Thursday's Game in Support of Kawartha Food Share

On September 6, four members of the Peterborough Century 21 Lakers were drafted into the National Lacrosse League. Braedon Saris, Ben Trumble, Adam Thistlethwaite and Owen Hiltz all heard their name called during the six-round draft, held virtually with the first round broadcasted on NLL+. Hiltz led the pack with his third overall selection to the Toronto Rock. The Colorado Mammoth drafted Saris at number five, the Georgia Swarm took Trumble at number seven, and Thistlethwaite went in the second round at 24 th overall to the Rochester Knighthawks. Saris was acquired from Cobourg this summer and made a huge impact on the offense, showing a knack for scoring power play goals. “Braedon just got better and better every time he stepped on the floor and I think he looked more confident every time he stepped on the floor with us,” said Lakers head coach Mike Hasen. “When he came in here this year he might have been a little bit in awe of the group he was playing with, but he took over and led us through that playoff stretch, doing great things.” Trumble and Thistlethwaite, both young defenders with the ability to play up front when needed, are graduates of the Jr. A Lakers program. Trumble joins Carter Page and former Laker Jordan MacIntosh on the Swarm, and Thistlethwaite will continue to play for Mike Hasen, who coaches the Knighthawks on a team that features Mitch Ogilvie, Matt Gilray, Turner Evans, Austin Hasen and Brad McCulley. “I’m just glad to be picked. I’m really excited for this opportunity; I think it’ll be a good one,” said Trumble. “I’m starting to reach out to the guys on the [Swarm]. I can’t wait to get going.” Said Hasen on Trumble, "Benny is going to be a special player. He has a lot of tools in the toolbox. Big body, very athletic, very strong and very smart." And on Thistlethwaite: "T is a bit of a unicorn. He’s so athletic and if you give him a task he’ll make sure he gets it done. There’s not too many guys that can handle Dhane and we threw T-Waite at Dhane, specially the last two games, hat was his lone goal was to make sure that Dhane was denied as much as possible and he did a great job with that." Hiltz spent the 2025 season with the PLL’s Carolina Chaos instead of playing box lacrosse in the MSL, but in his rookie season with the Lakers in 2024 he scored 57 points in 24 games. Two current Jr. A Lakers were also drafted, with OJLL Goalie of the Year Waukiigan Shognosh taken 14 th overall by the Buffalo Bandits, and forward Curtis Ward was picked in the fifth round, 62 nd overall by the Las Vegas Desert Dogs. Former Lakers Payton Tasse (5th round, Halifax) and Cole Begley (4th round, Ottawa) were also drafted. NLL Faceoff Weekend is scheduled for November 28 th & 29 th .

A couple of days later and the ending of the Peterborough Century 21 Lakers 2025 season still stings for captain Robert Hope, and it will for a while. The Lakers were eliminated, for the third consecutive summer, by the Six Nations Chiefs in the MSL finals. They lost 4-1, winning Game 4 at home by a single goal but falling in Game 5 on Monday night 12-7. Though the Chiefs, defending Mann Cup champions, were touted as the favourites all season long, it was still a tough pill to swallow. The Lakers were the only team to beat the Chiefs during the regular season, and they did it twice, winning both of their meetings at the Memorial Centre and taking the season series 2-1. The Lakers proved their resilience in an epic seven-game semifinal against Brooklin, but could not replicate the results against the highly-skilled Chiefs. “I thought at times we were so close, even though the score or the stats didn't represent that,” reflected team captain Robert Hope. “We played against good teams; I'm not taking anything away from them and how they played. I think we squandered some opportunities at times, [with slow starts] and how we played and just our commitment level and kind of waiting around for other guys, but then when we did kind of flip the switch and invest in the formula, we looked really good but just a little bit too late.” The team’s mantra ended up becoming “Believe,” especially after they came back from a 3-2 deficit in the semifinals. Although going down 3-0 in the finals made coming back feel unlikely, the players believed they could after winning