Defending Meredith Cup Champion Jr. C Lakers Open Playoff Quest on Saturday

By Scott Arnold

The Peterborough Jr. C Lakers are back in the postseason and will begin their pursuit of a third straight Meredith Cup championship this weekend.

The PEterborough Jr. c lakers will begin their 2026 playoffs at home on saturday (Photo courtesy of the jr. c lakers, via team photographer Christine liu)

After putting together a 12-4 regular season record and finishing first in the Central Division, the Lakers will take on the Huntsville Hawks in a best-of-five division semifinal series.

Game 1 is set for Saturday at 2 pm at Healthy Planet Arena before the series shifts to Huntsville for Game 2 on Sunday, June 28 at 7 pm.

The series then returns to the Peterborough Memorial Centre for Game 3 on Friday, July 3 at 8 pm.

If necessary, Game 4 will be played in Huntsville on either Sunday, July 5 or Monday, July 6, with a deciding Game 5 scheduled for Wednesday, July 8 at Healthy Planet Arena.

Peterborough enters the playoffs having won both regular season meetings against the Hawks, including a 9-5 victory in their first game back in May and a 10-6 win in the regular season finale on Sunday.

The series will also feature the Central Division's top two scorers.

Hawks forward Damon Buttus led the division with 62 points, scoring 34 goals and adding 28 assists during the regular season. Peterborough's Braxton Howard finished right behind him with 54 points on 29 goals and 25 assists, reaching that total in two fewer games than Buttus.

The Lakers will now look to carry their regular-season success into the playoffs as they chase a third consecutive league title and another Meredith Cup banner.

Scott Arnold is a Journalist and Content Creator at PTBOCanada Media Inc

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