City of Peterborough Discourages Use of Wet Sports Fields

With the snow melting and warmer weather approaching, the City of Peterborough has asked users to stay off natural sports fields until further notice announced Tuesday.

A soccer field in Beavermead Park. Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

Several sports fields are extremely wet as reported by the City.

Using the wet fields can cause damage to it and its users. If fields require repairs, their opening could be delayed this season or they may have to be taken out of play while work is completed.

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Peterborough & District Soccer Referees Association In Need Of Match Officials For The Season

The Peterborough & District Soccer Referees Association is facilitating a virtual community info session via Zoom for anyone in the community interested in becoming a match official, on April 6 at 7 p.m.

U-17 BOYS COMPETITIVE SOCCER EXHIBITION TOURNAMENT AT TRENT U APRIL 2019: BETH (MIDDLE) WITH HER ASSISTANT REFEREES LIAM WILLISTON AND JAMES MONTAGUE. (PHOTO BY PETERBOROUGH AREA DISTRICT REFEREE COORDINATOR, MICHAEL SMITH.)

This session is being held in hopes to address the the local match official shortage.

“Locally, we are at a crisis point, especially when it comes to recruitment of older youth and adults that can be eligible to officiate competitive matches,” said Beth McLelland, vice president of Peterborough & District Referees Association.

She notes that in 2019 Ontario Soccer registered over 9,000 Match Officials, while in 2021 they registered less than 3,500

The session will share what refereeing opportunities exist in Peterborough and surrounding area, the benefits of refereeing, and how to become a match official.

Anyone is welcome to attend the information session. There will be time at the end to ask questions.

To register for the session click here. Questions can be directed to ptbo.district.soccer.refs@gmail.com.

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Electric City Football Club Signs 100-Goal Scorer and Top Mildfielder to Men's and Women's Team

A prolific 100-goal scorer has joined the Electric City Football Club (ECFC) as they signed Jordan Webb and NCAA 3-Time All-MAC Winner Simone Chiodo on Monday.

Former Singapore Premier League 100-goal scorer and Canadian Premier League winger Jordan Webb. Photo courtesy of ECFC.

Webb, 33, is a winger from Pickering who comes back to Canada after a storied professional career in Asia in the Singapore Premier League.

In his 10-year professional career in the Singapore top flight, Webb smashed home 101 goals and added 28 assists (including 11 goals in 16 matches in the 2019-20 season).

“Jordan is a player that brings a lot of professional experience into our team this season,” said Rob Jenkins, ECFC president. ”Jordan is lightning quick and his change of pace makes it very difficult for defenders to deal with.”

He first signed in Singapore for Hougang United, where he played 88 times. In 248 total career appearances at the professional level in Singapore, Webb has played for five different clubs — most recently Tampines Rovers, one of the largest clubs in the country.

He has won the Singapore Cup twice, in 2013 with Lion City Sailors and again in 2019 with Tampines. Webb also has significant experience in the AFC Cup, having played continental games against clubs from across Asia.

“It’s an honour to be part of a great organization, who is trying to create something big for the city of Peterborough,” Webb said. “I’m super excited to be part of this club because ECFC is trying to build something from ground up and they also are super involved with the community and all about the fans.”

In 2021, Webb signed a professional contract with Canadian Premier League side Atletico Ottawa, before parting ways with the club due to personal reasons.  At the time of the signing, Atlético Ottawa CEO Fernando Lopez called Webb a ‘special, experienced and renowned player’ with an innate ability to create chances and score goals.

Chiodo, 22, from Oshawa, ON was a midfielder at Eastern Michigan University in the NCAA.

At EMU in 2021, Chiodo was Academic All-Mid American Conference (MAC) selection. She played in 12 matches for the Eagles and logged 421 minutes on the pitch.

In the 2020-21 season, she made seven appearances for the Green and White and was named an Academic All-MAC selection.

“Simone is a player that brings experience from the NCAA level into our team. She also has previous experience playing in League1 Ontario,” Randy Ribeiro, ECFC head coach. “Simone is a technical midfielder that is really comfortable on the ball. She is excellent in build-up with her ability to change the point of attack and has a high work rate on the defensive side of the ball.”

Photo courtesy of ECFC.

