Sydney Bears
Sydney Bears | |
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City | Jamisontown, New South Wales |
League | Australian Ice Hockey League |
Founded | 1982 |
Home arena | Penrith Ice Palace |
Colours | |
General manager | Wayne Hellyer |
Head coach |
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Captain |
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Website | Bearsden.com.au |
Franchise history | |
1982–1997 | Macquarie Bears |
1997–2007 | Sydney Bears |
2007–2009 | AIHL Bears |
2010– | Sydney Bears |
Championships | |
Regular season titles | 2 (2002, 2008) |
Conference Championships | 0 |
Goodall Cups | 2 (2002, 2007) |
The Sydney Bears are a semi-professional ice hockey team based in Penrith, New South Wales, who are members of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). They have won two Goodall Cup championships since their founding in 2000, most recently in 2007. The Bears are one of the original three teams that founded the AIHL in 2000, along with the Adelaide Avalanche, and Canberra Knights. The Bears play out of the Penrith Ice Palace, having previously played at the Sydney Ice Arena.
Team history
The Bears were founded in 1982 and were originally known as the Macquarie Bears.[1] Due to the upcoming formation of a national league the team changed its name to the Sydney Bears in 1997.[1] In 2007 the team separated away from its junior club operations and were renamed the AIHL Bears. After the split the team remained affiliated with the junior club, which kept the name of the Sydney Bears Ice Hockey Club.[1] In 2010 the AIHL Bears were reverted to their old name, Sydney Bears.
The Bears are two-time winners of the Goodall Cup and won the AIHL championship in 2002 and 2007. The Bears were one of three teams that founded the AIHL in 2000, along with the Adelaide Avalanche and Canberra Knights. Although the Bears did not win the championship in either year, they won the Goodall Cup tournament in 2001 in Newcastle, the last time the Cup was awarded independently of the AIHL.
![](../I/m/Sydney_Bears_team_logo.jpg)
In 2002, the Bears defeated the Avalanche in the Goodall Cup final for their second consecutive Cup and their first and only AIHL championship to date. Four members of the Bears - Tyler Lovering, Brett Nelson-Bond, Vladimir Rubes and Murray Wand - were named to the Mighty Roos roster for the 2006 Division II World Championships in New Zealand. In 2007 the team announced they would move to Penrith for the 2007 AIHL season at which time, dropping "Sydney" to become The Bears, or AIHL Bears. For the start of the 2010 season the Bears reverted to their previous name of Sydney Bears.[2]
2011 Season
The Bears commenced the 2011 season on 16 April with a home opener against the newest addition to the AIHL, The Mustangs. Bears rookie forward Lucian Hackett scored the first goal of the season on his debut. Other Bears players making their debut were Laurie Mock, and import Kurtis Dulle.[3] The Bears struggled to record a win in their first five games, however their roster was not yet at full strength. The Bears were missing goaltender Sheldon Baerg, forward Tony Demelinne who was representing Netherlands at the IIHF World Championship Division I,[4] and defenceman Jordan Hale who was competing in the Royal Bank Cup with the Camrose Kodiaks.[5]
With the 2011 Roster finally at full strength with the arrival and clearance of their import players, the Bears made their way to Melbourne. The Bears showed signs of improvement in their game against the Melbourne Ice, losing 3-4 to them in the shootout.[6] The Bears also lost import Jordan Hale to a season ending lower body injury. The Bears then went on to record their first win of the season against the The Mustangs in a thrilling 5-3 victory, with newly acquired import Tony Demelinne displaying some of his puck handling skills and recording 4 points during the game.[7]
However The Bears game seemingly unravelled, experiencing huge losses to the Knights, BlueTongues and Ice. However bouncing back in June recording a win against the Newcastle North Stars, ending their winning streak and starting a 3-game win streak of their own. The month of June saw the Bears 3-2-0, and they reached a peak position of 7th in the standings.
