Merchants Move: Crosbie Takes Lead

Effective immediately, the Brooklin Redmen Lacrosse Club of Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) have assumed operational control of the Brooklin Merchants Senior “B” Lacrosse Club.

The Redmen wish to thank Steve McCarthy for his dedicated years of service to the Merchants. He’s been a member of the club in almost every capacity including player, coach and manager since the club’s inception in 2000.

After 18 seasons in the friendly confines of Luther Vipond Memorial Arena in Brooklin, the Merchants will be packing up, heading southeast into the city of Oshawa, where they will now call Children’s Arena home.  The move was supported by Oshawa Minor Lacrosse, and association President Paul Vivian was instrumental in making the move happen. “On behalf of Oshawa Minor Lacrosse we are in support of this move and excited to have Senior Lacrosse in the city. This will give our young players role models to look up to and a high level of lacrosse right in our back yard.”

Redmen GM Brad MacArthur agreed, “Having a chance to bring Senior lacrosse to Oshawa and develop a great working relationship with Oshawa Minor Lacrosse was something we couldn’t pass up. It gives the Merchants franchise a reboot, and enables our players to be in an arena that will host a wide variety of lacrosse at all levels. We also see it as an opportunity for our players to be able to give back and assist in the growth of minor players in Oshawa.”

Taking over the reigns as the Head Coach of the Merchants will be former Redmen player and long-time Green Gaels coach Jason Crosbie. This is Crosbie’s second stint with the Merchants after coaching in the mid 2000’s.

“I cannot express how happy I am to return to the Merchants after a lengthy time away from Senior level lacrosse in Ontario.” said Crosbie. “We have a clear vision of what this will look like and how we are going to get prospects to the next level, pushing for spots in the Redmen lineup. I am very excited to teach and develop players for the next level of play while shooting for an Ontario title and a Presidents cup berth.”

“Having someone in place that could see the big picture was important. This gives the Redmen organization an opportunity to integrate with our affiliate team, and have a real hands on approach." said MacArthur. "Jason has a track record of developing players, and that is what we wanted here without losing the focus that we can develop players and pursue excellence at the same time. We realize last season was a rough one for the Merchants, but it’s in the past, we’ve turned the page.”

The Merchants open the 2018 season with two road games before the home opener Friday May 18 at 8pm vs the Ennismore James Gang. Training camp details will be released shortly.