Mississauga Steelheads OHL game called off due to foe’s COVID-19 concerns
Published December 3, 2021 at 10:14 pm
The Mississauga Steelheads have an unexpected off-day due to “league COVID-19 protocols” that are affecting their opponent.
The Ontario Hockey League announced that it is postponing the Steelheads-Peterborough Petes game that was scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday (Dec. 4). The game will be made up at a later date.
“The League will provide an update on the matter as information becomes available,” an OHL release said.
Peterborough also played on Thursday night without three forwards: Jax Dubois, Justin DeZoete and Cole Patey. The Peterborough Examiner said they were beset with “with non-COVID illnesses.”
The OHL returned to regular-season play in early October, after the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the end of the 2019-20 season and all of ’20-21. The league requires all players and personnel who are vaccine-eligible to be fully vaccinated, and has also adopted schedule with fewer inter-conference games in order to reduce contacts.
One of the Steelheads’ Central Division counterparts, the Sudbury Wolves, have paused competition and team activities after 12 players tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week. The Wolves’ top hockey ops executive, Rob Papineau, told the Sudbury Star that most of the players who tested positive have either been asymptomatic or have shown “extremely mild” symptoms.
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The Steelheads’ next action will now be at home against the Oshawa Generals on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre.
Mississauga (12-6-1-1) improved to fourth in the Eastern Conference in point percentage (.650) after a 1-0 home win against the Ottawa 67’s on Friday. Overage centre Aidan Prueter scored the game’s only goal, while goalie Joe Ranger made 22 saves to earn the shutout.
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