Right decision made on PMC floor replacement
Unfortunate for Century 21 Lakers fans that lacrosse team will be displaced for 2019 season
In the past week, some major decisions have been made which will have significant impact on the Petes’ near and long-term future on and off the ice.
After significant debate and delay, it was finally decided Monday night that the Memorial Centre floor would be replaced.
This decision was not without controversy, as it leaves the Peterborough Lakers without a home for the 2019 season and delays the start of next season’s Petes home game schedule until November.
Through the course of the meetings, Dave Pogue revealed that a temporary ice pad wouldn’t work as a contingency plan and the team would be required to play in an OHL or NHL arena, should they be forced out due to failure in the arena floor.
The standards need to be high for an Ontario Hockey League playing surface and it was the right decision to ensure there is no interruption in future Petes seasons. It is unfortunate for the Lakers and their fans but the reality is that the Major Series Lacrosse league isn’t near the same scale as the OHL, despite the rabid fan base here in Peterborough.
Even more encouraging news for Petes fans came out in the discussion of the potential new OHL arena.
With a new city council in place, there is always a question of where they would stand on the issue but the discussion at Monday’s meeting indicates a new arena will remain a priority.
On the ice, there is an arms race taking place in the Eastern Conference that could have an impact on the Petes potential success this season.
Leading the way are the Ottawa 67’s, already the class of the OHL having lost just four times in regulation in 32 games, Ottawa has taken things a step farther, adding the best goalie in the league in Michael DiPietro.
A divisional rival, the 67’s loom large on the remaining Petes schedule, with five more meetings between the two clubs.
If Ottawa is the class of the Eastern Conference, next in line looks to be the Niagara Ice Dogs.
The Ice Dogs made a major move of their own in mid-November with the addition of Jason Robertson, Nick’s brother and the OHL’s leading scorer.
Since joining the Ice Dogs, Robertson has 21 points in seven games, and the team has won six of seven games.
There were some among the Petes faithful who were hopeful the team would make a deal to reunite the Robertson brothers but the cost of 11 draft picks and highly touted 2017 second round pick Billy Constantinou was much more than made sense for the Petes in a year where the team is solidly in the middle of the pack but unlikely to be able to make up the gap between themselves and the 67’s.
There will be plenty more dominoes to fall between now and the Jan. 10 trade deadline but it seems unlikely that the Petes will be major players for one year additions in the mould of Robertson or DiPietro.
Rather, if the Petes are to make any moves, it makes sense to add players who can return to the club next season as well, to ensure that at this time next year both the ice surface and the team skating on it have a strong foundation.