Peterborough Blogs
Electric City Football Club Women's Team Dazzles In Home Opener
/The Electric City Football Club (ECFC) women’s team joins the men in having a perfect home opener at Fleming College on Saturday afternoon.
ECFC captain Holly O’Neill and ECFC striker Kayla McQueen scored two goals apiece, one in each half. The two players alternated goals between the team en route to their 4-1 victory. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
ECFC defeated the Blue Devils FC, 4-1 while breaking the League1 Ontario women’s attendance record of 1,009 fans on a hot afternoon. The record shattered the old one of 900 which was a league final at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan.
"To see that we have the equal from the community for our women's team as we do our men's team, it means a lot for the girls," said Randy Ribiero, ECFC women's head coach. "The attendance record that was previously held at a League1 final, I can only imagine if we get to August and host a playoff game here, the atmosphere we're going to have."
"I've never felt anything like this before," said Kayla McQueen, ECFC striker. "I had a fan come up to me and asked me for an autograph and I cried right after. I'm so happy to be here and I'm excited for the season."
ECFC captain Holly O’Neill opened the scoring at the 25th minute with McQueen extending the lead to 2-0, two minutes later. Both players traded another pair of goals in the contest — with their second goals in the second half — to their 4-1 win. Emily Porteous of the Blue Devils scored the visiting team’s lone goal in the ‘73 minute.
"We knew we were going to have lots of supporters so we just wanted to play with lots of pride, play for ourselves and then play for our supporters," said O'Neill.
The men’s team played an away game on the same day, losing to Unionville 2-1.
The women’s team faces the North Toronto Nitros on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. at Fleming College.
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Peterborough Senior Ladies Slo Pitch Returns With Full Season Schedule
/There are no shortened seasons this year for the Peterborough Senior Ladies Slo Pitch League as their 21st season is back to its full schedule this year on their opening day at George (Red) Sullivan East City Bowl on Wednesday.
The Archies (pictured) were defeated by Southcrest Farms 20-9 in their opening game of the 2022 season. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The league operated on an abridged schedule with 12 regular-season games (from May 11 to June 24) and playoffs last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They postponed their 2020 season.
"A lot of ladies didn't come out last year because of Covid so it's nice to almost have a full slate again which is absolutely marvellous," said Darlene Charlton, league president.
The league is back to its 16-game schedule that runs from May 11 to Aug. 24 with games every Wednesday.
This year is operating with no Covid restrictions according to Charlton which helps with the bonding process the ladies share on and off the field. Any woman 50 or older can enjoy playing the game as it was designed as an inclusive, fun yet competitive atmosphere.
"I've only been doing this for six years and I've met some great friends and everybody just has fun," said Charlton. "Every year, you meet somebody new and it's great."
Outside of baseball, the ladies often join each other in golf tournaments, euchre tournaments, picnics, casino days and theatre visits.
The following are the eight teams in this year’s league:
Crossman Excavating
The Wellness Chef
Crook & Coffer
Trentview
Archies
Southcrest Farms
Jack’s Restaurant
Kristine Laufer
Charlton took over as the league’s president after Kathryn Woodbeck stepped down from a decade of service. Woodbeck still remains involved with the league as a player and volunteer.
Local Journalist Releases New Book of Peterborough's 1974 Undefeated Lacrosse Season
/Peterborough’s greatest hidden lacrosse story comes to light as journalist Ed Arnold unveils his new book, “Peterborough’s Perfect Season: With Benny and his Jets” regarding the Peterborough PCOs undefeated 1974 season on Wednesday.
(from left to right) Tim Barrie, Don Barrie, Ed Arnold and Jason Hinton. The Lakers won two additional exhibition games atop their 46-0 record in 1974. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The 410-page book describes the 46-0 season the PCOs had en route to their third of four straight Minto cups. It depicts the team’s storm while reflecting on the city’s lacrosse history.
The title is a reference to PCO’s coach Ben Floyd when he and the team would walk out to the arena to Elton John’s hit song, “Bennie and the Jets.”
The season is a story that has not been talked about enough in Peterborough sports history according to Arnold.
“(It's) Not very well-recognized in Peterborough," he said. "There are no plaques and there are no banners. If someone says it would have happened in the States, they would have put it on a cereal box and would have made a movie about it."
The back and front of Arnold’s 410-page book. It took just over a year to research and write the book. Photo courtesy of Ed Arnold.
Lacrosse began on a cricket field in East City in 1972. Sullivan’s I.D.A. Pharmacy opened in the same year as the second oldest business that still exists in Peterborough. Arnold chose to celebrate the book’s release in front of the pharmacy.
He wants the book to create awareness of Peterborough’s accomplishments and the rich lacrosse history the city has to offer.