In 2019, Chiodo appeared in 17 matches for the Eagles. She played her first complete game on Nov. 3 at Ball State, where she logged all 90 minutes in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals and named Academic All-MAC.

In her freshmen season in 2018, she appeared in seven matches for Eastern and played 122 total minutes.

Chiodo went to high school at Monsignor Paul Dwyer Catholic High School in Oshawa, where she was a four-year-letter winner for the Saints soccer team, named team MVP, while also leading her team to a LOSSA Championship as a senior.

“What pulled me to Electric City FC was the environment they are creating for their players and the community surrounding it. I’m very excited to be coming back home to Canada to play the game for an exciting new franchise,” said Chiodo.

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Peterborough Lakers Bolster Roster In MSL Entry Draft

The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers welcome Austin Hasen, Caleb Creasor and Cole Hanrahan to the team from the Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) draft held at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre on Sunday.

The Peterborough Lakers are three-time defending Mann Cup Champions. Photo courtesy of Peterborough Century 21 Lakers.

Hasen was drafted 11th overall in the second as the Lakers had no first-round selection (obtaining Mike Poulin from the Brooklin Lacrosse Club for their pick). Creasor was taken 23rd and Cole Hanrahan was picked 29th.

Hasen, the son of head coach Mike Hasen, is a right-handed forward and graduate of the Brampton junior lacrosse system.

“We were surprised he was still available,” said Paul Day, Lakers’ general manager. “Most players like to play with the ball and he is tough and plays inside without the ball.” 

Hasen is in his junior year at Belmont Abbey in North Carolina where he has scored 13 goals in seven games. As a junior Excelsior, he amassed 105 goals and 102 assists over 69 games prior to the pandemic. 

Creasor, a left-handed defenseman, made stops with his hometown Huntsville Hawks and the Barrie Lakeshores before playing the 2021 OJLL tournament with the Brampton Excelsiors where he suited up with Hasen and Lakers 2021 draft pick John Vezina. 

“He is a young defender with a great future,” described Day. “He has a great lacrosse IQ. He’s a goaltender in the NCAA; he’s a very versatile player.”  

Creasor, a junior, is a goaltender at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, P.A.

Hanrahan is already familiar with the Peterborough area as a member of the Trent Excalibur. He also currently leads the Arena Lacrosse League in power play goals as a member of the Whitby Steelhawks. Day said that Hanrahan adds depth to the Lakers’ right side.  

The Lakers also made a trade Owen Sound; acquiring righty defenseman Alex Pace. They gave up four picks which included returning Owen Sound’s 2022 third rounder and 2023 second rounder — which they held from a previous trade — plus the Lakers own 2022 third rounder and 2023 second rounder. Pace plays for Day in Philadelphia. 

“He was their first-round pick in 2020; with him we add a very strong defenseman who has chemistry with some Peterborough guys from his play with the Wings, plus Thomas Whitty who he played with in junior with St. Catharines,” said Day. “Going into the draft we wanted to add a ready D-man into our lineup and the trade for Pace accomplished that.”

Full draft results:

Round 1

1. Owen Sound - Thomas McConvey

2. Brooklin  - Peyton Cormier

3. Oakville - Josh Dawick

4. Oakville - Dylan Watson

5. Oakville - Sam English

6. Oakville - Jason Knox

Round 2

7. Owen Sound - Tanner Buck

8. Brooklin - Luke Pilcher

9. Brooklin - Carter McKenzie

10. Cobourg - Ethan Riggs

11. Peterborough - Austin Hasen

12. Cobourg - Jake Rosa

Round 3 

13. Owen Sound - Noah Lebar

14. Brooklin - Curtis Hall

15. Brooklin - Zac Sunderland

16. Oakville - Joey Szabo

17. Owen Sound - Jordan Aekie

18. Oakville - Luke Robinson

Round 4

19. Owen Sound - Will Cecile

20. Six Nations pass

21. Brooklin - Trevor Barrett

22. Cobourg - Gareth Haigh 

23. Peterborough - Caleb Creasor

24. Oakville - Brett Handsor

ROUND 5 

25. Owen Sound - Conner Watson

26. Six Nations - Riley Miller

27. Brooklin - Zac Belter

28. Cobourg - Owen Boyle

29. Peterborough - Cole Hanrahan

30. Oakville - Devin Dunkerley

Landon Kells, Mike Robinson and Zach Young were the juniors protected ahead of the MSL draft.

