Beyond the Box: Burnaby Lakers Building Towards Minto Cup Contention

Wednesday July 31st, 2024 12:12pm 

By Adam Levi

The Burnaby Jr. A Lakers are just getting started.

There’s no denying the facts: the Lakers were eliminated from the BCJALL playoffs by the Coquitlam Adanacs in a 4-0 semifinal series sweep.

Nevertheless, this was the team’s second playoff appearance in the last three seasons, and their .583 regular-season win percentage was the franchise’s best in more than 15 years. Yes, the ultimate result was not achieved this summer, but momentum could be building for Minto Cup contention in the not-so-distant future.

Will it be an epic run like Burnaby had during the late ’90s through 2000s (when they won five Minto Cups in and eight-year span) or the dominance of the Minto Cup three-peat from 1977 to 1979? Who knows? What we do know is that the Lakers are trending towards one of their most successful stretches in decades. A Minto Cup hasn’t been won by Burnaby in nearly 20 years. That drought could be ending soon.

Building on Principles 

Under the leadership of 26-year-old Ty Yanko, who is the youngest head coach in the BCJALL and took on that role with the Lakers last summer, Burnaby players have embraced principles of being unselfish and working hard on the ball, off the ball, and off the floor between game days.

“[Their hard work] is a huge testament to who they are because a lot of them have had that their whole career,” Yanko said. “Like Oskar Lucas or Mateo Gonzales, they didn’t get drafted, so they had to earn everything that they got. They had to scrap to even get to the Jr. A level. So, that transition to an NLL training camp, that’s all they’ve known having to work for their spot and be a gritty player.

“I’m proud of how our team prepared and battled against Coquitlam. They’re an excellent team, and we gained a ton of valuable experience competing with them. We had a strong game plan and made many adjustments throughout the series, but we simultaneously learned how to conduct ourselves in the postseason from our opponents. They are a first-class organization, and we will take this opportunity to expand our horizons as a program.”

The Adanacs, who will be hosting this year’s Minto Cup from August 17th to 24th, played the role of dream crushers for Burnaby, in particular the more than a dozen Lakers in their final year of junior lacrosse. Their players moving on included Joel McCormick, Jaiden Terry, Ethan M’Lot, Marc Rippberger, Brayden Wandler, Aden Marcher, Andrew Thompson, Josh Gabriele, Sean Clark, Dylan Johannes, Kaden Granberg, Jacob Spartano, Dagan Carlson and Rhys Marshall.

Coming into this season, Yanko was excited to see what his batch of veteran juniors could do on the floor. Especially after losing recently graduating players Marcus Klarich, Sam La Roue and Thomas Vela – all now playing in the National Lacrosse League – now was the time for the next group of guys to make their mark.

“Our leadership core is unbelievable,” Yanko said. “I think I’m truly in a position where I’m blessed to be where there’s fifth-year guys - and there’s so many of them. They care more about the team’s success than they do about their own success. When that happens, that’s when you create a pretty special culture.”

Those elder statesmen wanted this last hurrah to end in glory, but, as star forward Joel McCormick put it, the Lakers can hold their heads high after a great effort. And, while much of this year’s roster will not be returning for another run, the culture that Yanko is building will inspire future players for years to come.

“The season definitely didn’t end the way we had hoped, but I’m still super proud of every guy on the team, who all stepped up in their own way,” McCormick said. “We fell short, but give credit where it’s due—Coquitlam was very well-prepared for us. I do absolutely think this is just the beginning for the Lakers with talent like Rowan Birrell, Oskar Lucas and Mateo Gonzales (to name a few) and a coach like Ty, who is so passionate about winning and sees the game very well. I think the Lakers have the opportunity to be very dominant in the league these next few years.”

McCormick has been one of the most promising BCJALL forwards since he was drafted third overall in the 2020 Draft. He is sad that his junior lacrosse journey is coming to an end, but he’s extraordinarily grateful to have played with each of his Lakers teammates over the years.

“It’s been an honor,” McCormick said. “And, being able to watch all of us grow and be able to excel as lacrosse players, it’s honestly been a treat. There are guys like Ethan M’Lot and Rhys Marshall who have been part of the organization since as soon as we got drafted - watching those guys grow into the players that they are has been amazing. Also, Dagan Carlson, who just got here from Saskatchewan this year, watching him grow just this season has been just unbelievable, so, it’s been a treat.”

There was no doubt that this team believed it could be successful this BCJALL season. They didn’t just believe in their abilities, they put in plenty of hours to be able to achieve what they did this summer. Going back to October of 2023, many of the Lakers were meeting up for pseudo training camps to start preparing for the 2024 season. You can definitely bet that this might be a strategy for the Jr. A Lakers going forward.

“The biggest thing when I took over and got the position as head coach is that we developed a vision, and we knew what we could achieve if we had a sense of belief,” Yanko says. “I would say that that’s the number one thing that’s carried us is that we genuinely believe that we can have success against any team regardless of who the opponent is and who they have on their team.

“This team is the blueprint for future Burnaby teams, and I don’t think our momentum is going to slow down one bit, that’s for sure.”