Lakers fans disappointed over lost season

Fans of the Peterborough Lakers expressed disappointment as their team is set to lose its 2019 season to repairs at the city’s major sports facility.

On Monday, rows of Lakers fans were in the audience in the council chambers at City Hall to support their team and let council know the club shouldn’t lose its 2019 season.

Councillors voted 9-2 in favour of a staff recommendation to tear up and replace the entire floor of the Peterborough Memorial Centre at a cost of $3.5 million.

The decision means the Lakers will have to find somewhere else to play for the 2019 MSL season and will delay any home games for the start of the 2019-20 Peterborough Petes OHL season.

Two of those fans were Gail and George Trotter, who say the Lakers are constantly filling

3,000 seats and shouldn’t lose their season.

Gail is worried what will happen to her team and said the situation shouldn’t be creating a conflict between the teams that share the facility.

“It’s certainly not meant to pit fans against fans or teams against teams,” she said.

George said it was the city seeking larger events on the pad which started the issue.

“The manager at the Peterborough Memorial Centre wants those monster trucks and the floor won’t hold it and that’s where it all started,” he said.

Gail said if the Lakers are kicked out of their home arena, there’s nowhere else that has the capacity and the team will lose its dedicated audience for the year.

Other fans who attended the meeting expressed disappointment that the Lakers faced losing their season while the Petes kept their own.

Len Powers, a board member for the Lakers, said the team could go to the Evinrude Centre, or out of town to Cobourg or Lindsay to play but fans might not necessarily follow them.

“How far will our fans go?” he asked, adding that the team hasn’t fully explored its options.

“When they make this decision we will live by it.”