Bellingham Blazers (2012)

Last updated
Bellingham Blazers
Bellingham Blazers (WSHL) logo.png
City Bellingham, Washington
League United States Premier Hockey League
Founded2012
Home arena Bellingham Sportsplex
Owner(s)Whatcom Sports Commission
Head coachErick Ruud [1]
Website https://whatcomsportsandrec.com/blazers/
Franchise history
2012–presentBellingham Blazers

The Bellingham Blazers are an Amateur Athletic Union-sanctioned Tier II junior ice hockey team in the United States Premier Hockey League. The Blazers are based in Bellingham, Washington and play home games at the Bellingham Sportsplex. [2]

Contents

History

From 2012 to 2016, the Blazers played in the Northern Pacific Hockey League (NorPac/NPHL). In their first two seasons, the Blazers captured the Cascade Cup, awarded to the league playoff champions, and earned a spot in the USA National Tier III Championships. In 2013, coach Mark Collins was also awarded Coach of the Year when the Blazers won their first Cascade Cup. Collins was fired from team before the 2019 playoffs. [3]

In 2016, the team left the NPHL and USA Hockey-sanctioning with the intentions of joining the Amateur Athletic Union-sanctioned Western States Hockey League. [4]

Season-by-season records

SeasonGPWLOTWOTLSOLPtsGFGARegular Season FinishPlayoffs
Northern Pacific Hockey League
2012–13402216—11462041653rd of 6, NorPacWon Semifinals, 3–0 vs. Eugene Generals
Won Finals, 3–2 vs. West Sound Warriors
CASCADE CUP CHAMPIONS
2013–1440355—0070230871st of 5, NPHL
McBride Cup		Won Semifinals, 3–0 vs. Tri-City Outlaws
Won Finals, 3–2 vs. West Sound Warriors
CASCADE CUP CHAMPIONS
2014–1542337—0268269912nd of 6, NPHLWon Semifinals, 3–2 vs. Wenatchee Wolves
Lost Finals, 0–3 vs. West Sound Warriors
2015–1640309—1061212772nd of 6, NPHLWon Semifinals, 3–2 vs. Eugene Generals
Lost Finals, 0–3 vs. Wenatchee Wolves
Western States Hockey League
2016–17521536—1—311222216th of 7, Northwest
22nd of 27, WSHL		Lost Div. Quarterfinals, 0–2 vs. Butte Cobras
2017–18512820—3—592282213rd of 6, Northwest
12th of 23, WSHL		Won Div. Quarterfinals, 2–0 vs. Southern Oregon Spartans
Lost Div. Semifinals, 0–2 vs. Tahoe Icemen
2018–1951341403—105 [lower-alpha 1] 2811532nd of 4, Northwest
7th of 23, WSHL		Won Div. Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Southern Oregon Spartans
Won Div. Finals, 2–1 vs. Seattle Totems
0–3–0–0, 6th of 6, Thorne Cup round-robin
(L, 0–6 vs. Rhinos; L, 4–6 vs. Jr. Blazers; L, 1–6 vs. Aeros)
2019–2048172632—591572324th of 5, Northwest
15th of 20, WSHL		Playoffs cancelled [lower-alpha 2]
2020–21No season due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021–2250500—0750DNFWithdrew from season [6]
United States Premier Hockey League - - Premier Division
2022–234493302—201202285th of 5, Northwest
60th of 69, Premier		Did not qualify
2023–244463602—141202285th of 5, Northwest
56th of 61, Premier		Did not qualify
  1. ↑ Beginning with the 2018–19 season, the WSHL began awarding 3pts for a win, 2pts for an overtime win, and 1pt for an overtime loss.
  2. ↑ Bellingham was removed from the playoffs prior to the end of the regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic; [5] the entire WSHL playoffs were eventually cancelled.

Tier III Junior Hockey National Championship

The Bellingham Blazers qualified for the Tier III Junior Hockey National Championships in 2013 and 2014 by winning their league playoff championship. The Blazers have never past the round-robin stage of the tournament.

Round-robin play in pool with top four overall teams advancing to the semifinal.

YearRound-robinRecordStandingSemifinal gameChampionship game
2013L, Twin Cities Northern Lights (MnJHL) 0–6
L, North Iowa Bulls (NA3HL) 0–7
W, New Hampshire Junior Monarchs (EmJHL) 3–2		1–2–03rd of 4
National Pool		Did not advance
2014L, Flint Jr. Generals (NA3HL) 1–6
L, Northern Cyclones (EHL) 0–12
L, Springfield Pics (USPHL-Elite) 2–8		0–3–04th of 4
Pool B		Did not advance

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References

  1. ↑ https://www.usphlpremier.com/stats/roster/1203/121
  2. ↑ "Bellingham's new junior hockey team joins Northern Pacific Hockey League". Bellingham Business Journal. August 13, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  3. ↑ "BELLINGHAM NAMES NEW COACH". WSHL. March 26, 2019.
  4. ↑ "DAILY DISH: NPHL Done?". Junior Hockey News. April 25, 2016.
  5. ↑ "STATEMENT REGARDING COVID-19". WSHL. March 8, 2020.
  6. ↑ "December 2, 2021, Blazers Facebook post". Facebook. December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021. Blazer Fans It's with deep regret that we announce that the Bellingham Blazers are going dormant for the 2021/22 season. Due to circumstances outside of our control, we are unable to build a sustainable product for a full season or operations. Administration and Coaching staff has done a fantastic job in efforts to form a full team and develop our players. All of the players have given everything they had to the team and for this we can't thank them enough. We are working hard to find teams for those players wanting to continue playing Jr Hockey this season. All of us with the Blazers are heartbroken. I can't thank both Larry and Geordie enough for their dedication to the team. They have worked long and hard to find solutions to make it possible to play this season. Again, we apologize to our players, families and fans but felt we have no other choice. The Blazers will be back. We are already looking at options for our future to offer players a development program, which is sustainable and a product fans can be proud of. Stay tuned in the coming months for our next steps. Marc Ronney Whatcom Sports & Recreation


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