Windsor AKO Fratmen Lacrosse Team

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Windsor AKO Fratmen

City	Windsor, Ontario
League	Ontario Lacrosse Association Jr. "B"
Conference	Western
Division	Far-West
Founded	2003
Home Arena	Forest Glade Arena
Colours	Black, Gold and White
Head Coach	Greg Ducharme
General Manager	Mike Soulliere

The Windsor AKO Fratmen Lacrosse Team is a member of the Junior "B" league in the Ontario Lacrosse Association. The team is sponsored by the AKO Fraternity in the city of Windsor, Ontario, Canada and is part of the AKO Fratmen series of sports teams.

1 History
2 2006 Season
- 2.1 Season Summary
3 2006 Playoffs
4 Founders Cup
5 Season-by-Season Results
- 5.1 Playoff Results
6 All-Time Leading Scorers
7 Top Goaltending Tandems
8 Team Captains
9 Coaches and Management
10 Individual Awards
11 All-Star Game Invites
12 External links

[edit] History

The team made its expansion debut in the OLA Jr. "B" league in 2003. The team's first win was on April 30, 2003 against Wallaceburg, 21-12. In four completed seasons, the team has never failed to make the playoffs. The Fratmen hosted the 2005 Junior "B" All-Star Game, and in the team's forth season Windsor will host the 2006 Founders Cup. AKO's current coaching staff consists of Head Coach Greg Ducharme and Associate Coaches Ron Martinello and Eddie McGaffey. All three coaches were members of the 1991 Detroit Turbos World Championship team. The team's President and General Manager is Mike Soulliere, who has been involved with the team since its inception.

[edit] 2006 Season

The 2006 season started out with almost two months of drawn out tryouts. To start the season, 2 veterans will miss the first half with commitments to American college lacrosse teams, 2005 Captain Trevor Veres and 2005 Western Conference MVP Dave Hodgins.

Before the season started, the Fratmen competed in an exhibition game with the Wallaceburg Red Devils and a tournament hosted by the Spartan Warriors in St. Catharines, Ontario. The tournament, although with a team mixed with prospects and veterans, ended up with 3 straight AKO loses: 12-3 to the Oakville Buzz, 4-2 to the St. Catharines Spartan Warriors, and 8-3 to the Niagara Thunderhawks.

The Fratmen marched into London, Ontario to square off against the London Blue Devils on April 22 to open the season. John Orton took control of the game and led the team to a 9-8 victory with a 3-goal and 1-assist performance. Ex-Junior "A" player, Jamie Pillon, put in a strong game with 2 goals and 3 assists. Orton also scored the game winning goal with 38 seconds to go in the game to break an 8-8 tie and avoid overtime. Matt Soulliere picked up the win, stopping 38 of 46 shots. Sadly, the home opener on April 29 ended in a 6-5 loss to the Wallaceburg Red Devils. The bad luck continued on May 3 in Sarnia, Ontario as the Fratmen fell 8-6 to the Sarnia Pacers. The losing skid continued on May 6, as the Fratmen dropped a 7-2 decision to the Owen Sound Rams in Owen Sound, Ontario and 9-6 to the Guelph Regals the next afternoon.

The Fratmen finally broke their 4-game losing skid on May 12, defeating their regional rivals, the Wallaceburg Red Devils, 10-8 to bring their record to 2 wins and 4 loses. They absolutely came alive the next night, playing underdog, against the Six Nations Rebels with a shocker 8-7 victory. The 2005 OLA Western Conference MVP Dave Hodgins came back to full form to lead the team to victory with four goals in the effort. The streak continued on May 17 when the Fratmen devastated their rivals, Wallaceburg, 8-5.

On May 20, the Fratmen shocked the lacrosse world with a defensively minded 4-2 victory against a top-ranked, previously undefeated Orangeville Northmen squad. Four-year-veteran goaltender Matt Soulliere put on a goaltending school with 49 saves on 51 shots for the hard fought victory. This game was viewed as a measuring stick to determine Windsor's worth in the greater scheme of things. The inner circles of the Jr. "B" lacrosse league have often debated in previous months whether or not Windsor will go deep enough into the playoffs to respectfully represent the Founders Cup as a host. Although this issue may still be debated, the Fratmen have proven with big games against Six Nations and Orangeville that they can compete with the league's elite.

