
Lakers Move to 3-0 to Start Busy Weekend
The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers moved to 3-0 on the young Major Series Lacrosse season Thursday with a close 6-5 win over the Brampton Excelsiors.
“Truthfully, we got outplayed tonight on all aspects of the floor,” said forward Joe Resetarits, who played his first game of the season. Resetarits contributed a goal and two assists in his debut. “If it wasn’t for Rosey, I don’t think we would have been in that game.”
The Lakers struggled offensively and had three goals called off for being in the crease, but their defence locked things down, allowing just five goals. In his two games, starting goaltender Nick Rose has averaged an incredible goals-against average of 5.5.
Austin Hasen opened the scoring with the goal of the year so far. Shorthanded, he caught Koleton Marquis’ behind-the-back blind pass in front of the net and stuffed the ball in up high with only one hand.
“Honestly, all credit to Marquis with that pass there, he put it right on my stick, I didn’t really have to move it,” Hasen said. “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.”
Thirty-three seconds after Riley Delill tied it for Brampton (debatable – the side view replay from Cogeco didn’t show it clearly crossing the line), Resetarits tiptoed the crease and shot far side after getting a step on a defender.
Briley Maxwell tied the game with a shot through traffic at 4:45 of the second. Mike Robinson got the only other marker of the period, slipping the ball through Hutchcraft’s led side on the power play with 4:54 remaining to send the Lakers to the third with a 3-2 lead.
James Whiteford and Thomas Hoggarth traded goals in the third. Brampton’s Nate Ruff tied the game 4-4 on a two-on-one. Robinson’s second of the game gave the Lakers the lead back, and Colton Armstrong’s transition finish off a play including Brad McCulley and Matt Gilray was the game winner. Brampton got one more to close the gap to a single goal with 1:43 left.
“We found a way. It wasn’t pretty,” said Resetarits. “We have to be better offensively. Sometimes goals aren’t going to drop for you. Hutchcraft played a hell of a game.”
Making their debuts on defence for the Lakers were rookies Cole Begley and Chris Harland.
The Lakers collected donations of non-perishable items for Kawartha Food Share at each entrance and also presented KFS general manager Ashlee Aitken with a cheque for $1000.
It’s a busy weekend for the Lakers, who are on the road Saturday to Owen Sound (playing in Meaford) and Sunday in Cobourg. There is no broadcast for Saturday's game, though Sunday's will be available as usual on YourTV.
Hasen said the focus is now on Saturday.
“We’ll use tomorrow as a recovery day, especially with two concrete floors in Owen Sound and Cobourg back-to-back its going to be a lot on our bodies… We have to get ready and hydrate and be ready to go.”
The Lakers are back at the PMC next Thursday, June 5 at 8 p.m. to host the Oakville Rock. Tickets are now on sale at the Grant Thornton Box Office.
Scoring for the Lakers:
Mike Robinson (2-0)
Joe Resetarits (1-2)
Thomas Hoggarth (1-2)
Austin Hasen (1-1)
Colton Armstrong (1-0)
Brad McCulley (0-2)
Holden Cattoni (0-2)
Koleton Marquis (0-1)
Matt Gilray (0-1)
Taite Cattoni (0-1)
Photos by David Pickering @picks_pics













































