McTavish scores pair in Petes victory
Late goals against Battalion help start road trip on winning note
NORTH BAY — Two late goals helped the Peterborough Petes kick off a 10-day road trip on a winning note.
Nick Robertson and Mason McTavish, with his second of the night, scored 13 seconds apart, sparking a 5-2 win over the North Bay Battalion on Thursday night.
Semyon Der-Arguchintsev added an empty-net goal and his ninth assist as the Petes improved to 3-1 in four road games to start the season.
Robertson broke a 2-2 tie with 4:53 left burying Declan Chisholm’s rebound for his fifth goal in four games. McTavish banged in a puck 13 seconds later giving him four goals and six points in his first four OHL games.
It was the first stop on the longest road trip in Petes history.
They’ll play six games in 10 days before returning home Oct. 14. Their home opener is Oct. 17 against the Hamilton Bulldogs.
The Battalion are a young team with no 19-year-olds on the roster and 16-year-old goalie Joe Vrbetic, who faced 46 Petes shots. They entered the game 1-3 and coming off an 11-3 loss to the Sudbury Wolves.
Vrbetic snared a Robertson shot set up by Der-Arguchintsev’s backhand pass as he circled behind the Battalion net on
the Petes’ first good scoring chance.
Petes rookie and Peterborough native J.R. Avon struck for his first OHL goal 9:03 into the game. Fellow Peterborough native Matt McNamara fired a shot from the point and Vrbetic kicked the rebound right to Avon who snapped it home.
The Battalion tied it with 2:51 left in the first as Mason Primeau, the Battalion’s lone NHL draft pick, redirected Braden Henderson’s long shot past goalie Hunter Jones.
The Petes first two goals were scored by their two 2019 firstround draft picks. McTavish showed patience to hold onto the puck until he found a clear shooing lane and ripped the puck between Vrbetic’s pads.
The Petes outshot North Bay 13-3 through the first 12 minutes of the second with Vrbetic doing his best to keep it close. He made a big save on Cameron Butler off a rebound.
Jones was solid when called upon. He closed up his pads to stop Finnish import Niki Korpiaalho as he cut in off his offwing and tried a forehand to backhand shot.
The Petes had a great chance to seize control with a power play late in the second. Instead, North Bay turned it into a short-handed goal to tie it at 19:20.
Luke Moncada poked a puck past a Petes defenceman at the North Bay blue line and then joined an odd-man rush to put Brad Chenier’s return pass by Jones.
A Matt Struthers hooking penalty in the period’s dying seconds might have saved North Bay a goal against but it gave Peterborough a 52-second two-man advantage to start the third.
Vrbetic prevented the Petes from taking advantage stoning Zach Gallant on a point-blank one-timer set up by McTavish.
Next stop for the Petes is a Friday visit to the Sudbury Wolves at 7 p.m. before an afternoon matinee against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds on Sunday at 2 p.m.
NOTES: The Petes announced their leadership group on Thursday with Zach Gallant confirmed as captain for a second straight year. Joining him as alternate captains are Declan Chisholm, Liam Kirk and Nick Robertson… Michael Little returned from a four-game suspension and played on a line with Max Grondin and Brady Hinz.
Grondin was playing his 200th OHL game … Scratches were Dustin Hutton , Keegan McMullen, Tucker Robertson and Curtis Trolley … Three stars were 1. Mason McTavish (P); 2. Semyon DerArguchintsev (P); 3. Luke Moncada (NB).