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Electric City Football Club Releases Inaugural Season Schedule

The Electric City Football Club released their Inaugural season schedule on Friday.

The first men's game will be April 21 at Guelph.

The first women's game will be April 23 at Alliance (North Toronto).

The first men's home game will be May 7 vs Windsor.

The first women's home game May 14 vs Blue Devils FC (Oakville).

Visit electriccityfc.com for tickets.

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Peterborough Lakers Protect Three Players for Sunday's MSL Draft

The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers have protected graduated juniors Landon Kells, Mike Robinson and Zach Young ahead of Sunday’s Major Series Lacross (MSL) Draft.

The Peterborough Lakers are three-time defending Mann Cup champions winning from 2017-19 however the last two Major Series Lacrosse seasons have been cancelled from the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Lakers

Kells was the Lakers’ third goaltender and backed up Mike Poulin at the 2019 Mann Cup. The 21-year-old from Fergus is the backup for Calgary Roughnecks’ backup behind Christian Del Bianco.

“Kells is one of our goalies of the future,” said Paul Day, Lakers general manager.

Robinson, a defender from Peterborough, spent three seasons with the Jr. Lakers, scoring 17 goals and 7 assists in his final year in 2019. He is also an attackman at the University of Delaware and named the Colonial Athletic Association’s 2021 Rookie of the Year.

“Robinson is having great success at Delaware and obviously had a very good Jr. A career. We look forward to his continued development,” said Day.

Young, a defenseman from Oshawa, spent the 2017 and 2018 seasons with Peterborough before being traded to Mimico. He netted 12 points over 33 games with the Jr. Lakers. Young plays for the University of North Carolina, the same university that Lakers’ defenseman Chad Tutton attended.

“Young is a great athlete with two or three years left of NCAA eligibility. He’s a big defender with a bright future,” said Day.

The MSL draft consists of five rounds as Peterborough has no first-round pick. They received Mike Poulin from the Brooklin Lacrosse Club in exchange for their first-round pick.

The Lakers have the fifth pick in the second to the fifth round for this year’s draft.

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Kawartha Baseball Umpires Association Is Seeking Umpires For The 2022 Season

The Kawartha Baseball Umpires Association (KBUA) is offering to cover clinic costs for all new umpires and provide a local field clinic in hopes to keep up umpire recruitment.

Stock Photo

“Essentially we just cannot keep up umpire recruitment and there is now a risk of less or no house league baseball because a lack of umpires,” said Nolan Frazer, KBUA.

According to Frazer, pay rates for umpiring have gone up significantly over the last few years to try and entice more members.

“It makes for an awesome summer job for teens and students or a little cash on the side,” he said.

Umpires with KBUA chose what days and hours they would like to work. Age groups vary from youth to men’s league.

The KBUA covers all baseball games in the area, with most requiring two umpires and some up to three. They also cover games for Peterborough high schools, Trent University and Fleming College.

Umpires with the KBUA can cover house league, select and rep divisions.

“Peterborough has a great history of baseball and some really good competition and talent at all ages,” said Jamie Graham, KBUA.

To participate in the clinic, learn the sport and become a certified umpire contact Jamie Graham at 705-760-4153 or graham.jamie15@gmail.com.

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Electric City Football Club Sign Award-Winning Midfielder and a Rookie Standout

Electric City Football Club (ECFC) has signed League1 Ontario’s All-Time Best Midfielder Award winner Mohammad Reza Nafar and CCAA Rookie Standout Aysia King on Wednesday.

Aysia King (pictured) signs her contract with the new League1 Ontario side. Photo courtesy of Electric City Football Club.

Nafar, 25 years old, is a midfielder who is originally from Tehran, Iran and moved to London with his family when he was a child.

He has played in League1 Ontario for FC London before jumping to FC Laval in the Premiere Ligue de soccer du Quebec (PLSQ) and Concordia University.

“Reza was a player we immediately wanted to connect with and share what we were doing here at ECFC,” said Rob Jenkins, ECFC president. “Reza aspires to be a professional and we believe he has all of the qualities to do so.”

