Ontario_Junior_B_Lacrosse_League

Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League

Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League

Lacrosse league in Canada

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.

Quick Facts Sport, Founded ...

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 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

St. Catharines Spartans player in 2014.
Elora Mohawks player in 2014.
Eastern Conference
TeamJoinedCentre
Akwesasne Indians1996Akwesasne
Brampton Excelsiors2012Brampton
Clarington Green Gaels1995Clarington
Gloucester Griffins1990Gloucester
Halton Hills Bulldogs1992Georgetown
Kahnawake Hunters2009Kahnawake
Mimico Mountaineers2019Mimico
Nepean Knights1993Nepean
Newmarket Saints1995Newmarket
Orangeville Northmen2001Orangeville
Orillia Kings2009Orillia
West Durham Ironheads2002Ajax
Western Conference
TeamJoinedCentre
Cambridge Highlanders2023Cambridge
Elora Mohawks1987Elora
Guelph Regals1992Guelph
Hamilton Bengals2006Hamilton
London Blue Devils2003London
Owen Sound North Stars1980Owen Sound
Point Edward Pacers1999Sarnia
Six Nations Rebels1996Hagersville
St. Catharines Athletics2022St. Catharines
Wallaceburg Red Devils1998Wallaceburg
Welland Generals2001Welland
Windsor Clippers2003Windsor

Champions

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

More information Year, Champion ...

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

Former teams

Wallaceburg Red Devils goalie (2014).

References

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