Hot Start Sees Lakers Tie MSL Finals 2-2

The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers played well on the road Sunday night but couldn’t quite get past the Six Nations Chiefs in a 12-9 loss. That gives the Chiefs a 2-1 series lead in the best of seven MSL Final with Game 4 set for Tuesday at the Memorial Centre. “For a 10-minute window in the second period they outworked us,” said defensive coach Bobby Keast. “We didn’t execute our jobs. Lacrosse can be a simple sport when you execute game plans. Don’t ever let a team get on a run.” Despite an early 2-0 deficit, the Lakers responded quickly and with force as both Justin Sykes and Rob Hellyer scored twice in the period to lead 4-2. Hellyer’s second goal came after Nick Rose made a big stop on a Tyson Bell fast break – Rose handed the ball off to Colton Armitage, the offence set up, and Hellyer went five-hole. After being held scoreless for most of the first period, the Chiefs’ offence sprung back to life in the second, keeping Peterborough on their heels. They tied the game by the six-minute mark, and although Thomas Hoggarth got one back, some defensive breakdowns allowed Six Nations the run that Keast referred to, as they scored four times in a span of 3:10 for an 8-5 lead. Braedon Saris scored on a power play but Lyle Thompson put a late underhand past Rose to maintain the three-goal lead. Nick Rose was briefly pulled after the Chiefs’ eighth goal but returned on the next possession and only allowed two more goals the rest of the way. Goals were traded three times in the third period, with the Chiefs responding to every Lakers’ comeback attempt. Hellyer scored his hat trick goal but Josh Byrne countered with a power play marker. Ryan Lanchbury cut across the top to score and Brad McCulley scored from his wrong side, but both goals were equalled by empty netters. Tickets for an important Game 4 on Tuesday are on sale now via Ticketmaster or through the Doane Grant Thornton Box Office. Game 5 is back in Six Nations on Thursday night. Of Note - Jake Withers won 21/24 faceoffs, while Tim Edwards won 3/24 - Peterborough was 1/2 on the power play while the Chiefs capitalized three times on five power plays - Due to rain, the Watch Party at Quaker Square was cancelled. The Boro will try again for Game 5 on Thursday! Full Lakers Scoring Rob Hellyer 3-1 Justin Sykes 2-2 Thomas Hoggarth 1-2 Brad McCulley 1-1 Ryan Lanchbury 1-0 Braedon Saris 1-0 Taite Cattoni 0-2 Liam Patten 0-1 Colton Armstrong 0-1 Colton Armitage 0-1 Nick Rose 0-1 Photos by Anna Taylor

LAKERS NATION: THE FINALS ARE COMING TO THE BIG SCREEN! You asked for it! The Peterborough DBIA, in partnership with the City of Peterborough, is bringing the arena energy and road-game excitement to the heart of downtown. Let's gather together at the Quaker Foods City Square to cheer on the Peterborough Century 21 Lakers live on the big screen as they take on the Chiefs in the MSL Finals. Grab takeout from your favourite downtown spot, wear your blue and red, and let’s bring the noise! Quaker Foods City Square Sunday, Aug 23 @ 7:00 PM (Game 3) Thursday, Aug 27 @ 8:00 PM (Game 5) Tuesday, Sep 1 @ 8:00 PM (Game 7 - if necessary) Please note: Watch parties are outdoor events and weather-permitting. Keep an eye on our social media feeds for real-time game-day updates. Visit TheBoro.ca to find downtown dining and shopping options before faceoff!

