There had been planning and preparation. There was
anticipation and excitement. December 16, 2018 had been circled on the calendar
for months. This was the day the Peterborugh 47’s were going to play like their
hometown OHL team, the Peterborough Petes, in their home arena, the
Peterborough Memorial Centre.
The day started with a tour of the Petes’ dressing room. On the wall, were written words that the Petes played by, and that the 47’s played by as well – play hard & pressure the net. It seemed unreal to them that players so much older than them would play their games with the same mindset and game plan.
The 47’s players were in awe – seeing each Pete’s players locker with their names and numbers, and seeing the names of alumni on the wall – past players who had represented the City of Peterborough who had moved on to the NHL. Those players had started in this city, played in this arena, and started their hockey careers here in Peterborough.
The stage was set – the Peterborough 47’s name was on their dressing room door, and each player had their name bar placed in their own spot in the room. This was their day; the spot light was on them and they were prepared to shine brighter than they already had this season.
The players were pumped and the excitement in the building was electric. The players were preparing to step onto the ice in front of hundreds of hometown fans, with their names announced for everyone to hear.
When they lined up on the blue line for the national anthem, some stepped from one foot to the other in anticipation while others stood still taking it all in. The 47’s were prepared to take on the Northumberland Nighthawks in what was expected to be the highlight of the season for both teams.
At puck drop, the coaches could see that all they had told the players was being taken to 
heart – they focussed on speed, the system they had been taught, and controlling the high risk zones. The goalies protected their creases, the defencemen protected their house, and the forwards provided solid pressure limiting the time the Nighthawks had with the puck. The 47’s had more jump in their stride; they won more battles, had more shots, found the back of their opponents net and through their hard work and determination they protected their home – this was their ice and no one would stand a chance taking the win from them.
The hardest working warrior of this game was Avni Bishop.
There was no more fitting way to end this great day, then for the 47’s players to hold the 
Pete’s flag on the ice for the singing of Canada’s national anthem prior to the Petes facing off against Ottawa. The pride of this team, for this city, was seen by all 2,600 fans in attendance.
With only one game left in 2018, the Peterborough 47’s are heading into Pickering with the chance to finish off the regular season games before Christmas undefeated.
Let’s go 47’s!!!