The Peterborough Petes have defeated the Ottawa 67’s to advance to the Eastern Conference championship for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
In game six of their best-of-seven semi-final series at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Monday night (April 24), the Petes won the game 5-4 to eliminate the regular season champions and to take the series 4-2.
The Petes led the game 2-1 by the end of the first period, with goals by Connor Lockhart and Avery Hayes. The Petes dominated the second period, with Lockhart scoring again along with Jonathan Melee. Early in the third period, Lockhart achieved a hat trick (with Chase Smith’s third assist of the game) to increase the Petes’ lead by 5-1.
Ottawa then scored three successful goals but were unable to tie the game, with Michael Simpson stopping 35 of 39 shots for his eighth win of the postseason.
In the Eastern Conference championship, which will be played between April 27 and May 9, the Petes will face either the North Bay Battalion or the Barrie Colts, whose series is tied 3-3 with the deciding game to be played in North Bay on Tuesday night.
Tickets for the first and second championship home games will go on sale to the general public at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning through the Peterborough Memorial Centre’s Grant Thornton Box Office.
