Brandon Bobcats men's ice hockey

Last updated
Brandon Bobcats men's ice hockey
University Brandon University
Arena Brandon, Manitoba
ColorsBlue and Gold
   
U Sports tournament appearances
1974, 1975, 1981, 1983
Conference tournament champions
1981, 1983
Conference regular season champions
1974, 1975, 1980, 1981, 1983

The Brandon Bobcats men's ice hockey team was an ice hockey team representing the Brandon University. The team was active in most seasons from 1909 until its permanent suspension in 2002. [1]

Contents

History

Brandon College began sponsoring ice hockey in 1909. Originally called the 'Brandon Caps', the team played at the intermediate (tier II) level of college hockey as well as in local junior leagues. They twice competed for the Turnbull Cup, the provincial amateur championship in the 1920s, however, they were eliminated before the championship rounds.

After World War II, Brandon joined the Big Six Intermediate Hockey League (BSIHL), playing in the league for five seasons. In 1954, the team joined the Western Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union (WCIAU), playing senior collegiate hockey for the first time. The Caps didn't have much success against the top level of competition so the program returned to the Intermediate level in 1958. The Caps then spent the next 12 seasons in the SouthWest Hockey League (SWHL), winning championships in 1961 and 1969.

Once the school had become a full university and renamed its athletic programs as 'Bobcats', the hockey program was ready to take their second chance at senior hockey. They joined the WCIAU's successor (Western Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Association) in 1969 and were a far more competitive team then they had been in the 50s. However, just three years later, the conference was split in two to cut down on travel expenses. Brandon was one of the founding members of the Great Plains Athletic Association (soon to be called Great Plains Athletic Conference) along with two schools from Winnipeg and one from Thunder Bay. After finishing last in the inaugural season, the Bobcats jumped to the top of the standings and won consecutive league titles. The championships earned Brandon a pair of trips to the University Cup, however, the team was unable to win any of their games. The early 1980s saw Brandon win two more league titles, this time through a playoff, but they were still unable to make any headway in the national tournament. Brandon finished its time in the GPAC by being barred from the 1985 playoff for making illegal payments to student athletes.

In 1985, the GPAC was down to just three teams that sponsored varsity ice hockey. With the conference on the cusp of losing its qualifying bid for the University Cup, all three teams were accepted into Canada West. This move, while necessary, proved to be disastrous for the Bobcats. For more than a decade, Brandon finished in the bottom half of league standings (often in last place), and didn't play a single playoff game. Even after the conference postseason was expanded in 1998, Brandon had little chance at winning a title and by the early 21st century, the program was on its last legs. Without a single winning record during their time in Canada West, and after consecutive last-place finishes in 2001 and 2002, the school decided to end the program. [2]

Season-by-season results

Senior and collegiate play

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points

Extra-League Champion National SemifinalistConference regular season championsConference Division ChampionsConference Playoff Champions
SeasonConferenceRegular SeasonConference Tournament ResultsNational Tournament Results
ConferenceOverall
GPWLTPts*FinishGPWLT%
1949–50BSIHL1019026th?????
1950–51BSIHL10460164th?????Lost Semifinal series, 0–3 (Dauphin Kings)
1951–52BSIHL196130125th?????
1952–53BSIHL20119026th?????
1953–54BSIHL10010006th?????
1954–55WCIAU826043rd?????
1955–56????????????
1956–57WCIAU12111024th?????
1957–58WCIAU12210044th?????
1958–59SWHL12840162nd?????
1959–60SWHL9612142nd?????
1960–61SWHL161510301st?????Won Championship
1961–62SWHL201631332nd?????
1962–63SWHL161141232nd?????
1963–64SWHL14860165th?????
1964–65SWHL1459010T–7th?????
1965–66SWHL10460128th?????
1966–67SWHL81613T–11th?????
1967–68SWHL7610184th?????
1968–69SWHL???????????Won Championship
Program changed name to 'Brandon Bobcats'
1969–70SWHL121020402nd?????
TotalsGPWLT%Championships
Regular Season?????1 SWHL Championship
Conference Post-season?????2 SWHL Championships
Regular Season and Postseason Record?????

