BROOKLIN LACROSSE CLUB PROTECTS YOUNGER BROTHER OF ITS LEADING SCORER

By Sam Laskaris

There could soon be a pair of Kearnans that are racking up their share of points for the Brooklin Lacrosse Club. That’s because heading into the 2021 Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) Entry Draft, which is set for Mar. 18, it has been announced that Brady Kearnan, a Courtice resident, will be one of the four protected players for the Brooklin squad. 

Kearnan’s older brother Connor is already a Brooklin regular and led the club in scoring with 51 points (23 goals and 28 assists) in 17 matches during the 2019 MSL campaign. The league’s 2020 season was wiped out because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brady Kearnan starred with the Clarington-based Green Gaels during the 2017 campaign, helping the squad reach the Ontario Junior "B" championship finals. He then spent the next two years at the Junior A level with the Toronto Beaches.

Brady Kearnan has already spent some time donning a Brooklin jersey. After his junior season was over in 2019, he suited up for four games with the team. He had an immediate impact with the squad, earning 12 points, including six goals, in those four appearances.

Kearnan’s efforts included a six-point outing against the Brampton Excelsiors and a five-point match, including four goals, in a victory over the perennially tough Six Nations Chiefs. Though he’s already played a bit for the Brooklin team, there were no guarantees the club would protect him prior to the MSL draft.

“It was a pretty good surprise,” he said. “It’s a very saturated market. There are a lot of great players that are going to keep playing (after their junior eligibility).” Kearnan is looking forward to the possibility of being a regular on a team with his brother, who also plays professionally with the National Lacrosse League’s San Diego Seals.

Because of their three-year age gap, the Kearnans have not had many opportunities to be teammates before. The siblings, however, were teammates one season for the Bowmanville-based St. Stephen Catholic Secondary School field lacrosse squad.

But they were rarely on the field together. That’s because Connor was in his graduating year and one of the team’s top performers while Brady was a Grade 9 student who saw limited action. “That was the only other time I played with my brother,” Brady Kearnan said.

Brad MacArthur, who doubles as the head coach and general manager of the Brooklin squad seems keen to add another Kearnan to his lineup. “Brady has a nose for the net and he's creative,” he said.

MacArthur also believes the younger Kearnan will also be a great addition to have inside the Brooklin dressing room. “He's got a unique personality that loosens people up,” MacArthur added.