Ontario Junior C Lacrosse League
The Ontario Junior C Lacrosse League (OJCLL) is a box lacrosse league sanctioned by the Ontario Lacrosse Association in Canada. The league features teams split into three regional divisions. OJCLL annually play a 16-game schedule and playoffs for the Meredith Cup league championship.
 OJCLL | |
| Sport | Box lacrosse |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| Commissioner | Reg Holinshead |
| No. of teams | 17 |
| Country | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Canada |
| Most recent champion(s) | Whitby Warriors (2019) |
| Most titles | Clarington Shamrox (4) |
History
Junior C lacrosse was first sanctioned in Ontario in 1972. A seven-team league played a 20-game schedule and playoffs. After peaking in 1975 with 18 teams and three divisions, Junior C lacrosse dissolved after the 1979 season.
A new OJCLL began operation in 2008 with five teams (Caledon Bandits, Center Wellington Warlords, Innisfil Wolfpack, Shelburne Vets, West Durham Patriots). Caledon Bandits won that first 2008 title over Center Wellington.
In 2009 the league added three more teams in Kingston, Peterboro and Clarington. The Caledon Bandits would defend their title defeating Peterboro 3-1 in the final best of five.
While 2010 saw the same teams in the league however the West Durham team would relocate to Whitby plus we would see a new champion in the Clarington Shamrox which would be their first of three titles in a row as they took out Center Wellington 3-0 in the final.
The 2011 season saw a huge change in the league as it expanded from eight teams with the addition of Mimico, Halton Hills, Hamilton, Wilmot while eastern teams also came in with Cornwall, Brockville, Kahnawake, Nepean and Gloucester. The Huntsville Hawks would also drop down from Junior "B" to join the league with the Center Wellington Warlords switching owners and names and becoming the Fergus Thistles. Clarington Shamrox would take their second title with a win over Peterboro Lakers.
The 2012 campaign saw the league lose two east clubs after just one year as Nepean and Kahnawake did not return. Clarington would take their third title in a row over Halton Hills in the final. In 2013 the league would stay the same in the number of teams at 16 however there would be a new champion crowned as the Halton Hills Bulldogs took the title in an overtime thriller in Cornwall defeating the three time champs from Clarington 11-10. It was the last year of the tournament format to crown a champion.
In 2014 the league lost another eastern team as Brockville Ballistic ceased operations while the Oakville Hawks and the Six Nations Warriors came in. The league switched back to an East-West division format which saw the Cornwall Celtics defeat the defending champions from Halton Hills 3-0 to win their first title.
The 2015 season saw the Kingston Kings and Hamilton Bengals cease operations while one of the original franchises, the Innisfil Wolfpack. would relocate next door to become the Barrie Bombers. The Peterborough Lakers would take their first championship as they swept the Six Nations Warriors 3-0 to the league final. Steady growth over the years has seen the league grow in number of teams to the current 16.
There was controversy during the 2015 season involving the Six Nations Warriors, who finished with 16 wins and no losses to close out the regular season. It was soon brought to the attention of the Ontario Lacrosse Association that the Warriors had multiple roster violations. In turn, the Warriors forfeited 13 of their wins and dropped from first place in the West Division to seventh.[1] The Warriors would sweep the first two rounds of the playoffs and would not lose a game on the floor until Game 3 of the West Division Finals against the Fergus Thistles.[2] In the 2015 Meredith Cup Finals, the Six Nations Warriors would fall to the Lakers, who swept the series in three games (10-7, 10-3, 9-4).
2016 would see a shift in power in the West Division. With the 2015 West champs dropping to third in the regular season standings the Wilmot Wild and the Fergus Thistles tied for top spot with identical 14-2 records. Both clubs would coast through the first two rounds of the postseason before meeting up in the West final for the first time. The Wild would get the better of the Thistles and sweep the series 3-0 en route to their first ever Meredith Cup appearance. Since 2014, the East division has been dominated by the play of the Peterborough Lakers and the Clarington Shamrox. They have faced off in the East finals each of the last two seasons and 2016 saw a rematch of epic proportions. In what will go down as one of the most tightly contested playoff series in league history, the Shamrox would eventually eke out a 4-3 win in Game 5 in front of a packed Garnett B. Rickard Arena in Clarington. The Shamrox hot off their narrow victory hosted the Wild and their hot streak continued. The Clarington squad were able to sweep the Wild 4-0 in spite of some very close contests. The Shamrox would win their fourth Meredith Cup in just seven years.
