Bradford Sabres
It is proposed that this article be deleted because of the following concern:
If you can address this concern by improving, copyediting, sourcing, renaming, or merging the page, please edit this page and do so. You may remove this message if you improve the article or otherwise object to deletion for any reason. Although not required, you are encouraged to explain why you object to the deletion, either in your edit summary or on the talk page. If this template is removed, do not replace it. The article may be deleted if this message remains in place for seven days, i.e., after 00:42, 9 August 2024 (UTC). Find sources: "Bradford Sabres" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR Nominator: Please consider notifying the author/project: {{subst:proposed deletion notify|Bradford Sabres|concern=Fails [[WP:SIGCOV]]}} ~~~~ |
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
 | |
| Founded | 2005 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2020 |
| League | British Universities Ice Hockey Association |
| Division | Division 2 North Division 3 North |
| Based in | Bradford, England |
| Arena | Bradford Ice Arena |
| Colours | Black, Red & White |
| Head coach | Andy Brown |
Bradford Sabres was an English ice hockey team that played in Division 2 of North league of the British Universities Ice Hockey Association. They played their home games at the Bradford Ice Arena, Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team was established in 2005, and disbanded in 2020.
Introduction
[edit]The Bradford Sabres served as the ice hockey team for the University of Bradford and were administered and funded by the University of Bradford Union. The club was founded in 2005 after a group of students decided that there should be an ice hockey club at the university. The early sessions consisted of only a handful of players, almost all of whom had no previous experience playing hockey.
The club disbanded in 2020, and a significant number of players moved to the Leeds Gryphons.
Seasons
[edit]2005–2006
[edit]In the Sabres' debut season, numbers were low until the intake of first-year students at the beginning of the 2005-2006 season. Among them were a large number of beginners as well as several players with previous experience, notably Jan Kucera and Tim Kelly. The team's first game was away against the Sheffield Bears where they suffered a 7-0 defeat. Netminder Kaz Matsumoto was awarded the Man of the Match award, having faced over 70 shots. Defender Tim Kelly was on the ice for 56 of the 60 minutes played.
In the Sabres' first home game, they were defeated 6-9 by the Birmingham Eagles. Making his debut in this match was Czech Republic born Jan Kucera who introduced himself to university hockey by scoring all six of the Sabres' goals and winning his first Man of the Match award.
The Sabres secured their first victory in their following game against Newcastle Wildcats. This was the first of many very close and enjoyable games between the two teams. The Sabres secured a 6-5 victory. Jan Kucera scored all six for the Sabres, and after two matches for the club, he was being recognised as the best player in the division. The Man of the Match in this game was rookie netminder Stephen Wilson, playing the second 30 minutes and helping the team to hold on for their first victory.
This was the only victory the team had in their debut season, and they finished bottom of the seven-team division. Another moment of note that season was away at Newcastle. The team were down 3-0 at the end of the first period. In the second period, Jan Kucera scored a hat-trick in under one minute, scoring the first goal from open play, and the next two by winning the face-off and scoring unassisted. The Sabres lost the match 4-3. The team were due to compete in their first ever national championships in April, where teams from both the north and south divisions competed over a weekend in a cup competition. Due to administrative complications, the team was not allowed to compete and was disqualified from the league. Their final position of seventh did not count.
Players of note
[edit]On-ice officials
[edit]| Season | Coach | Captain | Alternate (1) | Alternate (2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–2005 | Mike Currie | Mike Currie | N/A | N/A |
| 2005–2006 | Mike Currie | Mike Currie | Tim Kelly | Jan Kucera |
| 2006–2007 | Adam Chamberlain | Robert Harvey | Tim Kelly | Hassan Majeed |
| 2007–2008 | Adam Chamberlain | Peter Lee | Tim Kelly | Hassan Majeed |
| 2008–2009 | Andy Brown | Rick Thomas | Stephen Alexander | Jonny Leadbeater |
| 2009–2010 | Andy Brown | Jason Simpson | Jonny Leadbeater | Jan Kucera |
| 2010–2011 | Andy Brown | Andy Marks | Dan Cannon | Garen Arnet-Zargarian |
| 2011–2012 Div. 2 | Andy Brown | Andy Marks | Dan Cannon | Thomas Dawson |
| 2011–2012 Div. 3 | Andy Brown | Nick Grady | Gintare Karpaviciute | Nathan Hewitt |
| 2012–2013 Div. 2 | Andy Brown | Andy Marks | Pontus Ekhem | Mitch White |
| 2012–2013 Div. 3 | Andy Brown | Rob Caddle | Dave Reid | Nathan Hewitt |
Awards
[edit]| Season | The Tim Kelly Award | Players Player | Most Improved | Rookie of the Year | Endeavour | Nationals MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–2006 | N/A | N/A | Ben Moss | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2006–2007 | Tim Kelly | Kaz Matsumoto | Peter Lee | Stephen Alexander | Paul Hacking | Brian O'Brien |
| 2007–2008 | Kaz Matsumoto | Peter Lee | Rick Thomas | Luke Brind | Stephen Alexander | Alison Hover / Bruno Le Quellec |
| 2008–2009 | S. Alexander | |||||
| 2009–2010 | S. Wilson | |||||
| 2010–2011 | Tom Maynard | Garen Arnet-Zargarian | Thomas Dawson | Peter Marshall | Andy Marks | Dan Cannon |
| 2011-2012 | Thomas Dawson | Pontus Ekhem | Benj Robinson | Benj Robinson | Andy Marks | Joshua Hampton / Rob Caddle |
| 2012–2013 | Andrew Marks (Honorable mention to Omar Chu.) | Matt Passmore | Oliver Roberts | Matt Passmore | Tony Christie | Matt Passmore / Omar Chu |
Season records
[edit]| Season | Goals | # | Assists | # | PIM | # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07-08 | Peter Lee | 17 | James Davidson | 13 | Peter Lee | 72 |
| 11-12 | Nazar Striletski | 38 | Daniel Cannon | 22 | ||
| 12-13 | Mitch White | 30 | Mitch White | 24 | Carl Atkinson | 37 |
All-time records
[edit]| Record | Player | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Most Points | Nazar Striletski | 134[1] |
| Goals in a Game | Peter Lee | 7 |
| Seasons Played | Thomas Dawson | 6 |
| Minutes Played in a Match | Tim Kelly | 56 |
| PIM | Peter Lee | 80 |
Sabres Alumni Game
[edit]| Season | Winning Team |
|---|---|
| 2014–2015 | Current |
| 2015–2016 | N/A |