Four goals not enough for Petes in annual Teddy Bear charity game

Visiting Peterborough natives Deline, Cranley spoil party after 1,097 teddy bears rain on the ice

A pair of visiting hometown boys stole the show at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Thursday night.

There was plenty of emotion in the first meeting between the Peterborough Petes and Flint Firebirds since their blockbuster trade involving Brennan Othmann. And, while Othmann let the emotions get to him after scoring a goal, it was a subplot in Flint’s 7-4 victory.

Peterborough minor hockey grad Tyler Deline had three assists to spark Flint and goalie Will Cranley made 43 saves in his last Ontario Hockey League game in his hometown.

Gavin Hayes also scored a hat trick for Flint, (14-8-2-1) which is 5-1-1 since trading Othmann to the Petes (13-9-1-2) on Nov. 12.

Petes fans threw 1,097 stuffed animals on the ice after the first of two Jack Van Volsen goals on Teddy Bear Toss Night. The toys will go to the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal.

Othmann flew by the Firebirds bench to celebrate a goal against his old team late in the second period that drew the Petes within 6-4 and he was assessed a 10-minute misconduct.

Othmann said he didn’t say anything more than “Yea” after scoring his second goal in Peterborough but his first in seven games. “I guess you’re not allowed to do that in hockey anymore,” he said. “I don’t know why. If it was any other team, I would have done the same thing. I hadn’t scored in seven games and got the monkey off my back but I guess that’s not allowed.

“Of course it was against my old team and it was passionate emotion but if it was any other team — it doesn’t matter what team was in here whether it was Kitchener, London or the Toronto Maple Leafs we were playing tonight, I would have done the same thing.”

Petes associate coach Andrew Verner said he understands the emotion of the moment for Othmann.

“Othmann was their guy for three years and there is going to be emotion,” Verner said. “It’s always hard even if you’re a 19-year-old veteran in this league. They’re still kids. For the big guy who left his team com- ing back, rarely have I seen that become a Cinderella story and it wasn’t tonight.”

Othmann said the Petes simply weren’t good enough as a team de- spite pouring 47 shots at Cranley.

“We didn’t score on our chances. We didn’t attack the net enough and Cranley played a good game,” he said.

Verner said Peterborough got away from its game plan.

“We pre-scouted them and said we can’t get into a track meet with Flint and go up and down the ice with them,” Verner said. “We got caught deep the first three times with a forward deep — three on-two goal, three-on-two goal, three-on- two goal. That’s what they do.”

The Petes are 3-4 since Othmann arrived and haven’t found their consistency.

“We need to come together as a team,” Othmann said. “We need more passion as a team. We need to love each other and stick up for each other and play as one and not individuals.”

Despite some good early shifts and pressure by the Petes, they found themselves down 3-0 in the first period.

Amadeus Lombardi started it on a counterattack as he ripped Coulson Pitre’s pass on the rush over Michael Simpson’s shoulder at 5:49.

Only 61 seconds later, Gavin Hayes deflected Deline’s point shot by Simpson.

Deline jumped into the rush to set up Dmitry Kuzmin on the first short-handed goals surrendered by the Petes this season at 13:30.

The Petes got one back and set off the Teddy Bear Toss at 19:05 when Van Volsen banged in Sam Mayer’s rebound.

Van Volsen closed the gap to 3-2 at 4:39 of the second as Donovan McCoy on the rush set up Jax Dubois and Van Volsen netted the rebound.

Deline stepped up again, firing a shot from the point that Ethan hay redirected.

Lombardi then scored on a wraparound making it 5-2 by the game’s midway mark.

Sahil Panwar scored against his former Firebirds teammates at 16:55.

However, Hayes replied only 13 seconds later.

Othmann finished off a Chase Stillman feed with 1:40 left in the second, making it 6-4.

Hayes capped the hat trick with an empty-net goal.

The Petes will host the North Bay Battalion at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday before visiting the Ottawa 67’s at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Notes Tommy Purdeller (Italy) and Brian Zanetti (Switzerland) have been named to their country’s World Junior Hockey Championships rosters. Petes GM Mike Oke said the duo will leave Dec. 12 to join their teams … Chase Stillman has switched his jersey to No. 61 to match his father Cory’s old number and the one he wore in Sudbury last season. It came after the Petes allowed Brennan Othmann to break tradition and wear a higher number at 78 … Ex-Pete Artem Guryev missed Flint’s only game in Peterborough this season, serving the fourth of a five-game suspension. Guryev was part of the Othmann deal on Nov. 12 … Jonathan Melee served the last of a five-game suspension and will return to the Petes lineup Saturday.