Othmann Hat Trick and Robertson’s Four Points Fuel Petes in Win over IceDogs

The Petes kicked off February by hosting the Niagara IceDogs at the PMC for the second time this season. The last time the two teams faced off was on Pride Night on January 14, when the Petes defeated the IceDogs by a score of 8-1. Niagara find themselves at the bottom of the league coming into the game, having only won once so far in 2023. The Petes will be looking to kickstart their offence and take advantage of a struggling Niagara defence that has given up 14 goals in their last two games. Brian Zanetti returned to the lineup for the Petes, eager to make an impact after being out with an injury since the World Juniors.

Just as they had hoped, it was a hot start for the Petes coming out of the gate. Just 57 seconds into the game, Brennan Othmann scored to give Peterborough the early 1-0 lead. That lead was short lived, as Niagara was determined to get on the board. Just two minutes later, Michael Podolioukh scored for Niagara to tie the game at 1-1. It was all Petes from there on out, with Niagara goalie Josh Rosenzweig being forced to make big save after big save to keep the game tied. The Petes finally broke through at the 12:18 mark, when Brennan Othmann potted his second of the period and 20th of the season to make it 2-1. That would be all of the scoring in period one, as the Petes would take a 2-1 lead into the break.

The second period started out with Peterborough dominating the play once again, building off of their strong first period. Although the Petes controlled the play, it would be Niagara who would score first in the middle frame. Just 6:49 into the period, Andrew Leblanc somehow found himself in front of the Petes net alone and beat Michael Simpson to tie the game at 2-2. Niagara could only hold the Petes pressure for so long, as six minutes later Brennan Othmann would complete the hat trick for his 21st goal of the season to put Peterborough back in front. The Petes continued to fire on all cylinders for the remainder of the period and would take not only a 3-2 lead into the break, but also a 38-18 lead in shots heading into the final 20.

The Petes continued to pour on the pressure all through the third period, but Josh Rosenzweig was up to the task on what seemed like every occasion. Unfortunately for the Petes, it would be Niagara who would strike seemingly out of nowhere on the powerplay to tie the game at 3-3 half way through the period. The last half of the period would see Peterborough throw absolutely everything that they had at the IceDogs, but Rosenzweig looked unbeatable, stopping 61 shots in the game. Finally with just over two minutes left, Tucker Robertson tipped home a Brian Zanetti shot to give the Petes the late lead. Robertson would add an empty netter to secure the Petes 5-3 win.

Brennan Othmann led the way for the Petes with a hat trick, while Tucker Robertson had two goals and two assists. Sam Mayer and Avery Hayes added two assists each, and Owen Beck, Shawn Spearing and Brian Zanetti each had an assist. Michael Simpson stopped 26/29 for his 19th win of the season.

The Petes next game is Pink in the Rink on Saturday, February 4, when the rival Oshawa Generals visit the PMC. Tickets for the 14th annual Pink in the Rink game are sold out. Pending game day and visiting team hold requirements, a very small number of additional tickets may be released for sale on Saturday, February 4 at 1pm through the PMC Grant Thornton Box Office online, in-person, or at (705) 743-3561. 

Click here for everything you need to know regarding the 14th annual Pink in the Rink Campaign.