The Burlington Blaze are a Junior "A" box lacrosse team from Burlington, Ontario, Canada. The Blaze play in the OLA Junior A Lacrosse League. From 1992 until 2023 the franchise was known as the Burlington Chiefs.^[2] In August 2023, the Burlington Blaze Jr A team won the Canada Minto Cup.^[3]

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

The team history stretches back to 1976 when they began as the Hamilton Bengals. As a Junior A team, they played formidable opponents like the Peterborough Gray-Munros, Whitby C.B.C Builders, Rexdale Warriors, Lakeshore Maple Leafs, and Bramalea Excelsiors, among others.^[6]

In their initial years, Wayne Stringer emerged as one of the top ten scorers, setting the momentum for the team. That same year, while the Victoria MacDonalds claimed the Minto Cup by beating the Bramalea Excelsiors, the Hamilton side was gearing up for their shot at the Cup. Their aspirations for the Minto in 1983 were short-lived as they were overtaken by St Catharines in a series ending 4 to 1.^[6]

By 1984, a transformative merge occurred. The Hamilton team joined forces with Burlington, resulting in the creation of the Bay Area Bengals. This collaboration bore fruit with a Tier 2 Championship win in 1985, just one year post the merger. The Bengals flag soared high until 1991.^[6]

From 1992 to 2023, the team proudly bore the name Burlington Chiefs. However, 2023 was a monumental year for them. They not only underwent a rebranding to the Burlington Blaze but also clinched the coveted Minto Cup series.^[7]

Though they are officially registered as the Bay Area Bengals Lacrosse Club today, they are known and operate as the Burlington Blaze. The team has a long legacy of NLL Entry Draft players.^[8]