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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Kawartha Lacrosse Brings Home Six Medals From 2025 Provincial Championships

Another season for Kawartha Lacrosse saw all six of its representative teams earn medals at the 2025 provincial championships held in Peterborough, Kitchener-Waterloo and Oakville throughout July.

The U13 Kawartha Lacrosse girls winning Gold in tehir division. Photo courtesy of Kawartha Lacrosse.

“I’m incredibly proud of all of the young athletes, the coaches and bench staff who represent Kawartha Lacrosse with honour and respect in the OWFL,” said Fred Blowes, Kawartha Lacrosse director and founder. “Kawartha Lacrosse has had a long history of athletic success which is a testimony to our present and past coaches and of course our incredible players and their supportive parents.

The following teams won medals from Provincials:

• Junior Women’s Elite Lacrosse (JEWL) - Bronze

• U19 Gold 'C division'

• U15 Bronze 'B division'

• U13 Gold 'B division'

• U11 Silver 'A division'

• U9 Gold 'A division'

• U11 Head Coach, Tara King and JEWL Head Coach, Jocelyne Lemay were awarded “Coach of the Year” by the OWFL for their respective divisions

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Peterborough Lakers Dominant In First Playoff Game, Routing Brooklin L.C. to 12-4 Victory

The Peterborough Lakers kick off the postseason with a bang, routing the Brooklin L.C. in Game one of the Major Series Lacrosse semifinals, 12-4 at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Thursday night.

Photo courtesy of David Pickering and the Peterborough Lakers.

The Lakers had a perfect opening period to start the playoffs, shutting out Brooklin while tallying three goals thanks to Thomas Hoggarth, Mike Robinson and Joe Resetarits for a 3-0 lead.

Peterborough’s offense rolled in the second stanza, scoring the next six for a nine-goal run. Braedon Saris, Holden and Taite Cattoni, Carter Page and Brad McCulley got their first goals of the playoffs while Resetarits had his second of the game. The Lakers had their shutout broken fby two Brooklin powerplay goals but McCulley tacked on one more, shorthanded, for a 10-2 lead into the final frame.

“You know, it makes it a lot easier when you hold a team to zero goals for almost two full periods,” said Robinson. “We’re clicking right now and I think, you know, the goal is always to peak at the end of the year, we don’t want to peak in the middle. We're just going to keep doing those little things and keep moving forward and keep getting better each game.”

The final period saw both teams score two goals each, as both Cattonis scored for the Lakers and Peterborough cruised to a 12-4 victory, taking game one of the best-of-seven series.

“We obviously got out to real good start and I was seeing the ball early and they were keeping the ball to the outside where we like it,” said Nick Rose, Lakers goaltender. “We built a pretty big lead and that kind of game was a little out of hand for a game one but we know that they're going to be a lot better at home on Saturday.”

Game two is on Saturday night at Iroquois Park Sports Centre in Whitby at 8 p.m.

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The Rotary Club of Peterborough's Fore the Kids Golf Tournament Scheduled For Sept. 25

The Rotary Club of Peterborough has released the date of its Fore the Kids Golf Tournament fundraiser at the Katchiwano Golf Club on Sept. 25.

Photo courtesy of teh Rotary Club of Peterborough.

Tournament proceeds will help fund Rotary projects and the kids who use the services of the Five Counties Children’s Centre.

Tickets are $150 per person, which includes a round of golf, a cart for convenience, lunch to recharge and compete in hole prizes.

One child supported by the cause is four-year-old Jude, who has cerebral palsy and a global developmental delay. He has been accessing Five Counties programs like physiotherapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy since he was four months old.

“Thank you to everyone who supports this event. It shows the families at Five Counties that they have an entire community behind them, cheering them on.” said Julie Grant, Jude’s mom.

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The 66th Annual Liftlock U11 Hockey Tournament To Be the Finale

A continued Peterborough hockey tradition hits the end of the road as the 66th edition of the Annual Liftlock U11 Hockey Tournament will be the last, announced on Tuesday evening.

Last year’s U11A Petes competed in the “Chris Fee Cup”, defeating the U11A Toronto Wolverines. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Formerly known as the Peterborough Liftlock Atom Hockey Tournament, the decision came down to two contributing factors: a lack of volunteers and the shifting landscape of minor hockey.

The tournament has relied heavily on local volunteers, but organizers say, “finding and retaining enough individuals to manage the extensive logistics, from scheduling to arena operations, has become increasingly difficult.”

Organizers also state that “changes within the broader minor hockey landscape may have also contributed to the challenges faced by the Peterborough Liftlock Atom Tournament.”

