The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers gathered on Saturday at The Social to celebrate their 2026 season and announce the team’s award winners. Players, coaches, team staff and volunteers enjoyed a buffet and socializing before the hardware was handed out. The Lakers, who had an up and down regular season, got hot later in the summer and took the Six Nations Chiefs to six games in the MSL Finals before falling to the eventual Mann Cup champions. Defender and faceoff specialist Jake Withers was named MVP for the second consecutive year, an award voted on by his teammates. The assistant captain joined the Lakers in 2016 right out of the Jr. A program and has developed into one of the best players in the game. “Having grown up watching this organization as a kid, being named MVP is really cool,” Withers said. “Knowing that my teammates have that faith in me is overwhelming. But to be honest, it’s a team effort. I wouldn’t be where I am without my teammates and I’m honoured to be a Laker and represent the city with such a talented group of guys.” Dustyn Birkhof was also a repeat winner, taking home the coveted Fan Favourite award again. The award is voted on by the fans through an online vote in early September. Birkhof entertained the crowds all season long, whether he was playing tough defence, streaking up the floor in transition to score a highlight-reel goal, or standing up for his teammates. Birkhof was unable to attend the ceremony, but in a statement he wrote: "Being chosen as the Peterborough Lakers’ Fan Favourite for the second year in a row means more to me than I can really put into words. I grew up in Peterborough, and as a kid, I looked up to the Sr. Lakers and idolized the players who wore that jersey. They were the guys I wanted to be like, and playing for the Lakers myself is something I never would have taken for granted. To now be chosen as the Fan Favourite by the same community I grew up in is an incredibly humbling feeling. The fans are a huge part of what makes playing in Peterborough so special, and knowing that they appreciate the way I play, compete, and represent this city means everything to me. Being selected two years in a row makes it even more special. I’m extremely grateful to everyone who took the time to vote and support me throughout the season. To go from being a kid in the stands looking up to these players, to now having the opportunity to wear the Lakers jersey and be recognized by the fans, is something I’ll never take for granted. Thank you, Peterborough. This one means a lot. 💙🥍" A big cheer arose when Dylan Hawken was announced as the Volunteer of the Year. Hawken is a team assistant and morale booster for the players, and one of captain Robert Hope’s best friends. “Thank you, and next year I’ll be made the captain!” Hawken said in his acceptance speech, to raucous applause. The players now turn their attention to the NLL season. Keep watching the Lakers’ website and social accounts to keep up to date with the team over the winter and for information on the 2027 MSL season. FULL LIST OF WINNERS MVP – Jake Withers Fan Favourite – Dustyn Birkhof Top Scorer – Rob Hellyer Top Defenceman – Robert Hope Top Transition – Colton Armstrong Most Improved – Jordan Stouros Most Sportsmanlike – Frank Coyle Most Dedicated – Drew Hutchison Rookie of the Year – Brenden Boyle Volunteer Award – Dylan Hawken

The 2026 MSL season ended too soon for the Peterborough Century 21 Lakers, who had been hoping to play into September. For the fourth consecutive season, the Lakers were knocked out of Mann Cup contention by the Six Nations Chiefs. This year, the Lakers fell in six games, losing the final game 10-3 on home floor at the Peterborough Memorial Centre. “We took a good team to six games, and a lot of people might not have been expecting that,” said forward Braedon Saris. “But that just goes to show the belief we have in our locker room, and I think that will show again next year and we’ll be hungry again.” The Chiefs will host the WLA champion Coquitlam Adanacs in the Mann Cup beginning September 11 at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena. They are trying to become the third team to win four national championships in a row after the Peterborough Timbermen/Trailermen (1951-54) and Lakers (2017-22). This is Coquitlam’s first Cup appearance since they lost to Peterborough in 2007. With the Lakers finishing the regular season in third place, expectations were not high for a club that struggled to find a consistent lineup early on. Those fears were laid to rest as the team’s lineup solidified late in the season, finishing on a four-game win streak. They dispatched the Oakville Rock in four games before meeting the Chiefs for the sixth consecutive year in the Finals. “We’re proud of how we came together and put together a good effort. It’s not what we set out to achieve and it’s challenging at times when you have people in and out of the lineup but we showed what we’re capable of for a couple of games in this series. We just didn’t have it for enough games,” said defender Dylan Hutchison. Until Game 6, the home team had won every game with the Lakers taking Game 2 9-8 and Game 4 12-8. The Lakers survived the first five minutes of Game 6, but the Chiefs broke through at 6:15. Ian MacKay scored a pair before Rob Hellyer got the Lakers on the board. Chris Cloutier and Shayne Jackson made it 5-1 before the first period was out. Each team scored twice in the second period, with Saris capitalizing on the Lakers only power play of the game. Brad McCulley snuck a shot in from the side of the net with 3.8 seconds left. The Lakers were held scoreless in the third period. “Our offence, they work hard every game,” said goaltender Drew Hutchison. “It just wasn’t our night. Our shots weren’t sinking. But you have to give Six Nations credit, they have a great defence and they have two great goalies. We gave it our all, but we just didn’t have enough juice to get by them.” Hutchison started Game 1 after taking command of the net towards the end of the regular season. He was lifted midway through the game for the experienced Nick Rose, who locked it down in Games 2-4. But late in Game 4, Rose felt something tweak in his knee. He backed up Game 5 and arrived early to Game 6 for treatment but didn’t feel like he could be effective. Head coach Mike Hasen said with a wry smile after the game that there were too many injuries to list after such an intense playoff season. The Finals were rough and took a toll on every player. The bruises will fade but the memory of losing never gets easier. “It’s a bad taste in our mouth right now, just having that still fresh,” captain Robert Hope said. “I wish we could play right now, play again. It’s a long wait. I’m already thinking about next year. Anytime you miss out on an opportunity it’s difficult because you have that bad taste and you only get so many runs at it.” Hasen expects the core of the team to return next summer. “The bitter pill of defeat is on the tips of their tongues right now,” he acknowledged. “A lot of the guys have a long winter ahead of them (in the NLL), some are still in school. We’ll circle back and we’ll see but I do expect a good core of this group back to continue to battle.” The experience of this season will only help them in the future, he added. “Moreso because there’s a lot of new guys that are being introduced to this series, which bodes well for us moving forward. We’ve made a cognizant effort, while we’re trying to load up with superstar talent, to really have the core pieces that are young, learn.” Hope believes this was the closest the Lakers have come in four years, and that they’ll continue to close the gap next summer. “I really love this group. I really do… I believe the future is bright for us. We’ll learn lessons from this one and right back at it next year.” Of Note - Attendance was 3,134 – the biggest crowd of the season - Jake Withers won 15/16 faceoffs - Peterborough was 1/1 on the power play while the Chiefs were 1/3 - The Chiefs outshot the Lakers 66-41 - Doug Jamieson was named the playoff MVP and winner of the Johnny Shooter Davis Award - Rob Hellyer and Ryan Lanchbury tied for first in playoff scoring with 36 points each. Hellyer picked up 16G/20A and Lanchbury 11G/25A. Dhane Smith finished third with 13G/19A/32P. Full Lakers Scoring Rob Hellyer 1-1 Braedon Saris 1-0 Brad McCulley 1-0 Ryan Lanchbury 0-2 Thomas Hoggarth 0-1 Matt Gilray 0-1 PHOTOS BY DAVID PICKERING @_picks_pics