After a split on Tuesday and Wednesday which saw each team take one game, the Petes traveled to North Bay on Friday for game five of the Eastern Conference Final. The best of seven series was even at two games a piece heading into the game, with both Peterborough and North Bay stealing a win on the road. With a point in the game, Brennan Othmann would extend his point streak to 12 games, which would take over as the longest streak in the 2023 playoffs so far.
It was a nightmare start for the Maroon and White on the road. North Bay scored just over a minute into the game to ignite the crowd at Memorial Gardens. The Battalion would ride off of the momentum and add two more goals in the first 10 minutes to quickly go up 3-0. The Petes, having been up 3-0 in game one, were not fazed by the score, knowing how quickly the score can change this late in the playoffs. They would keep pressing and finally get on the board with just over seven minutes remaining. On the powerplay, Brian Zanetti made a beautiful pass to Owen Beck who tapped it in for his fifth of the postseason. After getting on the board, they would go into the second period down 3-1 and on the hunt for more.
Unfortunately for the Petes, today just wasn’t their day. The second period would start exactly the way the first period did, with three Battalion goals. Even with the score so lopsided, there would be a bright spot in the middle 20. While shorthanded, Tucker Robertson took the puck down and made a highlight reel move to beat Dom DiVincentiis and put a little dent in the deficit. The final 20 would begin with the Battalion leading 6-2.
The third period would see no offence either way. Liam Sztuska would make a strong appearance in relief, stopping all 17 shots faced. The Battalion would take the game 6-2, taking a 3-2 series lead heading back to Peterborough on Sunday.
Owen Beck and Tucker Robertson scored for Petes, while Brian Zanetti, Sam Mayer and Connor Lockhart picked up an assist. Liam Sztuska stopped 17/17 in relief.
The Petes return to the PMC on Sunday, May 7 for game six of the Eastern Conference Final best of seven series against the North Bay Battalion. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Very limited tickets are available by clicking here, or by contacting the PMC Grant Thornton Box Office in person or at (705) 743-3561. Fans can also catch the game on OHL Live, YourTV Peterborough, and Freq 90.5.
Photo: Tom Martineau
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