Lakers sweep Brooklin in semi-finals

Playoffs begin this weekend in the National Lacrosse League - a sure sign that summer is coming! Only 8 of the 15 NLL teams made the playoffs. The first round is a single-elimination quarterfinal. One game to move on. A best of three semifinal, and then a best of three final, will follow. The league did away with their conferences this season in favour of a united standings. So, here's who made it, and their Laker connections (past or present!): Toronto Rock - Mark Matthews, Corey Small, Tyler Hendrycks, Cam Milligan San Diego Seals - Curtis Dickson, Mike Poulin Albany FireWolves - Ethan Walker Buffalo Bandits - Kyle Buchanan, Matt Vinc, Nick Weiss Georgia Swarm - Jordan MacIntosh, Angus Goodleaf Halifax Thunderbirds - Colton Armstrong, Jake Withers, Drew Hutchison, Jake Fox, Head coach Mike Accursi, Assistant coach Andrew Suitor Panther City Lacrosse Club - Head coach Tracey Kelusky, Jason Knox Rochester Knighthawks - Head coach Mike Hasen, Turner Evans, Matt Gilray, Mitch Ogilvie, Thomas Whitty, Doug Buchan, Austin Hasen That means for the rest of our boys, it's time to rest and rehabilitate before returning to the Lakeshow for another Mann Cup run! But for Jake Withers, it's time to focus on the NLL championship. The Halifax Thunderbirds' star defender has had a phenomenal season, and is in consideration for the league's MVP award. Halifax was a front runner all season, and that's partly due to the inspired play of Withers. Once known mostly as a face-off specialist, Withers, who will return to the Lakers this summer, has elevated his game to become an elite, complete defender. He’s reached several milestones this season. Withers had a perfect game at the face-off dot against Buffalo on Feb. 16, winning 30 of 30 draws. He became the ninth player in league history to reach 1,500 face-off wins, and then quickly hit 1,600. Recently, he reached 1,800 wins – only the fifth player in league history to do so. He also reached 1,000 career loose balls and passed Jay Thorimbert’s single-season record for most loose balls, set at 246 in 2015. “It’s the dad strength, that helps a little bit. We can thank Charlie and Claire for giving me that benefit,” Withers chuckled. “Becoming a guy with a full-time job outside lacrosse for the first time in my life, and being a father, has put things in perspective for me and made me reconsider some of the things that would make me over passionate about certain aspects of the game. I’m thankful to be able to compete and play the game I love at the highest level, on the biggest stage and get paid for it.” Withers’ daughter Charlie turned one in March, and he and his partner Claire have another one on the way, due in June, although they’re waiting to find out if it’s a boy or girl. Dad strength or not, Withers knows that, “the experience I’ve gained over the last six years has helped me understand the game a little better, my preparation a little better, the X’s and O’s, and things that I can do on and off the floor that can help me perform at my best level.” After starting the season 6-3, the Thunderbirds finished the season at 10-8. They'll face the third-place Albany FireWolves (11-7), who started the season strong but fell off at the halfway point. The Thunderbirds will be a difficult foe for the young FireWolves team, and Withers believes they will win. “We have a great team from top to bottom, from Warren Hill out to our defence, transition and offence,” Withers said. “When all facets of our game come together, we’re the best team in the league. The issue we’ve been having with that is putting that all together for a full 60 minutes. We’re all very skilled, we’re best buddies and we love each other and we have a tremendous coaching staff that believes in us.”

Lakers home opener set for Thursday, June 13

Season ticket sales for the 2024 regular season will begin March 6th. Tickets can be purchased or renewed in person or by phone at the Grant Thornton Box Office. For existing season ticket holders, the renewal deadline is Thursday May 9th at 5:00 p.m. After this time, any seats that have not been renewed will be released to the general public and open to the exchange of seats by other season ticket holders or new buyers. Ticket exchange day will occur on May 15th. Season ticket packages will include a total of 8 games (all 6 regular season home games + the first 2 home playoff games). Please note, the tickets for the first 2 playoff games cannot be exchanged. The finalized schedule will be announced in the near future. Season ticket holders will now have the option of receiving digital tickets by email, but you may also still pick up printed tickets like previous years. Season Ticket Prices Adult - Regular Bowl $150, Club $186 Senior 65+ - Regular Bowl $126, Club $162 Student - Regular Bowl $110, Club $146 Child - Regular Bowl $62, Club $98 Single game tickets will go on sale at a later date. The Grant Thornton box office is open for phone transactions Monday-Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and are open for in-person sales from Wednesday-Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers hosted a press conference on Thursday afternoon at the Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame to announce that Vanessa Oake-Hogan and the team at Century 21 United Realty Inc. have agreed to extend their major sponsorship of the Lakers for another three seasons. Partners since 2014, the Lakers are incredibly grateful to Vanessa and Century 21 and look forward to continuing their long and fruitful partnership, with another Mann Cup (or two or three) sprinkled in. "It's always been a part of our culture to be a part of the community and give back" said Oake-Hogan. "This partnership made sense for a lot of reasons. One being community support and I think there is synergy in partnerships like this. The team benefits, our team benefits and I think the community benefits from this partnership (and) I know it's valuable to our agents to see us being a part of the community this way." The Lakers are also proud to announced a $1,000 donation to the annual Carl Oake Rotary Swim, set this year for March 1st at the YMCA. Visit https://carloakerotaryswim.com to learn more about this annual community event and make a donation.