The tournament began during the 1958-59 season as a one-day, eight-team affair for Pee Wee players. Over the years, it adapted to age-grouping changes by the OMHA, eventually settling on the ‘Atom’ (now U11) designation in 1974.

In 1969, a group including Jack Guerin, Lloyd Hardy, Don Dorsett and Howie Eastman proposed an expansion to a two-day, 16-team event, laying the groundwork for its significant growth.

“(It’s) Not just a hockey tournament...It's a community affair,” said organizers. The Liftlock Tournament was one of the largest Atom-level tournaments in North America. Attracting more than 100 teams from across Ontario, Quebec and even the United States, the tournament proceeds went to lower hockey costs for local minor players and assisting numerous local and national charities, as well as capital projects like the Evinrude Centre and the Peterborough Regional Health Centre.

There are 87 alumni who participated in the tournament and went on to make the National Hockey League.

They include:

• Wayne Gretzky - The Great One and was one of hockey’s greatest goal scorers

• Eric Lindros - NHL MVP

• Bob Gainey - Multiple Stanley Cup winner and successful coach

• Corey Perry - Hometown Stanley Cup champion with the Anaheim Ducks

• Steve Larmer - An ‘iron man’ forward who played 884 consecutive games for the Chicago Blackhawks

• John Vanbiesbrouck - Stanley Cup goaltender and finalist

• Tie Domi - Renowned Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer

• Mickey Redmond - Montréal Canadiens forward and Detroit Red Wings colour commentator

• Cory Stillman - A two-time Stanley Cup champion

• Mike Fisher - An 18-season NHL veteran

Organizers made a final statement regarding the last edition of the tournament, “While the 2026 edition promises to be a celebratory send-off, it will undoubtedly mark the end of an era for a tournament that has been a cherished tradition and a vital part of Peterborough's identity for over six decades. Its legacy, however, will continue to resonate in the memories of those who played, volunteered, and cheered on the young hockey hopefuls at the Peterborough Liftlock Atom Hockey Tournament.”

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Peterborough Lakers Playoff Schedule Set Against the Brooklin Lacrosse Club

Major Series Lacrosse has released the playoff schedule for the Peterborough Lakers as they are matched against the Brooklin Lacrosse Club starting Thursday at the Peterborough Memorial Centre.

Photo courtesy of David Pickering and the Peterborough Lakers.

The Lakers finished the regular season in second place while Brooklin was in third. This will be the fourth consecutive time the clubs have met in the semi-finals, with the Lakers winning each series. 

The first-round schedule is as follows:

Game 1 - Thursday, July 31 @ 8 p.m. – Peterborough Memorial Centre

Game 2 – Saturday, August 2 @ 8 p.m. – Iroquois Park Sports Centre

Game 3 – Monday, August 4 @ 7 p.m. – Peterborough Memorial Centre

Game 4 – Wednesday, August 6 @ 8 p.m. – Iroquois Park Sports Centre

Game 5* - Thursday, August 7 @ 8 p.m.– Peterborough Memorial Centre

Game 6* – TBD

Game 7* - Thursday, August 14 @ 8 p.m. – Peterborough Memorial Centre

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Peterborough Challengers Baseball Hit the Road to St. Thomas for 2025 Friendship Games

The Peterborough Challenger Baseball teams went on the road to play their annual Friendship Games held at the Doug Tarry Complex in St. Thomas, Ont. on Saturday.

The Games have a host city where Challenger teams from Peterborough, Hamilton and London come together to compete against one another in baseball.

The event also had a home run derby, accuracy throwing and a base race contest. Representing the Peterborough seniors were Blake Mount (home run derby), David I. (accuracy throwing) and Blair Bastien (base race). Mount and Bastien came second in their respective events while David finished first in accuracy throwing.

@ptbo_canada The Peterborough Challenger Baseball teams hit St. Thomas to play in the Friendship games with the London and Hamilton teams! #ptbocanada #ptbo #peterborough #journalism #journalist #news #fyp #challengerbaseball ♬ Baseball - Glow City

Challenger Baseball supports anyone with cognitive or developmental challenges or chronic health issues that prevent them from playing organized sports.

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Two Hat Tricks Propel Peterborough Lakers to Dominant Win Over the Cobourg Kodiaks

The Peterborough Lakers are finely tuned for the playoffs with two hat tricks, posting their most dominant win of the season, routing the Cobourg Kodiaks 15-4 at the Jack Burger Sports Complex in Port Hope on Sunday night.

Photo courtesy of Anna Taylor and the Peterborough Lakers.

The Lakers had a perfect period, disallowing any goals from Cobourg while netting six of their own. Brad McCulley, Dylan Hutchinson, Ben Trumble, Carter Page, Matt Gilray and Taite Cattoni all found the back of the net for Peterborough to make it 6-0 after the first period.

