Impressive Petes are primed for Thursday’s home opener
Besides upgrade to glass and boards, sound system, concessions also improved at the Memorial Centre
Nearly a month after the OHL season started, the Peterborough Petes are finally ready to make their home debut and there’s plenty of reason to be excited to return to the Memorial Centre.
By all accounts, the renovations were successful and exceeded the work needed to repair the floor and upgrade the glass and boards (but not smooth out any square corners). Some additional changes have been made to improve the sound system, concessions and generally improve fan experience.
The photos being shared of the new surface look great and add to the anticipation to finally watch the Petes on home ice (after the Wiggles break in the new surface, of course).
The greatest reason for excitement is on the ice, where the team returns home with a 6-3 won-loss record. To win six of nine games on the road is an impressive feat any time and while the Petes may not be undefeated through nine games like the rival Generals, the level of competition the Petes have faced has been greater. Defeating the London Knights, Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds, Ottawa 67’s and Saginaw Spirit among others on the road is a difficult task at any time. To do so as part of an early season schedule with no home rink and on extensive travel is even more impressive.
Equally impressive and adding to the buzz around town is the manner in which the Petes have been winning — mostly by scoring a lot of goals. The Petes have had strong offensive teams in years past but players producing at the levels of this team in the early part of the season hasn’t been seen in some time.
Nick Robertson leads the OHL in goals. Linemate Semyon Der-Arguchintsev leads the league in assists. Mason McTavish is tied for the lead in rookie goals. Declan Chisholm is tied for second in the league among defencemen in points. The Petes have scored more than 4.5 goals per game and four goals or more in all but two contests.
Solidifying that offence with stalwart play in goal is Hunter Jones, who currently sits in the top 5 in every goaltending category. Put all the pieces together and the Petes strong start sees them second in the East.
The season is young but it looks like the Petes have a team capable of not only winning but winning in an entertaining way. That winning, as well as the delayed start to the home portion of the season, has created a real sense of anticipation in the city.
It seems everywhere around town, the Petes are a hot topic. A glance at the PMC website shows few seats available for Thursday’s home opener, indicating it should be a sold-out crowd. Peterborough is ready to pack the PMC.
The waiting is almost over, the anticipation continues to build and is finally about to crest. The team has lived up to early expectations and created a buzz around the city that should carry into the rink Thursday night, all that’s left now is to drop the puck.