A Repeat Within Reach as Trent Advances to OUA Women's Lacrosse Final

By Scott Arnold

The Trent Excalibur women's lacrosse team is one win away from defending its provincial title after defeating the Guelph Gryphons 20-13 in Saturday's OUA semifinal at Justin Chiu Stadium.

The Trent Excalibur are off to the oua women’s lacrosse final on sunday as they look to defend their title and repeat as champs. (photo via instaggram @trentexcalibur)

Trent took a 5-2 lead after the opening quarter before Guelph battled back in the second, outscoring the Excalibur 5-4 to make it a 9-7 game at halftime. Trent then took control in the third quarter, scoring seven unanswered goals to build a 16-7 advantage heading into the final frame.

The Gryphons scored six goals in the fourth quarter, but Trent added four of its own to secure the seven-goal victory.

Maddy Baxter led the Excalibur with eight goals and an assist for nine points. Kylea Dobson recorded three goals and three assists, while Meg Hiltz also scored three times. Natalie Fournier added two goals, with Abby Hiltz, Tyler McDonald, Olivia Grosjean and Abby Drinkwalter each finding the back of the net.

Goaltender Sav Musto made seven saves as Trent outshot Guelph 23-20.

The defending champion Excalibur will play for gold on Sunday, October 18th at 2pm, at Justin Chiu Stadium, against Wilfred Laurier who beat Queen’s in the other semifinal by a score of 11-7.

Championship Schedule

Sunday, October 18th

• 12pm: Bronze medal game — Queen’s vs Guelph

• 2pm: Gold medal game —Wilfred Laurier vs Trent

If you didn’t purchase a weekend pass, Sunday's championship day pass $15. Trent students with valid Trent ID and children under 12 accompanied by a paying adult receive free admission.

Both medal games will take place at Trent University’s Justin Chiu Stadium, located at 1650 West Bank Drive. Pay-and-display parking is available at the Trent Athletics Centre and Lady Eaton College. All games will be livestreamed on OUA.tv.

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

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Trent Excalibur Advance to OUA Women’s Lacrosse Semifinal With Dominant Win Over Toronto

By Scott Arnold

The Trent Excalibur women’s lacrosse team is one step closer to defending its provincial title after a dominant 25-4 victory over the University of Toronto on Friday night at Justin Chiu Stadium.

The Trent Excalibur have advanced to the oua women’s lacrosse semifinal, set to take place on Saturday at Justin Chiu Stadium (Photo courtesy of Trent Excalibur, via David Pickering)

The Excalibur scored 10 goals in the opening quarter and added eight more in the second to take an 18-2 lead into halftime. Trent continued to control the game in the second half, outscoring Toronto 7-2 over the final two quarters.

Meg Hiltz led the way with seven goals and two assists for nine points, while Maddy Baxter added five goals and an assist. Kylea Dobson scored four goals and added an assist, and Abby Hiltz finished with three goals and three assists.

Rounding out the scoring for Trent were Sofia Reynolds and Tyler McDonald, who both had a pair, while Natalie Fournier and Maggie Cuddy each had a goal.

Goalie Sav Musto picked up the win in net as the Excalibur outshot Toronto 37-9.

The defending champions will face the Guelph Gryphons in the OUA semifinal on Saturday, October 17, at 3:15 p.m. at Justin Chiu Stadium, with a spot in Sunday’s gold-medal game on the line.

Semifinal Schedule

Saturday, October 17th

• 3:15pm — Guelph vs Trent

• 5:00pm — Wilfrid Laurier vs Queen’s

Sunday, October 18th

• 12pm: Bronze medal game

• 2pm: Gold medal game

Tickets are available for purchase on site, with weekend passes costing $25, Saturday day passes $10 and Sunday's championship day pass $15. Trent students with valid Trent ID and children under 12 accompanied by a paying adult receive free admission.

All games take place at Trent University’s Justin Chiu Stadium, located at 1650 West Bank Drive. Pay-and-display parking is available at the Trent Athletics Centre and Lady Eaton College. All games will be livestreamed on OUA.tv.

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

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Trent University Set to Host OUA Women's Lacrosse Championship This Weekend as Excalibur Look to Defend Their Title

By Scott Arnold

Trent University will welcome the best university women's lacrosse teams in Ontario to Peterborough this weekend as Justin Chiu Stadium hosts the 2026 OUA Women's Lacrosse Championship from Friday, October 16th to Sunday, October 18th.