Note: information prior to 1949 are incomplete or missing.

Collegiate only

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, SOL = Shootout Losses, Pts = Points

U Sports Champion U Sports SemifinalistConference regular season championsConference Division ChampionsConference Playoff Champions
SeasonConferenceRegular SeasonConference Tournament ResultsNational Tournament Results
ConferenceOverall
GPWLTOTLSOLPts*FinishGPWLT%
1969–70 WCIAA 14770145th14770.500
1970–71WCIAA20416087th 204160.200
1971–72WCIAA20812016T–5th228140.364Lost Play-in series, 9–12 (Manitoba)
1972–73 GPAA 1239064th12390.250
1973–74GPAC181170221st201190.550Lost West Quarterfinal series, 0–2 (Calgary)
1974–75GPAC221750341st241770.708Lost West Quarterfinal series, 0–2 (Alberta)
1975–76GPAC181080202nd181080.556
1976–77GPAC248160165th248160.333
1977–78GPAC24221155th242211.104
1978–79GPAC248160163rd248160.333
1979–80GPAC201361251st231481.630Lost Championship series, 1–2 (Regina)
1980–81GPAC242310461st282530.893Won Championship series , 2–0 (Manitoba)Lost Pool 1 Round-robin, 3–6 (Calgary), 3–10 (Moncton)
1981–82GPAC241851372nd282071.732Won Semifinal, 5–4 (Manitoba)
Lost Championship series, 1–2 (Regina)
1982–83GPAC241662341st291892.655Won Championship series , 2–1 (Manitoba)Lost Pool 1 Round-robin, 2–6 (Saskatchewan), 4–5 (Wilfrid Laurier)
1983–84GPAC241860362nd282080.714Won Semifinal, 5–4 (Regina)
Lost Championship series, 1–2 (Manitoba)
1984–85GPAC241293273rd292054.759Brandon was barred from postseason play for making illegal payments to players.
1985–86Canada West2813150265th2813150.464
1986–87Canada West2810180206th2810180.357
1987–88Canada West288182186th288182.321
1988–89Canada West286211137th286211.232
1989–90Canada West2812160246th2812160.429
1990–91Canada West287165198th287165.339
1991–92Canada West28125248th281252.071
1992–93Canada West283214108th283214.179
1993–94Canada West285185158th285185.268
1994–95Canada West288182187th288182.321
1995–96Canada West286211138th286211.232
1996–97Canada West265192128th265192.231
1997–98Canada West2810171216th3010191.350Lost Division Semifinal series, 0–2 (Manitoba)
1998–99Canada West2812133276th3012153.450Lost Division Semifinal series, 0–2 (Manitoba)
1999–00Canada West2811170226th3213190.406Won Division Semifinal series, 2–0 (Manitoba)
Lost Division Final series, 0–2 (Saskatchewan)
2000–01Canada West284213118th284213.196
2001–02Canada West285203138th285203.232
Program Suspended
TotalsGPWLT/SOL%Championships
Regular Season81531246043.4095 GPAC Championships
Conference Post-season2611150.4232 GPAC Championships
U Sports Postseason8080.0004 National tournament appearances
Regular Season and Postseason Record84932348343.406

† Brandon was forced to forfeit 4 games during the season for using an ineligible player.
Totals include only games at senior collegiate level. [3]
Note: Games not counted towards University Cup appearances are not included.

References

  1. "Hundreds returning for Bobcat hockey reunion". Brandon Bobcats. October 19, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  2. "Brandon University: History of Bobcats". The Quill. September 5, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  3. "Canada West Men's Hockey History". Canada West. Retrieved October 24, 2024.