U13 Lakers Get Walk-Off Championship Goal To Complete Undefeated Tournament Run

The U13 Peterborough Lakers got a walk-off championship goal in overtime that capped off an undefeated run at the 33rd-Annual John ‘Gus’ McCauley Memorial Tournament at the Century Gardens Recreation Centre in Brampton on Sunday.

Photo courtesy of U13-2 Lakers.

The three-day tournament had the Lakers play two out of three round-robin games on Friday.

They routed the eventual winless Strathroy Screaming Eagles, 9-1, in Peterborough’s first victory. They allowed only one goal with eight minutes left in the first period and clamped down defensively since then.

The Lakers earned their second victory over the Midland Titans in another blowout, 8-1. Peterborough went on an eight-goal run, only to see their shutout get snapped from a power play goal later in the third.

Peterborough’s only game on Saturday was against the Brampton Excelsiors and it was their closest game of the tournament. In a low-scoring affair, the Lakers had a 4-1 lead but allowed two late third-period goals to make it a one-score affair with 1:34 in regulation. Peterborough held on and won 4-3 to remain perfect through the round robin and advanced to the semifinals.

They met the Midland Titans again and while the score was tighter, Peterborough dominated play with a 6-1 win. The Lakers allowed the first goal of the game, then went on a 6-0 run to cap off the victory and advance to the finals.

Peterborough was paired with the Excelsiors again in the championship match. The Lakers stumbled out of the gate, failing to score during the first 21 minutes of regulation while allowing Brampton to score twice. Peterborough finally got on the board nearly halfway through the second period to make it 2-1.

The Lakers tied things up with a power-play goal early in the third to force overtime.

Brampton had an opportunity to spoil Peterborough’s undefeated run and win on their home turf but failed to get it past the goaltender. The Lakers capitalized and scored the walk-off overtime goal to capture the championship and secure an undefeated tournament run.

The following are the Lakers’s players and staff:

• Nicolas Aguilar

• Korban Andrew

• Emerson Birkhof-Talbot

• Bryson Croswell

• Colten Crough

• Bennett Ducie

• Easton Garlough (Ruthowsky)

• Reed Graham

• Bentley Heffernan

• Oliver Hodgins

• Keegan Jennings

• Keegan McCormick

• Hayden McIntyre

• Jonathan McNamara

• Zachary Reid

• Easton Wilson

• Grayson Wolff

• Head Coach - Chad Birkhof

• Asst. Coach - Broedie Birkhof

• Asst. Coach/Goalie Coach - Callan Baker

• Asst. Coach - Dan Crough

• Asst. Coach - Shawn McNamara

• Trainer - Dan Aguilar

• Manager - Jo Dunbar

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City Finishes Removal of Ice Storm Brush

The City of Peterborough has finished its removal of brush and debris from the March ice storm.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

According to the City, crews removed more than 6,500 tonnes of brush, debris and tree branches from City boulevards. That took approximately eight weeks.  

Storm debris that was not placed at the curb for removal or placed on the curb after city crews had completed the street will not be picked up, unless it meets the guidelines for curbside yard waste collection.  

Debris can be disposed of through the City’s curbside yard waste collection program or at the Peterborough Waste Management Facility, 1260 Bensfort Rd. 

Yard waste set out requirements are as follows: 

• Yard waste must be placed in brown paper bags, marked bins or a bushel basket. No other type of bin will be collected (including blue boxes). Plastic bags will not be accepted. 

• Marked bins must contain a maximum volume of 80 litres, with two fixed handles. Lids must be removable and not secured by any means (bungee cords, etc.). Yard waste material must empty freely when emptied/dumped by the collector.  

• Bins must have two clearly identifiable yellow labels attached defining the contents as yard waste.  The yellow labels are available for no charge at City Hall, 500 George St. N. 

• Weight limit must be less than 13 kilograms (30 lbs.).  

