Peterborough Brothers Take Home Titles At Humminbird Bassmaster Elite Championship

Peterborough’s Chris and Cory Johnston went hook, line and sinker to win some prestigious titles at the 2024 Humminbird Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River in Waddington, N.Y. on Sunday.

Cory (left) becomes the third Canadian to have three Bassmaster Championships. Chris (right) is the first Canadian to win a Bassmaster Elite Series Event. Photo courtesy of Andy Crawford, Seigo Saito and Bassmaster.

Chris won the 2024 Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year title while brother Cory claimed first place in the 2024 Humminbird Bassmaster Elite tournament.

Chris placed 31st place after day one of the tournament on Friday. While the placement was disappointing, it was still a win in the bigger picture that clinched the Angler of the Year title.

“I might have one trick up my sleeve still,” said Chris. “I haven’t practiced it. I’m just going to wing it. I have nothing to lose now. I can fish with no pressure. I know there’s big ones that live there. I hope the wind makes them bite a little better.”

His ‘strategy’ paid off as he weighed his lot of 29 lbs., 5 ozs – the biggest five-bass limit of the tournament so far – that clinched the title.

“You have no idea how much stress I was under the last couple of days,” said Chris. “Everything that could have gone wrong did. A couple of nights, I didn’t get to sleep until like one in the morning.

Cory was the first Canadian to win the 2024 Humminbird Bassmaster Elite with his haul of fish totaling 102 lbs., beating out Robert Gee, who had 100 lbs. and 7 oz.

“It was a lot of hard work; I put a lot of time into this,” said Cory. “I’ve said it 100 times, this is my favourite place to come, this is my favourite crowd with all my family and friends, all the Canadian support — and it’s a short drive home.”

Cory cycled throughout the standings during the four-day event. He placed fourth on Day One with 25 pounds, and on Day Two, he added 27 lbs. 7 oz. to tie Gee for second. On Semifinal Saturday, Johnston weighed 24 lbs. 14 oz. and slipped back to second, 13 ounces behind Gee.

On Championship Sunday, Johnson came through, delivering 24 lbs. 11 oz. for the win. The victory earned Cory his second entry into the Bassmaster Century Club, recognizing an angler for catching 100 pounds or more with four days of five-bass limits.

“I screwed up here last year and spent too much time in the river the first day and blew my chances at winning,” said Cory. “I said, ‘I’ll never make a cast in this river again. I don’t care if there are 12-footers in the lake.’”

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Peterborough Petes Acquire Matthew Jenken From Flint Firebirds For Three Draft Picks

The Peterborough Petes make their first trade ahead of the 2024-25 season, acquiring defenceman Matthew Jenken from the Flint Firebirds for a sixth-round pick in 2026, a third-round pick in 2028 and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2027 (Windsor), announced on Monday.

Jenken is the second player from Ilderton on the Petes roster, joining second year defenceman Liam Ladds. Photo courtesy of Natalie Shaver and the PEterborough Petes.

The 6’4” 2005-born defender was initially selected by the Firebirds in the first round, 17th overall, of the 2022 U18 Priority Selection. In two seasons with Flint, the Ilderton, Ont. native played 108 games with three goals and 20 assists for 23 points. A right-handed shot, Jenken appeared in the playoffs in both OHL seasons, playing 10 games.

“Matthew is a big, puck-moving defenceman who is solid in his own end,” said Michael Oke, general manager and vice president of operations. “He had a breakout season last year with 18 points, showing that he can help out offensively while still being a responsible defenceman. He’s a great addition to our group as we gear up for training camp and the 2024-25 season.”

The trade is the Petes' first before their preseason, which begins on Sept. 1 at the Jack Burger Sports Complex in Port Hope.

Peterborough’s full 2024 preseason schedule is as follows:

• Sept. 1 - Niagara @ Peterborough - 2:05 p.m. (Jack Burger Sports Complex - Port Hope)

• Sept. 6 - Peterborough @ Guelph - 7:07 p.m.

• Sept. 8 - Sudbury @ Peterborough - 3:05 p.m. (Asphodel Norwood Community Centre - Norwood)

• Sept. 20 - Peterborough @ Kingston - 7:00 p.m.

• Sept. 21 - Guelph @ Peterborough - 7:05 p.m. (Cavan Monaghan Community Centre - Millbrook)

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Lakers Score Late to Propel Peterborough Over Six Nations For 2-0 Series Lead

Three goals in one minute gave the Peterborough Lakers an 8-5 win over the Six Nations Chiefs for a 2-0 series lead at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Thursday night.

