Key Takeaways From Kingston Frontenacs 7-2 Win Over The Peterborough Petes

Only one game was scheduled in the OHL on Thursday night, between the East Division rivals Peterborough Petes and Kingston Frontenacs.

The Frontenacs went into Peterborough and asserted their dominance with a commanding 7-2 victory. The Petes struggled mightily with their discipline in this game, tallying up an absurd 14 minor penalties.

View the original article to see embedded media.

Fourth-year defenseman Maleek McGowan wasted no time scoring Kingston's first goal of the season 43 seconds in, as he activated off the blueline after a won offensive zone faceoff and fired his wrister under the blocker of Zach Bowen.

The parade to the penalty box kicked off in a flash after the Frontenacs took a 1-0 lead. Nine minor penalties were called in the opening frame, including a scrap between Peterborough captain Jonathan Melee and Luke McNamara.

Later in the first while shorthanded, Ben Pickell, who was making his Frontenacs debut, sprung on a breakaway and finished with a pretty backhand top-shelf goal to put his team up 2-0 heading into the first intermission.

The two teams traded goals in the first half of the second. Peterborough's leading scorer in the pre-season, Chase Lefebvre, scored the Petes first goal of the 2024-25 campaign and added a primary assist on Caden Taylor's powerplay marker later in the period.

After Taylor brought the home team within one, Kingston unleashed their firepower, scoring four unanswered goals, three of which came on the man advantage.

Related: Jack Nesbitt & The Windsor Spitfires Spoil Saginaw's Banner Raising Night in OHL's 2024-25 Season Opener

2025 NHL draft-eligible prospect Tyler Hopkins scored his first of the season in exciting fashion with a burst of speed as he crossed the blueline, split the defense with one quick sidestep and finished it off with a silky soft chip past the glove of Bowen.

The Frontenacs outplayed Peterborough from start to finish in this one and outshot them 53-32. It was an impressive season opener for the away team. And one the home team will learn from.

Here are some key takeaways from the game:

Import Defenseman Emil Pieniniemi Looked Sharp

Kingston may have found a top-notch defense partner to go with their newly named captain, Quinton Burns.

The Finnish import defenseman, Emil Pieniniemi, made his OHL debut for the black and gold last night and looked extremely comfortable. He played only one pre-season game and an adjustment to the smaller ice surfaces in North America can come with its challenges. However, the Pittsburgh Penguins 2023 third-rounder looked sharp and had little to no ruts in his first game.

A few key reasons why Pieniniemi made his first OHL game look so smooth is because of his fluid four-way mobility and confidence handling the puck. Those two skills combined made him extremely effective in quarterbacking the powerplay and handling the forechecking pressure.

Emil finished the game with two powerplay assists, five shots, and was a plus-2.

Related: Pittsburgh Penguins Prospect Emil Pieniniemi Signs With Kingston Frontenacs

Peterborough, Stay Out Of The Box. But The Penalty Kill Looked Good

This one key takeaway goes without saying. The Petes have a young team to begin with and growing pains may still be on the horizon for them in the 2024-25 season.

Alas, it’s still inexcusable to give your opponent 12 powerplay opportunities in a single game.

At least this gave their penalty kill a lot of reps in game one of the season, and despite allowing three goals, they didn’t look bad.

The Petes did a good job of staying aggressive and not allowing Kingston to get set up on the man advantage often. The only real success they had was on Jacob Battaglia’s redirection marker in the second and the meaningless seventh goal that came on a 5-on-3 to end the game.

Game Notes:

-Calgary Flames 2024 second-rounder, Jacob Battaglia, looked sharp with three points.
-On top of securing the highlight of the night, 2025 NHL draft-eligible prospect Tyler Hopkins tied Battaglia with three points and had a game-high eight shots.
-Frontenacs forward Luke McNamara scored twice on top of his first period fight.
-Despite allowing seven goals, Petes goaltender Zach Bowen did not play a poor game at all and stopped 46-of-53.
-Peterborough veteran forward Chase Lefebvre led the way offensively with two points and it looks like the offense will primarily flow through him this season.

Bookmark The Hockey News OHL site to never miss news, interviews, and any updates around the league.