IL Indoor

B.C. Junior A, Brampton Excelsiors, IL Indoor, MSL, Ontario Junior B, Peterborough Lakers, Road to the Founders, Road to the Mann Cup, Road to the Presidents Cup, Senior B

Last night: Lakers raise Mann Cup banner, start off new season with a bang

Shawn Evans led the way with 10 points in the Lakers' season-opening win. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

After a shaky first five minutes, just about everything went right for the new-look Peterborough Lakers as they opened the 2013 Major Series Lacrosse season with a 14-4 win over the visiting Brampton Excelsiors. The crowd of over 3,000 was roaring in pre-game as the 2012 Mann Cup banner was raised to the rafters, but they were eerily quiet after a pair of goals from Mark White and Mike Burke gave the visitors an early lead. Then the Lakers settled down and the offence got the ball moving in vintage Lakers fashion, leading to a quick-stick power play goal by Cory Vitarelli that started a 5-goal run from which Peterborough never looked back.

The score was 6-3 after the first period and the Lakers took total control in the second period, outscoring Brampton 4-0 in the frame. Shawn Evans, fresh off an NLL scoring title and MVP award, kept his roll going with a 10-point night (2 goals, 8 assists). For a team where much of the external talk was about who wasn’t there (including John Grant, Jr., John Tavares and Tracey Kelusky), the player who were there made it clear that they’re capable of carrying the load. Jordan MacIntosh scored 4 times and added 3 assists. Vitarelli and Josh Gillam each scored twice; Vitarelli had 3 assists and Gillam 2. READ MORE »

IL Indoor, MSL, Peterborough Lakers

Peterborough Lakers wrestling with new challenges as they open 2013 MSL season

Cory Vitarelli, left, will be one of Peterborough's top threats as John Tavares, weighs his future. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

Is it all crashing down in Peterborough? Not quite, but this summer of 2013 is shaping up to be quite the challenge. And as the Lakers prepare for their season opener tonight, Mike Davies of The Peterborough Examiner takes a closer look at a squad that is losing more than it’s taking in. At least with regard to personnel. Some of the more glaring challenges include John Grant Jr. not being able to commit to a full season, John Tavares and his status, Tracey Kelusky coming off a disappointing NLL season, and Kyle Sorensen informing the team he won’t be able to play this summer. Injuries to Andrew Suitor, Andrew Watt and Mac Allen have them benched for the season as well. Throw in some players who went elsewhere — unhappy with their playing time last season — and the Lakers will be without at least 11 to 13 players from last summer. “In a way, they’ve become victims of their own success,” writes Davies. “With such a strong lineup it was hard to find floor-time for some players, many local, who have decided to play elsewhere.” Not all is lost, though, with players like Cory Vitarelli, Shawn Evans, Jordan MacIntosh, and Mark Steenhuis at the ready along with Tyler Carlson and Kevin Croswell in goal. It just might be a bit more challenging in Peterborough this.

Brooklin Redmen, MSL, Peterborough Lakers, Road to the Mann Cup, Senior A

Gavin Prout can’t wait to get back on a lacrosse floor

Gavin Prout is a veteran willing to contribute however he can. Now he'll bring his game back to Brooklin. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

Gavin Prout was looking forward to returning to Major Series Lacrosse with the Peterborough Lakers this summer after a National Lacrosse League season that didn’t end the way he would have liked. Now, as it turns out, his return will be with the Brooklin Redmen, the team with which he won a Mann Cup when he was the MSL rookie of the year back in 2000. Prout was dealt, along with defender Mike Hobbins, to Brooklin in exchange for defender Stephen Hoar.

“I was pretty surprised myself,” the righty forward said of hearing that he’d been traded. “I was actually talking to [Peterborough GM Jamie] Batley about what my role was going to be on the team. I understand where he’s coming from. He has a couple of holes back on the defensive end with some of the guys who aren’t coming back with injuries and things and obviously that’s not my forte. He wanted me to potentially come and play a bit of a transition game but with Steve Hoar he’s made a good trade for what’s best for Peterborough and I thank him for my time in the Boro and we’ll go from there.” READ MORE »

Behind the Scenes, Buffalo Bandits, MSL, National Lacrosse League, Peterborough Lakers, Road to the Presidents Cup, Senior B, The Life

Kyle Clancy returns to lacrosse from neck injury, playing with Norwood James Gang

Kyle Clancy (second from left) with his Peterborough Lakers rookie of the year award in 2010.

Three years ago, Kyle Clancy scored 21 points in 6 games in his rookie year with the Buffalo Bandits. That summer he was the Peterborough Lakers rookie of the year and third leading scorer and he won a Mann Cup with the team.

Two years ago, Clancy stepped in when John Tavares was unable to start a game in the National Lacrosse League playoffs and scored 4 goals and an assist. He followed that up with a solid and reasonably productive summer with the Lakers, notching 13 goals and 23 assists in 16 games.

Last year, he was out of lacrosse with a chipped vertebrae in his neck after rolling his vehicle in bad weather. So getting back on a lacrosse floor is a big step for Clancy, and he’s enjoying his return to the game. For now, that is happening with the Norwood James Gang of the Ontario Senior B league. He has scored 5 goals and 6 assists for 11 points, helping the James Gang to a perfect 3-0 start to their season. READ MORE »

MSL, Oakville Rock, Peterborough Lakers

MSL: Peterborough Lakers bolster transition game with acquisition of Brock Boyle

The Peterborough Lakers have added speedy transition player Brock Boyle in the wake of losing yet another defender from their roster. Andrew Watt was injured in Minnesota’s National Lacrosse League semi-final last weekend and is likely out for the season, said Lakers Head Coach and General Manager Jamie Batley. In exchange for Boyle, the Lakers sent a third-round pick in next year’s Major Series Lacrosse draft to the Oakville Rock.

