Majors improve to 2-0 with 4-3 shootout win over Petes

September 25, 2011 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Mississauga St. Michael's Majors News Release


Make it two in a row on the road to start the season for the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors.

Derek Schoenmakers and Jordan Mayer scored in the shootout after Riley Brace tied the game with just 16 seconds left in regulation, giving the Majors a 4-3 win over the Peterborough Petes Sunday afternoon in Peterborough.

Mississauga improves to 2-0 on the season after winning 5-3 in Sudbury on Friday night, and Brace says the Majors are the kind of team that just isn't going to quit this season.

"We had to fight right to the end and we never quit," Brace told TV Cogeco after the game. "We were always up on the bench, and we kept on coming. It feels really good to get the two points."

Majors General Manager/Coach James Boyd was pretty happy to have four points in the bank after his first two games in his new role too.

"We showed a lot of moxy scoring a goal with the goalie out and then we played really well in overtime and of course in the shootout," Boyd said. "I thought we played another really solid road game and did a good job blocking up the middle of the ice for most of the game.

"We took too many penalties and the Petes made us pay. Merited or not, we have to stop doing that if we want to win games so hopefully the lesson is learned. Our veterans really stepped up today when we needed them to as well."

The teams traded goals all afternoon, with the Majors coming back three times after giving up a goal to get the extra point. The Petes slipped to 1-0-0-1 with the loss after beating Niagara 7-1 in their opener on Thursday.

The teams played a scoreless - and uneventful - first period, with the Majors out-shooting the Petes 7-5after 20 minutes. Peterborough opened the scoring just 1:49 into the second period on a power play goal by Peter Ceresnak, his first OHL goal. Ceresnak fired a shot from the side of the goal that beat JP Anderson up high to make it 1-0 Petes.

Mississauga answered right back, as Mayer's wrist shot beat Petes goalie Mike Morrison exactly four minutes later to tie the game, and that was all the scoring heading into the third period. The Petes out-shot the Majors 11-8 in the middle frame.

The power play again was huge for the Petes as just 54 seconds into the third period, Matt Puempel deflected a shot from Austin Watson past Anderson to again put Peterborough in front.

Mississauga got a 5-on-3 advantage later in the third period and made it count, as Dylan DeMelo fired a shot past Morrison to tie the game 2-2 at 10:17.

Peterborough then again grabbed the lead with yet another power play goal by No. 2 OHL overall draft pick Nick Ritchie at 13:20, as he scooped up a rebound and slipped a shot past Anderson for their third power play goal of the game.

With Anderson on the bench for an extra attacker, the Majors swarmed the Petes goal and their pressure paid off, as Riley Brace slipped a shot past Morrison with 16 seconds left in regulation time, sending the game into overtime and then the shootout.

The Majors still have 12 players in their lineup who played in the Memorial Cup last season, so the team definitely still has a lot of experience despite a lot of turnover from last season. That experience really helped on Sunday, according to Brace.

"We have a few guys back from last year's team and we know what it takes to get to the final, and face adversity and come so close," Brace said. "We don't like to lose."

The Majors out-shot the Petes 36-29. Peterborough was 3-for-6 on the power play while the Majors were 1-for-5.

Mississauga continues its early season on the road with a game Thursday night in St. Catharines against the Niagara IceDogs (7:30 p.m. on Rogers TV and TheHazeFM.ca).

The Majors home opener is Friday, September 30th when they host the Owen Sound Attack at the Hershey Centre for a 7:35 p.m. start. Tickets for the home opener can be purchased at www.stmichaelsmajors.com, www.ticketmaster.ca, or by calling the Hershey Centre box office.



Ontario Hockey League Stories from September 25, 2011


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