Four Student-Athletes Graduates Receive 2025 Peterborough & District Sports Hall of Fame Bursary

Four graduating student-athletes were recipients of the annual Peterborough & District Sports Hall of Fame Bursary Award for 2025 at a presentation ceremony at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Tuesday afternoon.

(Left to right) Matthew Kathiravelu; Sydney Dobbin; Linda de Jeu, PDSHoF Second Vice Chair; Olivia McBride and Rutger Huntley. The award has been given annually to four recipients since 1996 (with 2020 having six) Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Matthew Kathiravelu, Sydney Dobbin, Olivia McBride and Rutger ‘Ru’ Huntley were this year’s winners, taking home $2,000 apiece from the bursary. Each recipient was a graduating high school student, attending University in the fall.

This year’s winners will have their headshots commemorated in the Hall of Fame and their names etched into the history of the awards’ beneficiaries.

Matthew Kathiravelu, 18. Photo by David Tuan BUi.

Kathiravelu, 18, is an honours student and a graduate of Kenner Collegiate.

He is attending the University of Pennsylvania, where he was accepted to the prestigious Wharton School of Business, studying Economics and working towards a Bachelor of Science degree.

He is a multisport athlete who played basketball, volleyball, badminton and track and field. He was named captain of his basketball, volleyball and track and field teams and named player of the year on all three of these teams.He led the Kenner Rams to an OFSAA silver medal this past year and an antique bronze two years ago. Kathiravelu is a two-time OFSAA triple jump gold medalist and an OFSAA  long jump silver medalist. He was named Kenner's senior male athlete of the year.

Academically, Kathiravelu was awarded the Governor General’s Award, given to the student who has the highest academic average with 97 per cent in his graduating class.

The 18-year-old has expanded his reach into coaching, helping the younger members of the Kenner track and field team. He has also been a representative on the student council and the athletic committee.

He has been a member of the Peterborough Power basketball program for two years and a player/captain with the Time to Hoop basketball program for two years.  He has also been a member of the United Tamil Sports Club for three years.

He has also volunteered as a coach for Peterborough Youth basketball, completed a co-op at Community Futures Peterborough, and coached youth at the Ferndale summer sports camp.

Sydney Dobbins, 18. Photo by David Tuan BUi.

Dobbins, 18, is an honours student and is a graduate of St. Peter Secondary School.

She will be attending the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, studying to become a doctor.

Dobbins played basketball, volleyball, soccer, ran cross country and track and field and competed in alpine ski racing and badminton. She captained her basketball and soccer teams. She was named Senior Female Athlete of the Year this past spring and has earned 10 MVP awards and two Most Dedicated awards throughout her high school career. Through her four-year education at St. Peter’s, she qualified for nine OFSAA championships in cross country running, soccer, basketball and Alpine ski racing.

She developed her leadership skills as a member of the Saints Athletic Council, where she organized sports events for elementary students, hosted athletic banquets, and advocated for the needs of student-athletes. The 18-year-old aspiring doctor has been a social media manager for athletics at St. Peter’s, where she also assisted with scorekeeping for boys and girls basketball games.

Dobbins was a member of the Peterborough Youth Soccer Association for 11 years and the Youth Basketball Association for nine. She was usually selected as captain.

Dobbins volunteered at the Peterborough City Soccer Summer Camp, Time to Hoop Basketball Academy and at the Special Olympics.

Outside of sports, Dobbins was a volunteer at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre with the Hospital Elder Life Program. It supports seniors with companionship and support in their recovery.

Olivia McBride, 18. Photo by David Tuan BUi.

McBride, 18, is an honours student and is a graduate of Adam Scott Collegiate.

She will attend Hamilton’s McMaster University in the fall, studying health sciences as she works towards an Honours Bachelor of Health Science Degree.

The 18-year-old competed in cross country running, basketball, volleyball, badminton, soccer, track and field and tennis. She was also a member of the school’s Special Olympics Unified basketball team this past year.

In her final year, Olivia was captain of the senior basketball and senior soccer teams.

During her four years at Adam Scott, she has earned nine different team awards, received her junior and senior athletic letter, was named Junior athlete of the year in grade 10 and senior athlete of the year in grade 12.

In her final year, she was one of the recipients of the Paul Burke Honour Athlete award, which recognizes commitment and dedication to athletics over a student's entire high school career, as well as receiving the Marilyn Tudhope OFSAA Award of Excellence.