The Trent Excalibur will look to defend their OUA women’s lacrosse title as they host the provincial championship at Justin Chiu Stadium from October 16th to 18th. Pictured is natalie fournier (Photo courtesy of Trent Excalibur, via David Pickering)

The Trent Excalibur enter the championship as the top seed after a perfect 8-0 regular season, finishing first in the standings with 16 points. They'll look to defend their provincial title after winning gold in 2025, with their first game scheduled for Friday at 7pm against the winner of the opening matchup between the University of Toronto and Ontario Tech.

Nine teams will compete for the championship, with the gold medal game scheduled for Sunday at 2pm. All games will be livestreamed on OUA.tv.

Championship Schedule

Friday, October 16th

• 12pm: University of Toronto vs. Ontario Tech

• 1:45pm: Queen's vs. McMaster

• 3:30pm: Western vs. Laurier

• 5:15pm: Guelph vs. Brock

• 7pm: Trent vs. winner of University of Toronto and Ontario Tech

Saturday, October 17th

• 9:30am: Loser of Game 3 vs. loser of Game 4

• 11:15am: Loser of Game 2 vs. loser of Game 5

• 1:30pm: Loser of Game 1 vs. loser of Game 6

• 3:15pm: Semifinal 1

• 5pm: Semifinal 2

Sunday, October 18th

• 10am: Fifth-place game

• 12pm: Bronze medal game

• 2pm: Gold medal game

Tickets are available for purchase on site, with weekend passes costing $25, Friday and Saturday day passes $10 and Sunday's championship day pass $15. Trent students with valid Trent ID and children under 12 accompanied by a paying adult receive free admission.

The championship takes place at Justin Chiu Stadium at Trent University, located at 1650 West Bank Drive. Pay-and-display parking is available at the Trent Athletics Centre and Lady Eaton College.

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

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Three Trent Excalibur Women’s Lacrosse Student-Athletes to Represent Team Canada For Pan-American Sixes Championship

Three Trent Excalibur athletes from the women’s lacrosse team, Maddy Baxter, Kylea Dobson and Maggie Cuddy, have been selected for the Team Canada roster for the 2026 Pan-American Sixes Lacrosse Championship from Tuesday to Sunday at the Oshawa Civic Centre. 

(from left to right) Maddy Baxter (second-year nursing) Maggie Cuddy (Master of healthcare management) and Kylea Dobson. Photo courtesy of Trent University.

“Having three Excalibur student-athletes selected to represent Canada speaks to the calibre of talent within Trent’s women’s lacrosse and the high quality of our program,” said Nathan McFadden, Trent Athletics and Recreation director. “To see them compete at this level, just around the corner in Durham Region, is an incredible opportunity for the Trent community to cheer them and Team Canada on.” 

Baxter and Cuddy recently represented Canada at the 2026 World Championship in Tokyo earlier this summer. Baxter is also coming off a championship season with the Peterborough Lakers, helping the team capture its first-ever Women’s Major Series Lacrosse provincial title.

“I grew up idolizing the women who represented Canada, so having the opportunity to wear the maple leaf is always a pinch-me moment,” said Dobson. “I grew up playing at the Civic and remember sitting in the stands watching the 2013 World Championship. To come back now as one of the athletes representing Canada feels like a full-circle moment.”

Former Trent Excalibur head coach Erica Evans has also been named to the 12-person Canadian roster. 

The championship sees 17 national teams from across the Americas to Oshawa, with nine women’s teams and eight men’s teams competing. The tournament helps teams qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Three Peterborough Lakers Selected In the 2026 National Lacrosse League Draft

Three Peterborough Lakers are headed to the big stage as Nick Crowley, Frank Coyle and Brendan Boyle have been selected in the National Lacrosse League’s 2026 Entry Level Draft on Thursday night.

Boyle (pictured) played 12 games for the Peterborough Lakers this season, earning one assists. Photo courtesy of David Pickering and the Peterborough Lakers.

Crowley was the first Laker taken off the board, taken 12th overall by the Halifax Thunderbirds. He joins fellow Lakers Thomas Hoggarth, Dustyn Birkhof, Jake Withers, Colton Armstrong and play-by-play announcer Pete Dalliday.

