Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League

Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League

Junior B
Sport Box lacrosse
Founded 1965
Commissioner Dave Vernon
No. of teams 26
Country  Canada
Most recent champion(s) Akwesasne Indians

The Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League (OJBLL) is a box lacrosse league sanctioned by the Ontario Lacrosse Association in Canada. The league features twenty-four teams in Ontario, one in Quebec, and one in the Akwesasne (which straddles the two aforementioned provinces and New York) that annually play a 20-game schedule and four rounds of playoffs for the J. A. MacDonald Trophy. After the conclusion of the playoffs, a league champion represents the OJBLL at the Founders Cup National Junior B Championship.

History

Welland Generals player 2014.

The Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League of the Ontario Lacrosse Association has been around since at least 1965. The OJBLL compete for the J. A. MacDonald Trophy annually at the provincial level. At the national level, the OJBLL has been extremely dominant at the Founders Cup tournament only losing out to other leagues a handful of times in the last 40+ years.

Players from the OJBLL and the Ontario Junior A Lacrosse League are often drafted straight into the professional levels of lacrosse, the National Lacrosse League and Canadian Lacrosse League.

Windsor Clippers goalie 2014.

The league has changed formats few times in the last few decades. The league has played with no divisions (1990) and with as many as seven (2005). The league presently has 26 teams with 2 Conferences and 3 Divisions, but is ever expanding. In the past few years, the league has expanded to Oakville, Windsor, London, Cornwall, Hamilton, Niagara, Markham, Orangeville, and Welland. Also, for the 2007 season, the City of Caledon applied to resurrect its old Caledon Bandits franchise, but was offered a spot in the new OLA Junior C Lacrosse League in 2008.[1] Kahnawake Hunters joined the OLA Jr B League in 2009 after not fielding a team in the OLA or Iroquois League for five years.[2] In 2012, the Brampton Excelsiors joined the OJBLL.[3]

Clarington Green Gaels had a run between 1998 and 2004 when the Gaels won 4 Founders Cups as Canadian Junior "B" champions and 2 J. A. MacDonald Trophy OJBLL Championships.[4][5] Of the recent expansion of the league, the Oakville Buzz have been the most remarkable franchise to be built. In 2006, the Buzz team went 19-1 and strolled through the playoffs with little opposition. The Buzz went undefeated at the Founders Cup and crushed the hopes of the host Windsor AKO Fratmen, beating them by a score of 10-4 in the final.[6]

Currently, the league is dominated by the Six Nations Rebels, winners of five of the past seven league championships and Founders Cups (2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, and 2013).[7]

Teams

St. Catharines Spartans player in 2014.
Elora Mohawks player in 2014.
Eastern Conference
Team Joined Centre
Clarington Green Gaels 1995 Clarington
Oakville Buzz 2001 Oakville
Akwesasne Indians 1996 Akwesasne
Brampton Excelsiors 2012 Brampton
Halton Hills Bulldogs 1992 Georgetown
Gloucester Griffins 1990 Gloucester
Kahnawake Hunters 2009 Kahnawake
Newmarket Saints 1995 Newmarket
Nepean Knights 1993 Nepean
Markham Ironheads 2002 Ajax
Mississauga Tomahawks 1989 Mississauga
Orillia Kings 2009 Orillia
Western Conference
Team Joined Centre
Six Nations Rebels 1996 Hagersville
Orangeville Northmen 2001 Orangeville
Windsor Clippers 2003 Windsor
Niagara Thunderhawks 2003 Niagara
Elora Mohawks 1987 Elora
Wallaceburg Red Devils 1998 Wallaceburg
St. Catharines Spartans 1969 St. Catharines
Welland Generals 2001 Welland
Owen Sound North Stars 1980 Owen Sound
London Blue Devils 2003 London
Point Edward Pacers 1999 Sarnia
Hamilton Bengals 2006 Hamilton
Guelph Regals 1992 Guelph

(*) denotes division leader, three per conference.

2015 J. A. MacDonald Trophy

  Conference Quarter-final Conference Semi-final Conference Final Final
                                     
E1  Clarington 3  
E8  Markham 0  
  E1  Clarington 2  
    E5  Oakville 3  
E4  Nepean 0
E5  Oakville 3  
  E5  Oakville 0  
Eastern
  E2  Akwesasne 3  
E2  Akwesasne 3  
E7  Newmarket 0  
  E2  Akwesasne 3
    E3  Halton Hills 0  
E3  Halton Hills 3
E6  Gloucester 2  
  E2  Akwesasne 3
  W1  Six Nations 1
W1  Six Nations 3  
W8  Wallaceburg 0  
  W1  Six Nations 3
    W4  Windsor 0  
W4  Windsor 3
W5  Elora 1  
  W1  Six Nations 3
Western
  W3  Orangeville 2  
W2  Niagara 3  
W7  St. Catharines 1  
  W2  Niagara 2
    W3  Orangeville 3  
W3  Orangeville 3
W6  Guelph 0  

Champions

Overall champions are bolded. In three-division years, the italics denote finals runner-up. Champion moves on to the Founders Cup national championship.