Last season with the Concordia Stingers, Nafar was named a Second-Team All-Canadian. He was the leading scorer in the RSEQ conference with seven goals and four assists for 11 points in 12 games. He earned four Player of the Game honours this season.

“The ambition that ECFC has for the future and all the effort that’s been done to make me feel comfortable is what attracted me to play for the club,” said Nafar. “It means a lot that a club of this calibre was interested in me and to be a part of the first group of players to represent the club is something special.”

The women’s team signed attacker Aysia King, a 19-year-old from London who most recently played for Fanshawe Falcons.

Last season as a rookie, King led the Falcons to bronze at the CCAA National Championships, where she scored an assist en route to the third-place finish. She scored four goals and had one assist in the OCAA Regular Season.

“Aysia will be one of the bright young talents in our Women's team this season. We feel she has the ability to be one of the top young players in L1O this upcoming season,” said Randy Ribeiro, ECFC women’s head coach “Her technical ability and confidence to take on defenders makes her very exciting to watch.”

An OCAA and CCAA Championship Tournament All-Star in 2021, King was also named a CCAA Athlete of the Week.

“The community and culture in Peterborough is a huge reason I wanted to be a part of Electric City FC in their first season,” King said. “The amount of support and the fanbase is already amazing. ECFC has a huge future ahead of it and I am super excited to be part of it.”

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Peterborough Petes Reveal Pink In the Rink Jerseys For Cancer Fundraising Campaign

The Peterborough Petes are adding some rosy colour to their maroon and white, unveiling their Pink in the Rink jersey ahead of their fundraising game announced Tuesday.

Meghan Roy (left) and Doug Gibson (right) are the first to wear the 2022 Pink in the Rink jerseys. Roy became the first female sports anchor at CHEX in 2014. Gibson played three seasons with the Petes from 1971-73. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The 13th edition of Pink in the Rink hockey game on April 9 raises money for the Canadian Cancer Society with a focus on cancer commonly found primarily in women.

The goal is to raise $50,000.

The Pets have raised a total of $812,099 for the Canadian Cancer Society through the Pink in the Rink campaign. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The new jersey is pink and maroon and has the breast cancer ribbon across both sides of the jersey. The Canadian Cancer Society patch is on the left shoulder and a patch honouring Petes Alumnus and Peterborough media figure Gary “Diller” Dalliday on the right shoulder.

Family and friends’ names who battled cancer are throughout the jersey. The names were purchased by Peterborough community members and all proceeds are donated to the Canadian Cancer Society. 

“The Pink in the Rink is so much more than a fundraiser,” said Alison Payne, Canadian Cancer Society special events manager. “It celebrates the people in our community that we have lost, who are in the midst of their cancer journey and who have survived.”

Several Pink in the Rink jerseys in the past going as far back as 2012. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

A live auction is run after the game where fans can bid on game-worn jerseys but tickets must be purchased in order to participate.

A t-shirt and ticket Pink in the Rink bundle is available at the Petes store. Fans can purchase t-shirts at a fraction of the bundle price if they already bought a ticket.

The arena will use a bucket pass to accept cash donations throughout the game from fans to aid in the fundraising process.

The Petes host their Pink in the Rink night on April 9 against the Niagara IceDogs with no capacity restrictions. The game was postponed from Feb. 5 which would have had the game with a half-capacity crowd due to government restrictions.

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2022 Ontario 55+ Summer Games Is Looking For Volunteers

A call for volunteers is open for individuals who would like to support the 2022 Ontario 55+ Summer Games that is being held in the Peterborough area this summer.

File photo.

Positions are open in areas like security, medical, registration and food services to name a few.

The Ontario 55+ Summer Games which will be held throughout the Peterborough area from August 9-11.

The event is expected to draw up to 1,400 participants from across the province. The Games include 19 diverse events ranging from bid euchre, contract bridge and cribbage, to cycling, lawn bowling, golf, pickleball, slo-pitch, swimming, and tennis. The venues for the events will be located throughout the City and County.

Historically, the Ontario 55+ Summer Games generate about $2 million in positive economic impact for the host community. The Province of Ontario is also supporting the Games with a $235,000 investment. While the Games are held during the busy summer tourism season, events take place mid-week encouraging participants to come early and stay later, generating additional revenue for local business, attractions, and accommodation providers.

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