On May 27, the Fratmen continued their defensive prowess, defeating the Niagara Thunderhawks in Niagara Falls, by a more ice hockey-like decision -- 4-3. The low scoring fratmen seem to be benefiting a great deal by their strong defensive systems implemented by Coach Greg Ducharme. The Thunderhawks were the top team in the large and competitive South-West Division at the time of the game. The Fratmen challenged, the expansion team, the Hamilton Bengals the following night, defeating them 7-5. This victory extends the team's winning streak to 6 games.

On June 2, the Fratmen's winning streak went to 7 games as they defeated the Wallaceburg Red Devils 6-5. Andrew Soulliere was chosen as the game's most valuable player for the victors. On June 3, the Fratmen's streak was ended by the Founders Cup National Champions Elora Mohawks by a score of 6-2. The Mohawks were held to a very low score, despite having one of the most potent offences in the league. There is a possibility that these two teams may face each other at this year's Founders Cup as host and champion.

In a game against the Sarnia Pacers on June 7, the Fratmen pulled themselves back on track with a 13-8 victory. The Fratmen won again on June 10, with an uninspired 8-7 victory over the dismal Welland Warlords. The Warlords were winless to this point in the season (0 wins, 15 losses), and have been outscored, on average, 15 to 5. On June 11, the Fratmen showed their strength and defeated the London Blue Devils 12-3.

On June 17, Fratmen Andrew Ryckman led the West Division over the East, 15-10, and collected Game MVP honours at the 2006 OLA Junior "B" All-Star Game in Clarington, Ontario. Ryckman cashed in 4 goals and 2 assists while playing amongst the league's best. The following night, the Fratmen took on the Blue Devils once again, beating them 8-5. The victory clinches the Far-West Division for the Fratmen and guarantees them a top 3 seed for the playoffs. On June 21, the Fratmen embarrassed old time rivals, the Sarnia Pacers, by a score of 17-2. This is the largest margin of victory by the fratmen in history, surpassing the former record -- a 16-4 win over the Welland Warlords in 2004.

The game on June 24 took on a different flavour than what the Fratmen were used to against the ever-dangerous St. Catharines Spartan Warriors. AKO came out on the losing end of an 8-5 decision. The Fratmen also failed to win in their last game of the season. The lowly London Blue Devils managed a 6-6 tie with the defensively minded-Fratmen. The Fratmen go into the playoffs with a 2-game winless streak, but still maintain a winning record of 13-6-1.

[edit] Season Summary

The 2006 regular season proved to be a streaky one indeed. Despite impressive victories and a few surprises in team leadership, the Fratmen are up against some interesting odds. The Fratmen have never won a playoff round and have an all-time playoff record of 1 win and 9 losses. An interesting anomaly in AKO's statistics is the super-low goals for and goals against. The Fratmen's constant defensive style this season was the most direct result of this, leading to many victories. The Fratmen won their division, but with the worst record in the Western Conference amongst divisional leaders will manage the third seed in the playoffs.

The Far-West Division of the OLA is considered to be the weakest in the entire league. Outside of Windsor making the playoffs, the Wallaceburg Red Devils came from 3-games-out to clinching the 8th seed in the conference. Wallaceburg making the playoffs knocked off the defending National Champion Elora Mohawks. While the Mohawks were defending themselves against the likes of Orangeville, Niagara, Guelph, and Owen Sound -- four tough and dominant teams, the Red Devils faced Sarnia twice, London, and Welland -- three of the worst teams in the OLA. This result has triggered talk amongst the lacrosse community about bringing back the old multi-tier system that the league used in the late 1990s or creating a Junior "C" league for the weaker teams.

Windsor, along with Sarnia, London, and Wallaceburg, are members of the Far-West Division. Windsor, against their own division, carried a record of 8 wins, 2 losses, and a tie. Windsor easily dominated this under-achieving division, but when stacked up against the rest of the league, the Fratmen barily had a winning record with 5 wins and 4 losses. Not an amazing record, but still a winning record against an excellent cross section of the OLA. These results may prove that the Fratmen have finally shown that they belong in with the rest of the league -- not just the Far-West Division. Although, the question will be whether or not they belong amongst the elite of the OLA -- and whether they will be a deserving host to an Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia champion late this August.