Cobourg finally got on the board 15 seconds in but McCulley answered 45 seconds later. After letting in another Kodiak goal, McCulley got a hat trick to keep pace with the home team. Page added two more goals to complete his hat trick while Cobourg got one more goal to end the period to make it 10-3.

The Lakers continued to roll, limiting the Kodiaks to one goal while potting five of their own. Frank Coyle found the score sheet, scoring first for the Lakers, followed by a Justin Sykes score. After letting in a Kodiak goal, Joe Resetarits got his first, Sykes got his second and McCulley got his fourth to rout Cobourg 15-4.

McCulley led the team with four goals in a hot arena where the air conditioning was not in service.

“Our staff does a fantastic job making sure we’re cool on the bench, getting fans blowing all over the place, water when we need it,” he explained. “Both teams have to deal with it so we kinda just have to make the most of it but that was a little uncomfortable by the end.”

The win gives Peterborough a 13-5-0 regular-season record to finish second place behind the Six Nations Chiefs.

“Sometimes it gets to these games where the playoff schedule is already set and we have a game on a Sunday night and not everyone can make it, so it’s easy to mail it in or you just stay on track doing what’s made you successful, but like this, getting the sticks going and making sure our confidence is up and chemistry is still there, going far into playoffs this won’t hurt us,” said McCulley.

The Lakers host the third-place Brooklin Lacrosse Club in the Major Lacrosse Series semifinals beginning Thursday at the Peterborough Memorial Centre.

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Peterborough Petes Sign Second-Round Import Draft Pick to Standard Player Agreement

The Peterborough Petes have signed second-round import pick Yanis Lutz to an OHL Standard Player Agreement (SPA).

Photo courtesy of Philipp Hegglin EV Zug.

“We’re very excited to announce that we’ve signed Yanis Lutz to an SPA,” said Michael Oke, general manager and vice president of operations.. “Yanis is a player that Rob Wilson, Patrick O’Connor, myself and other members of our staff have had a chance to see both in-person and on video. We feel that he has the abilities to succeed in the OHL and is a player that we’re excited to be able to add to our group heading into next season.”

Lutz, a 2008-born forward from Lachen, SUI, featured in 34 games for EV Zug U20 last season, scoring 14 goals and adding eight assists for 22 points. He also played in 12 games for EV Zug U17, scoring eight goals and adding five assists for 13 points. Lutz has represented his home country of Switzerland at the U17 level, accumulating 12 points in 16 games during the 2024-25 season. He is currently attending the Switzerland U18 camp in preparation for the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

“We are thrilled to announce the signing of Yanis Lutz to our organization for the 2025-26 season here in Peterborough,” said Patrick O’Connor, Petes assistant coach and director of player personnel. “Yanis is an offensive, skilled young player who is a strong skater with a very good hockey IQ. His track record has shown that he can produce offensively at every level that he has played in Switzerland, including his National Team. I would like to personally acknowledge Pat Pilloni and Nxtshot Sports for their work and assistance in making this exciting import deal possible. We very much look forward to Yanis arriving here in Peterborough and welcoming him to our city and the team.” 

Lutz is the second import player to sign with Peterborough for the upcoming season, after the Petes signed Czech forward and 2024 first-round import pick Adam Novotný on July 9.

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Ennismore Community Centre Receives Over $930,000 In Funding For Resurfacing From Ontario Government

The Ontario government is investing $931,750 to replace the floor at the Ennismore Community Centre, announced on Friday morning.

CSRIF is a key part of the government’s plan to protect Ontario workers, businesses and families by unleashing the economy and getting more shovels in the ground, with a historic $200 billion investment to build highways, hospitals, transit, schools and other critical infrastructure across the province. Photo courtesy of Peterborough County.

The investment is part of the province’s $200 million Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund (CSRIF). The initiative helps communities revitalize local facilities, grow the economy and promote active, healthy living across Ontario according to Dave Smith, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP

“This investment in the Ennismore Community Centre is absolutely fantastic news for families in Selwyn Township,” he said. “It's more than just replacing a 54-year-old ice surface; it's about securing the future of a vital community hub. This funding ensures that local sports teams, recreational skaters, and community groups will continue to have a modern, safe, and accessible facility for decades to come. Our government is proud to make these kinds of direct investments that strengthen our communities and support active, healthy living right here at home.”

The project will include replacing the 54-year-old, 180-foot by 80-foot concrete slab floor, refrigeration piping and ice rink chiller. The arena has hosted sporting groups, youth leagues, recreational skaters and community organizations since its construction.

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