Lakers' defender Alex Pace has saved a life recently. Pace isn’t a frontline worker like a firefighter or paramedic. Rather, in 2021, he saved a man’s life by giving the man a literal part of himself: the marrow from his bones. Pace has been featured on both NLL.com and in the Peterborough Examiner for his efforts. Click here to read the shorter Examiner story.  Click here to read the more in-depth NLL.com version.

The C21 Peterborough Lakers are thrilled to announce their eagerly awaited return to Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) for the 2024 season. With the release of the MSL schedule, excitement is building as lacrosse fans prepare for an action-packed season featuring seven competitive teams, as the Oakville Rock and Owen Sound North Stars come into the league after a two-year hiatus. The Lakers, fuelled by their passion for the game, were vocal advocates for an extended 18-game regular season schedule. Despite their best efforts at the MSL meeting to rally support for the motion, only one other team joined them in backing the proposal. A 12-game schedule, with each team playing a home-and-home series, was the final result but in the spirit of compromise, an additional set of playoffs was introduced to enhance the overall experience for players and fans alike. Under the new playoff structure, the top regular-season team secures a bye, while the 2nd to 7th place finishers may potentially play up to five additional games if the series goes the full best-of-five round. The second round will see four teams competing in the best-of-seven format, with the top two playoff teams engaging in an intense battle also set for a best-of-seven showdown. The Mann Cup is in the East this year so the possibility is there for even more games. The anticipation is building for the Lakers' home opener, scheduled for the second Thursday in June. Due to an unannounced prior booking at the Memorial Centre by city staff our usual home start is delayed a week this year. The team will have to wait to hit the floor, but fans can rest assured that the delay will only heighten the excitement for the first faceoff. Season tickets for the C21 Peterborough Lakers' will include 6 regular season home game schedule but will also include our first two playoff games for a total of 8 games. Fans are strongly encouraged to purchase season ticket packages to take advantage of potential playoff price increases in the first round. It's a golden opportunity to secure a spot in the stands for all the thrilling moments of the regular season and beyond. This year promises to be particularly exciting for Lakers fans, as the team will welcome some new, young faces to the lineup. With a strong draft and the protection of four talented Jr. players, the Lakers are poised for a dynamic and competitive season. As the countdown to the 2024 MSL season begins, the C21 Peterborough Lakers invite fans to join them on this journey, supporting the team's pursuit of success both on and off the floor!

The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers drafted six players this weekend in the annual Major Series Lacrosse draft. The Lakers had picks in each of the five rounds with an additional pick in the second round. The Lakers drafted: · 1 st round – Koleton Marquis, F, Orangeville Northmen · 2 nd round – Andrew Vradenburg, D, Burlington Blaze · 2 nd round – Brenden Boyle, D, Burlington Blaze · 3 rd round – Tommy Collins, F, Peterborough Lakers · 4 th round – Nolan Kenney, D, Peterborough Lakers · 5 th round – Andrew Kidd, G, Toronto Beaches Prior to the draft, the Lakers protected four graduates of the Jr. A Lakers program: · Captain/Defenceman Adam Thistlethwaite · Forward Zach Thompson · Defence/Transition Ben Trumble · Goaltender Deacan Knott, who is currently the backup goaltender for the Philadelphia Wings “I’m super excited to be getting this opportunity to become a Laker,” said Marquis, who hails from the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory. “Growing up, I’ve always known Peterborough to be the mecca of lacrosse, and I can’t wait to be able to compete on the same floor where there has been so much history. Personally, I believe I can bring a skilled, fast-paced style of play to the Lakers, along with a ton of passion and positive energy to the locker room.” Marquis is currently in his second year at Johns Hopkins. Vradenburg was the hometown captain of the 2023 Minto Cup-winning Burlington Blaze and was drafted by Halifax last September and is currently on their practice roster. The Lakers now sport five members of that Minto Cup team along with Brenden Boyle, and three protected players in Thompson, Trumble and Knott, who were traded from Peterborough to Burlington halfway through last season. Collins finished fifth in team scoring for the Jr. Lakers last season and Kenney was brought in to play tough defence. Kidd, the Toronto Beaches standout, was drafted by the Albany FireWolves in September and is currently on their practice roster.

Nobody expected the Albany FireWolves to be 5-0 in the young National Lacrosse League season. Nobody except the team itself, that is. After finishing last in the standings in 2022-23 with a 3-15 record, there was hope among fans that after an active off-season, things could improve, however marginally, in 2023-24.  Instead, the FireWolves have completely turned their fortunes around, and are one of only two remaining unbeaten teams this season while also being one of the most exciting teams to watch. Peterborough’s Ethan Walker is helping lead the charge for the underdogs. READ MORE at https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/sports/lacrosse/taylor-peterborough-s-ethan-walker-leading-the-charge-for-albany-firewolves/article_b42aa5a6-9d76-577a-bc2a-4552fdd5b501.html (Header image by Micheline V/NLL)