OLHOF Class of 2022

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ONTARIO LACROSSE HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2022

St. Catharines, ON – June 30, 2022 – Since its inception in 1997, the mission of the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame has been to recognize & celebrate the great players and builders of the game in Ontario each year with the honour of induction into the Hall.

We are pleased to announce our 2022 inductees who have been nominated by individuals within the Ontario Lacrosse Association community. For more information about submitting your nominations please visit the OLHOF website.

 

2022 Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame Inductees

Player Category: Troy Cordingley, Scott Evans, Jennifer Johnson
Builder Category: Roxanne Curtis
Player Veteran Category: Walter Goodleaf

 

Troy Cordingley – Player Category: Brampton

Throughout his playing career, Troy “Dingo” Cordingley was known for his intense competitive style of play which he matched with a high level of skill.

He played the majority of his OLA career as a Brampton Excelsior, but also played for the Six Nations Chiefs in Major Series Lacrosse plus three seasons in Coquitlam – 1 as a Junior and 2 as a Major in the Western Lacrosse Association.

He played 5 seasons of Junior “A” with Brampton. In his first season he played 20 games as a midget aged player. Over his entire Junior “A” career, Cordingley was always among the league’s top scorers. He scored 304 goals, added 309 assists for a total of 613 points in 159 games. In his single season with Coquitlam, Cordingley tallied 158 points in 35 games.

In the Major Series, Troy Cordingley thrived during a lengthy career. He scored 440 goals and 711 assists for a total of 1151 points in 338 games. He played on 4 Mann Cup championship teams – twice with Brampton (1992, 1993) and twice with Six Nations (1995, 1996). Cordingley also played 10 seasons in the National Lacrosse League. After finishing up his playing career, he become a very successful coach winning two Mann Cup championships plus numerous minor lacrosse National and Provincial championships,

 

Scott Evans – Player Category: Peterborough

Scott “Evy” Evans was a scoring sensation over a lengthy career. Reliable and consistent, his achievements speak for themselves.

He played 5 seasons of OLA Junior “A” where he was one of the top ten scorers in every season, finishing with 266 goals and 219 assists for a total of 485 points in 140 games. Over his Junior career, Scott averaged 3.4 points per game. He won the OLA Junior “A” Most Outstanding Player in 2001.

Evans played 13 seasons in the Major Series League scoring 624 goals and 645 assists for a total of 1269 points in 383 games, averaging 3.3 points per game. He was a key player on 5 Mann Cup championship teams with the Peterborough Lakers (2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012). In 2005 and 2006 Scott won the Bucko McDonald Award as the league’s top scorer. Over 9 seasons in the National Lacrosse League he tallied 457 points in 126 games.

During his outstanding career, Scott Evans played with and against some of the greatest players in the history of lacrosse. he was highly respected by his team-mates, his opposition, and fans everywhere – the type of player a coach relishes and players want as a teammate.

Jennifer Johnson – Player Category: Brooklin

A native of Brooklin, Ontario, Jennifer “JJ” Johnson is regarded as the most prominent field lacrosse player of her time. Starting out in the minor box program in Whitby (1989-1991), she transitioned to field lacrosse in high school and developed into a world-class field lacrosse player .

At the National level, Johnson played for Team Ontario competing at the Senior National championships, winning silver in 1992 and 1993 and gold in 1994, 1995,1997. Internationally she represented Canada from 1995 to 2005. The Canadian U-19 Team competed at the inaugural world championship in 1995 with Johnson as co-captain. She played on Canada’s World Cup teams, in 2001 and 2005 (captain) and was the only Canadian named to the 12-player All-World Team after the 2005 competition.

Jennifer Johnson also had an illustrious college career playing for the Penn State Nittany Lions from 1996-1999. She finished her career at Penn State ranked among the school’s all-time top 10 players in goals scored (136), assists (64), and total points (200).

As a coach, Johnson’s career includes 2 years as an assistant coach with Cornell University (2000-2002) and the University of Connecticut (2002-2004). She went on to serve as head coach with the University of Vermont (2004-2016) and became the winningest coach in Vermont history with 89 wins. She also headed up the coaching staff for the Canadian U19 team in 2007. Jennifer Johnson was inducted into the Whitby Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.

 

Roxanne Curtis – Builder Category: Whitby

For more than a quarter of a century, through her leadership, commitment and dedication to the game, Roxanne Curtis has made a significant contribution to women’s field lacrosse as a coach, team and league executive. She is well known for her strength in developing the foundations for organizations within her community, within the province and nationally.

Roxanne was instrumental in developing coaching programs at the high school, provincial and national levels. She has served as a Lacrosse Canada Master Course Conductor since 1999 to present and co-authored the NCCP Women’s Field Lacrosse certification program. Literally hundreds of coaches have benefitted from her efforts in this area. Roxanne also coached with the Canadian U19 Women’s Team 1996-1999, Team Ontario U20 from 1994-2008 and Sinclair Secondary School 1994 to present.

Curtis served on the Ontario Women’s Field Lacrosse Executive 1995-2007; LOSSA Executive 1997 to present; chaired various events including: the CLA U19 National championships (1993-1997); Ontario Women’s Field Lacrosse Provincial Championships (1995-2007); LOSSA (Lake Ontario Secondary School Association Championships Chairperson (6 times); Ontario Federation of Secondary School Association Championship Chairperson (3 times).

 

Walter Goodleaf – Veteran Player Category: Kahnawake

Walter J. Sakaronhia “Butch”Goodleaf was an outstanding athlete in every sport he played, including lacrosse player. Admired for his consistently tough defensive play he was also a goal scorer, making him a constant threat in a time when players played both ends of the floor.

Playing for the Caughnawaga Indians, Walter had a special ability to anticipate and shut down all offensive threats. His talent at picking up loose balls together with his speed, agility and playmaking skills allowed him to ignite offensive opportunities. Respected for his unselfish play and dedication to his team, Walter was a leader on every team he played for, often earning him the role of team Captain.

Some of his highlights included winning the 1969 North America Indian Championship held in North Shore, British Columbia, silver at the 1969 Presidents Cup; bronze at the 1976 Presidents Cup and competing in the Commonwealth Games in 1978 in Edmonton, Alberta, where box lacrosse was the demonstration sport.

Over the course of his celebrated career, Walter collected an array of individual team and league awards including Most Valuable Player, Top Defensive Player and Top Scorer.
Beyond his success as a player, Goodleaf was very involved in his community of Kahnawake amassing a lifetime of significant contributions. He became a Council Chief and Sports Administrator for the Kahnawake Indian Reserve devoting his efforts to youth.