McBride completed her Specialist High Skills Major program which allowed her to run a Grade 9 Olympics day, earn certifications in fair play and coaching and take part in career exploration and leadership positions. She has run volleyball intramurals for fellow students, assisted with junior girls basketball tryouts and officiated elementary basketball tournaments.

In the community, McBride has been a member of the Peterborough City Soccer Club and the Peterborough Power Basketball Club for four years.

She has volunteered at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre as a wayfinder, tutored Adam Scott Intermediate students, served as a basketball scorekeeper, and volunteered at Edmison Heights public school, where she assisted in a grade 6 classroom, organized pizza lunches, and coached dance and gymnastics.

Rutger ‘ru’Huntley, 18. Photo by David Tuan BUi.

Huntley, 18, is an honours student and graduate of Crestwood Secondary School.

He will be attending Queen’s University in Kingston, pursuing a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree.

Huntley played volleyball, badminton, tennis, ultimate frisbee, alpine skiing and a track and field athlete. He was captain of the volleyball team for each year of his career as a Mustang. He was named MVP of the volleyball team four times, the badminton team three times and earned two sportsmanship awards. He is a nine-time COSSA medalist and a five-time OFSAA participant.  

He received two of Crestwood’s most prestigious Dysart Awards of Athletic Excellence.

The 18-year-old has been a coach for the senior girls and junior boys volleyball teams at Crestwood, an official for four years for intermediate volleyball tournaments, a Soul beach volleyball coach for four years, a Durham attack U15 assistant coach and a private beach volleyball player coach.

Huntley has been captain and played volleyball for Durham Attack for three years, Peterborough Thunder for one year, Team Ontario Beach for one year, Soul Beach for four years, OVA beach tour for four years and has recently played badminton with the Peterborough Badminton Club for a year. He has received a Durham Attack leadership award three times, the Achievement of Excellence Award and the Lisa Ford Memorial Award.

Huntley has been a volunteer with the Millbrook BIA festival for 4 years, acting as an organizer and assisting with setup and he has volunteered with Mitchel’s Cakes and Desserts.

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Peterborough Jr. C. Lakers Sweep Playoffs to Win Back-to-Back Meredith Cups

The Peterborough Jr. C Lakers have made franchise history, winning back-to-back Meredith Cups for the first time after defeating the Burlington Warriors 10-7 in a sweep at Healthy Planet Arena on Sunday.

Photo courtesy of the ONtario Junior C Lacrosse League.

Both teams scored two apiece in the first period, similar to Game one. Jordan Dool and Jeremiah Wade were the goal-scorers for Peterborough.

The floodgates opened in the second as the Lakers scored the first three goals. Reed Chamberlain, one of the team’s leading scorers, struck first to give Peterborough a 3-2 lead. Ryder Perry tacked on a pair to extend the score to 5-2. Central Division rookie of the year Hayden Addison also scored two goals ot round out the second and Peterborough had a comfortable 7-3 lead headed into the third.

Burlington would not go away quietly, opening the frame with three goals in six minutes, including a power play goal to cut the deficit to one. Wade came up big for Peterborough, responding with two goals to cap off the hat trick. Burlington scored to bring themselves to two goals to make it a game but Dool tacked on an empty-net goal to seal it, 10-7 for the Lakers and a back-to-back Meredith Cup.

The championship gave the Lakers their first back-to-back championship in the team’s history and has now tied for most Meredith Cup wins with the Clarington Shamrox with four titles.

The Lakers played three postseason series, remaining undefeated. They swept the Huntsville Hawks, Whitby Warriors and Burlington Warriors in a best-of-five series.

Peterborough suffered one loss all season, a 9-6 defeat from Whitby on May 21.

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Peterborough Lakers Down to Last Lifeline After Overtime Loss to Brooklin L.C. In Game Five

The Peterborough Lakers’s season hangs in the balance as they were defeated by Brooklin L.C. in game five, 8-7 in overtime, at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Thursday night.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Lakers.

The first period was a low-scoring affair as each team only scored once. Holden Cattoni drew first blood for Peterborough and it was 1-1 headed into the second.

Brooklin came out strong in the next stanza, scoring the first five of the six goals with Daniel Clark getting his first playoff goal for the Lakers. Peterborough gave a little push in the final 24 seconds as Joe Resetarits scored, followed by a last-second goal from Thomas Hoggarth to make it 6-4 after two periods.