• Brush can be tied in bundles with light rope or twine, weighing not more than 13 kilograms (30 lbs.), with a length of up to one meter (three feet) and a diameter of up to 30 centimeters (12 inches). 

The Peterborough Waste Management Facility accepts yard waste and is open from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., Monday to Friday and from 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. on Saturdays. Tipping fees apply.

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Several Taken to Hospital Including 14-Year-Old Following a Two-Vehicle Collision

Officers with the Peterborough Police Service are investigating a two-vehicle collision with several people going to hospitals for injury treatment, including a 14-year-old, on Saturday evening.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

At roughly 9:30 p.m., officers recieved reports of the two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Woodglade Boulevard and Sherbrooke Street.

A 14-year-old passenger in one of the vehicles was taken to the hospital before being transported to a Toronto hospital for treatment of serious injuries. Several other people were taken to Peterborough Regional Health Centre with minor injuries.

Officers with the Traffic Unit conducted a reconstruction as part of the ongoing investigation. The road was closed for approximately three hours.  

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Peterborough Lakers Remain Undefeated After Pair of Weekend Road Games

The Peterborough Lakers’s lucky number was 13 as they scored that many in both weekend games to defeat the Owen Sound North Stars and Cobourg Kodiaks, respectively.

Photo courtesy Anna Taylor and the Peterborough Lakers.

Peterborough defeated Owen Sound 13-10 at the Meaford-St. Vincent Community Centre on Saturday and got their second weekend win, 13-6, against the Kodiaks at the Cobourg Community Centre on Sunday

The Lakers had played three games in six days but managed to stay undefeated with a 5-0 record to remain atop the Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) standings.

“Three games in three days; my body will be sore tomorrow, but it was a lot of fun,” said Frank Coyle, Lakers rookie defenceman.

He was not dressed on Thursday but played Friday night for the Sr. B Ennismore James Gang. He made his MSL debut and he scored his first career goal.

“I got sent out for one offensive shift,” explained Coyle. “I set an off-ball pick for (Austin) Hasen and turned around and Taite (Cattoni) had thrown me the ball. I closed my eyes, threw it at the net and it went in.”

The Lakers were missing several of veterans to prior commitments and had several call-ups in Owen Sound (Curtis Ward, Seven Gillingham, Carter Frost, Dylan Lee and Grant Ramsey). Several regulars returned for Sunday’s game, making Nate Sage the only Jr. A call-up in the lineup. Sage scored his first two MSL goals with one assist. 

The Lakers had a 7-5 lead after the second period before Owen Sound roared back to start the third with a five-goal run. The Lakers rallied and ended the game with a six-goal run of their own. Hasen, Mike Robinson, Brad McCulley, Carter Page and Curtis Ward each had two goals.

It was a low-scoring affair until the Lakers, leading 6-4, broke the dam open in the third period, once again scoring six goals in the final frame on Sunday. McCulley, Page, Koleton Marquis and Sage each scored twice.

Drew Hutchison played both games on the weekend, with Nick Rose backing up Saturday and Deacan Knott Sunday. Hutchison made 45 saves on Sunday. 

“He’s a great goalie, he makes a D guy’s job easy,” said Coyle. “You can mess up and rely on him to steal some. It’s pretty easy playing in front of him.”

The Lakers return to the Peterborough Memorial Centre to take on a familiar face in Landon Kells and the Oakville Rock on Thursday. Kells was a former Laker and was traded along with a 2026 first-round pick for veteran goaltender Nick Rose on March 17.

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Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring Rayco, Have a Blast, Ja-Neo and Shelby's

PTBOCanada is delighted to be running the Business Beat columns each week here, spotlighting new businesses and startups in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Here is this week’s edition…

After 55 years of keeping Peterborough comfortable, John Andela has sold his business, Rayco, to Laverne Coulter of Coulter Heating and Air Conditioning.