The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers tied the MSL Finals 1-1 on Thursday night with a 9-8 win over the Six Nations Chiefs. Dustyn Birkhof scored the game winning goal with 4:20 remaining, scooping up a missed Chiefs’ pass and blasting in a shot on transition, causing the fans at the Memorial Centre to erupt into their loudest cheer of the season. “It makes the game so much different,” Birkhof said. “To hear the fans going gives us that extra energy that we need and we love it. It really gets us going.” It was both a thrilling and somber moment for Birkhof. He pointed up as he celebrated, dedicating the goal to his late brother Steve, who passed away four years ago Thursday. Much of the Birkhof family, including Dustyn’s older brother and former Laker Broedie, were in attendance. “I said a prayer the shift before that one,” Birkhof said. “He was definitely with me for that final shot. I owe it all to him. Today was a very special day and to get that goal means a lot, not just to me but to the team as well.” Birkhof didn’t play in Game 1, but both his toughness and transition were welcomed in Game 2. It was a busy first period. Six Nations led 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 before the Lakers scored two in a row for their first lead of the series. Rob Hellyer opened the scoring with a shot from his wrong side; Taite Cattoni, in his return from injury, scored two twisters in a row before Colton Armitage before popped in a quick stick á la Cory Vitarelli on the power play. “The worst part is just watching,” Cattoni said of the nearly two months he missed. “It’s nerve-wracking and stressful so props to our fans for enduring that every time. It’s nice to be out there contributing and to get a big win here at home.” Shayne Jackson tied it 4-4 with 1:42 left, and as tensions flared multiple players from both teams ended up in the box. Right after Lyle Thompson made it 5-4, he cross checked Robert Hope in the back at the same time Brendan Bomberry cross checked him in the front. That drew a crowd and three Chiefs and two Lakers were penalized. The Lakers took another penalty shortly after and Chris Cloutier scored four-on-four for a 6-4 Six Nations lead. The Lakers came out hot in the second period and had tied the game by the 4:43 mark on a pair of goals from Braedon Saris, also returned to the lineup after missing nearly a month to injury. 

It was a disappointing start to the 2026 MSL Finals for the Peterborough Century 21 Lakers, who fell 11-5 to the Six Nations Chiefs at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena in the best-of-seven series. It was 2-0 before the game was two minutes old. “We didn’t start the game the way we wanted, but they also came out flying,” said goaltender Nick Rose, who replaced Drew Hutchison late in the first period. “And they’re a team that is three-time back-to-back champs. We just have to find a way to match that from the opening faceoff on Thursday and get back to it. We can’t be too focused on the result tonight.” Thomas Hoggarth got the Lakers on the board, but goals from Ian MacKay and Randy Staats made it 4-1 midway through the first. Rob Hellyer got one back, but the Chiefs scored twice late in the period, prompting the goaltender switch. “It’s not a good feeling to get pulled as a goalie and we just let him know that one was on us, and it was,” said rookie defender Brenden Boyle. “Be there for him with a pat on the back. And at the end of the day just show up for the next one.” Peterborough was held scoreless in the second period while the physicality ramped up. Brad McCulley was ejected for a high stick on Nonkon Thompson about four minutes in, kicking off a string of 43 penalty minutes (14 minors, one major, one game misconduct) called in the period. The Chiefs scored three times for a 9-2 lead. Peterborough’s offence found a second gear early in the third period with a three-goal run. Ryan Lanchbury kicked it off with a shorthanded marker far side, followed by Hellyer’s second of the game right up the middle. Hoggarth’s second capped the run as he tossed in a one-handed, underhand marker off of Colton Armstrong’s rebound. Ryan Smith led the Chiefs with three goals and three assists. Josh Byrne and Dhane Smith each scored twice and assisted on three others. The series switches to the Peterborough Memorial Centre for Game 2 on Thursday at 8 p.m. Tickets for both Game 2 and Game 4 (Tuesday, Aug. 25) are on sale now via Ticketmaster or in person/by phone at the arena box office. Of Note - Shots are not kept at the ILA - Jake Withers won 11/19 faceoffs, with Matt Gilray going 0/2. Tim Edwards won 10/21 for Six Nations. - Peterborough was 0-7 on the power play and the Chiefs were 2/5. Full Lakers Scoring Rob Hellyer 2-0 Thomas Hoggarth 2-0 Ryan Lanchbury 1-1 Brenden Boyle 0-1 Matt Gilray 0-1 Colton Armitage 0-1 Photos by Anna Taylor

