The Maple Ridge Burrards have traded their captain.

With the Western Lacrosse Association trade deadline looming, the Burrards dealt Sam Cook to the Langley Thunder for a pair of players.

To get Cook, the Thunder parted with veteran Steve Hay and rookie Patrick O'Meara.

The fearless Hay, who has been one of the grittiest players in the WLA over the past few years, was drafted by the Thunder in 2003.

Maple Ridge head coach/general manager Daren Fridge welcomes Hay's in-your-face style of play.

"We've got a lot of good defensive guys who are really nice people," Fridge said. "Not to say that Steve's not a nice person, but his style of play was of interest to us."

Cook is known as a staunch defender and fearless competitor and the Thunder believe the veteran will add to the WLA's 2011 defending playoff champion squad's defence.

"We are extremely excited to add Sam to our lineup," Thunder general manager Gerry Van Beek said. "He really adds to our lineup and gives us another veteran who is an excellent defender."

Fridge said Cook was a dependable leader with the Burrards.

"Sam's been a stellar defenceman for us," Fridge said. "He's a very quiet, hard-working guy."

That said, with one win in 11 WLA games this season, the cellar-dwelling Burrards needed a shakeup.

"When I was speaking to Langley, they had talked about acquiring Sam," Fridge said. "We know the status quo is not acceptable. Staying the same and hoping for next year isn't good enough for me."

Speaking about Hay, Thunder team governor Rob Buchan described him as "the ultimate team guy."

"He went to war for us every night and had the heart of a lion. It was tough to let him go," Buchan said.

The other piece in the trade is O'Meara, a 6'6" left-handed defender from Coquitlam.

"Any time you can add size to your lineup, which will make us better on the back end, we're definitely willing to do it," Fridge said.

"O'Meara is someone with great potential and really contributed in his time with us," Buchan noted.

The Burrards weren't done there, as they traded another veteran, Derek Lowe, to the Victoria Shamrocks for a second-round pick in the 2013 WLA entry draft.

. . .

The Burrards have the worst record in the league at 1-9-1 and last played Sunday, June 24 when they lost 10-6 at Planet Ice to the visiting Nanaimo Timbermen.

Maple Ridge returns to action this Thursday (July 5) when the Burrards visit Queen's

Park Arena to take on the host New Westminster Salmon-bellies.

Last season, the Burrards finished 8-10 during their regular season.

Their record was good enough to secure fourth place and the final playoff spot in the seven-team WLA. They were eliminated in the first round of the 2011 WLA playoffs, losing in five games to the Salmon bellies in their seven-game series.

tlandreville@mrtimes.com