Andela expresses his gratitude for the support and loyalty of his customers over the last 55 years and is ensuring a smooth transition to the new owners. Rayco specializes in heating and cooling, expanding its offering to keep up with the latest technology. Andela started the business in 1970, working out of his 1966 Pontiac that ran double duty as the family car. Their success can be attributed to their customer-first approach, ensuring the team provides prompt and efficient service when it’s needed. Well done John and the team at Rayco, you’ve left quite a legacy!

Looking for an epic nerf battle party?

Have a Blast is a new business offering a fully customized battlefield of inflatable bunkers to convert any backyard, local park, or indoor space into an inflatable arena. Rentals come with blasters, darts, protective eyewear, tactical team vests, and bunkers. Their battlefield is great for birthdays, team building, fundraising, festivals, and weddings. All ages are encouraged. Game setups include capture the flag, team elimination, zombie and mayhem. You can find them online at haveablast.ca.

Junior Achievement is helping young women explore careers in aviation.

Their recent FemSTEAM event saw 70 young women from grades 7 and 8 from St. Patrick’s Catholic Elementary School and Kenner Intermediate head to Peterborough Airport for a flight through aviation at Flying Colours. The event included hands-on learning and mentorship, exploring careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math within the aviation industry.

Shelby’s Peterborough is still fairly new, but they’re already winning awards, getting the platinum award in six categories in the CommunityVotes Peterborough 2025.

The categories are all restaurants, chicken restaurants, fast food, fries, international food, and poutine. Shelby's Peterborough is your go-to destination for mouthwatering Middle Eastern cuisine and exceptional service. They offer dining in or take out with a warm and inviting atmosphere. If you haven’t yet tried Shelby’s legendary shawarma, drop by 1154 Chemong Rd. in Peterborough.

If you want to have your business featured on the Business Beat or know of a business doing something new and interested, shoot an email to joel@pkchamber.ca.

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PTBOSpotlight: Restwell Upholstery

Welcome to PTBOSpolight! Every Friday, this segment showcases a business or organization in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. You will have the opportunity to learn more about the people behind the organization and the work they do for our community.

This week, we are featuring Restwell Upholstery. A community staple for 80 years, founded in 1945 by the Petlz brothers, Bill, Bob and Ron.

Mentored by their father, Harold, each brother brought their strengths - bookkeeping, sales, sewing and upholstery. They began at their original location on Simcoe Street but as demand increased, the shop moved to what was then a quiet dirt road in Downer's Corners. Eventually, they expanded to a two-story facility and a team of 15 by the early 1990s.

The business was purchased by Kerri and Randy Rogers in 2008 and has been run by them for 17 years. Located at 494 The Parkway, Restwell is a custom upholstery business with many services under one roof including residential furniture, antiques, commercial seating, recreational items, window treatments, fabric, vinyl, leather, foam and DIY supplies.

“We have continued the core principles of the Peltz family of expert service, quality and selection since we took over in 2008,” explained Kerri. “We still use many of the original upholstery and fabric supply companies that they utilized and have added even more with 25 companies from around the world at our fingertips.”

In 2013, moved from the corner of Lansdowne Street and Ashburnham Road to a larger space on The Parkway. The move allowed for more space, additional staff, and extra space to keep up with demand and expand services.

“We are proud of our team that works very hard every day using their hands on skills to bring you the best result, comfort and style,” said Kerri. “We believe our business is special because we are small enough to give personal service and large enough to have multiple skilled staff to accommodate larger, challenging items and problem solving and communicating effectively.”

They work with durable, high-quality materials, offer expert advice and treat each project with the same care we’d give their furniture. Whether you’re working on a family heirloom or a custom commercial space, you can expect exceptional results.

“A few of my favourite parts of my job are seeing the total transformations - from the before to the after - on some pieces are quite dramatic,” explained Kerri. “Also, keeping family heirloom pieces living their next life is quite fulfilling. I also love seeing the new material samples when they come in and finding the perfect fabric for a customer's piece.”