The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers will open the 2026 MSL Finals on Tuesday, August 18 at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena against the Six Nations Chiefs. It is the sixth consecutive year the Lakers and Chiefs have played for the MSL title, and their 10th time out of the last 11 years. Peterborough hasn't missed an MSL Final since 2013. In that time, the Lakers have won five MSL titles and four Mann Cups, and the Six Nations Chiefs five MSL titles and five Mann Cups. This year, the Mann Cup will be hosted by the MSL champion, against either the Victoria Shamrocks or Coquitlam Adanacs of the Western Lacrosse Association, beginning September 11. MSL FINALS SCHEDULE Tuesday, August 18 - @ Six Nations - 8 p.m. Thursday, August 20 - @ Peterborough - 8 p.m. Sunday, August 23 - @ Six Nations - 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 25 - @ Peterborough - 8 p.m. *Thursday, August 27 - @ Six Nations - 8 p.m. *Sunday, August 30 - @ Peterborough - 7 p.m. *Tuesday, September 1 - @ Six Nations - 8 p.m. *if necessary Tickets for the MSL Finals at the Peterborough Memorial Centre go on sale Monday, August 17 at 10 a.m. online via Ticketmaster or by phone/in person at the Doane Grant Thornton Box Office. If you can't make it to the arena, home games will be broadcast on YourTV (Cogeco) and streamed on FloSports (subscription required). All away games are streamed on FloSports.

The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers are right where they want to be: heading back to the MSL Finals for the 11 th consecutive season. The Lakers eliminated the Oakville Rock from the on Tuesday night with a 14-8 win at the Memorial Centre, taking the best-of-five series 3-1. The Lakers won games one and three on the road. Ryan Lanchbury and Rob Hellyer combined for 18 points; half of those were assists from Lanchbury, who had his best game as a Laker since he was acquired from Oakville in a three-team swap earlier this summer. Lanchbury, who led the NLL in assists this past season, has translated his abilities well to the Lakers’ right side along with Hellyer and Thomas Hoggarth. Lanchbury is tied for the playoff scoring race with Oakville’s Alex Simmons at 20 points each, though Lanchbury leads with 15 assists. The first period was wildly back and forth with neither team gaining much ground. The Lakers led 5-4 after the opening period, then upped their lead to two goals after the second. Defender Alex Pace scored a highlight reel goal, his first of the season, as he picked up a Hellyer rebound and nimbly jumped to avoid the crease while shooting.  In the third, the Lakers pulled away completely, outscoring Oakville 5-1 as momentum and experience took over. Drew Hutchison made 48 saves as he turned in another stellar performance between the pipes. The Lakers played hard but clean after being spending too much time in the penalty box during their prior three games. It’s a formula they’ll look to perfect against the Six Nations Chiefs, who they will meet in the final for the sixth season in a row. It will be a full best-of-seven series. The winner of the MSL Finals will host the 2026 Mann Cup Canadian championship. Peterborough last hosted and won in 2022. The Chiefs have won the last three. They were nearly undefeated during the regular season but finished with two losses – one a forfeit to Oakville, the other an overtime loss to Peterborough – the only team to legitimately beat them on the floor. And since then, the Lakers have only gotten stronger. The schedule will be announced shortly! Post-Game Quotes “It’s a good battle. Ive grown up playing with Hutchy since the junior days so it was nice to get to battle against him. It would have been nice coming out on the other side of this series but someone had to lose and Hutch played great this series and he deserved it.” – Landon Kells, Oakville goaltender “It’s what we hoped. Robbie had a dynamite winter and I think he’s carried it forward here for us. And Lanchbury, I have history with him and I like the way he plays. They play the same position to a certain degree but they’ve figured it out with Hoggy and the three of them