[edit] 2006 Playoffs

The Fratmen won third seed in the Western Conference and drew the Owen Sound Rams in a first round best-of-5 series. With 2 games left in the regular season, the Fratmen acquired Gloucester Griffins leading scorer Krystian Seguin who scored 62 points in 18 games as a Griffin. He is expected to make a huge impact in the playoffs. The London Blue Devils Cam Brown was also acquired by the Fratmen for the playoffs. Game one was on July 1, and the Fratmen came out with a close and well fought 11-9 victory. The following night, AKO took a 2 games to none lead with an 11-8 victory. On July 8, Owen Sound regrouped and caught Windsor flat-footed, winning 11-7 to bring the series to 2-1 for the Fratmen. The Fratmen were down 6-0 in the first period, and 10-3 midway through the second. The Fratmen had 44 penalty minutes compared the Rams' 14 -- a probable reason for the loss. The next night, back in Owen Sound, the Fratmen came to play and knocked off the Rams with a 10-5 victory. The win clinches the series for the Fratmen, giving them their first ever playoff series victory. Another landmark in an already eventful season.

Next, the Fratmen will take on the Niagara Thunderhawks in the Conference Semi-final. The Thunderhawks finished the season with a 15-5 record, winning the South-West Division. Niagara swept Hamilton in three game in their Conference Quarter-final series. This Niagara team should prove to be an excellent litmus test as to where the Fratmen will stand in these playoffs.

The winner of the series will take on the winner of Orangeville and Spartan in the West Conference final.

Game one of the Conference Semi-final did not come out in AKO's favour. The longest game in the Fratmen's history, the Thunderhawks came out on top with a 7-6 victory in Double Overtime on July 15. July 18 held better fortunes for the Fratmen as the squashed Niagara in Game 2 by a score of 10-4. Hodgins came up with 3 goals and an assist, Seguin put in 2 with an assist, and Ryckman netted 2 more with an assist. Pillon put together a passing clinic, cashing in with 5 assists. Game 3 was won by the Niagara Thunderhawks by a score of 8-7, the game took place on July 20. On July 22, AKO ended up, again, in double overtime. This time, the Fratmen came out on top with a 10-9 victory. On July 24, the roof caved in on the Fratmen's OLA playoff hopes. The Fratmen travelled to Niagara only to lose to the Thunderhawks by a score of 8-4. This loss eliminated the Fratmen from the playoffs.

The loss to the Thunderhawks may have been a blessing in disguise for Windsor. The Fratmen will have almost a month to rest up for the Founders Cup tournament, while the OLA champion, British Columbia champion, and Alberta champion will still be exhausted from their long playoff runs. If one was to look at the results of other round robin championships in the world of sports, like the Memorial Cup and Royal Bank Cup in ice hockey, the (well rested) host team generally is rather successful if not victorious.

[edit] Founders Cup

At the 2006 Founders Cup on August 23, the Fratmen opened up the tournament with a 20-9 dismantling of the Nova Scotia Knights. Later that night, the Fratmen also beat the Langley Thunder 11-4. On August 24, the Fratmen topped the Edmonton Warriors by a score of 11-7. On August 25, AKO beat the Iroquois Lacrosse Associaton (a team mostly comprised of players from Kahnawake, Quebec) by a score of 12-8. The victory clinched first place and a bye to the semi-final for the Fratmen, as both teams were undefeated (3-0) going into the game. Jamie Pillon lead all Round Robin scoring with 22 points (9 goals, 13 assists), he was closely followed by the Andrew Ryckman (6 goals, 15 assists) and 2005 OLA Most Valuable Player David Hodgins (9 goals, 12 assists).

In the Semi-final on August 26, the Fratmen took on their most competitive opponent of the tournament to date, the Iroquois Lacrosse Association, for the second time. They came out on top again with a tight 6-3 victory. The Fratmen will face the OLA Champion Oakville Buzz in the Founders Cup Final. The Fratmen (5-0) and Buzz (4-0) are the only two undefeated teams left in the tournament. The two teams have not played against each other yet this season.