The left defenceman was ranked 13th of the top 50 prospects by Inside Lacrosse’s analyst (and Peterborough native) Stephen Stamp. According to Stamp’s column, he cited Crowley as a “rugged, skilled and effectively nasty defender who is going to make an NLL team more than happy to wait a year to add him to the active roster.”

Crowley opted to stay at Rutgers University for his fifth season after leaving Princeton. He played in 44 games in four seasons with the club.

Coyle was selected 44th overall in the fourth round by the Rochester Knighthawks. He will see familiar faces in fellow Lakers Brad McCulley, Matt Gilray, Drew Hutchinson, Ryan Lanchbury and Adam Thistlethwaite.

The right defenceman had finished his junior season with Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. He also played 44 career games for Hamilton, scoring 59 goals and 44 assists.

Stamp ranked him 43rd among the top 50 prospects, citing him as ‘gritty and smart.’ “Coyle is a fairly typical Peterborough lacrosse player. He plays the game the right way, is active on and off the ball and can contribute to the running game,” wrote Stamp.

Just eight picks later, the Georgia Swarm took Lakers defenceman Brendan Boyle 52nd overall as the first pick of the fifth round. He joins former Laker and Peterborough native Carter Page, Laker Ben Trumble and fellow Laker and Curve Lake First Nation’s Deacon Knott, who was recently taken by the Swarm in this year’s Dispersal draft.

Boyle played 12 games for the Lakers this season, netting one assist. Before Peterborough, he spent three seasons at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisc., playing 39 games.

Stamp was ranked 45th among the top 50 prospects in Stamp’s column. “He plays a simple game predicated on making it difficult for opponents to get to good scoring areas, and he does so effectively,” Stamp mentioned.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Schedule Released For Fleming Phoenix's Inaugural Season of Lacrosse Sixes

It is the first year the Fleming Phoenix take the lacrosse field as its Sixes team has released its schedule for its inaugural season starting this Saturday.

Photo courtesy of the Fleming Phoenix.

The Phoenix, led by Head Coach Dustin Dunn, face three other college teams in this fall's campaign.

The team plays two games on each of the four game-day dates. The first homestand is on Oct. 25 against the Humber Hawks and Durham Lords. The final day is on Nov. 1 at Mohawk College with semifinals followed by the third-place and first-place games.

The following is the 2026 season schedule:

Sept. 27 at Humber (Centennial Park Stadium)

• Durham vs Fleming - noon

• Fleming vs Mohawk - 1:30 p.m.

Oct. 18 at Durham (Vaso's Field)

• Fleming vs Humber - noon

• Durham vs Fleming - 2:30 p.m.

Oct. 25 at Fleming (Fleming Phoenix Sports Field)

• Fleming vs Mohawk - noon

• Fleming vs Humber - 1:30 p.m.

Nov. 1 at Mohawk 

• Semifinal #1 - 11 a.m.

• Semifinal #2 - noon

• Third-place game - 1:30 p.m.

• First-place game - 2:30 p.m.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Peterborough Player/Coach Helps Bring Awareness and Pioneer Women's Lacrosse For France

France Lacrosse is putting a bigger stamp on the map thanks to Peterborough’s Lou Warner, who has helped make that mark since May of 2023.

Warner (left) coaching France goaltender Chelsea Breault (right) during warm-ups before a game at the North American Invitational (LAXNAI) at the Utica University Nexus Center in downtown Utica, N.Y. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

She began working with France Lacrosse after her husband, Justin Warner— who is also a lacrosse coach — referred her during his job search with the club when he learned they needed someone to help build the women’s program.

“There was a posting (from France Lacrosse) looking for help; he applied for that, and a week later, he got an interview with our vice president, Dylan,” explained Lou. “He mentioned that I have been playing lacrosse for 20 years and am fluent in French. They flew us to France next week.”

Although she has no biological connection to France, Warner is fluent in French, having grown up in an immersion program throughout school and studied it at Laurentian University in Sudbury.

Warner has worked in multiple roles as a coach for France Lacrosse. She has served as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s sixes teams.

