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The Windsor Clippers is a member of the Junior "B" league in the Ontario Lacrosse Association. The team, from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, was known as the Windsor AKO Fratmen from 2003 until 2009 as they were sponsored by the AKO Fraternity.
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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 hosted the 2006 Founders Cup. The Fratmen's first ever playoff victory came against the Six Nations Red Rebels in the 2005 Conference Semi-final. On July 2, 2005, the Fratmen defeated Six Nations in the first game of the series 6-4. Their first playoff round victory came in the 2006 Conference Semi-final against the Owen Sound Rams, 3-games-to-1.
The team's current coaching staff consists of Head Coach Greg Ducharme and Associate Coaches Ron Martinello and Eddie McGaffey. All three played Junior and Senior lacrosse in the Windsor area. Ducharme and Martinello were members of the 1975 Founders Cup National Champion Windsor Warlocks. Martinello also played four professional seasons in the National Lacrosse League with the Detroit Turbos (1989–1992) and won the 1991 league championship with them. McGaffey played two professional seasons in goal for the Turbos (1989 and 1990). The Windsor Clippers are widely known as the best conditioned team in the OLA Junior B circuit which has been a large factor in the young team's success. This is due to Strength Coaches Dave Orton and Ryan Carlone's unique blend of intelligent and adaptive programming. The team's President and General Manager is Mike Soulliere, who has been involved with the team since its inception.
At the 2005 All-Star Game in Windsor, Ontario, it was announced that the AKO Fratmen would host the 2006 Founders Cup Tournament.
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 Association (a team composed mostly 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 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.
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Season | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PTS | Finish | Playoffs | |
Windsor AKO Fratmen | ||||||||||
2003 | 20 | 5 | 14 | 1 | 209 | 232 | 11 | 10th OLA-B West | Lost Conference QF | |
2004 | 20 | 8 | 12 | 0 | 151 | 174 | 16 | 8th OLA-B West | Lost Conference QF | |
2005 | 20 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 173 | 179 | 22 | 5th OLA-B West | Lost Conference QF | |
2006 | 20 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 146 | 118 | 27 | 3rd OLA-B West | Lost Conference SF | |
2007 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 202 | 162 | 26 | 5th OLA-B West | Lost Conference Final | |
2008 | 20 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 162 | 144 | 23 | 4th OLA-B West | Lost Conference SF | |
2009 | 20 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 208 | 125 | 31 | 1st OLA-B West | Lost Conference QF | |
7 Seasons | 140 | 76 | 60 | 4 | 1251 | 1134 | 156 | Best: 1st West (2009) | Best: Lost Conf. Final (2007) | |
Windsor Clippers | ||||||||||
2010 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 169 | 128 | 26 | 3rd OLA-B West | Lost Conference SF | |
2011 | 20 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 259 | 195 | 22 | 6th OLA-B West | Lost Conference SF |
Season | Opponent | Series | GF-GA | Result | Round | |||||
Windsor AKO Fratmen | ||||||||||
2003 | Spartan Warriors | 0-3 | 18-53 | Loss | Conference QF | |||||
2004 | Elora Mohawks | 0-3 | 6-41 | Loss | Conference QF | |||||
2005 | Six Nations Rebels | 1-3 | 26-35 | Loss | Conference QF | |||||
2006 | Owen Sound Rams | 3-1 | 39-33 | Win | Conference QF | |||||
-- | Niagara Thunderhawks | 2-3 | 37-36 | Loss | Conference SF | |||||
-- | Founders Cup | 5-1 | 64-41 | 2nd | Tournament Final | |||||
2007 | Niagara Thunderhawks | 3-1 | 34-28 | Win | Conference QF | |||||
-- | Elora Mohawks | 3-2 | 41-40 | Win | Conference SF | |||||
-- | Six Nations Rebels | 0-3 | 12-21 | Loss | Conference Final | |||||
2008 | St. Catharines Spartans | 3-2 | 43-42 | Win | Conference QF | |||||
-- | Six Nations Rebels | 1-3 | 22-35 | Loss | Conference SF | |||||
2009 | Owen Sound North Stars | 1-3 | 27-34 | Loss | Conference QF | |||||
OLA Totals | 7 Years | 17-27 | 305-398 | 4-7 | Best: Lost Conf. Final (2007) | |||||
CLA Totals | 1 Year | 5-1 | 64-41 | 0-1 | Best: Lost Final (2006) | |||||
Windsor Clippers | ||||||||||
2010 | Owen Sound North Stars | 3-2 | 29-25 | Win | Conference QF | |||||
-- | Elora Mohawks | 0-3 | 23-28 | Loss | Conference SF | |||||
2011 | Guelph Regals | 3-1 | 47-41 | Win | Conference QF | |||||
-- | Six Nations Rebels | 0-3 | 26-56 | Loss | Conference SF |