"That's one of the biggest reasons I did it," said Arnold. "To give them a legacy and hopefully someone will recognize it."
The book is available for $25 at Sullivan’s I.D.A. Pharmacy, Trent Valley Archives, and Happenstance in Lakefield. It is also on sale for at the Peterborough Lakers home opener at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on June 2 and on June 23.
Local orders can be made by emailing perfectseason46@gmail.com.
Electric City Football Club Men's Team Shines Under the Bright Lights in Home Opener
/It was an opening night that could not have been any better for the Electric City Football Club (ECFC).
The men’s team won their first home game at Fleming College in front of a record-breaking crowd, 3-0 against Windsor TFC on Saturday night.
ECFC players Luke Green (middle) and Connor Wilson (right) celebrating the team’s first franchise win with fans, scoring three goals in 14 minutes. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The hometown team played in front of a record-breaking League1 Ontario attendance of 1,565 fans.
ECFC striker Jordan Brown quickly got Peterborough on the board with a goal in the first two minutes.
Brown got an encore, scoring his second goal of the match in the 12th minute to put ECFC up 2-0.
"I think the way we moved the ball, we were very patient and it's something we needed to focus on," said Brown. "We just need to keep doing what need to do and we'll be fine going forward."
Fans didn’t wait long for another exciting moment as winger David Schaefer netted another goal in the 14th minute to give ECFC a 3-0 lead. The team carried that score into the second half.
"Obviously we took a defeat last week and the response is what we wanted to look for," said Jamie Sherwood, ECFC men's head coach.
ECFC had troubles early in the second half including a penalty kick for Windsor in the 51st minute. ECFC goalkeeper Quillan Roberts made a diving save to continue the team’s shutout.
Midfielder Mohammad Reaz Nafar got ECFC their only red card of the game at the 64th minute of the game, leaving the team with only 10 players for the duration of the match.
"We scored in the first fifteen minutes, three goals but there are moments in the game where the other team had chances and had a bit more control," said Zach Ellis-Hayden, ECFC defender. "I think we can get better at maintaining the lead and staying composed in the match and maybe have control throughout 90 minutes rather than the first 15 minutes then teetering off."
ECFC defended Windsor and limited their scoring opportunities to get their first win in men’s franchise history.
"What I was really pleased about tonight is everything we put into practice — not just this week but the last five weeks being together — is being illustrated to the whole city in front of a record crowd,” said Sherwood.
The men’s next game is next Saturday on the road against Unionville Milliken FC while the women’s team has their home opener on the same date against the Blue Devils FC at 3:00 p.m.
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St. John's School Holds Ukraine Fundraiser With City-Wide Badminton Tournament
/St. John’s Catholic Elementary School grade 7 and 8 students used their racquets and birdies to raise money for their “United for Ukraine” two-day badminton tournament held on Wednesday and Thursday.
St. Anne’s grade 8 student, Clara Murison (pictured), 13, serving against Monsignor O’Donoghue (MOD) at St. John’s gymnasium. Murison and her teammate Sequoia Soubliere, 14, defeated MOD in their round-robin matchup. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
Nine other schools within the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic School Board were invited to participate and contribute to the cause.
The money is going towards the New Canadians Centre Welcome Fund which aids refugees and immigrants with mental health services, employment opportunities and other services.
"The kids have been working on this for a couple of months now as a 'deep learning' project," said Stacy Higgins, St. John's grade 8 teacher. "They learned about what was going on in Ukraine and wanted to help."
"We did a little bit of research on Ukraine and we were talking about it a lot in class,” said Jayden Hopkins, 14, St. John's grade 8 student. “We haven't really haven't had any schools come over in a long time because of COVID so we thought this would be a great way to help our community and help the refugees but also have a fun time."
St Anne’s grade 8 student Sequoia Soubliere (pictured), 14, was one of the finalists for the girls’ tournament. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
St John’s students were responsible for contacting other schools to get them involved, reach out to sponsors and organize the event.
"It took a lot of effort, we had to call a lot of places and we're so thankful for our sponsors to help donate food, drinks and flowers, said Hopkins. “It was a lot of hard work to make those signs, and call the different places, it was a lot of work but it was worth it."
All the awards were designed by a St. John’s student while Holy Cross Secondary School created them. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The students reached out to Holy Cross Secondary School where teacher Mike Whibbs helped created the awards from the shop class. The first-place trophy was designed by a St John’s student and made with a 3D printer.
The amount of effort and work put into the tournament was rewarding according to the St. John’s students.
"It's very nice to know that we're helping families coming to Peterborough and the surrounding area," said Reed Lain, 13, St. John's grade 8 student. "Not many people have done stuff since Covid, everyone's been inside so it's pretty good for the teams playing."