Brooklin tacked on a shorthanded goal to kick off the period, making the deficit three for the Lakers. Braedon Saris notched a pair of powerplay goals to draw Peterborough to within one score. Cattoni got his second of the game to tie the game at seven with 11:40 however, both teams disallowed any mroe goals to send the game to overtime.

Despite outshooting Brooklin 6-5, the visitors saw Will MacLeod get the walk-off game-winning goal with 2:43 left. It gave Brooklin their third-consecutive win over Peterborough and a 3-2 series lead, their first one over the Lakers.

“They're young, they're kind of pushing us around and I think we're sitting back, we're not being aggressive like we were in Game 1,” explained Colton Armstrong, Lakers transition. “We just have to get back to fundamentals and just kind of be the Lakeshow, be who we are. Get out on hands, make sure they're not shooting the ball, help Rosey out, get the ball to the offence and let them do their work.”

Both teams get a long break after playing their fifth game in eight days, as game six is on Wednesday at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre in Whitby. Game seven, if necessary, is back at the Memorial Centre on Thursday.

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Peterborough Petes Trade Forward For Two Draft Picks; Team Announces New Skills and Development Coach

The Peterborough Petes traded away centreman Alex Hage for Barrie’s third-round pick in 2028 and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2029 from the Niagara IceDogs.

Photo courtesy of Kenneth Andersen and the Peterborough Petes.

The Petes originally selected Hage in the sixth round of the 2024 OHL Priority Selection from the Vaughan Kings U16s. Last season, the 2008-born forward played with the Chicago Steel of the USHL, picking up 11 points in 37 games.

Hage had never played a game for the Petes.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

The team has also added alumnus Ryan Ramsay as the team’s new Skills and Development Coach.

“We are pleased to have Ryan join our staff,” said Michael Oke, general manager and vice president of operations. “With his experience as a player, and more recently as a coach at the junior level, he’s a great fit for our team. Our organization is committed to the development of our players on and off the ice. In Ryan’s role with the Petes, he will assist our players in their individual skill development.”

The Ajax native has been the Head Coach/General Manager for the Haliburton County Huskies of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) since the 2021-22 season. He has eight years of experience working in the OJHL with the Huskies and the Whitby Fury. Ramsay has also served as a Player Development Consultant for the North Bay Battalion for the last two years.

“I’m very excited to be joining the Petes as their new Skills and Development Coach,” said Ramsay. “It’s definitely a full circle moment for me to be back with Peterborough after beginning my OHL career here. I’m looking forward to joining this great staff and amazing organization. I can’t wait to meet the players and get started.”

A former first-round pick of the Petes, Ramsay played five seasons in the OHL from 1999-2004, picking up 283 points in 295 games with the Petes, Kitchener Rangers, and Plymouth Whalers. After his OHL career, he signed with the St. Louis Blues and play 11 seasons in the AHL, ECHL, Germany and Italy. Ramsay played the majority of his professional career in the DEL, Germany’s top league, picking up 212 points in 296 games over seven years.

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Second Annual Mayoral Golf Tournament Fundraiser Announced to Benefit PRHC Foundation

Mayor Jeff Leal is back on the links as he invites the public to join his second annual Peterborough Mayoral Invitational Charity Golf Tournament on Sept. 8 at Kawartha Golf Club, announced on Thursday morning.

(left to right) Nigel Lister, Regional Manager, Market Development of Cambium Inc; Lesley Heighway, PRHC Foundation president; Blake Ulrich, Head Golf Professional at Kawartha Golf Club and CEO and Jeff Leal, Peterborough Mayor. Leal is displaying his putting prowess in a demonstration at his press conference. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The announcement was made at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC), where its Foundation is this year’s recipient of the proceeds.

“I was faced with a cancer diagnosis two years ago but I’m cancer-free today because of the swift and effective care I received right here in our community,” said Mayor Jeff Leal. “We must ensure that PRHC has all the resources they need to continue to provide the best quality care for the residents of our City and Region. That’s why I have chosen to support the PRHC Foundation’s Campaign for PRHC, with the proceeds of the second annual Mayoral Invitational Charity Golf Tournament helping to reimagine healthcare in our region.”  

“We’re grateful to Mayor Jeff Leal for supporting the Campaign for PRHC,” said Lesley Heighway, PRHC Foundation president and CEO. “We recently announced an ambitious expansion of our campaign goal from $60 million to $70 million. It’s a bold step that reflects the growing and urgent healthcare needs in our region. Support from community-driven events like the Mayor’s invitational are vital to helping bring innovative, life-changing care to patients in our region.” 