She recently head-coached the women’s team for box lacrosse when they made their debut at the North American Invitational (LAXNAI) in Utica, N.Y. France had a hot start, winning its first two games against the Valkyries and Poland Heritage. They finished 3-2 and fell short of a bronze medal, losing 3-1 to Poland Heritage in a rematch.

“I thought they (France) did fantastic. I wanted to get that France jersey out there,” explained Warner. “I wanted people to be aware of our program.”

Lou (second from left) with Team France after placing fourth in the LAXNAI 2026 Women’s Division. Photo courtesy of Lou Warner.

Lou was no stranger to LAXNAI as she won the inaugural women’s tournament in 2023 for the Toronto-based BP Lawyers team as their goaltender alongside other Peterborough natives including Erica Evans and Payton Crough. While BP Lawyers did not register a team in this year’s tournament, it gave Lou the opportunity to focus on raising awareness for the French women’s national team at LAXNAI.

“Typically, the BP Lawyers put in a team and this year they did not,” she said. “If they had, I probably would have played and coached. My priority would be coaching because I’m trying to build this program.”

Erica Evans (left), Lou Warner (middle) and Payton Crough (right) celebrating the first-ever LAXNAI Women's tournament championship held in 2023. photo By David Tuan Bui.

With LAXNAI 2026 in the books, Lou has to look ahead to the future for France Lacrosse.

“When I started, we only just started the national team. We had a new president, and he's been amazing at growing it domestically, so he's been great in helping us. We brought LAXNAI to the men’s championship,” she explained. “This year, I’m trying to mirror that with the women’s. We’ll be back in January for the Traditions Cup. We’re going to see if She-Box in January and I’m an assistant coach for the women’s sixes team. I’ll also be working on recruiting as well.”

Lacrosse’s motto throughout social media has been, ‘Grow the Game.’ Lou’s efforts mirror that and aim to keep putting France on a global stage.

“I’ve been playing this game since I was eight and that was the Ontario Lacrosse Association’s mantra was to ‘Grow the Game.’” she said. “That was always in the back of my head. I didn’t know that when I was 10 years old that it would lead to this. Now, my goal is to make Worlds in 2028.”

Voice of Peterborough Leads Broadcast For Ninth Year In One of North America's Largest Lacrosse Tournaments

Since 2016, Peterborough’s Stephen Stamp has been the voice of one of the continent’s largest annual lacrosse tournaments, the North American Invitational (LAXNAI), as he gears up for the event’s ninth season, starting Thursday and running until Sunday.

Stamp (left) as a play-by-play commentator for Laxnai 2025 in Utica, N.Y. Photo courtesy of Shutterlax (Marek Stor Photography).

The tournament runs for four days at the Utica University Nexus Center in Utica, N.Y., showcasing lacrosse talent from around the world.

Stamp has been the tournament’s main play-by-play broadcaster since its inception.

“It’s a lot of fun. I loved the idea when they started it and the execution of the tournament has been a blast,” said Stamp.

The tournament started as the Lacrosse All-Stars North American Invitational with only a men’s division. Over the years, the event rebranded as LAXNAI and has expanded both its competition and eligibility.

“It’s been really fun to see it grow in terms of quality of competition and size of the tournament,” said Stamp. “We’ve added a women’s division and a youth division. It’s always been a fun tournament to call.”

Peterborough (and surrounding area) lacrosse players have been on stage for numerous LAXNAI tournaments including Adam Perroni, Drew Hutchinson, Curve Lake’s Deacon Knott and Erica Evans. She won the championship with BP Lawyers and was named tournament most valuable player in the inaugural women’s tournament.

“It’s cool from Peterborough to be a part of it and have the tournament host Peterborough players,” explained Stamp. “Peterborough’s such an important nexus of the sport. They put out amazing lacrosse talent but its approach to the game is pretty gritty and competitive which helps the drive of the competitiveness of the tournament and the fun to LAXNAI.”

Whether he is seeing fellow Peterborough residents or anyone involved in lacrosse, Stamp says the sport’s community helps keep him coming back.

“Part of it is seeing so many friends from the game; it’s such a gathering of great people who are there having fun, doing something we all love,” he said. “You walk around the building and you know so many people and it’s great. It’s great to be part of a community that’s so diverse and welcoming.”