Each school had two girls and boys represent their respective schools to play in the doubles tournament while contributing $100 for each team.
The girls’ tournament was held on the first day with the boys’ on the following day.
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Kawartha Downs Unveils 50th Anniversary Schedule Including Two-Year Master Plan Project
/Kawartha Downs is going all-in for its 50th anniversary.
The racetrack has released its 2022 lineup and given Master Plan details to revitalize the facility over the next 18 months with entertainment facilities announced on Wednesday.
Richard Weldon, Kawartha Downs managing director was representing the subsidiary of Romspen Financial Corp. during the media conference on Wednesday. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
Romspen Investment Corp. — the subsidiary of Kawartha Downs — has approved the Master Plan which is a $30 to 50-million-dollar investment that will require Provincial and Federal support within a three-part plan.
The track is building several new amenities including:
Large outdoor concert venue with a 15,000 person capacity
An indoor concert venue with 3,000-4,000 seats
A full-scale, permanent tractor pull facility with a spectator capacity of over 5,000 people
A new convertible horse/cattle and exhibit space
A 220-room hotel
One FIFA outdoor soccer field
Over 4000 parking spaces
Richard Weldon, Kawartha Downs managing director says the project will not only become a tourist hub but a way to generate employment opportunities all-year round.
“This is where we want people to stay,” said Weldon. “They grow here, we have some housing to support them but we have a major event here of employment, we have all kinds of events, we have entertainment and we have everything for people to stay."
The Downs will experiment with bringing in small-business opportunities such as a pop-up high-end steakhouse, Friday night rib fests with dancing and local acts and a newly renovated retro diner.
Opening day for the track is on May 28 which will feature a classic car show with over 200 vehicles from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., a 2 p.m. concert by Kim Mitchell, harness racing at 6 p.m. and a fireworks show at 9:30 p.m. — that will also be displayed again on July 2/3 and Aug. 5 — that contains $100,000 of fireworks over four displays.
July 2 will feature a Festival of Retro Music and a fireworks show. The following day will have a Festival of Country and Western Bands with evening fireworks.
On Aug. 5, the Downs will hold a tractor pull, agricultural fair, country/western concert to be announced and the fireworks show finale.
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Hometown PTBO: Easton Rye From Being a Peterborough Petes Fan Into a Draft Pick As Their Goaltender
/This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks with newly-drafted Peterborough Petes goaltender Easton Rye at Overtime Hockey Company Center about growing up loving the Petes and being drafted to the team in the OHL Priority Selection Draft.
Peterborough Declares 2022 as "The Summer Of Lacrosse" of the Sport's 150th Anniversary in Town
/Peterborough has proclaimed 2022 to be “The Summer of Lacrosse” after a flag was raised at City Hall on Wednesday morning to commemorate 150 years of the sport first being played in town.
Mayor Diane Therrien (left) and Hall of Fame Lacrosse goaltender Tim Barrie (right) raising the 150th lacrosse anniversary flag at City Hall. The logo was released to the public in early February. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
Members of local lacrosse communities attended the ceremony as Mayor Diane Therrien made the proclamation at City Hall. The meeting honoured Peterborough and its rich history with lacrosse also known as the Creator’s Game.
“Lacrosse is one of the oldest sports in Peterborough, an Indigenous sport even predating even that time so there's such a long history and tradition,” said Therrien. “It's going to be a great summer and highlighting all the work that's been in the past and that's led us up to this point today.”
“If you're getting into the lacrosse community, they're just good people,” said Tim Barrie, Hall of Fame lacrosse goaltender. “We've always been called the 'blue-collar sport' but it's the people who've had their hearts in the right spot and we have so many volunteers that readily give back to the game.”
The flag will remain at City Hall for one week then will be commemorated at the Peterborough & District Sports Hall Of Fame.
The 150 years marks the first game of lacrosse being played in town as the Peterborough Red Stockings played the first game in 1872.
Peterborough has won 29 national champions while youth teams have won over 100 provincial titles.
The Peterborough Lakers are three-time defending Mann Cup Champions. Their home opener is on June 2 against Cobourg Kodiaks. The Lakers have not played in over two seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Norwood Man Catches Top-Prize Fish "Walter" At 33rd Annual Fishing Derby
/Norwood’s Justin Desbarbieux is $1,000 richer after catching ‘Walter’ the rainbow trout at the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters 33rd Annual Under the Lock Fishing Derby on Wednesday afternoon.
There were 3,000 fish dumped into the canal last Wednesday to launch the 33rd Annual Under the Lock Fishing Derby. The event was postponed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