Photo courtesy of David Pickering and the Peterborough Lakers.

Similar to Game One, Six Nations opened the scoring with two straight goals from former Laker Eli McLaughlin and Randy Staats. Dylan Hutchinson responded for the Lakers to cut the lead in half for a 2-1 game after the first.

Steve Priolo restored Six Nations’s two-goal lead just under four minutes in. Refusing to fall behind, Peterborough had a three-goal run thanks to Taite Cattoni, Owen Hiltz and Turner Evans to get the first lead of the game, 4-3. Dhane Smith evened things up for Six Nations under one minute later and both teams were even after two periods, 4-4.

Halfway through the period, only one goal came from both sides as Rob Hellyer and Justin Martin scored for Peterborough and Six Nations respectively to make it a 5-5 game.

With 3:07 left in the game, Matt Gilray pickpocketed Cody Jamieson at centre floor and passed it to Colton Armstrong for a breakaway. The former Cobourg Kodiak did not disappoint as he beat 2019 President’s Cup MVP Warren Hill up top for the 6-5 lead.

“Matt Gilray made the big strip on Cody Jamieson and I saw a clear path to the net,” explained Armstrong. “He threw the ball up to me and I had some time. Usually I go really fast but I took my time and put the ball in the net. Got some air off the end boards there, I didn’t know when I was going to come down but it was a really cool experience and this arena blew right up. I wanted to give the guys a spark and right there we had a three-goal run. I don’t think these fans sat down for any of those.”

The goal excited the crowd and Armstong was equally as pumped up, dedicating the score to a special someone in his life.

“My wife is having a baby soon so that one was for her,” he said. “I tried to jump into the stands to give her a hug.”

It only took 17 seconds for Peterborough to strike again as Thomas Hoggarth shot against the grain on Hill’s opposite shoulder up top to beat him for a two-goal lead with 2:50 left to play. The Lakers were not done yet as Joe Resetarits snuck a low shot past Hill 43 seconds later. Peterborough had scored three goals in one minute during that span.

The Lakers held strong for the next 2:07 of regulation and took Game Two of the best-of-seven for a 2-0 series lead.

Game Three is back at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena where Six Nations will look to win their first game this series.

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Hometown PTBO: Gary Dalliday Memorial Golf Tournament of the Broadcaster's Esteemed Career and Community Service

This week on Hometown PTBO, David Tuan Bui talks with Community Care Peterborough, Tim Dalliday and Dan O'Toole about Gary Dalliday's legacy of his career and community service at his Memorial Golf Tournament.

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Peterborough Petes Announced 'Big 8' Community Promotional Nights For 2024-25 Season

The Peterborough Petes have announced their ‘Big 8’ community promotional nights for the 2024-25 season that include nights such as the Teddy Bear Toss and Pink in the Rink game.

Photo courtesy of Kenneth Andersen and the Peterborough Petes.

Each game is centred around a community initiative with a local presenting partner.

The following are the Big 8 dates:

• Home Opener

• Sept. 26 - 7:05 p.m. - Kingston Frontenacs

• Pride Night

• Oct. 3 - 7:05 p.m. - North Bay Battalion

• Remembrance Day Game - Title sponsor still available

• Nov. 5 - 7:05 p.m. - Oshawa Generals

• Teddy Bear Toss

• Dec. 5 - 7:05 p.m. - Sarnia Sting

• Pink in the Rink

• Feb. 1 - 7:05 p.m. - Oshawa Generals

• Family Day Game

• Feb. 17 - 2:05 p.m. - Kitchener Rangers

• Big Brothers Big Sisters Night

• March 6 - 7:05 p.m. - Ottawa 67’s

• Fan Appreciation Night

• March 20 - 7:05 p.m. - Kingston Frontenacs

Partnership packages for the Big 8 are still available. Interested businesses can email Jeremy Coulter.

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Peterborough Lakers Hold Off Last-Second Rally to Deal Six Nations Chiefs First Loss of the Season In MSL Final

It came down to the last second but the Peterborough Lakers dealt the Six Nations Chiefs their first loss of the season with a 9-8 win to take Game One of the MSL finals at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena on Tuesday.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Lakers.

Six Nations had a hot start and jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first nine minutes of the game. Thomas Hoggarth had the lone goal on the power play for Peterborough in that stretch.

