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]

Burlington Blaze Jr A team logo
Burlington Blaze Jr A team logo[1]
Burlington Blaze
Former team logo
SportBox lacrosse
Founded1976
LeagueOLA Junior A Lacrosse League
Team historyBurlington Blaze (2023-present)
Burlington Chiefs (1992-2023)
Bay Area Bengals (1984-1991)
Hamilton Bengals (1976-1983)
LocationBurlington, Ontario
ArenaCentral Arena
ColoursRed, Black, and White
Head coachDan Macrae
General managerSean Gillies
Championships2023 Minto Cup 2023 OJLL

Season-by-season results

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

Season GP W L T GF GA PTS Placing Playoffs
1976 26 10 16 0 375 400 20 3rd OLA-A West Lost quarter-final
1977 22 9 12 1 282 298 19 8th OLA-A Lost quarter-final
1978 24 12 12 0 298 299 24 3rd OLA-A West Lost semi-final
1979 24 14 9 1 338 303 29 1st OLA-A West Lost semi-final
1980 20 11 9 0 312 287 22 5th OLA-A Lost semi-final
1981 20 9 11 0 281 259 18 6th OLA-A Lost quarter-final
1982 20 3 16 1 188 336 7 8th OLA-A Lost quarter-final
1983 24 11 12 1 295 286 23 6th OLA-A Won Tier II Title
1984 24 6 18 0 245 398 12 6th OLA-A Lost quarter-final, lost Tier II Final
1985 24 6 18 0 263 365 12 6th OLA-A Won Tier II Title
1986 20 3 16 1 203 340 7 6th OLA-A DNQ
1987 25 5 20 0 182 356 10 5th OLA-A DNQ
1988 24 10 14 0 289 292 20 4th OLA-A Lost semi-final
1989 24 6 18 0 251 337 12 7th OLA-A DNQ
1990 20 2 18 0 169 314 4 8th OLA-A DNQ
1991 20 9 11 0 212 239 18 8th OLA-A Lost quarter-final
1992 20 2 18 0 139 289 4 11th OLA-A DNQ
1993 22 9 12 1 257 277 19 9th OLA-A DNQ
1994 26 9 17 0 286 365 18 5th OLA-A West DNQ
1995 20 3 17 0 151 280 6 11th OLA-A DNQ
1996 20 9 10 1 170 212 19 7th OLA-A Lost quarter-final
1997 18 8 9 1 181 212 17 6th OLA-A Lost quarter-final
1998 22 15 6 1 243 193 31 4th OLA-A Lost quarter-final
1999 20 6 14 0 202 248 12 8th OLA-A Lost quarter-final
2000 20 8 12 0 205 225 16 7th OLA-A Lost quarter-final
2001 20 8 12 0 190 214 16 8th OLA-A Lost quarter-final
2002 20 4 16 0 157 208 8 10th OLA-A DNQ
2003 20 3 17 0 146 235 6 11th OLA-A DNQ
2004 20 6 14 0 159 182 12 9th OLA-A DNQ
2005 22 2 20 0 139 284 4 12th OLA-A DNQ
2006 22 0 22 0 144 297 0 12th OLA-A DNQ
2007 18 8 8 2 145 147 18 8th OLA-A Lost quarter-final
2008 22 13 9 0 192 145 26 5th OLA-A Lost quarter-final
2009 22 17 5 0 284 200 34 3rd OLA-A Lost semi-final
2010 22 12 10 0 253 211 24 5th OLA-A Lost semi-final
2011 22 11 11 0 205 208 22 7th OLA-A Lost quarter-final
*2012 20 10 9 1 209 217 21 6th OLA-A Lost quarter-final
2013 20 14 5 1 225 176 29 3rd OLA-A Lost quarter-final
2014 20 9 11 0 202 192 18 7th OLA-A Lost quarter-final
2015 20 9 11 0 177 183 18 8th OLA-A Lost quarter-final
2016 20 11 8 1 186 186 25 5th OLA-A Lost quarter-final
2017 20 10 9 1 196 187 21 5th OLA-A Lost quarter-final
2018 20 15 5 0 217 160 30 1st OLA-A Lost quarter-final
2019 20 16 4 0 192 131 32 2nd OLA-A Lost final
2020 Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 8 5 3 0 79 62 10 3rd of 6 West
5th of 11 OJLL
Did not qualify
2022 20 10 10 0 206 169 20 3rd OJLL Lost semi-final
2023 34 25 9 0 360 294 22 1st OJLL Won 1st - OJLL[4]
2023 Minto Cup 5 5 0 0 51 37 10 1st Minto Won 1st - Minto Cup Canada[5]

Team History

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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]

References

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  1. ^ "HOME | Burlington Blaze Jr A Lacrosse Team". Burlington Blaze JrA. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  2. ^ "New Name & Logo". burlingtonlacrosse.com.
  3. ^ "'Never been done before': Blaze brings the Minto Cup to Burlington". BurlingtonToday.com. 2023-08-30. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  4. ^ "Standings (Regular Season)". OJLL. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  5. ^ "Scores". The Minto Cup. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  6. ^ a b c "About – Burlington Chiefs". Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  7. ^ "New Name & Logo". burlingtonlacrosse.com. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  8. ^ "NLL DRAFT". Burlington Blaze JrA. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
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