The Burnaby Lakers are putting out the ‘Help Wanted’ sign.
After a season where they missed the playoffs by the slimmest of margins, head coach Peter Tellis handed in his resignation this week to send the club on a quest for a new bench boss.
Burnaby general manager Kevin Hill said Tellis cited family and work commitments for his reasons for stepping down.
“Pete was a big reason why we were so competitive this year, so it came as a bit of a surprise,” Hill said on Wednesday. “Although we’re disappointed, you always have to put your priorities towards family and work.
“He put in a lot of hours over the past two years with the club.”
He earned kudos from the league when he was voted the 2019 Dorothy Robertson Award as coach of the year.
Tellis took over the coaching duties late in the 2017 season, after club president Ed Safarik fired first-year coach Jim Milligan, despite the club being in a battle for first place. With just a few weeks left in the regular season, Tellis maintained the roll, steering the squad to win its final three games and claiming the franchise’s first-ever Western Lacrosse Association regular season title. The momentum didn't carry into the playoffs, as Burnaby fell to Victoria in seven games.
In 2018, Burnaby struggled early and missed the playoffs with a roster that was depleted by injuries and holdouts. A 6-11-1 record put them second-worst in the league.
It was a different story this past season, as the Lakers came out strong and were in the hunt for first place up until the final few weeks. They won their first four games, including 8-5 decisions over both Victoria and Maple Ridge, and were first overall at 8-2 just past the midway point. In a crowded five-team race, the Copeland rink crew sputtered to the finish line after a 2-5 stretch over the final month, ending with an 8-8 tie against Nanaimo that eliminated them from the postseason.
His tenure finished at 19-25-2, including playoffs.
“Pete dedicated so much time to the organization and you couldn’t ask for a more involved coach,” added Hill, who said the club has already received a few calls inquiring about the opening.
“We’re going to take our time and look for the right person, someone who can coach a young team.”
Hill, who is the western scout for the National Lacrosse League expansion New York Riptide, is preparing for next week’s NLL expansion draft, as well as providing support for Team Iroquois for the upcoming World Indoor Lacrosse championships, Sept. 19 to 28 in Langley. Assistant GM Julian Kolb is coaching Team Austria and working with the NLL’s New England Blackwolves, while assistant coach Kyle Sorensen is involved with the expansion Rochester franchise.