Year Champion Finalist Series
1965 Huntsville Teen Towners Whitby Steelers 4-1
1966 Toronto Township Combines Oshawa Steelers 4-2
1967 Elora Mohawks Dixie Combines 4-0
1968 Elora Mohawks Oshawa Steelers 4-1
Year West Central East Series
1969 Mississauga PCO's
1970 Niagara Warriors Rexdale Warriors Whitby B&R Trans CC*
1971 Hamilton Bengals Rexdale Warriors Cornwall Celtics 3-1
1972 Hamilton Bengals Whitby B&R Trans Cornwall Celtics 3-1
Year West East Series
1973 Niagara Warriors Whitby B&R Transporters 4-1
1974 Kitchener-Waterloo Braves Whitby B&R Transporters FC*
1975 Windsor Warlocks Mississauga Sullivan Homes 3-0
Year West Central East Series
1976 Elora Mohawks Ennismore TWS Nepean Timbermen 3-1
Year West East Series
1977 Point Edward Pacers Scarborough Saints 2-4
1978 Point Edward Pacers St. Regis Mohawks 2-1
1979 Point Edward Pacers
Year West Central East Series
1980 Six Nations Arrows Owen Sound Signmen Toronto Beaches 4-3
Year West East Series
1981 Niagara Spartan Warriors Toronto Beaches 4-2
1982 Owen Sound Signmen Toronto Beaches 4-2
1983 Point Edward Pacers Toronto Beaches 4-0
1984 Point Edward Pacers Mississauga Arrowheads 4-1
1985 Mississauga Tomahawks Scarborough Saints 0-4
1986 Sarnia Pacers Mississauga Tomahawks 3-4
1987 Mississauga Tomahawks Huntsville Hawks 4-0
1988 Kitchener-Waterloo Braves Peterborough Stags 4-0
Year Champion Finalist Series
1989 Orangeville Northmen Kitchener-Waterloo Braves 4-3
1990 Orangeville Northmen Kitchener-Waterloo Braves 4-2
1991 Huntsville Hawks Elora Mohawks 4-2
1992 Scarborough Saints Orillia Kings 4-0
1993 Owen Sound Flying Dutchmen Orillia Kings 4-2
1994 Orillia Kings Niagara Spartan Warriors 4-1
1995 Orillia Kings St. Catharines Spartan Warriors 4-0
Year West East Series
1996 St. Catharines Spartan Warriors Orillia Kings 4-1
1997 Six Nations Rebels Orillia Kings 0-3
1998 Six Nations Rebels Clarington Green Gaels 4-2
1999 Elora Mohawks Clarington Green Gaels 3-1
2000 Elora Mohawks Clarington Green Gaels 2-4
2001 Wallaceburg Red Devils Scarborough Saints FC*
2002 St. Catharines Spartan Warriors Clarington Green Gaels 3-0
2003 Six Nations Rebels Barrie Tornado 2-3
2004 Elora Mohawks Clarington Green Gaels 2-3
2005 Elora Mohawks Oakville Buzz 3-1
2006 Orangeville Northmen Oakville Buzz 1-3
2007 Six Nations Rebels Clarington Green Gaels 3-0
2008 Six Nations Rebels Halton Hills Bulldogs 3-1
2009 Elora Mohawks Clarington Green Gaels 0-3
2010 Elora Mohawks Halton Hills Bulldogs 2-3
2011 Six Nations Rebels Halton Hills Bulldogs 3-1
2012 Six Nations Rebels Akwesasne Lightning 3-0
2013 Six Nations Rebels Clarington Green Gaels 3-1
2014 Six Nations Rebels Halton Hills Bulldogs 3-0
2015 Six Nations Rebels Akwesasne Indians 1-3

(*) denotes that OLA championship was awarded through a superior record at Founders Cup/Castrol Cup tournament.

Former Member Teams

Wallaceburg Red Devils goalie (2014).

References

  1. ↑ http://www.thewhig.com/2008/11/26/junior-lacrosse-to-make-return
  2. ↑ http://www.hunterslax.com/our-team.html
  3. ↑ http://www.bramptonguardian.com/sports-story/3071669-junior-b-lacrosse-is-back-/
  4. ↑ http://members.shaw.ca/vernontigers/archives/2002/2002founderscup.pdf
  5. ↑ http://members.shaw.ca/vernontigers/archives/2004/2004founderscup.pdf
  6. ↑ http://www.insidehalton.com/sports-story/2910986-oakville-buzz-wins-national-lacrosse-title/
  7. ↑ http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2013/08/27/rebels-simply-dominant-in-founders-cup-victory

External links

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