2024 has been an exciting year as the East Coast Junior Lacrosse League (ECJLL) as we launched a Jr B league, which featured three teams: Metro Gryphons, Pictou County General and Cape Breton Warriors.  Previous Jr B league was operated by minor lacrosse league, making 2024 the first time Jr B had been operating by the ECJLL.  Lacrosse has continued to expand within Nova Scotia creating a gap within our Junior Lacrosse level, which reaches more area of Nova Scotia and develops players for Jr A.  A short season focused on system development ran from early May until end of June.

 

This past weekend, ECJLL hosted the Championship playoffs series at the East Hants Sportplex, feature the semi-final on Saturday and Finals of Sunday.  Saturday saw the Pictou County General come back from a 6-1 defect in the 3^rd to beat the Gryphons 7-6 in front of a packed house.  A game that came right down to the final seconds saw a lively crowds cheers making it deafen within the arena.  Sunday's final brought forward another classic battle between Pictou County Generals and the first place Cape Breton the Warriors, which despite the distance from East Hants brought fans that packed the house.  A contest that was back and forth throughout and entering the 3rd with a 5-5 tie, leaving 15 mins to decide the first champion.  Similar to the previous night the General turned it on in the third to cap off an amazing season with a 8-5 victory over the Warriors to take the Hamilton Cup.  

 

The Hamilton Cup is named after Bruce Hamilton a builder of the Dartmouth Bandits and Lacrosse in Nova Scotia.  Bruce has played many roles within Nova Scotia and continues the sport today in master lacrosse.  The Hamilton Cup was a movement by the MMLL to celebrate the past builders of the game in Nova Scotia and the ECJLL was honoured to continue their tradition by bring the Hamilton Cup back as part of the Jr B league.  It has been 15 years since the Hamilton Cup has been presented and 2024 will be the first time is home will be outside HRM.