Game 4. One game at a time became the mantra. Unfortunately, the Lakers slow starts played a part in Game 5. The team’s only goal in the first period, a breakaway from Jordan Stouros (his first goal of the year), was sandwiched on either side by a pair of Chiefs goals for a 4-1 lead. Ryan Smith made it 5-1 before Justin Sykes responded with an outside shot. The Chiefs got the next three goals, including a pair from Dhane Smith, one shorthanded. Nick Rose replaced Drew Hutchison at that point but Ryan Smith scored on the first shot Rose faced. Braedon Saris got a last-minute goal for Peterborough on a power play. Ian MacKay opened the third period by putting the Chiefs up 9-3. But their undisciplined play cost them and allowed the Lakers to attempt a comeback. After a scrum in the corner between Dawson Theede and Robert Hope turned into a near line-brawl, Brad McCulley and Nonkon Thompson squared off with McCulley getting the better of Thompson. The pair, as well as Theede, were ejected for fighting, and the two Chiefs also received roughing minors setting the Lakers on a full two-minute five-on-three power play. Joe Resetarits scored on the power play and Mike Robinson just after it had expired before the Chiefs got their fifth player on the floor. Matt Marinier caused a turnover at centre and ran in to score unassisted, but the Lakers kept pressing and made quick work of another power play, with Saris picking up yet another man-up goal. Justin Sykes picked up ball after a Jake Withers’ faceoff win and scored 16 seconds later. All of a sudden, the Chiefs’ lead was down to just three goals with half the period left to play. But it was not to be. As the Lakers pulled Rose (and sent Hutchison sprinting back and forth on each possession), Josh Byrne was able to get one with 3:10 left. Tyson Bell then picked up a transition marker with 2:36 left, despite Hutchison’s heroic effort to get back into the net. The Lakers finished a man down after the referees ruled Hutchison threw his stick to try to stop Bell. Peterborough was forced to watch the Chiefs celebrate for the third year in a row. “It stings,” said head coach Mike Hasen. “Especially with this series, I know the score isn’t very flattering, but we battled. You take the three best players off of every NLL team and you pop them on one it’s going to be a great roster. They’re such a good team that capitalizes on every single mistake you make. I thought we held our own.” “Anytime that your season ends in a loss you're disappointed in that,” said Hope. “I am still very proud to be a Laker and of the teammates that I get to put the jersey on with. I really hope that we learned a lot of lessons throughout the season. We had our ups and downs and a couple hard fought series for sure.” This group felt special, and eerily familiar, said Hasen. “When Paul Day, Tracey Kelusky, Bobby Keast and I started in 2015, this team is very reminiscent of where we were back then,” he pointed out. “We had a great core of veteran guys and a really good core of young guys that are better players now having learned from some of the best players. Right now I think we could be a little bit of the same blue print but we have a behemoth that we have to play each year.” It's been 10 years (8 seasons) since Hasen and co. took over managing the team, when players like Hope, Withers and Holden Cattoni were just starting their professional careers. Fans have been able to watch them grow up and become not only incredible lacrosse players, but incredible human beings. Now those veterans are being counted on to lead the way for the next generation of players like Mike Robinson, Ben Trumble, Adam Thistlethwaite and Braedon Saris. “You only get so many chances with a with a special group and every year there is turnover, five players usually kind of in and out with retirement, free agency, family, job,” said Hope. “I don't like squandering opportunities, and it was a special group and it is a special group, and I feel like if we continue to improve we can get back to where we want to be with how we want to play and the winning tradition that we've been able to be a part of.” It's much too early for the players to think about next summer, but Hasen hopes to keep as many members of the core group together. “There will be a few conversations. The dynamics and financials of the game come into play for a lot of guys. Hopefully we keep as much of this core together as we can. We’re close, we need to add a few pieces to help push through and hopefully close that gap on those guys next year.”  