On August 27, the AKO Fratmen played in the National Championship Game against the Oakville Buzz. The Fratmen and Buzz were tied 1-1 after the first. The second saw the Buzz come alive, at the end leading by a score of 5-2. In the third, the Buzz came alive and blew the game wide open. The final score was 10-4, but the Fratmen held tough until the end. Cam Brown was named the Fratmen's Game MVP, while both Jamie Pillon and Matt Soulliere were named to the Founders Cup All-Star Team.

[edit] Season-by-Season Results

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Season	League	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	PTS	Placing	Playoffs
2003	OLA Jr. B	20	5	14	1	209	232	11	10th OLA-B West	Lost 1st Round
2004	OLA Jr. B	20	8	12	0	151	174	16	8th OLA-B West	Lost 1st Round
2005	OLA Jr. B	20	11	9	0	173	179	22	5th OLA-B West	Lost 1st Round
2006	OLA Jr. B	20	13	6	1	146	118	27	3rd OLA-B West	Lost Quarter-final
--	Founders Cup	6	5	1	0	64	41	-	1st Pool B	Lost Final, Won Silver Medal

[edit] Playoff Results

2003 Lost Conference Quarter-final to St. Catharines Spartan Warriors 3 games to none

2004 Lost Conference Quarter-final to Elora Mohawks 3 games to none

2005 Lost Conference Quarter-final to Six Nations Rebels 3 games to 1

2006 Won Conference Quarter-final against Owen Sound Rams 3 games to 1

Lost Conference Semi-final to Niagara Thunderhawks 3 games to 2

[edit] All-Time Leading Scorers

Captain Blaic Naysmith and Goalie Devan Mighton versus Sarnia (2004)

Note: Leaders determined by Points, then by Least Games Played. (As of July 20, 2006 as provided by OLA)

Rank	Player	Games	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM
1	David Hodgins	72	147	130	277	184
2	Jamie Pillon	59	89	120	209	86
3	Andrew Ryckman	61	51	68	119	12
4	John Montague	69	17	71	88	387
5	David Rivait	66	33	39	72	24
6	Greg Martinello	38	26	41	67	54
7	"Nuge" Diabo	35	26	40	66	71
8	"Kohe" Diabo	38	22	44	66	221
9	Brendyn Johnston	36	28	35	63	56
10	John Orton	69	28	32	60	46
11	Tony Chartrand	70	18	38	56	131
12	Karontose Jacobs	54	35	13	48	27

[edit] Top Goaltending Tandems

Note: Measured by Goals Against Average, by year.

Rank	Year	Goalies {Starter/Back-Up)	Wins	GAA
1	2006	Matt Soulliere/Corey Scott	13	5.90
2	2004	Matt Soulliere/Devan Mighton	8	8.70
3	2005	Matt Soulliere/Greg Krstic	11	8.95
4	2003	Doug Goyeau/Matt Soulliere	5	11.60

[edit] Team Captains

Jamie Pillon (2003)

Blaic Naysmith (2004)

Trevor Veres (2005 to Present)

[edit] Coaches and Management

[edit] Head Coaches

Medo Martinello (2003)

Bob Laforet (2003)

Greg Ducharme (2004 to Present)

[edit] General Managers

Mike Soulliere (2003 to Present)

[edit] Presidents

Mike Soulliere (2003 to Present)

[edit] Individual Awards

2003 Western Rookie of the Year - David Hodgins
2004 Western Most Sportsmanlike Player - David Rivait
2005 Western Most Valuable Player - David Hodgins
2005 Western Scoring Champion - David Hodgins
2006 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player - Andrew Ryckman
2006 All-Star Game Skills Competition Champion - Andrew Ryckman
2006 Founders Cup All-Star Team - Jamie Pillon
2006 Founders Cup All-Star Team - Matt Soulliere

[edit] All-Star Game Invites

2003: David Hodgins, Jamie Pillon
2004: David Rivait, Matt Soulliere
2005: David Hodgins, Karontose Jacobs
2006: Andrew Ryckman, Matt Soulliere, Trevor Veres

[edit] External links

Greg Martinello (7), Andrew Ryckman (6), Drew St. Louis (12), and Goalie Matt Soulliere versus Wallaceburg (2004)

OLA Junior B Lacrosse League

Ontario Lacrosse Association | Canadian Lacrosse Association | Founders Cup

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