The day will include a round of golf, lunch and dinner.

Registration and lunch begin at 11 a.m., followed by opening remarks at 12:30 p.m. The shotgun start is at 1 p.m. with dinner to follow at the end of the round.

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Peterborough Petes Sign Austrian Import Draft Pick to Standard Player Agreement

The Peterborough Petes have signed 2025 import pick Leon Kolarik to an OHL Standard Player Agreement (SPA), announced on Thursday afternoon.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

“We’re very happy to be able to add Leon Kolarik to our team,” said Michael Oke, general manager and vice president of operations. “Leon is a player who brings experience playing at the highest professional level in Austria. We believe that his game is a great fit for the OHL and we look forward to having him join our group.”

“It’s always been a dream of mine to play in the CHL,” exclaimed Kolarik. “I knew Peterborough was the right spot when I spoke to Tommy Purdeller, who only had great things to say about the organization. It feels amazing to be a part of the Petes.”

The 2007-born forward from Vienna, Austria, was selected by the Petes in the second round, 63rd overall, of the 2025 CHL Import Draft. He featured in 36 games for the RB Hockey Juniors in the AlpsHL last season, scoring 10 goals and adding 13 assists for 23 points. He also played in seven games for EC Salzburg in the ICEHL (Austria’s top league), scoring once and adding two assists for three points. In the playoffs, Kolarik led EC Salzburg U20 in scoring, with eight goals and six assists for 14 points in eight games.

“We are excited to announce the signing of Austrian Leon Kolarik to the Peterborough Petes,” said Patrick O’Connor, Petes assistant coach and director of player personnel. “Having spent extensive time in Europe ahead of the Import Draft with Coach (Rob) Wilson, we had already identified Leon as a highly skilled and competitive player. We feel his skillset and drive will contribute well with our new look team, while we also work to continue his development ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft.”

Kolarik has also represented his home country of Austria at multiple levels. This past year, he had seven points in five games at the U18 World Championship Division 1A, while also picking up four assists in five games at the U20 World Championship Division 1A.

Kolarik is the third and final import player to sign with the Petes ahead of the 2025-26 season, after Peterborough signed 2024 first-round pick Adam Novotný on July 9 and 2025 second-round pick Yanis Lutz on July 25.

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Series Evened After Peterborough Lakers Drop Game Four After Brooklin L.C. Rally

The series has become a best-of-three after the Peterborough Lakers suffered a rally from the Brooklin L.C. to fall 15-9 at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre Rink on Wednesday night.

Photo courtesy of Anna Taylor and the Peterborough Lakers.

Peterborough had a great start to the game, putting their offensive prowess on display on the road. They scored five goals in the first period thanks to Thomas Hoggarth, Joe Resetarits, Braedon Saris, Taite Cattoni and Justin Sykes. Brooklin only managed two goals and the Lakers had a 5-2 lead after the first period.

However, things came crashing down for Peterborough after that. Brooklin scored the first six of seven goals in the stanza to lead 8-6. The Lakers were able to two late special teams goals courtesy of Holden Cattoni and Resetarits to tie it at eight into the third period.

Despite Peterborough opening the scoring in the final frame — with a Holden Cattoni goal — Brooklin L.C. kept pouring on their offense, scoring seven unanswered goals. Peterborough failed to find the back of the net since then and the series was evened at two apiece after a 15-9 win for Brooklin.

“We just didn’t push back like we should have,” said Bobby Keast, Lakers’ defensive coach. “I think they got some bounces that they earned.”

Game five is at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Tuesday at 8 p.m. Both teams get a long rest after that, as game six is on Wednesday in Whitby. If necessary, Game seven is on Thursday at the Peterborough Memorial Centre.

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Quest For Back-to-Back Meredith Cup Titles For Jr. C. Peterborough Lakers Starts Wednesday Night

The Jr. C Peterborough Lakers have their sights set on a second-straight Meridith Cup as they play game one against the Burlington Warriors at the Healthy Planet Arena on Wednesday at 8 p.m.

Photo courtesy of the Jr. C Peterborough Lakers.

If Peterborough wins the best-of-five series, it will be the first time in franchise history that the team has won back-to-back titles. A win also gives them a tie for most championships in league history with four.

The Lakers remain undefeated in the playoffs, sweeping the Huntsville Hawks and Whitby Warriors in a best-of-three series to reach the championship.

