The Vancouver Stealth made a coaching change Tuesday morning, firing Dan Perreault and bringing in Peterborough product Jamie Batley.
Batley, 49, has a reputation for being a hard-nosed, taskmaster type, which is a contrast to the more easy-going Perreault. It will be interesting to see how that affects the Stealth, who are in jeopardy of missing the playoffs for a third straight season since coming to the Langley Events Centre.
Keep in mind that this isn’t a young Vancouver team. This is a squad built to win now, with much of its core group in the 30-year-old range.
The Stealth’s 9-6 loss Sunday in Toronto was the team’s third in a row and dropped them to 3-7. They’re chasing the 4-7 Calgary Roughnecks for the third and final playoff spot in the West Division. Vancouver continues the 18-game regular season Saturday when the reigning league champion Saskatchewan Rush bring their 6-3 record to the LEC.
Batley has had great success in summer ball, leading the Peterborough Lakers to five Mann Cup national championships. He’s 43-41 in the NLL in his stints guiding the Colorado Mammoth, Toronto Rock and the Chicago Shamrox.
