The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers moved to 2-1 on the MSL season with a 9-6 win over the Owen Sound North Stars at Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre on Saturday afternoon. Mike Robinson led the Lakers with four goals and two assists. Six players called up from the Jr. A Lakers were able to show off their chops as they filled in for a number of regulars unable to make the game. Zach McLean scored twice and Nate Sage once, while Brayden D’Innocenzo, Carter Frost, Hayden Addison and Kellar Kelusky helped stack the defence. It was a proud day for Kellar Kelusky’s father - Lakers’ offensive coach Tracey Kelusky. “It was awesome seeing him out there,” Tracey said. “Crazy how fast the time goes. Feels like yesterday he was a toddler walking into the room, giving the former Lakers knuckles after games. Time has a way of flying by. It’s a pretty proud moment for sure. Watching kids grow up around the game and then seeing them out here competing themselves is something special.” Said Kellar after the game: “It was an awesome experience being able to play for a team I’ve grown up watching my dad play for as well as a team I’ve been watching with Hayden Addison, a teammate I’ve played with since I was able to hold a stick. We were both so excited to have this awesome opportunity to play for our hometown team.” Drew Hutchison got the start and made a number of good saves down the stretch after the Lakers worked their way back from deficits of 3-0 and 3-2 in the first period. They led the rest of the game. Last season’s MSL MVP Jackson Webster had a goal and an assist for the North Stars. The Lakers are back on the road Monday for a 7:30 p.m. visit to the Oakville Rock. Stream the game live or on demand through Flo Sports. Of Note: - The Lakers were 3/4 on the power play, while the Excelsiors were 2/7 - Missing in action were Deacan Knott, Carter Page, Matt Gilray, Holden Cattoni, Braedon Saris, Rob Hellyer (personal), Ben Trumble, Johnny Pearson, Nick Crowley, DJ Clark (work/school), Dustyn Birkhof, Alex Pace, Holden Lowes, Thomas Hoggarth, Frank Coyle (injured), Brad McCulley and Liam Patten (suspended) - The Lakers are next in action at home on Thursday, June 4 when the Brooklin Lacrosse Club pays a visit to the Memorial Centre. It’s John Grant Jr. Night! Full Lakers Scoring: Mike Robinson 4-2 Zach McLean 2-1 Justin Sykes 1-2 Nate Sage 1-1 Colton Armstrong 1-0 Cam Milligan 0-5 Taite Cattoni 0-3 PHOTOS BY AVA WOOD

The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers picked up their first win of the 2026 MSL season Thursday night with a big 16-6 win over the Brampton Excelsiors at the Peterborough Memorial Centre. Justin Sykes and Taite Cattoni led the Lakers with three goals each, and the team was aided in its effort by goaltender Deacan Knott, who got the call for his first MSL start. Knott made 34 saves in a game he’d dreamed about since he was eight years old. “It’s incredible. I’ve dreamed of this since I… started lacrosse. I always wanted to be a Laker. Getting the start and getting to play was incredible,” said Knott, who got a heads up he’d be playing earlier this week. “The nerves were good nerves for sure. I had a lot of family and friends here [and] the guys scoring 16 tonight definitely made it a little easier. Right from the defence to the offence it was a great night.” Since graduating from junior lacrosse with a Minto Cup under his belt, Knott has spent the past two seasons training with the Lakers and backing up Drew Hutchison and Nick Rose while playing full-time for the Sr. B Brooklin Merchants, who hosted and finished second at the President’s Cup last season. Knott allowed two goals on his first three shots of his debut game but settled in quickly. "Super excited for him," said Sykes. "I’m not from here but I know it probably means a lot to him because it means a lot to me just to be able to put on the jersey. We’re super excited for him. He played great and we need to build off of it." Peterborough jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after a power play goal by Braedon Saris, which Taite Cattoni followed up 13 seconds later. Mark Watters got one back for the Excelsiors before Sykes converted Holden Cattoni’s behind-the back-pass for a highlight-reel marker. Adam Thistlethwaite scored his first of the season off a Colton Armstrong pass after he won a battle against the boards. Brampton was struggling to get shots on goal, but Eric Ward got one through just before the halfway point of the period. The Lakers finished off the period with goals from Sykes, Saris and Rob Hellyer. Hellyer’s goal, shot directly up the middle, was the game winner with 1:18 left in the first period. “We needed to wipe the memory of last week and focus on ourselves. We talked about it in the locker room before the game. Play with some energy, play fast, play for the guy next to you,” said Sykes. “A lot of the veteran guys stepped back in and the chemistry is there. Being able to build on the chemistry from last year, just to be able to play long into August and September.” In the second, Taite Cattoni scored before Adam Jay recorded his first Lakers’ goal, choosing to shoot on a two-on-one transition break with Brenden Boyle. Jr. A callup Mason Cree then scored his first MSL goal after Jake Withers scooped up a loose ball. Hellyer traded goals with Mike Triolo to end the frame. In the final frame, Peterborough increased their lead to 15-3 before Brampton found some energy and scored three in a row, including a pair of power play goals, one from former Jr. A Laker Curtis Ward, who also had three assists. Nick Rose is expected to rejoin the Lakers this weekend while Knott has a family commitment to attend. That said, Knott is determined to keep fighting for a spot in the lineup each night. "If I start or if I don’t, I’m going to be battling the whole time," he stated. "I’m still going to be a good teammate to everybody no matter who’s starting." The Lakers have a busy few days ahead. Saturday, they have an early road trip to Owen Sound for a 4 p.m. tilt against the North Stars. Monday, they’re right back on the road, heading to Oakville for a 7:30 p.m. game against Landon Kells and the Rock. Both games can be streamed live or on demand with a subscription to Flo Sports. Of Note - Attendance was 2602 - The Lakers were 1/2 on the power play, while the Excelsiors were 2/4 - Peterborough outshot Brampton 51-40 - Jake Withers won 20 of 25 faceoffs - The Three Stars sponsored by Wiser’s were 1. Knott, 2. Sykes, 3. Taite Cattoni - Missing in action were Nick Rose, Carter Page (personal), Ben Trumble, Johnny Pearson (work), Dustyn Birkhof, Alex Pace, Holden Lowes, Thomas Hoggarth (injured) and Brad McCulley (suspended), as well as Matt Gilray, Chris Harland and Frank Coyle - To fill out the roster, the Lakers called up Mason Cree and Wyatt Wiggins from Peterborough Jr. A, and Cam Milligan from Belleville Sr. B. - The Lakers are next in action at home on Thursday, June 4 when the Brooklin Lacrosse Club pays a visit to the Memorial Centre. It’s John Grant Jr. Night! - The Peterborough Minor Lacrosse Association showed up in force with about 400 attendees from the city’s minor teams, who all took the floor with the Lakers for the national anthem. Full Lakers Scoring: Justin Sykes 3-1 Taite Cattoni 3-1 Rob Hellyer 2-4 Braedon Saris 2-2 Mike Robinson 1-3 Holden Cattoni 1-3 Mason Cree 1-2 Colton Armstrong 1-2 Adam Jay 1-1 Adam Thistlethwaite 1-0 Jake Withers 0-2 Robert Hope 0-2 Dylan Hutchison 0-1 Cam Milligan 0-1 Photos by David Pickering @picks_pics