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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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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