Lakers to play 18-game schedule this season

The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers will begin their defence of their Mann Cup and Major Series Lacrosse championships on the road.

The Lakers and the Brampton Excelsiors will open the MSL season with a 7 p.m. game May 26 at Memorial Arena in Brampton.

It will be a back-to-back series with Brampton visiting Peterborough for the Lakers season home opener at 8 p.m. May 30 at the Memorial Centre, featuring the Mann Cup banner raising.

Because of this summer’s floor repairs at the PMC, the Lakers will play the rest of their home games out of the Evinrude Centre.

How the seating will work for the Lakers season ticket holders in a much smaller facility has yet to be announced. But the Lakers will maintain their traditional Thursday night home games.

The league is returning to an 18-game schedule for teams after testing a 16-game schedule last season.

The Lakers face each team four times, except for the Brooklin Redmen, who they will face only twice.

The Lakers meet the Oakville Rock, who they beat in the 2018 MSL finals, for the first time on June 10 in Oakville.

They also face the Rock at home July 18 and Aug. 1 and on the road again on July 29.

The Cobourg Kodiaks begin their season June 2 by hosting the Brooklin Redmen at the Cobourg Community Centre at 6 p.m.

Most Kodiaks home games will be on their traditional Sunday night slots.

The rest of the regular season schedule for the Lakers:

• June 4, 8 p.m., Peterborough at Six Nations Chiefs, Iroquois Lacrosse Arena;

• June 6, 8 p.m., Brooklin Redmen at Peterborough, Evinrude Centre;

• June 10, 8 p.m., Peterborough at Oakville Rock, Toronto Rock Athletic Centre;

• June 13, 8 p.m., Cobourg Kodiaks at Peterborough, Evinrude Centre;

• June 20, 8 p.m., Brampton Excelsiors at Peterborough, Evinrude Centre;

• June 23, 6 p.m., Peterborough at Cobourg Kodiaks, Cobourg Community Centre;

• June 26, 8 p.m., Peterborough at Brooklin Redmen, Iroquois Park, Whitby;

• June 27, 8 p.m., Cobourg Kodiaks at Peterborough, Evinrude Centre;

• July 4, 8 p.m., Six Nations Chiefs at Peterborough, Evinrude Centre;

• July 11, 8 p.m., Peterborough at Brampton Excelsiors, Memorial Arena;

• July 18, 8 p.m., Oakville Rock at Peterborough, Evinrude Centre;

• July 23, 8 p.m., Peterborough at Six Nations Chiefs, Iroquois Lacrosse Arena;

• July 25, 8 p.m., Six Nations Chiefs at Peterborough, Evinrude Centre;

• July 28, 6 p.m., Peterborough at Cobourg Kodiaks, Cobourg Community Centre;

• July 29, 8 p.m., Peterborough at Oakville Rock, Toronto Rock Athletic Centre;

• Aug. 1, 8 p.m., Oakville Rock at Peterborough, Evinrude Centre.