We caught up with a few players after the final buzzer to talk about their seasons. Here’s what they said: Ben Trumble, on his rookie season and what he learned along the way: “I really enjoyed playing this season. Obviously, not the outcome that we wanted but I’ll cherish every moment of it. The small details mean so much. You really have to come in and compete every day and not take any steps off because it's just so fast-paced. These guys are so good and you really need to be dedicated.” Brad McCulley, on if he’ll be back in 2026: “It was an amazing summer. Peterborough is just an unbelievable city to play in. With everybody there, the building is full, getting 3500 people in it. All the history and everything. I couldn't have had more fun and I loved every second of it. If I'm still living out East, which I most likely will be, and if the coaching staff wants me back, then I will 100% be back.” Nick Rose on what he’ll remember most about this summer: “Honestly just playing at the Mem Centre all summer. Obviously unbelievable crowd, nowhere in Canada replicates that at least for summer lacrosse, so yeah just playing at the Men Centre in front of all those fans. They always had our back through thick and thin so that's definitely the best memory, getting a chance to not be a visitor in that building.” Nick Rose on whether he’ll be back: “That's a good question! I have a lot to think about before next summer, I obviously have to sort out NLL and all that kind of stuff, but I'd love to be back as a Laker. Obviously I don't know what that summer brings, and I am getting a little long in the tooth for summer lacrosse, but still having fun with it so as long as the passion is there I'll definitely be looking to come back.” Ben Trumble on which teammates acted as a mentor for him this season: “Hopey is always an easy answer just because he's so vocal and someone who's been my coach and now my teammate. He’s just been so supportive and helpful and I feel like all the guys like Pacer, Gilray, Army, everyone on the defence side of things and the offensive side have taught me so much.” Brad McCulley, on the fight in the third period: “I think obviously emotions boil over, game five of a pretty good series. Somebody was trying to get Hopey and I had to go in there and protect our captain.” Nick Rose on how he was able to finish with the third-best GAA in the league (7.04): “Honestly just being around a good team like this. I played last year in Oakville and I think I probably came in having a good year last summer too, but this year just being around the staff and the players really kind of helped me settle into being a Laker right from the get-go and allowed me just to come in and be me rather than having all that pressure that I maybe had in past years.” Mike Hasen, on who he believes really improved their game this season: “Mike Robinson took his game to another level with us this year. He really stepped up and established himself on the floor and had some great numbers. Ben Trumble as a rookie as well. He has the tools and he did a great job. Pager played himself into the lineup and the only reason he wasn’t in the lineup (in the finals) is he was injured. He did a great job for us. T-Waite does what T-Waite does especially for a young guy. We made that trade for Saris and we knew he was going to be good and he established himself real quick.” Photos by Anna Taylor

The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers season has come to an end after a 12-7 loss to the Six Nations Chiefs on Monday night at Iroquois Lacrosse Arena. The Chiefs won the best-of-seven Major Series Lacrosse finals 4-1 and will represent the East at the 2025 Mann Cup, to be held in New Westminster, BC beginning September 5. It is the third year in a row the Chiefs have defeated the Lakers in the Finals. Trailing 9-3 in the third period, the Lakers looked poised for one of their patented comebacks, scoring four times including a pair of power play goals, plus a goal from Justin Sykes right off a Jake Withers’ faceoff win, but the Chiefs were too powerful to overcome. Sykes and Braedon Saris led the Lakers with two goals each, while Taite Cattoni contributed five assists. The Lakers would like to thank their fans, sponsors, volunteers and everybody else who cheered us on this season. We’ll be back next summer even stronger. Stay tuned to www.peterboroughlakers.ca for the full game recap including reaction from the players, plus photos. Scoring for the Lakers: Justin Sykes (2-0) Braedon Saris (2-0) Joe Resetarits (1-2) Jordan Stouros (1-0) Mike Robinson (1-0) Taite Cattoni (0-5) Jake Withers (0-1) Thomas Hoggarth (0-1)

