 Former team logo | |
| Sport | Box lacrosse |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1976 |
| League | OLA Junior A Lacrosse League |
| Team history | Burlington Blaze (2023-present) Burlington Chiefs (1992-2023) Bay Area Bengals (1984-1991) Hamilton Bengals (1976-1983) |
| Location | Burlington, Ontario |
| Arena | Central Arena |
| Colours | Red,Black, andWhite |
| Head coach | Dan Macrae |
| General manager | Sean Gillies |
| Championships | 2023 Minto Cup2023 OJLL |
TheBurlington Blaze are a Junior "A"box lacrosse team fromBurlington, Ontario, Canada. The Blaze play in theOLA Junior A Lacrosse League. From 1992 until 2023 the franchise was known as theBurlington Chiefs.[2] In August 2023, the Burlington Blaze Jr A team won the CanadaMinto Cup.[3]
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] |
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]