Stamp writes for Inside Lacrosse and has also worked in roles as a lacrosse analyst and play-by-play commentator for several leagues.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Lakers PRHC Night at the PMC Raises $20,000 for Local Patient Care

By Scott Arnold

A night of lacrosse and community support has turned into a $20,000 boost for patient care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre.

(left to right) lakers director of community engagement and partnerships pete dalliday, prhc foundation community giving & engagement manager jane lovett, prhc foundation president & ceo lesley heighway and kinsmen club of peterborough president bob hall (photo via instagram @prhc_foundation)

Another Peterborough Lakers season is in the books, but one special night from June is still making a difference at Peterborough Regional Health Centre.

PRHC Night with the Lakeshow brought the local lacrosse community together to support the regional hospital, with fans helping raise money throughout the night.

Thanks to the generosity of the Kinsmen Club of Peterborough, every dollar raised was matched up to $10,000.

When the fundraising total needed one final push to reach that $10,000 mark, one generous Lakers supporter stepped up to help get it there.

With the matching funds from the Kinsmen Club, that turned the night's fundraising total into $20,000 for the PRHC Foundation.

It is a pretty special result from a night that brought together the Lakers, their fans and the wider Peterborough community, all while helping support the hospital so many people in the region rely on.

And while the Lakers' season may be over, the impact of that June night will continue well beyond the final whistle.

$20,000 raised, thanks to a community that showed up for the Lakeshow and for its regional hospital.

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

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Two NLL Teams Are Gone, Leaving a Long List of Peterborough Lacrosse Connections Looking for New Homes

By Scott Arnold

The Ottawa Black Bears and Philadelphia Wings are gone from the National Lacrosse League, and that leaves a long list of Peterborough lacrosse connections waiting to see where they land next.

tracey kelusky (left) and Paul day (second from right) are two of peterborough natives affected by the announcement of the philadelphia wings ceasing operation in the national lacrosse league. Also pictured are mike Hasen (holding mann cup) and bobby keast far right. (photo courtesy of Peterborough lakers)

The National Lacrosse League announced Thursday that both the Ottawa Black Bears and Philadelphia Wings have discontinued operations and will not take part in the 2026-27 season.

The league will move forward with 12 teams for its 40th anniversary season, but the decision has a very local impact.

Philadelphia had several Peterborough connections throughout its organization.

Peterborough native Paul Day was the Wings' general manager, while fellow Peterborough native Tracey Kelusky was the team's offensive coach.

The Wings also had three Peterborough natives on the roster in Dylan Hutchison, Dustyn Birkhof and goaltender Deacon Knott.

Two members of the Peterborough Lakers, Alex Pace and Liam Patten, were also part of Philadelphia's organization.

Ottawa had its own strong Peterborough ties.

Lakers leading point-getter Rob Hellyer was part of the Black Bears, along with fellow Lakers player Justin Sykes. Former Lakers Tyler Carlson and Cole Begley were also part of the Ottawa organization.

Now, all of those players are left waiting to see where their NLL careers continue.

The league has combined the Ottawa and Philadelphia player pools for a single dispersal draft, which is scheduled for September 15th at 4pm ET.

The Oshawa FireWolves will have the first selection, followed by the Las Vegas Desert Dogs, Rochester Knighthawks, Calgary Roughnecks, San Diego Seals, Halifax Thunderbirds, Colorado Mammoth, Georgia Swarm, Buffalo Bandits, Saskatchewan Rush, Vancouver Warriors and Toronto Rock.

The draft order is determined by regular-season winning percentages over the past two completed seasons, with the most recent season weighted at 70 per cent.

Following the dispersal draft, teams can sign selected players and negotiate with selected unrestricted free agents, subject to league rules.

For the Peterborough players involved, next week's draft could quickly change where they spend the upcoming season.

For Day and Kelusky, the situation is different. Their coaching and management experience could lead to opportunities elsewhere as NLL teams continue preparing for the 2026-27 season.

There is also an obvious local connection at the top of the draft.

The FireWolves, who play their home games at the Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa, will have the first opportunity to select from the combined Ottawa and Philadelphia player pool.

So while two NLL franchises have disappeared, the impact of that decision could be felt much closer to home than it might initially seem.

For a group of Peterborough players, coaches and lacrosse executives, September 15th will be an important day as they wait to find out where the next chapter of their NLL careers will take them.

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

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.