Memorial Cup: Peterborough Exits in Semifinal

On Sunday at 7 p.m. EDT, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Quebec Remparts will face off against the Western Hockey League champion Seattle Thunderbirds in Kamloops, British Columbia, for the 2023 Memorial Cup.

In the semifinal round, the Ontario Hockey League champion Peterborough Petes were defeated, 4-1, by Seattle. Flyers prospects J.R. Avon and Brian Zanetti played for Peterborough.

Seattle effectively attacked the net through much of the game, eventually breaking through. Brad Lambert (Winnipeg Jets prospect), Colton Dach (Chicago Blackhawks prospect), Kyle Crnkovic and Nico Myatovic scored for Seattle. Goaltender Thomas Milic stopped 27 shots of 28 shots to earn the win. For Peterborough, Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers prospect) had the only goal for Peterborough. Petes goalie Michael Simpson stopped 43 of 47 shots.

In their final game of junior hockey, Avon (3g, 1a in the tournament) and Zanetti (1g, 2a) did not record a point. Next season, Avon is likely to play in the American Hockey League with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Zanetti is headed home to Switzerland to play for the SCL Tigers.

On Thursday, Avon and Zanetti played a major role in Peterborough's comeback 5-4 overtime victory against the tournament host Kamloops Blazers in the quarterfinal game. The Petes trailed, 4-1, by early in the second period. However, Peterborough pushed back for four unanswered goals to win the game.

Mobile defenseman Zanetti, drafted by the Flyers in the fourth round (110th overall) in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, scored at 18:50 of the second period to knot the score at 4-4. On the play, Avon collected a Kamloops turnover along the attack zone boards and passed to Tucker Robertson. Seeing a wide open lane through the slot, Zanetti jumped in and tipped the puck home as Robertson put it at the net. The goal was Zanetti's first (1g, 2a) of the tournament.

After a scoreless third period, the game went to overtime. At the 10:54 mark, after Owen Beck went wide and took the puck at the net, Avon scored to win the game. Avon had an open lane over the middle, took a pass from Beck and fired a quick shot past Kamloops goalie Dylan Ernst for his third goal in four games.

Peterborough had a very rough start to the tournament. The Petes yielded 16 goals over the first two games as they lost 6-3 to Seattle and then got curb-stomped, 10-2, by Kamloops. In the Seattle game, Avon opened the scoring with an artistic breakaway goal on a backhander in the Seattle game. That was just about the line highlight for Peterborough until they concluded the round-robin against the Remparts. The Petes stepped up to defeat the previously unbeaten QMJHL champions, 4-2.

After a scoreless first period, Peterborough built leads of 2-0 and 3-1 in the second period. The Remparts drew back within a goal by intermission but an early third period insurance goal for Peterborough restored the two-goal margin for the rest of the game.

Avon scored the goal that made it 2-0 at 11:36 of the second period. On the play, the Petes had a 2-on-0 with a trailer making it a 3-on-0. Avon worked a give-and-go with New Jersey Devils 2021 first-round pick Chase Stillman. Receiving a return pass from Stillman, Avon had a slam dunk into the open left side of the net. It was Avon's second goal in three games.

In the same game. Zanetti had primary assists on the third (Avery Hayes) and fourth (Connor Lockhart) Peterborough goals. They were the first and second points of the tournament for the mobile Swiss blueliner.

Quebec captain Theo Rochette, who was a training camp invite by the Flyers last year (although not offered a entry-level contract) was held off the scoreboard by Peterborough after collecting four points (3g, 1a) against the Thunderbirds and Blazers. As an overager in the Q this season, Rochette collected 106 points in 65 regular season games and 21 points in 18 playoff games.