OHL Playoffs, coming all the way back from a 3-0 series deficit. Most notably, the Petes won Game 7 of the OHL Championship Series back in 1996, defeating the Guelph Storm.
Tonight marks the 11th meeting of the season between North Bay and Peterborough, with the Battalion having won seven of the prior 10 contests.
The winner will advance to take on the London Knights in the OHL Championship Series that begins Thursday night.
See tonight’s matchup when the puck drops at 7:00pm on OHL Live!
AVERY HAYES OVERTIME WINNER 😱
The @PetesOHLhockey force a Game 7 tomorrow night! ✅#OHLPlayoffs | #NBvsPBO pic.twitter.com/ixaGEbIKKp
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) May 8, 2023