To learn more about Restwell Upholstery, find them online:

Website: www.restwellupholstery.ca
Instagram: @restwellupholstery
Facebook: Restwell Upholstering Co. Inc.
Threads: @restwellupholstery

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Junior Achievement of Northern and Eastern Ontario Inducts 2025 Class Into Business Hall of Fame

Junior Achievement of Northern and Eastern Ontario (JANEO) has inducted its 2025 Class into the 10th Annual Business Hall of Fame at The Venue on Thursday night.

Toni and Kelli Grady; Donnell Leahy, Natalie McMaster and Julia Leahy and Margo and Paul Hudson were absent from the event. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The 12 2025 JA-NEO Business Hall of Fame Inductees for Peterborough are:

• Darrell Junkin, Craftworks at the Barn

• Toni and Kelli Grady, Grady Feet Essentials

• Grant Seabrooke, Machine Dynamics Ltd.

• Matt Holmes and Michael Riseley, Holmes Riseley LLP

• Donnell Leahy, Natalie McMaster and Julia Leahy, Natalie Donnell Entertainment

• Margo and Paul Hudson, Jo Anne’s Place Health Foods

• Nancy Wiskel, Dan Joyce Clothing

• Martin and Kelly Carbajal, La Mesita Restaurante

• Drew Merrett, Merrett Home Hardware Building Centre

• Diane Richard, Diatom Consulting

• Raj Patel, Ennismore Foodland

• Peter, Rita, Michael, Eric and Graeme Eatson, Peterborough Volkswagen

“Our 10th anniversary is more than a milestone; it reflects the transformative power of education and entrepreneurship. This event is a tribute to those who believe in the power of financial literacy, education and entrepreneurship,” said John McNutt, JA-NEO President and CEO of JA-NEO. “This year’s anniversary also marks the true completion of our 10 for 10 initiative that will support education and opportunities for the coming 10 years moving forward, and today we are proud to celebrate the achievements of true entrepreneurs in Peterborough who are leading examples of giving back to the community.”

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Tim Hortons Smile Cookie Campaign Raises Over $125,000 For Local Organizations

The Tim Hortons Smile Cookie Campaign help make a lot of happy faces as they raised $125,022.48 for several local organizations, announced on Thursday.

Since the first-ever Smile Cookie campaign in 1996, the annual charitable campaign has raised a total of more than $151 million for charities and community groups. Photo courtesy of FCCC.

Nineteen participating locations throughout Peterborough, Bridgenorth, Lakefield, Curve Lake and Havelock contributed to the fundraiser. The beneficiary organizations were BGC Kawarthas Foundation, the Canadian Mental Health Association Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (CMHA HKPR) and Five Counties Children’s Centre (FCCC).

Of the funds raised, $62,511.24 will go towards FCCC ‘Building Abilities for Life’ Campaign with BGC Kawarthas and CMHA HKPR each receiving $31,255.62 to support their respective services.

“Our community truly came together to make this all possible. We are grateful to everyone who donated their time, helped spread the word, bought cookies and supported this initiative.” said Scott Pepin, FCCC CEO. “We are very appreciative of Tim’s and its staff who welcomed and assisted our Smile Cookie volunteers. The generosity of Tim Hortons and its ongoing support for many different organizations is amazing, and it was a pleasure to work alongside them as we all work to better health and wellness for youth in our communities.” 

“We appreciate the opportunity to work alongside Five Counties and BGC Kawarthas through the Smile Cookie Campaign,” said Ellen Watkins, CMHA HKPR CEO. “It was a delight to see our teams work together and to meet the community as we decorated cookies. Many thanks to the Tim Hortons staff who made us feel at home and part of the team.”

“On behalf of all the staff and volunteers from BGC Kawarthas, thank you to the hard-working staff and owners of the Tim Hortons,” said Amy Terrill, BGC Kawarthas executive director. “It was a distinct pleasure to be involved in the Smile Cookie campaign with our amazing partners at Five Counties Children’s Centre and CMHA HKPR. With the support of our community, many children and their families will benefit as a result.”

