With fewer than two weeks before the Western Lacrosse Association junior entry draft, the Burnaby Lakers senior A club made a coaching change.
Third-year head coach Bob Johnston was replaced with assistant player/coach Rory McDade last week.
"I think (Johnston) was ready to move upstairs. Twice we made the playoffs. I thought it was just time," said Burnaby general manager Paul Rowbotham about the move. "We looked at it. Rory was ready to coach. It is more of a transition."
McDade, just 31, spent his entire WLA career with the Lakers, scoring 106 goals in 130 league and playoff games while garnering almost 300 total points.
"He (Rory) is younger. The game is changing. I think of it as a change, and after three years, I think (Johnston) pushed them as far as he could push them."
Johnston has not yet responded to whether he would stay with the team in another capacity.
"They (the Lakers) wanted to make a change," Johnston said, adding he would have liked to have had the opportunity to coach one more season behind the Burnaby bench.
McDade had a successful five-year career in the Western Hockey League.
tberridge@royalcityrecord.com