The Lakers began to swing the momentum in their favour as Owen Hiltz got another power-play goal. Joe Resetarits and Hoggarth followed up with scores to give Peterborough a 4-3 lead with a three-goal run.

Three goals came in the final two minutes of the period as Brendan Bomberry tied things up at four. Hiltz and Resetarits scored for Peterborough to restore their lead and have a two-goal cushion going into the second period, 6-4.

The second period was a low-scoring affair as both teams split three goals. The teams alternated goals as Turner Evans scored just over eight minutes into the period. Dhane Smith got one back for Six Nations but Rob Hellyer helped Peterborough pull away for an 8-5 lead going into the third.

Six Nations tried to rally against Peterborough in the final frame. Travis Longboat scored a pair of goals to cut the Lakers’s lead to one with just under halfway through the period. Peterborough was on transition and they made it count as Taylor Jensen scored with 5:40 left in the game for a two-goal lead with a 9-7 score. Randy Staats scored with 95 seconds left in regulation to make it 9-8 and pulled Six Nations within striking distance.

Smith was looking for his second goal of the game and took a shot with five seconds left. Lakers goaltender Landon Kells made the stop and preserved the win to deal Six Nations their first loss of the season.

“I expected us to come out firing,” said Kells. “It’s the MSL Finals and both teams deserve to be here. It was just going to be who wanted it more and I feel like we dictated the pace and we dictated how we wanted the game to be played.”

The Lakers allowed a combined four goals in the second and third periods, the same as they let in from the first.

“The defence makes my job easy when they play like that,” explained Kells. “They weren’t getting any looks from inside. The looks they were getting were outside shots which I should stop down the alley.”

Six Nations will look to even the series where Game Two is at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Thursday.

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New Mayoral Golf Tournament Fundraiser Announced to Benefit Community Living Trent Highlands and Kawartha Food Share

To benefit Community Living Trent Highlands and Kawartha Food Share, Jeff Leal, Peterborough mayor has announced the inaugural Peterborough Mayoral Invitational Charity Golf Tournament fundraiser on Tuesday at City Hall.

(left to right) Jeff Leal, Peterborough Mayor; Nigel Lister, Regional Manager, Market Development of Cambium Inc; Ashlee Aitken, Kawartha Food Share general manager and Teresa Jordan, Community Living Trent Highlands executive director. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

“Supporting these two incredible organizations is a cause close to my heart," Leal said. “By coming together for a fun day on the golf course, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of many.”

The tournament is at Kawartha Golf Club on Sept. 9. It is an open event. The friendly competition has no set fundraising goal and wants to invite as many people as possible to join the event. Proceeds will be equally divided among the two beneficiaries.

Leal easily approved the inaugural event, saying that past mayors have had their respective fundraising events and saw this tournament as an opportunity to make it his own.

“Former mayor Daryl Bennett's wife, Jewel, they sponsored the ‘Mayor's Giving Gala’ for a number of years and the proceeds of that went to the Peterborough Community Foundation and allowed them to be a very successful organization,” he explained. “Former mayor Paul Ayotte did an event with Homegrown Homes during his tenure as mayor.”

The day will include a round of golf, lunch, and dinner. Registration and lunch begin at 11 a.m. and the shotgun start is at 1 p.m. Dinner will be at 5 p.m.

The public can register online. You must have two or four players per team to register.

Sponsorship opportunities are also available that include hole promos, golf balls, hats, lunch/cart, dinner, Caesar bar, longest drive/closest to the hole or individual holes.

Those interested or seeking more information can go online or email nigel.lister@cambium-inc.com.

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Peterborough Petes Re-Sign Four Coaching Staff Ahead of 2024-25 Season

Four Peterborough Petes coaches have been re-signed ahead of the 2024-25 season as announced by the team and Michael Oke, general manager and vice president of operations on Tuesday.

(From Left to Right) Nate Oke, Andrew Verner, Patrick O’Connor and Alex Darling. Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

Andrew Verner, associate coach; Patrick O’Connor, assistant coach and director of player personnel; Nate Oke, assistant coach and Alex Darling, video coach have re-signed multi-year deals.

“After extending Head Coach Rob Wilson in the spring, we’re excited to be able to keep our coaching staff together moving forward,” said Michael. “They have all worked well together for the past few years, developing a strong relationship between themselves and with the players.”

