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
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.
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.
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. 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. 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).
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
Eastern ConferenceTeamJoinedCentreAkwesasne Indians 1996 AkwesasneBrampton Excelsiors 2012 BramptonClarington Green Gaels 1995 ClaringtonGloucester Griffins 1990 GloucesterHalton Hills Bulldogs 1992 GeorgetownKahnawake Hunters 2009 KahnawakeMimico Mountaineers 2019 MimicoNepean Knights 1993 NepeanRedbirds 1979 NewmarketOrangeville Northmen 2001 OrangevilleOrillia Kings 2009 OrilliaWest Durham Ironheads 2002 AjaxWestern ConferenceTeamJoinedCentreCambridge Highlanders 2023 CambridgeElora Mohawks 1987 EloraGuelph Regals 1992 GuelphHamilton Bengals 2006 HamiltonLondon Blue Devils 2003 LondonOwen Sound North Stars 1980 Owen SoundPoint Edward Pacers 1999 SarniaSix Nations Rebels 1996 HagersvilleSt. Catharines Athletics 2022 St. CatharinesWallaceburg Red Devils 1998 WallaceburgWelland Generals 2001 WellandWindsor Clippers 2003 Windsor
Champions Overall champions are bolded. In three-division years, the italics denote finals runner-up. Champion moves on to the Founders Cup national championship. YearChampionFinalistSeriesScores1965 Huntsville Teen Towners Whitby Steelers 4-1 8-6, 11-7, 21-12, 9–10, 14-81966 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 YearWestCentralEastSeriesScores1969 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 YearWestEastSeriesScores1973 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 YearWestCentralEastSeriesScores1976 Elora Mohawks Ennismore TWS Nepean Timbermen 3-1 YearWestEastSeriesScores1977 Point Edward Pacers Scarborough Saints 2-4 1978 Point Edward Pacers St. Regis Mohawks 2-1 1979 Point Edward Pacers YearWestCentralEastSeriesScores1980 Six Nations Arrows Owen Sound Signmen Toronto Beaches 4-3 YearWestEastSeriesScores1981 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 YearChampionFinalistSeriesScores1989 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 YearWestEastSeriesScores1996 St. Catharines Spartan Warriors Orillia Kings 4-1 1997 Six Nations Rebels Orillia Kings 0-3 4-16, 6-10, 10-281998 Six Nations Rebels Clarington Green Gaels 4-2 8-9, 13-10, 12-11, 7-5, 7–11, 10-41999 Elora Mohawks Clarington Green Gaels 3-1 8-7, 12-11 OT, 10–11, 9-82000 Elora Mohawks Clarington Green Gaels 2-4 8-9 2OT, 9–7, 7-10, 7–6, 7-8, 10-11 OT2001 Wallaceburg Red Devils Scarborough Saints FC* N/A2002 St. Catharines Spartan Warriors Clarington Green Gaels 3-0 9-3, 8-4, 13-52003 Six Nations Rebels Barrie Tornado 2-3 15-8, 10-15, 6-8, 12–5, 8-112004 Elora Mohawks Clarington Green Gaels 2-3 16-4, 8-9, 12–1, 7-8 OT, 7-102005 Elora Mohawks Oakville Buzz 3-1 9-7, 14-5, 4–9, 9-82006 Orangeville Northmen Oakville Buzz 1-3 5-10, 6-8, 8–7, 1-52007 Six Nations Rebels Clarington Green Gaels 3-0 8-6, 10-7, 9-6 OT2008 Six Nations Rebels Halton Hills Bulldogs 3-1 12-3, 10-2, 4–8, 8-62009 Elora Mohawks Clarington Green Gaels 0-3 4-10, 7-12, 7-132010 Elora Mohawks Halton Hills Bulldogs 2-3 11-14, 8-9, 7–1, 8–7, 3-82011 Six Nations Rebels Halton Hills Bulldogs 3-2 14-11, 6–9, 5–8, 13-9, 10-72012 Six Nations Rebels Akwesasne Lightning 3-0 15-6, 8-7, 11-102013 Six Nations Rebels Clarington Green Gaels 3-1 19-10, 6-4, 9–13, 7-52014 Six Nations Rebels Halton Hills Bulldogs 3-0 16-2, 14-13, 13-52015 Six Nations Rebels Akwesasne Indians 1-3 6-11, 12-15 OT, 10–8, 5-92016 Orangeville Northmen Clarington Green Gaels 3-0 7-6, 9-8, 7-42017 Orangeville Northmen Clarington Green Gaels 3-2 8-9 OT, 7-6 OT, 10-11 2OT, 13-8, 13-52018 Elora Mohawks Clarington Green Gaels 3-1 13-5, 9-7, 4–8, 10-42019Six Nations RebelsAkwesasne Indians3-27-10, 10-9, 5–11, 11-6, 9-72020 & 2021 Season Cancelled due to COVID-192022Windsor ClippersNepean Knights0-34-6, 6-11, 1-82023Akwesasne ThunderSix Nations Rebels2024Elora MohawksKahnawake Hunters (*) denotes that OLA championship was awarded through a superior record at Founders Cup/Castrol Cup tournament.
Former teams
Barrie Tornado (Relocated to Orillia in 2009 in return getting Orillia Junior A franchise in Barrie) Brantford Posse (Folded after 2002 season) Huntsville Hawks (Moved to Junior C in 2011) Kitchener-Waterloo Braves (Moved to Junior A in 1991) Mimico Mountaineers (Mississauga Junior A moved to Mimico in 2015 folding Mimico Junior B) Mississauga Tomahawks (Moved to Junior A in 1988) Oakville Buzz (Moved to Junior A in 2019) Niagara Thunderhawks (Folded in 2021) Onondaga Redhawks (Folded after 2003 season) Orangeville Northmen (Moved to Junior A in 1991) Scarborough Saints (Renamed Newmarket Saints in 2006, renamed Redbirds in 2025) Six Nations Arrows (Moved to Junior A in 1990) St. Catharines Spartans (Integrated into the St. Catharines Athletics organization in 2021) Toronto Beaches (Folded after 1983 season) Windsor Warlocks (Folded after 1985 season)
References
External links OJBLL website