The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers staved off elimination from the MSL Finals on Saturday night with an 9-8 win over the Six Nations Chiefs in Game 4 of the best-of-seven series. The Chiefs lead 3-1 with Game 5 set for Monday at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena. Powered by 2,927 fans, the Lakers outscored Six Nations 5-3 in the first period, taking full advantage of an extended five-on-three power play late in the period. “Down 3-0, we knew we had to come out with a spark right away and we did,” said Joe Resetarits, who scored twice. “Hitting on the power play was huge. Getting a couple transition goals was huge against a team like that. We weren’t getting those in the first three games. We have to build off this. We know they’re going to come hungry and pissed off on Monday. This next game will be the hardest game we play this summer.” The teams traded goals four times in the second period, the highlight Mitch Ogilvie’s shorthanded transition goal with 3:06 left, on a heads-up pass from Robert Hope as the pair struck out on a two-on-one break. That was the Lakers’ ninth goal, and it proved to be the game winner. The Chiefs scored the only goal of the third period. The Chiefs outshot the Lakers 55-41 in the game and 24-12 in the third period. Drew Hutchison made 47 saves for the Lakers in goal, and Doug Jamieson made 32 saves for the Chiefs. “[Hutchison is] a guy who’s worked hard all year. In Game 2 I don’t think we really did him any favours,” Resetarits said. “Today we cleaned up. We got off the floor… We stayed out of the box, so we did our part there… he stood on his head for the entire game.” “The game doesn’t change; you just have to go out there and perform,” Hutchison said. “The D played well tonight, and we did our best to hold them off as long as we could.” The Lakers held Lyle Thompson pointless and Dhane Smith (4 assists) goalless. Ryan Smith led the Chiefs with three goals, and Cody Jamieson contributed five assists. In a surprising move, team leading scorer Holden Cattoni was scratched for the game in order to shake up the offence. “He’s everything to this organization. Four Mann Cups, one of the best shooters of all time,” praised Resetarits. “All of us took it that we need to step up in his place because he’s done so much for this organization, this team, that we have to do our part a little bit more and fill that void.” Game 4’s nine goals was the highest output of the series for the Lakers. Also scratched were Broedie and Dustyn Birkhof, Carter Page and Jordan Stouros. Game 5 will be at 8 p.m. on Monday and be live on YouTube on the Darryl Smart Media channel. Tickets for Game 6, if necessary, will go on sale Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m. Scoring for the Lakers: Joe Resetarits (2-2) Thomas Hoggarth (2-1) Braedon Saris (2-0) Matt Gilray (1-1) Taite Cattoni (1-1) Mitch Ogilvie (1-0) Mike Robinson (0-6) Brad McCulley (0-2) Jake Withers (0-1) Adam Thistlethwaite (0-1) Robert Hope (0-1) Alex Pace (0-1) Dylan Hutchison (0-1) Photos by Anna Taylor

The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers are in a big hole, down 3-0 to the Six Nations Chiefs in their MSL best-of-seven semifinal. The Lakers fell in Game 3 by a 9-4 score at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena on Thursday night. Game 4 goes Saturday night at the Memorial Centre, at a special time of 7 p.m. It’s a must-win if the Lakers want to keep their season alive, and the team hopes to pack the building. “We’re right up against it, plain and simple,” said team captain Robert Hope. “We have amazing fans. We’ve always had great support from them. It’s a Saturday night in Peterborough which is a rarity, it doesn’t happen a lot. I think the fans will show up and be rocking and we’re excited