It’s impossible to imagine a scenario where the series between the Peterborough Petes and Mississauga Steelheads will be more lopsided than when the teams last met.
That matchup came Feb. 24 in Mississauga, a game the Steelheads won with relative ease, 10-1.
Let’s just say the OHL Eastern Conference series, which begins Thursday between the two top teams in the bracket, is expected to be considerably tighter.
“In a 10-1 game, and I’ve been on both sides of it, you don’t learn anything,” Steelheads coach James Richmond said during a conference call on Wednesday.
“There were some pucks that went in that don’t normally go in. What we’re figuring on is it’s going to be like the other three games that were tight checking and close.”
The other three head-to-head matchups were decided by no more than two goals, with Peterborough, the regular season conference champs, winning each time.
But in February, it was a case of Murphy’s Law for the Petes. With Edmonton Oilers prospect Dylan Wells on the bench, goaltender Scott Smith surrendered 10 goals on 34 shots.
The third period was particularly problematic. The Steelheads managed 10 shots on net and scored six goals, the last four coming in the final six minutes of the game.
Mike McLeod, a member of the Canadian national junior team and a New Jersey Devils first-rounder, was like a shark around the net. He finished the game with a hat trick and six points.
It was a game he simply calls “weird.”
Petes coach Jody Hull basically concurs. He insists there’s no bad blood – at least, no extra bad blood – with Mississauga heading into the series.
“You go into every game hoping to outscore your opponent,” he said. “As the third period rolled on there I don’t think they were trying to necessarily do anything different or trying to run up the score. The goals were weird bounces and things like that.
“I don’t think by any means there’s any animosity that came from that game.”
[relatedlinks]
While there may not be a lot of bad blood between the two teams – at least not yet – the series represents an injection of new blood into the OHL’s playoff picture.
The Steelheads haven’t been in this position since 2011, when they lost in Game 7 of the OHL final with Casey Cizikas and Devante Smith-Pelly front and centre. As Memorial Cup hosts that year, they fell in the national championship game, too.
They’re on the upswing with six NHL draftees on the roster, two more in winger Owen Tippett and defenceman Nicolas Hague highly ranked for the 2017 draft and McLeod’s brother Ryan and goaltender Jacob Ingham playing key roles despite not being eligible for another year.
Mississauga knocked off Ottawa and Oshawa in the first two rounds.
“It took a while for us to understand the way we wanted to play,” Richmond said. “When they finally came together and started to see success, they really gelled together as a group.
“They’re listening to the coaching staff. It’s been great coaching them and working with them. We’ve really focused on the development side rather than the systems side. It’s been wonderful to watch these guys grow as players all year long. They’re having fun with it.”
It’s been even longer since the Petes, once one of the OHL’s gold standards, have been at the top of the pack. They haven’t been past the second round since Jordan Staal and Steve Downie led the division leaders to a league championship in 2006.
The Petes are a veteran team featuring eight players drafted by NHL clubs, including Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Nikita Korostelev and Tampa Bay Lightning second-rounder Matthew Spencer.
“At the beginning of the year, the community wasn’t sure what to expect from us,” captain Brandon Prophet said. “The buzz around the city has been pretty special to be a part of. Peterborough’s a tremendous hockey town.”
The Petes have yet to lose in the post-season and will undoubtedly face their toughest test to date in the Steelheads.
But that certainly doesn’t mean the Steelheads are preparing for another blowout or two. They know the task won’t be easy like it was two months ago.
“That game was talked about that night and that’s it,” Richmond said. “The first and foremost thing in our minds is who we’ve got coming up.”