A record-breaking $22.6 million was raised through the sale of Smile Cookies this year, supporting over 600 charities and community groups across Canada and  the United States, according to Axel Schwan, Tim Hortons President.

“We’re so grateful for the outpouring of support for this year’s Smile Cookie campaign from Tims guests across Canada. Thanks to your incredible generosity we topped our previous Smile Cookie record,” he said.

The BGC Kawarthas Foundation raises funds to support the work of BGC Kawarthas, which provides essential programs and services for children and youth, including mental health and wellness programs, nutrition, after-school programs, summer camps, and leadership development activities.

CMHA HKPR provides mental health services and support to individuals in the community. Its programs promote mental wellness, offer crisis intervention, and provide counseling and therapy services.

Five Counties Children’s Centre has been dedicated to supporting children and youth with physical, developmental, and communication needs for 50 years. Last year, Five Counties provided treatment services for over 6,100 children and youth, of which 2,950 were from Peterborough and Peterborough County.

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Peterborough Lakers Scrape Away Win In Tight Contest Over Brampton Excelsiors

The Peterborough Lakers had a close battle with the Brampton Excelsiors but squeezed out a victory, winning 6-5 at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Thursday night.

Photo courtesy David Pickering and the Peterborough Lakers.

The game was a stalemate until almost halfway through the opening period as Austin Hasen scored shorthanded for a 1-0 lead.

“Honestly, all credit to Marquis with that pass there, he put it right on my stick, I didn’t really have to move it,” said Hasen. “Luckily, I got (Brampton goalie Riley Hutchcraft) over the shoulder there on a good one. It’s something you mess around with all the time as a lacrosse player; growing up, you throw a one-handed shot all the time in practice. It was the only shot I could have taken at that point and shorthanded we might as well take a chance on it.”

Brampton tied the game just over seven minutes later but Joe Resetarits, in his first game as a Laker this season, scored to make it 2-1 after the first period.

“Truthfully, we got outplayed tonight on all aspects of the floor,” said Resetarits. “If it wasn’t for Rosey, I don’t think we would have been in that game.”

Lakers goaltender Nick Rose had a goals-against average of 5.5 in the contest.

The second period saw another low-scoring affair, with James Whitford and Thomas Hoggarth scoring for the Excelsiors and Lakers, respectively, to leave the game at 3-2 going into the third.

In the third, both teams traded goals twice, with Hoggarth’s second goal of the game and Mike Robinson’s first. Colton Armstrong in transition, got the game-winning goal after ball movement with Brad McCulley and Matt Gilray.

Brampton had one late goal with 1:43 left to play but could not get the tying score. Peterborough remains perfect with a 3-0 record, atop the Major Series Lacrosse standings.

The Lakers have a busy weekend with a pair of road games. They play the Owen Sound North Stars on Saturday then the Cobourg Kodiaks on Sunday.

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Peterborough Man Walking Through Neighbourhood With Long Gun Arrested

A 26-year-old Peterborough man is facing charges after an incident while carrying a pellet gun late Thursday night.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

At roughly 11:50 p.m., Peterborough Police received reports of a suspicious person in the Herbert Street and St. Paul’s Street area. A man with a long gun was seen walking in the neighbourhood and it seemed that there was a dispute between two people.

The Emergency Response Team attended a residence and a man matching the description given to police was taken into custody.  Officers seized two pellet rifles, two swords and a dagger. 

The man was arrested and charged with:

• Possession of imitation weapon for Dangerous Purpose

• Uttering Threats - Cause death or Bodily Harm

• Breach of Recognizance x2

The accused is currently bound by a recognizance with the following condition: to not possess any weapon as defined by the Criminal Code. 

He is being held in custody and will appear in court today on Friday.

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