are working really well together.” – Lakers head coach Mike Hasen, on the chemistry between Rob Hellyer and Ryan Lanchbury “Atmosphere was great, we kept our composure, we did a great job taking the game to them and it worked out when we stuck to the game plan. It was a great series both ways. I thought Hutchy played awesome, we have the utmost faith in him.” – Lakers defender Matt Gilray “It’s going to be good lacrosse. Oakville got us ready at the right time, to be prepared to the best of our ability for handling the juggernaut. They’re the best team in lacrosse by any stretch of the imagination and we’re going to battle them.” – Hasen, on the Six Nations Chiefs “Looking for guys and trying to find sticks and if there’s a little gap just trying to hit the stick. Everyone did a really good job getting open tonight and made my job easy.” – Lanchbury on how he is able to assist on so many goals Of Note - Attendance at the Memorial Centre was 2,337. - Peterborough fired 56 shots on goal while Oakville had 50. - Jake Withers won 22/25 faceoffs in Game 4. Oakville won three faceoffs in Game 4 but only four overall in the series. - Peterborough was 2/2 on the power play Oakville was 0/3. Full Lakers Scoring Rob Hellyer 4-3 Ryan Lanchbury 2-11 Thomas Hoggarth 2-2 Justin Sykes 1-3 Mike Robinson 1-2 Jordan Stouros 1-0 Alex Pace 1-0 Brad McCulley 1-0 Colton Armitage 1-0 Robert Hope 0-1 Dustyn Birkhof 0-1 Colton Armstrong 0-1 PHOTOS BY DAVID PICKERING @PICKS_PICS

Home floor has not been kind to either team in the Peterborough Century 21 Lakers vs Oakville Rock best-of-five semifinal. It’s a streak the Lakers are hoping to break on Tuesday in Game 4 after winning Game 3 by a score of 7-3 on Saturday night at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre, giving them a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 is set for 8 p.m. at the Memorial Centre. Tickets are available online at Ticketmaster or through the Doane Grant Thornton box office by phone or in person. Once again, it was a quiet start for the Lakers – offensively, anyway. The defence and goaltender Drew Hutchison, who made 51 saves, were wide awake off the hop, blocking shots and moving the Rock exactly where they wanted them. The first period ended in a 1-1 tie with Colton Armitage getting the Lakers’ goal. A burst of offence late in the second period gave Peterborough a 4-1 lead heading to the third. Ryan Lanchbury scored twice in a minute and eight seconds, first firing in an outside shot using a defender as a screen and then floating the ball into the corner with a low shot. Armitage scored his second of the game 36 seconds later, darting in towards the crease. Alex Simmons scored twice for Oakville in the third period, but the Rock were outdone by a heads up pass from Brenden Boyle, who intercepted the ball on a three-on-one break, to Thomas Hoggarth, who scored the Lakers’ fifth goal of the night after taking a hard hit from a defender. Matt Gilray added two empty netters for insurance. Peterborough was missing several regulars from the lineup but battled through both that and some adversity with discipline as they gave up six power play opportunities – however, they held Oakville scoreless on the man advantage. It will take much preparation and focus to beat Oakville on Tuesday and secure the series win, and one other ingredient, according to the rookie Armitage: the fans. “I expect a lot of energy from the crowd to get us going,” he said after the game. “All gas, no breaks and we’ll finish it off on Tuesday.” Post-Game Quotes “We gave it our all throughout the whole 60 minutes. I was given the opportunity to have the ball in my stick a little bit more tonight and we all clicked well. Everyone was pitching in from the start of the game through to the end so it was nice to see.” – Colton Armitage, two goals “They left everything on the floor here tonight. I don’t think there’s one guy without an ice bag, not one guy that’s not a little bit tired. They played well and that’s what we need and we’re going to need it again Tuesday. Give these guys credit, they keep coming and coming and Tuesday is going to be the same thing, they’re just going to keep coming at us.” – Mike Hasen, head coach “The refs loved to blow the whistle tonight. It was tough but they boys battled hard and they killed them all off, and gotta give kudos to Hutch… You have to play tough, you have to play hard but you gotta know that once you get the lead you have to eat a couple and keep your composure.” – Dustyn Birkhof, defender