OJBLL Top Ten Rankings: Gaels, Bulldogs Advance

Posted By on June 3, 2015

  1. objllSix Nations Rebels (13-0) (Last Week: 1) – 13 games into the 2015 seasons and the Six Nations Rebels remain unbeaten. The Rebels had a busy week with three games, in which they scored 20 plus goals twice. Six Nation’s offense has exploded, combining for 73 goals for in their last four games. The offense has been led by Miller Danton, Garrett Vyse-Square and Mitch Green who each have hit the half century point mark. Netminder Briley Miller has carried the majority of the load in net, appearing in 12 of the 13 games thus far. The balanced offensive attack combined with strong defense and goaltending has Six Nations poised for a potential third straight undefeated regular season. Arguably their toughest test of the season comes this Friday as the Rebels host the 12-2 Orangeville Northmen.
  2. Green Gaels (10-0) (Last Week: 3) –  The other undefeated club, Green Gaels sit at a perfect 10-0 record after downing a pair of Ottawa teams this past weekend. The Gaels used a big first period to help them beat Nepean 9-5 on Saturday night at home and finished the weekend sweep with a 13-6 victory over Gloucester the next day. Jeff Fernandes is proving himself as a big offensive threat, tallying 40 points in eight games played with the green and white. The Gaels have a very busy week ahead with three games against Markham, Brampton and their biggest test of the year so far, Halton Hills on Saturday night in Georgetown. Unlike many Green Gaels teams in the past, this club is not built around one single player but rather it’s built as one collective team. Perhaps this is the perfect formula for the Gaels as they have fallen short of an Eastern title for five straight seasons and have not hoisted the cup since 2004. For most clubs, a 10 year drought is nothing but for the Green Gaels it’s everything.
  1. Halton Hills Bulldogs (11-1) (Last Week: 4) – After losing to Missisauga, the Halton Hills Bulldogs have won five straight games to gain a convincing 10 point lead in the division. Halton’s success has been a direct correlation to the play of Connor Brown. The Georgetown,ON product has 34 goals, 37 assists for 71 points in 10 games. Brown has been arguably the most dominant player in all of the Ontario Jr. B Lacrosse this year. The Bulldogs relentless defense has been almost as impressive as Brown’s total. Halton’s high pressured uptempo defense forces turnovers and forces teams to settle for outside shots, which make netminders Ryan Scheutzkowski and Drayden Patey’s lives much easier. As mentioned above, the Bulldogs host the Green Gaels this Friday night, but before that, they have a big division matchup against the Oakville Buzz, a team slowly crawling back up to .500.
  1. Nepean Knights (9-3) (Last Week: 2) – Despite losing a pair of games on the road this weekend, the Nepean Knights are in good shape sitting a top of the Far East Division with a 9-3 record. Keep in mind, both those losses came from the Green Gaels and Halton Hills, both one and two respectively in the East. The Knights certainly haven’t had a problem putting the ball in the net. Their 139 goals for is good enough for second best in the entire OJBLL East. Nepean’s offensive balanced attack has been led by Alan Singleton(46), Turner Alison(41), Corson Kealey(40) and Ryan Fournier(39).
  2. Niagara Thunderhawks (10-3) (Last Week: 7) – The Niagara Thunderhawks have gone under the radar as one of the stronger teams in the OJBLL this year. A strong defence and solid goaltending has lifted them to a 10-3 record, while two of those losses have come against the first place Six Nations Rebels. The most impressive victory thus far was a 6-3 win over the Orangeville Northmen. Graeme McCullough made 37 stops to aid the T-Hawks to victory. Offense has come sparsely for Niagara but they’ve scored just enough to pick up 10 wins through 13 games. Brad Thomas leads the way for Niagara with 34 points in nine games, while Austin Wright is close behind with 30 in 14. With Six Nations holding a strong lead of the South West Division, a fourth place finish in the conference is very likely for the Thunderhawks. But being a team built from the net out has the Thunderhawks poised for a serious playoff run.
  3. Orangeville Northmen (13-2) (Last Week: 5) – After dropping a 6-3 loss to Niagara on the weekend, the Orangeville Northmen beat down the Guelph Regals 8-2 this past Monday night. Shane Hillis continued his impressive offensive campaign, netting two goals and two assists for four points, boosting his season total to 56 on the year. Their biggest game of the season comes this Friday as they travel to Six Nations to take on the Rebels. It will be a head to head battle of the high flying offense of the Rebels against the strong defense of the Northmen. Orangeville boasts a 5.47 goals against average while Six Nations on average nets 14.5 goals a game. With Orangeville securing a 2016 Founders Cup spot via host, the Northmen hope to build towards next season, and there couldn’t be a better measuring stick than the three time defending Founder’s Cup Champion Rebels.
    7. Windsor Clippers  (10-3) (Last Week: 6) – The Windsor Clippers have a convincing 11 point lead in the Far West division and are sitting pretty for a top three seeding in the West. The biggest reason for their 10-3 record is their ability to constantly fill the net on a night by night basis. The Clippers average 12.6 goals per game and have the second highest scoring offense in the league with 165 goals for. The dynamic duo of Logan Holmes and Andrew Garant have led the offensive charge for the Clippers. Holmes’ 75 points is good enough for first in the OJBLL Scoring Leaders while Garant’s 65 sits him in fifth. Windsor’s 8.69 goals against average may be concerning down the road, but at the rate the Clippers are scoring, they shouldn’t have any worries.
  4. Akwesasne Indians (8-4) (Last Week: Unranked) – The Akwesasne Indians are quickly climbing the Far East standings, trailing the Nepean Knights by just two points for the division lead. In fact, with a win tonight against the Knights, the Indians will leap frog Nepean at take the lead in the Far East. Since losing to the Kahnawake Hunters on May 17, Akwesasne has ripped off five straight wins, including a big 10-9 win over Nepean. The Indians received a huge boost to their lineup with Seth Oakes and Thomas Oakley returned to Akwesasne. The two have combined for 33 points in just four games played. The slow start may cause Akwesasne a higher seeding in playoffs, but there’s no doubt when at full strength the Indians are one of the most impressive squads in the OJBLL.
  5. Elora Mohawks (8-5-1) (Last Week: Unranked) – After dropping two consecutive games just two weeks ago, the Elora Mohawks are unbeaten in their last four games. In their latest contest, they tied Owen Sound 9-9, leaving a potential crucial point on the floor. Elora has a big divisional matchup against the Guelph Regals, a team who sits three points back of the Mohawks. The Mohawks are nearly three quarters through their season, and look to possibly seed themselves anywhere between fourth and sixth.
  6. Markham Ironheads (7-5) (Last Week: 10) – The Ironheads snapped a four game losing skid with a big 14-9 victory over the Brampton Excelsiors last weekend. The Ironheads shutout the Excels 7-0 in the second frame, giving them a 10-3 lead heading into the third. The I-Heads let up in the third period, but were able to hang on for the victory. Kurtis Rauch and Jake Gilmour led the way with six points each. But the big story was recent cancer survivor Paddy Morgan becoming the new All Time Ironheads leading scorer with 179 points. Could this possibly be the end of a drought for the Ironheads? We will see tonight as they host their Durham Region rival Green Gaels tonight.