Welland Warlords
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The Welland Warlords are Junior "B" box lacrosse
Box lacrosse
Box lacrosse, also known as indoor lacrosse and sometimes shortened to boxla, LAX or simply box, is an indoor version of lacrosse played mostly in North America. The game originated in Canada, where it is the most popular version of the game played in contrast to the traditional field lacrosse game...
team from Welland, Ontario
Welland, Ontario
Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada.The city has been traditionally known as the place where rails and water meet, referring to the railways from Buffalo to Toronto and Southwestern Ontario, and the waterways of Welland Canal and Welland River,...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The Warlords play in the OLA Junior B Lacrosse League
OLA Junior B Lacrosse League
The Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League is a box lacrosse league sanctioned by the Ontario Lacrosse Association in Ontario, Canada.-History:The Junior "B" level of the Ontario Lacrosse Association has been around since at least 1964...
.
History
Founded in 2001 by William (Billy) John House and Louis Savona, the Warlords had two strong seasons from the start. They even made the playoffs those first two seasons. From 2003 until 2006 have been positively dreadful though, capping it off in 2006 with a 0-20-0 record. In a lacrosse hotbed like the Golden HorseshoeGolden Horseshoe
The Golden Horseshoe is a densely populated and industrialized region centred around the Greater Toronto Area at the western end of Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, with outer boundaries stretching south to Lake Erie and north to Georgian Bay. Most of it is also part of the Quebec City...
it is unfortunate to see Welland suffer through recent seasons.
In 2007 they debut new jerseys, sporting the warlord overtop of the background of the Welland river/canal. Also debuting new colours of blue and red. 2008 was a turn-around season for the Warlords as they finished the regular season with a 10-10-0 record and made their first playoff appearance in six years. At the end of the 2008 season Warlords goalie Connor Danko was named Western Conference Rookie of the Year and the Warlords coaching staff was named Western Conference Coaching Staff of the Year.
2009
2009 was the most successful season in franchise history. The Warlords finished the regular season with a 13-6-1 record which was good for fourth in the Western Conference. In the 1st round of the playoffs the Warlords defeated the Guelph RegalsGuelph Regals
The Guelph Regals are Junior "B" box lacrosse team from Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The Regals play in the OLA Junior B Lacrosse League.-History:...
3 games to 1 in a best-of-five series. With this series the team won its first playoff game and series in franchise history. In the second round the Warlords faced the Six Nations Rebels
Six Nations Rebels
The Six Nations Rebels are a Junior "B" box lacrosse team from Six Nations 40, Ontario, Canada. The Rebels play in the OLA Junior B Lacrosse League.-History:...
, a team in which they finished tied with in the regular season standings. The Warlords pushed the back-to-back Founder's Cup champions to the brink only to lose in 8-7 in the 5th game to lose the series 3 games to 2. The game was surrounded by controversy as the Warlords launched a protest with the Ontario Lacrosse Association
Ontario Lacrosse Association
Ontario Lacrosse Association is a sanctioned sports body in Ontario, Canada. Empowered by the Canadian Lacrosse Association, the OLA controls and regulates Minor level, Junior level and Senior level Lacrosse...
over the use of an illegal player. The decision was that the player was elidgible only due to mistakes made by minor lacrosse Zone 9 and the OLA. Following this season the Warlords captain, Kevin Floris, was named the Western Conference Most Valuable Player.
Season-by-season results
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 |
| 2001 | 20 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 164 | 173 | 18 | 6th OLA-B West | Lost 1st Round |
| 2002 | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 197 | 215 | 20 | 7th OLA-B West | Lost 1st Round |
| 2003 | 20 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 190 | 271 | 12 | 8th OLA-B West | DNQ |
| 2004 | 20 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 120 | 308 | 2 | 12th OLA-B West | DNQ |
| 2005 | 20 | 3 | 17 | 0 | 131 | 274 | 6 | 12th OLA-B West | DNQ |
| 2006 | 20 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 97 | 292 | 0 | 13th OLA-B West | DNQ |
| 2007 | 20 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 101 | 248 | 0 | 13th OLA-B West | DNQ |
| 2008 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 113 | 128 | 20 | 7th OLA-B West | Lost 1st Round |
| 2009 | 20 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 133 | 117 | 27 | 4th OLA-B West | Lost 2nd Round |
| 2010 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 143 | 128 | 26 | 4th OLA-B West | Lost 1st Round |