Peterborough is on a 15-game winning streak — including regular season and playoffs — and has not lost since a 9-6 defeat from Whitby on May 21.

Trying to stop them are the Burlington Warriors, who squeezed out a game-five road win, defeating the North Shore Kodiaks 10-9 on Sunday.

The Healthy Planet Arena floor where the Jr. C Lakers play. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The following is the Meredith Cup schedule:

• Game one: Aug. 6 at 8 p.m. in Peterborough (Healthy Planet Arena)

• Game two: Aug. 8 at 8 p.m. in Burlington (Central Arena Burlington)

• Game three: Aug. 10 at 2 p.m. (Healthy Planet Arena)

• Game four: Aug. 12 at 8 p.m. in Burlington (Central Arena Burlington)

• Game five: To be announced (Healthy Planet Arena)

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Peterborough Petes Acquire Forward From Brampton Steelheads For Three Draft Picks and a Goaltender

The Peterborough Petes have acquired forward Lucas Karmiris from the Brampton Steelheads in exchange for overage goalie Zach Bowen, Owen Sound’s second-round pick in 2026, a fourth-round pick in 2029, and a conditional third-round pick in 2027, announced on Tuesday afternoon.

Photo courtesy of Luke Durda and the OHL.

“We’re very excited to announce that we’ve acquired Lucas Karmiris from the Brampton Steelheads,” said Michael Oke, general manager and vice president of operations.. “Lucas is a right-handed centre who plays a solid two-way game. He’s a player with over 160 games of OHL experience and we feel that he will fit in very well with our current group of forwards. We’re looking forward to seeing him on the ice at training camp later this month.”

Karmiris, a 2006-born centre from Brantford, was originally selected by the Steelheads in the first round, 13th overall, in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection. He has spent his entire three-year OHL career in the Steelheads organization, scoring 33 goals and adding 63 assists for 96 points in 165 games. Karmiris also played 17 playoff games, scoring three goals and adding one assist. Karmiris is from the Brantford 99ers AAA system alongside Petes forward Braydon McCallum.

Photo courtesy of Kenneth Andersen and the Peterborough Petes.

Bowen was a fourth-round pick by the London Knights in 2022 and was acquired by the Petes in a trade involving Michael Simpson in September of 2023, before the season opener. He’s played in 62 games for Peterborough over the last two seasons, posting a 3.91 GAA and an .894 save percentage.

“I’d like to personally thank Zach for his dedication to the Petes and the City of Peterborough over the past two seasons,” said Oke. “We wish him all the best as he heads to Brampton for his OA year.”

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Lakers Split Long Weekend Games With Brooklin L.C. To Make Series 2-1 For Peterborough

The Peterborough Lakers and Brooklin L.C. split wins over the long weekend to make the series 2-1, with the former leading.

Photo courtesy of Anna Taylor and the Peterborough Lakers.

The Lakers extended the series to 2-0 after defeating Brooklin 10-8 at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre on Saturday.

Peterborough had led 9-0 in game one but had to work for goals in game two. They trailed 2-0, 4-2 and 5-4 before finally getting their first lead, 6-5, at the end of the second period.

“It’s just a great reminder that we are in a series and we need to get back to playing with lots of energy, and I thought we did that,” said Mike Hasen, Lakers head coach. “You take the wins as they are.” 

A pair of goals from Justin Sykes gave the Lakers their first two-goal lead of the night and never relinquished it for the remainder of the game.

In game three, Peterborough had their worst offensive showing of the season, scoring four goals while allowing seven to give Brooklin their first win of the series at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Monday night.

“We just weren’t sharp,” said Hasen. “Right from the get-go, we didn’t have the energy we had the last two games. We were a little bit planted, passes were off, we were dropping passes. It was just one of those nights where it was not good. Second period, we had a lot of energy but we just couldn’t find that consistency.”

The Lakers failed to score in the first period while allowing a pair. After allowing one more score, Peterborough found its footing with a four-goal run. The visitors scored four goals of their own after that and Peterborough could not find the back of the net for the remainder of the night for a 7-4 loss.

“We were a little sluggish to get going,” said Robert Hope, Lakers captain. “They worked really hard as a team, their goaltender played well, they made some small adjustments. We had some lulls. The first period wasn’t great for us. We picked it up in the second, and the third you’re playing catch up against a good team, so we struggled there a bit.”

Game four is in Whitby, where the Lakers will try to make it a 3-1 lead, while Brooklin will look to even the series.

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