to play in front of them.” Dhane Smith scored twice and Ian MacKay once as the Chiefs capitalized on early outside shots. Joe Resetarits and then Braedon Saris, on a power play, got the Lakers back in the game with goals from the right side. Ryan Smith scored in transition to end the first period with the Chiefs up 4-2. Josh Byrne, Dawson Theede and MacKay scored for Six Nations in the second period while Warren Hill held the Lakers scoreless. Dhane Smith scored his league leading 24 th goal of the playoffs to open the third period. Taite Cattoni capitalized on another power play opportunity with 6:17 left, and Brad McCulley followed that up with a transition goal as the Lakers showed signs of life late in the game. Unfortunately, Tyson Bell scored in transition with the goaltender pulled as the Lakers were looking for any advantage to get back in the game. “I think the message [after this one] is ‘ believe ,’” said Hope. “We know what we have to do. We know the process and what it involves. We haven’t played a full 60 yet. They’re a good team, don’t get me wrong but we have to do things better as individuals, five on five, for the whole and for the betterment of the team and we just haven’t done that on a consistent basis. “If you could do it all the time, everyone would do it. Winning is tough. Anything in life, you have to work hard at it, work your butt off and we haven’t fully committed to it yet. You have an opposing team with sticks that are whacking the snot out of you so there’s decisions that you have to make all over the floor and sometimes we’re not making the hard working, smart decisions at times. We have to make those small adjustments - it’s nothing crazy, the looks are there. We have to bury a couple of looks, clean up some things on the back end, some loose balls that have been game changers, take away transition, and that’s what the formula is, and if we do that we’re going to be successful.” Nick Rose made 46 saves while Hill made 48. Adam Thistlethwaite and Jordan Stouros joined the defence as the Lakers were without Matt Gilray, on baby watch as he and his wife are expecting their second child. The Lakers played with an extra defenceman as forward Carter Page remains out with an undisclosed injury, and Justin Sykes was a healthy scratch. Broedie Birkhof is also nursing a lower-body injury and Eric Shewell was also scratched. Tickets for Game 4 are already on sale at the Grant Thornton Box Office at the Memorial Centre. It’s a 7 p.m. start so bring the kids and get ready to party! Scoring for the Lakers: Braedon Saris (1-1) Taite Cattoni (1-1) Joe Resetarits (1-0) Brad McCulley (1-0) Thomas Hoggarth (0-2) Dustyn Birkhof (0-1) Colton Armstrong (0-1) Mitch Ogilvie (0-1) Holden Cattoni (0-1)  Cover photo courtesy of Andrew Van Every/Six Nations Chiefs

The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers have an even steeper mountain to climb after a second consecutive loss to the Six Nations Chiefs in the MSL Finals. The Lakers fell 11-7 in Game 2 on Tuesday night at the Memorial Centre. Game 3 is at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena in Six Nations on Thursday, with Game 4 back at the Memorial Centre on Saturday night at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at the Grant Thornton box office. Mike Robinson led the Lakers with a pair of goals and four assists. He scored twice in the first period where the Lakers found themselves down 3-2 after 20 minutes. Goaltender Drew Hutchison was forced to stop a penalty shot to Lyle Thompson early in the game after the Lakers were called for too many men on a breakaway. Dhane Smith and Saris traded goals in the second period before the Chiefs broke it open with a four-goal run. Brad McCulley scored shorthanded, but Shayne Jackson put the ball in the back of the net with 3.7 seconds left in the period to put the Chiefs ahead 9-4. Kason Tarbell picked up a transition marker, his first of the playoffs, to open the third period before Saris responded, just eking the ball over the line. Brendan Bomberry put the Chiefs up 11-5 with a goal at the side of the net. Holden Cattoni and Thomas Hoggarth, breaking a three-game scoring drought, helped push along a late effort but the Lakers just couldn’t catch the Chiefs. Dhane Smith led the Chiefs with a pair of goals and three assists, Ryan Smith had two goals and one assist, and Ian MacKay two goals. Josh Byrne contributed five assists. Doug Jamieson made 45 saves. Hutchison made 40 saves for the Lakers, a team that isn’t new to facing adversity, with their semifinal series having come down to overtime in Game 7. Scoring for the Lakers: Mike Robinson (2-4) Braedon Saris (2-0) Holden Cattoni (1-1) Thomas Hoggarth (1-1) Brad McCulley (1-0) Joe Resetarits (0-2) Robert Hope (0-1) Dustyn Birkhof (0-1) Colton Armstrong (0-1) Taite Cattoni (0-1) Photos by David Pickering @picks_pics