2012 season to current
In February 2012 the Sydney Bears announced that they were leaving the Penrith Ice Palace as their home arena and were returning to play their games at the Sydney Ice Arena in Baulkham Hills where they had previously played from 2003 to 2006.[8] In January 2015 the Bears announced that they were moving back to the Penrith Ice Palace for the upcoming 2015 AIHL season.[9][10] The move comes after the Sydney Ice Arena's land was approved for redevelopment.[9]
Season-by-season record
Season | GP | W | T1 | SOW | SOL | L | GF | GA | PTS | Finish | Playoffs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2001 | 16 | 7 | 1 | - | - | 8 | 70 | 74 | 15 | 2nd | Lost Goodall Cup final, 7–10 (Adelaide Avalanche) |
2002 | 15 | 12 | 1 | - | - | 2 | 90 | 54 | 25 | 1st | Won Goodall Cup final vs. Adelaide Avalanche |
2003 | 6 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 5 | 23 | 34 | 2 | 5th | Did not qualify |
2004 | 29 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 68 | 71 | 31 | 3rd | Lost in Semifinals, 4-5 (West Sydney Ice Dogs) |
2005 | 26 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 96 | 100 | 38 | 4th | Lost in Semifinals, (Adelaide Avalanche) |
2006 | 28 | 15 | - | 1 | 1 | 11 | 133 | 101 | 48 | 5th | Did not qualify |
2007 | 28 | 14 | - | 4 | 2 | 8 | 112 | 84 | 49* | 4th | Won Semifinals 4-5 (Adelaide Avalanche) Won Goodall Cup, 4-3 in OT (Newcastle North Stars) |
2008 | 28 | 20 | - | 0 | 1 | 7 | 134 | 118 | 61 | 1st | Lost in Semifinal, 7-5 (Newcastle North Stars) |
2009 | 24 | 1 | - | 3 | 0 | 20 | 66 | 140 | 9 | 7th | Did not qualify |
2010 | 24 | 12 | - | 8 | 1 | 3 | 41 | 83 | 92 | 3rd | Lost Semifinal, 1-2 (Melbourne Ice) |
2011 | 28 | 2 | - | 2 | 3 | 21 | 83 | 151 | 13 | 8th | Did not qualify |
2012 | 24 | 9 | - | 2 | 1 | 12 | 92 | 93 | 32 | 3rd, Bauer | Did not qualify |
2013 | 28 | 7 | - | 0 | 1 | 20 | 73 | 120 | 22 | 7th | Did not qualify |
2014 | 28 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 68 | 125 | 22 | 8th | Did not qualify |
2015 | 28 | 11 | - | 1 | 2 | 14 | 110 | 110 | 37 | 7th | Did not qualify |
2016 | 28 | 5 | - | 5 | 3 | 15 | 77 | 95 | 28 | 6th | Did not qualify |
- 1 As of the 2006 AIHL season, all games will have a winner. In 2014 due to the cancellation of a game the AIHL declared the result a tie.
- * The Bears were penalised 3 competition points for icing players that had not been officially cleared to play by the IIHF and IHA.
Championships
- V.I.P. Cup: 2008
Players
Roster
Team roster for the 2016 AIHL season[11][12]
# | Nat | Name | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 | ![]() | Steven Adams | D | R | 37 | 2009 | Adelaide, South Australia, Australia |
91 | ![]() | Saxon Air | F | R | 21 | 2011 | Central Coast, New South Wales, Australia |
16 | ![]() | Annesley, RyanRyan Annesley | D | L | 30 | 2016 | Ajax, Ontario, Canada |
47 | ![]() | Spencer Austin | D | L | 24 | 2011 | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
1 | ![]() | Dylan Burgess | G | L | 22 | 2015 | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
97 | ![]() | Tyerell Clare | D | R | 19 | 2015 | |
10 | ![]() | Cliff, BillyBilly Cliff | F | R | 24 | 2016 | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
8 | ![]() | Tommy Cooney | F | R | 22 | 2015 | West Grove, Pennsylvania, United States |
30 | ![]() | James Downie | G | L | 16 | 2015 | Kellyville, New South Wales, Australia |
84 | ![]() | Esposito, AdrianAdrian Esposito | F | R | 31 | 2013 | |
94 | ![]() | Lachlan Fahmy | D | L | 17 | 2016 | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
48 | ![]() | Charlie Frazer | D | R | 21 | 2015 | Gosford, New South Wales, Australia |
2 | ![]() | Funes, BrianBrian Funes | D | R | 25 | 2016 | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
7 | ![]() | Alex Henderson | F | 2016 | Australia | ||
19 | ![]() | Geoff Irwin | F | L | 31 | 2016 | Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
94 | ![]() | Nic Kawasaki | F | R | 23 | 2016 | Atherton, California, United States |
1 | ![]() | Kimlin, AnthonyAnthony Kimlin | G | L | 26 | 2016 | Ipswich, Queensland, Australia |
24 | ![]() | Tomas Landa | F | L | 33 | 2015 | Czech Republic |
13 | ![]() | Lachlan McKenzie | F | L | 20 | 2015 | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
19 | ![]() | Ian Merwin | F | 2016 | |||
32 | ![]() | Luke Read | G | L | 32 | 2013 | Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia |
94 | ![]() | Joel Rhodes | D | R | 30 | 2016 | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
55 | ![]() | Gabriel Roblebo | G | L | 30 | 2016 | Australia |
11 | ![]() | Schlamp, MichaelMichael Schlamp (C) | F | R | 35 | 2009 | Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada |
12 | ![]() | Cam Smith | F | 23 | 2016 | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | |
55 | ![]() | Richard Tesarik | F | L | 31 | 2015 | |
4 | ![]() | Todd, CameronCameron Todd | F | R | 22 | 2013 | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
90 | ![]() | Lee Turner | F | R | 26 | 2013 | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
37 | ![]() | Brent Vandenberg | F | R | 27 | 2016 | Burlington, Ontario, Canada |
5 | ![]() | Jeremy Vasquez | F | L | 16 | 2016 | Kings Langley, New South Wales, Australia |
43 | ![]() | Patrick Ward | D | R | 32 | 2015 | Kirkcaldy, Scotland |
72 | ![]() | Luke Zvonicek | F | R | 20 | 2015 | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
Notable players
Franchise scoring leaders
Top 10 franchise All-Time points scorers [13]
Note: GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; TP = Points; * = current Bears player
Name | GP | G | A | TP |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rubes, VladimirVladimir Rubes | 239 | 154 | 245 | 399 |
Stransky, VladanVladan Stransky | 137 | 100 | 149 | 249 |
Schlamp, MichaelMichael Schlamp* | 182 | 93 | 123 | 216 |
Tomas Landa* | 93 | 61 | 116 | 177 |
Murray Wand | 170 | 70 | 75 | 145 |
Nelson-Bond, BrettBrett Nelson-Bond | 254 | 51 | 60 | 111 |
Franchini, RobertoRoberto Franchini | 85 | 42 | 53 | 95 |
Andy Luhovy | 46 | 31 | 40 | 71 |
Esposito, AdrianAdrian Esposito* | 207 | 31 | 29 | 63 |
Paul Shumak | 170 | 32 | 29 | 61 |
Top 5 franchise All-time Points Per Game
Note: GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; TP = Points; PPG= Point-Per Game * = current Bears player
Name | GP | G | A | TP | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vit Stransky | 15 | 22 | 18 | 40 | 2.667 |
Demelinne, TonyTony Demelinne | 16 | 19 | 22 | 41 | 2.563 |
Tomas Landa* | 93 | 61 | 116 | 177 | 1.903 |
Harcharik, JosephJoseph Harcharik | 28 | 27 | 25 | 52 | 1.857 |
Stransky, VladanVladan Stransky | 137 | 100 | 149 | 249 | 1.818 |
Current Staff
- Head Coach – Ron Kuprowsky
- Assistant Coach – Steve Austin
- Goaltending Coach – Colin Downie
- General Manager – Wayne Hellyer
- Vice President – Matthew Burrell
- Team Manager – Neil McFadden
Arena
Home games are played at the Penrith Ice Palace in Penrith, on the western outskirts of Sydney, New South Wales. The team previously played at the Sydney Ice Arena in Baulkham Hills, but announced they would move to Penrith for the 2007 AIHL season.
References
- 1 2 3 "The History of The Sydney Bears Ice Hockey Club". The Sydney Bears Ice Hockey Club. Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
- ↑ "2010 AIHL Regular Season". Australian Ice Hockey League. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
- ↑ "Buck wild night for The Bears". Game Recap 16 April 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
- ↑ "Netherlands Entry List 2011" (PDF). Entry List By Team 2011. IIHF World Championship DIV I Group A. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
- ↑ Corbett, Graeme. "Snakes strive for RBC record book".
- ↑ Australian Ice Hockey League. "Boxscores: May 14th 2011 - Sydney Bears vs Melbourne Ice". Australian Ice Hockey League Boxscores. AIHL.
- ↑ Nelson-Bond, Brett. "Bears Run Over Mustangs for Win". Game Recaps.
- ↑ Lambert, Peter (19 February 2012). "Bears in the Hills". Australian Ice Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
- 1 2 Brook, Eric (2015-01-08). "Sydney Bears Move To Penrith In 2015". Hewitt Sports. Archived from the original on 2015-01-10. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
- ↑ "Sydney Bears Relocate to Penrith Ice Palace". Ice Hockey News Australia. 2015-01-08. Archived from the original on 2015-01-10. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
- ↑ "Sydney Bears". Australian Ice Hockey League. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
- ↑ "Sydney Bears". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 2016-04-30.
- ↑ "Franchise All-Time Points". Elite Hockey Prospects.
External links
- Official website of the Sydney Bears
- Sydney Bears profile on Elite Hockey Prospects
- The Official AIHL site