“I’m very pleased that we were able to come to an agreement to keep our coaching staff together,” said Rob Wilson, Petes head coach. “All of their work, commitment, and dedication to the team is amazing to watch on a day to day basis. We’re all working towards the same goal of developing our young players on and off the ice, and I believe that the staff we have in place is one of the best in the OHL.”

Verner, a Petes alumnus from 1989-92, originally joined the coaching staff as a goaltending coach during the 2012-13 season. He served as an assistant coach from 2014-18 and interim head coach in 2018 before being named associate coach in August of the same year.

O’Connor joined the Petes as an assistant coach prior to the 2019-20 season. He served in the role for three years before being promoted to the role of director of player personnel and assistant coach last October.

Nate joined the Petes as the team’s skill and development coach before the 2022-23 season while he was the head coach of the U16 Central Ontario Wolves. He was named an assistant coach in August last year.

Darling was originally an intern in the Petes business office, before taking on a sales role with the team. He was named video coach and assistant to the general manager for the 2022-23 season.

All four are OHL Champions from the 2022-23 season as coaches when the Petes raised their 10th J. Ross Robertson Cup. They all rejoin Head Coach Rob Wilson who signed an eight-year extension in March. 

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Peterborough Jr. C Lakers Cap Off Perfect Season With Series Sweep to Win Meredith Cup

The Peterborough Jr. C Lakers’ perfect season is complete as they defeated the Fergus Thistles 14-7 in Game Three to capture the Meredith Cup at the Healthy Planet Arena on Saturday night.

July 28 was Peterborough’s only loss against the Nepean Knights in 6-5 result in the semifinals. Photo courtesy of Peterborough Jr. C Lakers.

The team had a perfect 16-0 record in the regular season entering the playoffs. The team only had one postseason loss and ended on an overall 28-1 record.

According to a prior press release, a Peterborough junior lacrosse team has had an undefeated season in roughly 50 years.

Peterborough drew first blood in game one, taking a 9-6 win on the road at Centre Wellington Sports Complex on Wednesday night. Peterborough fought off a late rally from the Thistles to hang on for the win and lead the best-of-five series, 1-0.

The Lakers had the opportunity to win the Meredith Cup in Peterborough if they could win consecutive home games in back-to-back nights.

Peterborough had a seesaw battle with Fergus in Game Two which included several visiting Thistles fans who were almost just as loud as the Lakers crowd at the Healthy Planet Arena on Friday night.

The home team was able to clamp down defensively and deny Fergus any scoring while netting two goals to win Game Two, 13-9.

With a chance to sweep the series and win the Meredith Cup before the home Peterborough crowd, the Lakers did just that with a convincing 14-7 win at the Healthy Planet Arena on Saturday night.

Once the Lakers took the lead, they never lost it thanks to an eight-goal surge in the second period. Peterborough outscored Fergus in every period to maintain their lead and capped off their perfect season.

“We are deeply grateful for the incredible support and dedication our community has shown us this season. To our amazing sponsors, volunteers, staff, and crew, as well as our passionate fans and parents - thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your unwavering commitment and generous contributions have been the driving force behind our success,” according to a statement released by the team following their championship win.

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Schedule Released For MSL Finals Between Peterborough Lakers and Six Nations Chiefs

Major Series Lacrosse has released the official finals schedule between the Peterborough Lakers and Six Nations Chiefs with Game One beginning at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena on Tuesday.

Photo courtesy of David Pickering and the Peterborough Lakers.

This is the fourth consecutive season and the ninth time in the last 10 seasons that both teams will meet in the final.

The Chiefs had an undefeated regular season before sweeping the Cobourg Kodiaks in the semifinals. Despite the Lakers, finishing with a 7-5 regular season record, they swept Owen Sound and Brooklin in four to reach the MSL finals.

The winner will host the WLA champion in the Mann Cup. 

SCHEDULE

• Game 1: Tuesday, August 13 at 8:00 p.m. @ Iroquois Lacrosse Arena

• Game 2: Thursday, August 15 at 8:00 p.m. @ PMC

• Game 3: Tuesday, August 20 at 8:00 p.m. @ Iroquois Lacrosse Arena

• Game 4: Thursday, August 22 at 8:00 @ PMC

• *Game 5: Sunday, August 25 at 7:00 p.m. @ Iroquois Lacrosse Arena

• *Game 6: Tuesday, August 27 at 8 p.m. @ PMC

• *Game 7: Thursday, August 29 at 8:00 p.m. @ Iroquois Lacrosse Arena

*if necessary

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