Although the Peterborough Century 21 Lakers got off to the hot start they wanted, they eventually fell 11-6 to the Six Nations Chiefs in Game 1 of the MSL Finals. Game 2 of the best-of-seven series goes Tuesday night at the Peterborough Memorial Centre. Series bundles go on sale at 9:30 a.m. this morning, with single-game tickets following on Tuesday morning. It is the fifth season in a row and ninth out of 10 that the Lakers and Chiefs have faced each other in the Finals. The Chiefs have won the last two Mann Cup national championships. “We are climbing a mountain,” said Lakers’ head coach Mike Hasen. “We said to the guys, it’s a wakeup call here. Tuesday night we have to come prepared and get back at it and play with a little bit of a hate for these guys. They took it to us tonight. We’ll be waking up after this one and will be much better Tuesday.” Braedon Saris and Taite Cattoni each scored twice for the Lakers with Joe Resetarits and Jake Withers also scoring. Dhane Smith led the Chiefs with a sock trick and three assists. Nick Rose started the game but was lifted in the second period for Drew Hutchison. Warren Hill went the distance in goal for Six Nations. “We know they’re beatable in our building,” stated Cattoni. “They’re a really good team and it’s playoffs so they’re holding nothing back. We have to match their intensity.”  Scoring for the Lakers: Braedon Saris (2-2) Taite Cattoni (2-0) Joe Resetarits (1-1) Jake Withers (1-0) Holden Cattoni (0-2) Mike Robinson (0-1) Carter Page (0-1) Matt Gilray (0-1)

The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers are excited to open the MSL Final against the Six Nations Chiefs this Sunday, August 17 at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena in Ohsweken. The Lakers will host games two, four and six of the series. This will be the Lakers 10th straight appearance in the league finals, and the ninth time in those 10 seasons they have played the Chiefs. The Lakers won in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022 (they also beat the Oakville Rock in the 2018 Finals) and went on to win the Mann Cup four times in that span. This season, the Mann Cup will be held by the winner of the Western Lacrosse Association. SCHEDULE The full MSL Finals schedule is as follows: Game 1 – Sunday, August 17 @ 7:00 PM – Iroquois Lacrosse Arena Game 2 – Tuesday, August 19 @ 8:00 PM – Peterborough Memorial Centre Game 3 – Thursday, August 21 @ 8:00 PM – Iroquois Lacrosse Arena Game 4 – Saturday, August 23 @ 7:00 PM – Peterborough Memorial Centre Game 5* - Monday, August 25 @ 8:00 PM – Iroquois Lacrosse Arena Game 6* – Tuesday, August 26 @ 8:00 PM – Peterborough Memorial Centre Game 7* - Friday, August 29 @ 8:00 PM – Iroquois Lacrosse Arena *if necessary TO PURCHASE TICKETS • Ticket Bundles – On sale Monday, August 18 from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM – In-person only at the Grant Thornton Box Office • Single Game Tickets – On sale Tuesday, August 19 at 9:30 AM Box Office Info • In person at the Grant Thornton Box Office inside the Peterborough Memorial Centre • Online at memorialcentre.ca (for single game tickets starting Tuesday) • By phone at 705-743-3561 ext. 2 (starting Tuesday) TICKET PRICING Single Game Ticket Prices (*before tax) Regular Bowl Adult: $22.90 Senior: $19.50 Student: $17.80 Child: $7.60 Club Section Adult: $26.40 Senior: $22.95 Student: $20.40 Child: $12.10 Restaurant: $14.70 Skybox: $15.80 Suiteholder: $19.80 Three-Game Packages (*HST included) Adult - Regular Bowl $67.05, Club $80.55 Senior (65+) - Regular Bowl $60.60, Club $74.10 Student (13-17 or with student card) - Regular Bowl $51.75, Club $65.25 Child (12 and under) - Regular Bowl $30.15, Club $43.65 For more information, visit www.peterboroughlakers.ca or follow us on social media for updates.