Of Note - Peterborough fired 44 shots on goal while Oakville had 54. - After two perfect games in a row, Jake Withers won 12/13 faceoffs in Game 3. The only faceoff he lost was called on a procedural, meaning the referee decided he committed an infraction and the faceoff was awarded to Oakville. - Shortly after losing that faceoff, Withers’ left shoe blew up. It tore on the inseam right from the toe to the heel. Luckily, Dustyn Birkhof was able to loan Withers an old shoe (he got fancy new ones for playoffs!) - Peterborough was 1/4 on the power play Oakville was 0/6. Full Lakers Scoring Ryan Lanchbury 2-1 Matt Gilray 2-0 Colton Armitage 2-0 Thomas Hoggarth 1-0 Rob Hellyer 0-4 Dylan Hutchison 0-2 Jake Withers 0-1 Robert Hope 0-1 Colton Armstrong 0-1 PHOTOS BY ANNA TAYLOR & RYAN MCCULLOUGH/OAKVILLE ROCK

The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers knew it wouldn’t be that easy. The Lakers fell 11-5 to the Oakville Rock at the Memorial Centre in Game 2 of their best-of-five MSL semifinal series. The series is even at one game apiece after the Lakers took Game 1 on Tuesday 10-7. Game 3 is Saturday in Oakville, and Game 4 back in Peterborough Tuesday. If necessary, Game 5 is Wednesday in Oakville. Tickets for Game 4 are on sale now via Ticketmaster and the Doane Grant Thornton Box Office. “We got outworked out there,” said goaltender Drew Hutchison, who made 43 saves. “We started the game asleep. We didn’t have a good start to the game. We had a good second but in the third we kind of fell asleep again and weren’t dictating like we normally do on defence and forcing them into the positions we like to get them. Myself included, I didn’t have a good game.” After Game 1’s slow opening period, the Lakers had wanted to start the game well but couldn’t execute the game plan. “We’ve been a slow starting team all year. I’m not sure why that [is] but we have to find an answer pretty quickly,” said Holden Cattoni, who returned to the lineup. The Lakers were held scoreless in both the first and third periods, a rare occurrence. “The way that we played in the first and the third is wildly different than what gave us success in the second,” Cattoni continued, “so we have to try to find that energy and that line of being aggressive and putting them on their heels [to create] opportunities for us. [Oakville] played well, you have to give them credit for sure but we proved in the second period that when we do the things it takes to be successful, we can be successful.” Oakville led 4-0 after the first. Thomas Hoggarth and Ryan Lanchbury scored 21 seconds apart to open the second before Cattoni closed the gap to one with a shorthanded marker. Justin Tavares and Alex Simmons scored 4-on-4 to re-up the lead but Hoggarth scored his second and third of the period 39 seconds apart, late in the frame, to close the gap once again. The Rock scored five times in the third. Alex Simmons’ hat trick goal came on a penalty shot when three Lakers took minor penalties at the same time. Hutchison was called for roughing on a crease dive by Carson Moyer and Dylan Hutchison came in to defend him, with Colton Armstrong then mixing it up with Dawick. To a man every player was subdued after the game, but Hutchison did give a small chuckle when asked about his brother coming in to defend him. “I guess he still likes me because he’s still out there trying to protect me,” the goalie smiled, while acknowledging with the sobering thought that “it’s frustrating for everyone when we’re not playing well and tempers tend to boil when that happens, myself included with a penalty near the end. “When we’re playing five on four on the O side it’s not very good for our offence. They’ve been clicking the last while and being really good for us so on the D end we need to bail them out when they have a slow start but unfortunately it was all of us tonight.” The Lakers were handed 11 minor penalties plus a misconduct for Jake Withers. Landon Kells made 44 saves. Simmons, Dawick and Tavares scored three times each for Oakville. Of Note - Attendance was 2,215 - Peterborough had 49 shots on goal while Oakville had 54 - Jake Withers was perfect on faceoffs for the second game in a row, winning all 19. - Peterborough was 1/4 on the power play with one shorthanded goal and Oakville was 3/7 with one penalty shot goal Full Lakers Scoring Thomas Hoggarth 3-0 Ryan Lanchbury 1-2 Holden Cattoni 1-2 Rob Hellyer 0-1 Jake Withers 0-1 Mike Robinson 0-1 Justin Sykes 0-1 DJ Clark 0-1 Colton Armitage 0-1 PHOTOS BY ANNA TAYLOR