Renovations this spring at the Peterborough Memorial Centre will mean at least a month’s delay for the Peterborough Petes’ 2019-20 OHL season home opener.
The team and City of Peterborough announced Wednesday that the club’s home opener is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 17, with an opponent still to be determined. The Ontario Hockey League season traditionally begins the third week of September.
The 2019-2020 schedule has yet to be released, but the Petes will spend a month on the road for games and practice at the nearby Evinrude Centre.
Last December, city council voted in favour of a $3.5-million floor construction project, which will force the closure of the Memorial Centre for five months. The closure also forces the Mann Cup champion Peterborough Lakers lacrosse team to play at the smaller Evinrude Centre for their upcoming season.
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The Petes’ 64th OHL season will see them still play 34 home games during the 68-game regular season.
“We were very keen to work with the City of Peterborough and their contractor to ensure that the necessary work at the Memorial Centre is completed quickly in order to have as little impact on our 2019-20 season as possible,” stated Dave Pogue, Petes president of the board of directors.
Mac MacGillivray, facilities and energy manger for the city, says the city worked diligently to shorten the construction schedule to achieve an “earlier than planned completion date.”
“Through negotiations with the contractor and allowing early work to take place that does not disrupt operations, we have achieved a mutually agreed upon 19-week schedule that would allow the Peterborough Petes’ season to start on Thursday, October 17, 2019,” he said.
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