Petes salvage a point
Coach Jody Hull says Petes need to be more disciplined after Ang penalties prove costly in shootout loss
OTTAWA – Peterborough Petes head coach Jody Hull pointed to a lack of discipline for Friday night’s shootout loss in the nation’a capital.
Despite leading 2-0 after 20 minutes the Petes were fortunate to pull out a point as Nikita Korostelev’s goal with 1.8 seconds left in the third period forced overtime. The 67’s won 4-3 when all three of their shootout shooters – rookie Graeme Clarke, Sasha Cmelevski and Tye Felhaber – beat Dylan Wells. Logan DeNoble had the lone shootout marker for the Petes.
The game was a parade of minor penalties with the Petes giving Ottawa 11 power plays. While Jonathan Ang leads the Petes in scoring this year he also leads in penalty minutes. He took four minors against Ottawa; two of them early in the third ignited Ottawa’s rally.
Hull said all players are accountable to the team for their discipline and he’ll cut ice-time to send that message no matter who it is.
“(Ang) is a guy we rely on in every situation and if he’s in the penalty box more than he’s helping our penalty killing, it’s not a good thing,” Hull said.
“It’s tough to hold onto a lead if you take five of your 11 minor penalties in the third period. You can say whatever you want about the calls but if they’re calling them, they’re calling them so don’t put yourself in that situation.”
“Obviously, I don’t want to take as many penalties as I do,” Ang said. “I think some of it is just bad luck. A lot of it is on me.”
It was particularly taxing on the blue-line, said Hull, after Cole Fraser left the game with a lower body injury in the second period. He got tangled up with a 67’s player in the corner and the two tell heavily to the ice. Hull says he’s day-today.
Ottawa outshot the Petes 12-9 in a scoreless first period but the Petes had the best scoring chance courtesy of Ottawa-area boy Bobby Dow on a partial breakaway. It was his first OHL game in his hometown.
The second period was full of penalties with 10 minors between the teams. The Petes’ power play struck twice 84 seconds apart to open the scoring.
Prior to the first goal, 67’s goalie Olivier Tremblay made a brilliant
67's 4 PETES 3 (SO)
Petes record: 3-2-0-1 67's record: 3-3-1-0 3-stars: 1. Sasha Chmelevski (O); 2. Nikita Korostelev (P); 3. Austen Keating (O) Hardest Working Pete: Declan Chisholm
Next for the Petes: Visit North Bay Battalion at 2 p.m. Monday. save on Dow on a man-advantage. Pavel Gogolev got a shot away and Dow pounced on the rebound but was denied as Tremblay went postto-post.
The Petes struck a minute later when impressive rookie Nick Robertson earned his fifth assist in six games. Robertson centred a pass to Gogolev whose slap-pass was tipped by Zach Gallant in the slot.
Semy on Der-Arguchints ev notched his first of the season at 6:39 on a lucky bounce, Korostelev sent Der-Arguchintsev into the zone and his shot deflected off 67’s player Hudson Wilson past Tremblay.
The 67’s best chance came on a delayed penalty when Travis Barron broke in alone on Wells who kicked out the left pad; the best of his 37 saves. Dow hit a post in the period.
Ang’s penalties set the stage in the third.
His first had just expired when Chmelevski converted Barron’s pass out of the corner under Wells’s arm at 2:44. Ang was in the box for unsportsmanlike conduct when Chmelevski struck again 2:58 later. He fanned on his shot from the side of the goal that flipped over Wells’s shoulder.
Austen Keating put Ottawa ahead with 2:47 left batting a rebound home. Kody Clark was unable to get a shot on an open net in the final minute and it came back to haunt the 67’s as Korostelev’s desperation shot with 1.8 seconds left from a severe angle snuck past Tremblay to force overtime.
Wells stopped Felhaber on a two-on-one break in overtime. Tremblay stopped Gogolev on a breakaway.