Peterborough Lakers fans can look forward to an extended 2025 season as Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) announced it will return to an 18-game regular season for the first time since 2019.
The 2025 season will feature all seven teams from last year’s campaign: the Peterborough Lakers, defending champion Six Nations Chiefs, Brampton Excelsiors, Brooklin Lacrosse Club, Cobourg Kodiaks, Oakville Rock, and Owen Sound North Stars, with each team playing nine home games and nine on the road.
After a challenging stretch with pandemic-related restrictions and an evolving league landscape, the 2025 schedule marks a return to a longer season. The MSL reduced its schedule to just 12 games in 2022, when only four teams competed. In 2023, with five teams in the league, the regular season was expanded to 16 games. Last summer, with seven teams in the league, the regular season was again cut short to 12 games, with an added round of playoffs.
The announcement of the lengthened schedule should be met with enthusiasm in Peterborough, where many felt last year’s six regular season games were too few. Details on the playoff format for the 2025 season were not revealed.
For the Lakers, the 2025 season is about redemption. After winning four consecutive Mann Cups, they were dethroned by the Six Nations Chiefs, who claimed back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024. Now, with an 18-game regular season, the Lakers will be determined to get back to the top of the mountain and reclaim their place as the league’s dominant force.
(Written by: Scott Arnold)