“We’ve had a few guys go down this year and we just had Watt go down and it doesn’t look like he’ll play the rest of the year, so we needed to scramble to get a guy to fit in,” Batley said. “Brock Boyle’s a veteran player. I think he’s pretty decent defensively and he transitions very well, which is the style we like to play. Any time we’ve played against him in the last couple of year’s he’s played really hard and usually scores a goal or two against us, playing for Ajax. It was a guy we thought we could get to more or less replace Watt.” READ MORE »

Behind the Scenes, MSL, Peterborough Lakers

Lakers have Evans, Self and Sorensen brothers leading the local charge, but will Grant be with them?

Brock (centre) and Kyle (left) Sorensen will be back with Peterborough as the Lakers seek to defend their Mann Cup title. (Photo: Tim Prothero, VintageLax)

The Peterborough Lakers held a press conference to announce players that will be returning from and joining the 2012 Mann Cup champions Wednesday at the Peterborough Memorial Centre. While much of the core of the team is back, someone who may or may not be available will garner plenty of attention as well. John Grant, Jr. is in the process of obtaining his U.S. Citizenship and is uncertain whether he’ll be able to cross the border regularly to play. Head Coach and GM Jamie Batley said, though, that if Grant is able to travel freely he will suit up for a limited number of games, similar to the way he has in the past because of his commitments to Major League Lacrosse and other lacrosse work in the States. READ MORE »

Behind the Scenes, Grassroots, IL Indoor, Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks, MSL, Peterborough Lakers

Major Series Lacrosse game between Kodiaks and Lakers to be held in Kingston

There’ll be something a little different when the Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks entertain the Peterborough Lakers in a June 8 Major Series Lacrosse game. Rather than playing the contest in their usual home arena, the Kodiaks will face off with the defending Mann Cup champions in front of thousands of fans in Kingston’s K-Rock Centre. That’s the plan, anyway, for the First Capital Cup.

The game is the brainchild of Kodiaks’ owner Al Orth and his business officer/executive assistant for his job in Queen’s University’s human resources department, Nicole Fowler. It is being held June 8 to coincide with the Kingston Krossfire minor lacrosse tournament, which is expected to have 40 teams across the minor age groups. The registration fee for the tournament includes tickets to the game, so Orth and Fowler envision an arena full of young players and their parents and coaches watching what should be an exciting early-season game. READ MORE »

Behind the Scenes, CLA, MSL, Peterborough Lakers

Batley accepts responsibility for Lakers role in Mann Cup shenanigans, promises better in the future

At a press conference held at the entrance to the Peterborough Sports Hall of Fame at the Memorial Centre, with pictures of Lakers Mann Cup championship teams as a backdrop, Head Coach and GM Jamie Batley acknowledged that he and his team could have handled the doping testing situation at the 2012 Mann Cup better and vowed that he will make sure his players and staff are ready to do so in the future.

“We stopped the people from going into the room so we stopped them from doing their job,” Batley told the assembled members of the media, as reported by the Peterborough Examiner. “There was some argumentation and some raising of voices and there was some swearing. All of that could have been not done. Because of that, those are CLA Code of Conduct violations, that you have to be respectful. We weren’t respectful,” he said. READ MORE »

Behind the Scenes, CLA, IL Indoor, Langley Thunder, Peterborough Lakers

Suspensions and fines handed down in Mann Cup doping testing brouhaha

Sanctions have been imposed by the Canadian Lacrosse Association on members of the Langley Thunder and Peterborough Lakers organizations stemming from the botched doping control testing procedures at the 2012 Mann Cup, which Peterborough won at home in six games. Thunder Head Coach Rod Jensen received the stiffest penalty, being suspended for 10 games of the Western Lacrosse Association season after being found to have committed four violations of the CLA code of conduct. Langley was also assessed a $3,500 fine, according to a document posted on the CLA web site in the wake of hearings into the incidents at the Mann Cup.

The Lakers were fined $5,000 and Head Coach Jamie Batley was suspended for five games for his role in the situation, according to the CLA’s posted decision on the Lakers. Other suspensions assessed include two games for Lakers trainer Steve Hynes and one game for Langley GM Gerry Van Beek. READ MORE »

Ajax Rock, Brampton Excelsiors, Brooklin Redmen, IL Indoor, Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks, MSL, Peterborough Lakers, Road to the Mann Cup, Six Nations Chiefs

Major Series Lacrosse schedule kicks off in Peterborough May 23

The Brampton Excelsiors will visit the Peterborough Lakers on Thursday May 23 to open the 2013 Major Series Lacrosse season then will return to Peterborough the following week, kicking off the season with a rivalry bang. The Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks, who selected Jeremy and Jason Noble with the first two picks in this year’s MSL draft, open their season at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena to face the Six Nations Chiefs in the first Saturday night game of the year on May 25. The Brooklin Redmen get underway Sunday May 26 when the play host to the Lakers. And the Ajax Rock plan to play the franchise’s first game in Oakville on Monday May 27. The move of the Rock to Oakville is still pending Ontario Lacrosse Association approval.

Other notable MSL contests include a pair of Brampton home games in the Memorial Arena (May 28 vs Ajax and June 20 vs Six Nations) and a Kodiaks home game in Kingston. The latter is part of a big promotion for Kingston minor and junior lacrosse that will see KW take on the Lakers Saturday June 8 in a game being called the First Capital Cup. Kingston lacrosse will be rocking that weekend with the Kingston Krossfire minor tournament going on and clinics being run by Nationwide Lacrosse founders Brad Self and Shawn Evans. READ MORE »