In 2019, the Whitby Warriors would complete the first ever perfect season, completing a 16-0 regular season while sweeping each team on route to their first Meredith Cup. After a first round bye, the Warriors handled the Clarington Shamrox, winning 16-7, 9-5, and 17-10. In the second straight year, the Warriors would battle with the Peterborough Lakers in the East Finals. The Warriors finally got their chance to take down the Lakers, and swept the series by scores of 21-8, 17-10, and 17-6. Whitby would face the Fergus Thistles in the championships, and each game would be nail biter, with one goal games in each. The Warriors would eventually finish the series off in game 4, and cap off the 26-0 season. During the year, Matt Shand would set the season points record with 109 (31 goals, 78 assists) in just 14 games. Mike Andersson would also set the rookie season points record with 77 (39 goals and 38 assists) and finish second overall in scoring that year.
Teams
| West Division | East Division | Far East Division |
|---|---|---|
| Barrie Bombers | Clarington Shamrox | Cornwall Celtics |
| Brantford Warriors | Huntsville Hawks | Nepean Knights |
| Caledon Bandits | Peterborough Lakers | Centurions Rive-Sud |
| Fergus Thistles | Whitby Warriors | Kodiaks Rive-Nord |
| Halton Hills Bulldogs | ||
| Oakville Hawks | ||
| Orangeville Northmen | ||
| Six Nations Stealth | ||
| Wilmot Wild | ||
Former teams
- Brockville Ballistic (Folded in 2014)
- Centre Wellington Warlords (Relocated to Fergus in 2011)
- Gloucester Griffins (Folded in 2018)
- Hamilton Bengals (On hiatus during 2015 and moved to Brantford in 2016)
- Innisfil Saints (Relocated to Barrie in 2015)
- Kahnawake Hunters (Folded in 2012)
- Kingston Kings (On hiatus in 2015 and folded in 2016)
- Mimico Mountaineers (On hiatus in 2019)
- Nepean Knights (Folded in 2012)
- Shelburne Vets (On hiatus in 2017 and folded in 2018)
- Six Nations Warriors (2013-2018)[3]
- West Durham (Relocated to Whitby in 2010)
Champions
| Season | Winner | Runner-up | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| President's Cup | |||||
| 1972 | Windsor Jr. Warlocks | Etobicoke PCO's | 18-15[4] | ||
| 1973 | Windsor AKO Fratmen | Brockville Magedommas | 2-0 (best-of 3)[5] | ||
| 1974 | Nepean PCO's | Bolton Wanderers | 2-0 (best-of 3) | ||
| 1975 | Mississauga Medics | Point Edward Easy Movers | 10-5 | ||
| 1976 | Orangeville Stingers | Owen Sound Satellites | 4-0 (best-of 7) | ||
| 1977 | Owen Sound Satellites | Orangeville Stingers | 4-0 (best-of 7) | ||
| 1978 | Owen Sound Forsythes | Orillia Lions | 4-0 (best-of 7) | ||
| 1979 | Owen Sound Signmen | Orillia Lions | |||
| Meredith Cup | |||||
| 2008 | Caledon Bandits | Centre Wellington Warlords | 4-2 (best-of 7) | ||
| 2009 | Caledon Bandits | Peterborough Lakers | 3-1 (best-of 5) | ||
| 2010 | Clarington Shamrox | Centre Wellington Warlords | 3-0 (best-of 5) | ||
| 2011 | Clarington Shamrox | Peterborough Lakers | 3-1 (best-of 5) | ||
| 2012 | Clarington Shamrox | Halton Hills Bulldogs | 8-6 | ||
| 2013 | Halton Hills Bulldogs | Clarington Shamrox | 11-10, OT[6] | ||
| 2014 | Cornwall Celtics | Halton Hills Bulldogs | 3-0 (best-of 5)[7] | ||
| 2015 | Peterborough Lakers | Six Nations Warriors | 3-0 (best-of 5)[8][9] | ||
| 2016 | Clarington Shamrox | Wilmot Wild | 4-0 (best-of 7) | ||
| 2017 | Brantford Warriors | Clarington Shamrox | 4-2 (best-of 7) | ||
| 2018 | Peterborough Lakers | Wilmot Wild | 4-1 (best-of 7) | ||
| 2019 | Whitby Warriors | Fergus Thistles | 4-0 (best-of 7) | ||
References
- "Bulldogs begin series in Akwesasne". TheIFP.ca. 8 July 2015.
- "Fergus Thistles win Game 3 over Six Nations". CTV Kitchener News. 28 July 2015.
- "SN Junior 'C' Warriors won't return for 2019 season". Two Row Times. April 10, 2019.
- Jr. Warlocks Reign. Windsor Star. Pg 20. September 11, 1972.
- AKO wears another crown. Windsor Star. Pg 21. September 4, 1973.
- "OJCLL Schedule". OJCLL Pointstreak. 18 August 2013.
- "OJCLL Playoff Bracket". OJCLL Pointstreak. 15 August 2014.
- "Peterborough Jr. C Lakers win first Meredith Cup provincial championship with sweep of Six Nations Warriors". Peterborough Examiner. 6 August 2015.
- "Jr. C Lakers win Meredith Cup". MyKawartha.com. 6 August 2015.