Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League

Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League
Junior B
SportBox lacrosse
Founded1965
CommissionerDave Vernon
No. of teams24
Country Canada
Most recent
champion(s)		Akwesasne Thunder (2023)

The Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League (OJBLL) is a box lacrosse league sanctioned by the Ontario Lacrosse Association in Canada. The league features twenty-five 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

[edit]
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 Cooper Cecile 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). 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. Kahnawake Hunters joined the OLA Junior B League in 2009 after not fielding a team in the OLA or Iroquois League for five years. In 2012, the Brampton Excelsiors joined the OJBLL.[1]

Clarington Green Gaels had a run between 1998 and 2004 when the Gaels won four Founders Cups Canadian Junior B titles and two J. A. MacDonald Trophy championships.[2] Of the more 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.[3] Oakville made the jump to Junior A for the 2019 season.

Six Nations Rebels dominated the league from 2007 through 2014, winning five league championships (2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013) and six Founders Cups (2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014).[4]

Orangeville continued the league success at Founders Cup winning back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017. Elora Mohawks kept the OJBLL streak alive when they captured gold at the 2018 national championship. It would mark the sixth gold medal in the history of the Mohawks.

Teams

[edit]
St. Catharines Spartans player in 2014.
Elora Mohawks player in 2014.
Eastern Conference
Team Joined Centre
Akwesasne Indians 1996 Akwesasne
Brampton Excelsiors 2012 Brampton
Clarington Green Gaels 1995 Clarington
Gloucester Griffins 1990 Gloucester
Halton Hills Bulldogs 1992 Georgetown
Kahnawake Hunters 2009 Kahnawake
Mimico Mountaineers 2019 Mimico
Nepean Knights 1993 Nepean
Newmarket Saints 1995 Newmarket
Orangeville Northmen 2001 Orangeville
Orillia Kings 2009 Orillia
West Durham Ironheads 2002 Ajax
Western Conference
Team Joined Centre
Cambridge Highlanders 2023 Cambridge
Elora Mohawks 1987 Elora
Guelph Regals 1992 Guelph
Hamilton Bengals 2006 Hamilton
London Blue Devils 2003 London
Owen Sound North Stars 1980 Owen Sound
Point Edward Pacers 1999 Sarnia
Six Nations Rebels 1996 Hagersville
St. Catharines Athletics 2022 St. Catharines
Wallaceburg Red Devils 1998 Wallaceburg
Welland Generals 2001 Welland
Windsor Clippers 2003 Windsor

Champions

[edit]

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 Scores
1965 Huntsville Teen Towners Whitby Steelers 4-1 8-6, 11-7, 21-12, 9–10, 14-8
1966 Toronto Township Combines Oshawa Steelers 4-2
1967 Elora Mohawks Dixie Combines 4-0
1968 Elora Mohawks Oshawa Steelers 4-1 16-8, 13-9, 14-10, 15–17, 15-11
Year West Central East Series Scores
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 Scores
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 Scores
1976 Elora Mohawks Ennismore TWS Nepean Timbermen 3-1
Year West East Series Scores
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 Scores
1980 Six Nations Arrows Owen Sound Signmen Toronto Beaches 4-3
Year West East Series Scores
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 Scores
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 Scores
1996 St. Catharines Spartan Warriors Orillia Kings 4-1
1997 Six Nations Rebels Orillia Kings 0-3 4-16, 6-10, 10-28
1998 Six Nations Rebels Clarington Green Gaels 4-2 8-9, 13-10, 12-11, 7-5, 7–11, 10-4
1999 Elora Mohawks Clarington Green Gaels 3-1 8-7, 12-11 OT, 10–11, 9-8
2000 Elora Mohawks Clarington Green Gaels 2-4 8-9 2OT, 9–7, 7-10, 7–6, 7-8, 10-11 OT
2001 Wallaceburg Red Devils Scarborough Saints FC* N/A
2002 St. Catharines Spartan Warriors Clarington Green Gaels 3-0 9-3, 8-4, 13-5
2003 Six Nations Rebels Barrie Tornado 2-3 15-8, 10-15, 6-8, 12–5, 8-11
2004 Elora Mohawks Clarington Green Gaels 2-3 16-4, 8-9, 12–1, 7-8 OT, 7-10
2005 Elora Mohawks Oakville Buzz 3-1 9-7, 14-5, 4–9, 9-8
2006 Orangeville Northmen Oakville Buzz 1-3 5-10, 6-8, 8–7, 1-5
2007 Six Nations Rebels Clarington Green Gaels 3-0 8-6, 10-7, 9-6 OT
2008 Six Nations Rebels Halton Hills Bulldogs 3-1 12-3, 10-2, 4–8, 8-6
2009 Elora Mohawks Clarington Green Gaels 0-3 4-10, 7-12, 7-13
2010 Elora Mohawks Halton Hills Bulldogs 2-3 11-14, 8-9, 7–1, 8–7, 3-8
2011 Six Nations Rebels Halton Hills Bulldogs 3-2 14-11, 6–9, 5–8, 13-9, 10-7
2012 Six Nations Rebels Akwesasne Lightning 3-0 15-6, 8-7, 11-10
2013 Six Nations Rebels Clarington Green Gaels 3-1 19-10, 6-4, 9–13, 7-5
2014 Six Nations Rebels Halton Hills Bulldogs 3-0 16-2, 14-13, 13-5
2015 Six Nations Rebels Akwesasne Indians 1-3 6-11, 12-15 OT, 10–8, 5-9
2016 Orangeville Northmen Clarington Green Gaels 3-0 7-6, 9-8, 7-4
2017 Orangeville Northmen Clarington Green Gaels 3-2 8-9 OT, 7-6 OT, 10-11 2OT, 13-8, 13-5
2018 Elora Mohawks Clarington Green Gaels 3-1 13-5, 9-7, 4–8, 10-4
2019 Six Nations Rebels Akwesasne Indians 3-2 7-10, 10-9, 5–11, 11-6, 9-7
2020 & 2021 Season Cancelled due to COVID-19[5]
2022 Windsor Clippers Nepean Knights 0-3 4-6, 6-11, 1-8

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

Former teams

[edit]
Wallaceburg Red Devils goalie (2014).

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Junior B lacrosse is back!". Brampton Guardian. April 20, 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-09-17.
  2. ^ "2004 Founders Cup" (PDF). Vernon Tigers. August 25, 2004.
  3. ^ "Oakville Buzz wins national lacrosse title". Inside Halton. August 28, 2006. Archived from the original on 2021-09-26.
  4. ^ "Six Nations Rebels dominant in winning fourth straight Founders Cup". Inside Lacrosse. August 25, 2014.
  5. ^ "2020 Junior 'B' lacrosse season cancelled". Sydenham Citizen. 4 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Oakville Buzz to join OJALL in 2019" (PDF). Ontario Lacrosse Association. February 1, 2018.
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