Sydney Bears

Last updated

Sydney Bears
Sydney Bears logo.png
City Macquarie Park, New South Wales
League Australian Ice Hockey League
Founded1982
Home arena Macquarie Ice Rink
ColoursRed, black, white
   
General managerNathan Graham
Head coachRon Kuprowsky
CaptainBrian Funes
AffiliatesSydney Bears IHC (IHNSW)
Penrith Raptors (ECSL)
Sydney Sting (ECSL)
Sydney Bombers (ECSL)
Reach Rebels (ECSL)
Website bearsden.com.au
Franchise history
1982–1997Macquarie Bears
1997–2007Sydney Bears
2007–2009AIHL Bears
2010–presentSydney Bears
Championships
H Newman Reid Trophies 3 (2000, 2002, 2008)
Goodall Cups 3 (2002, 2007, 2019)
Hockey current event.svg Current season

The Sydney Bears (formerly Macquarie Bears) is an Australian semi-professional ice hockey team from Sydney, New South Wales. Established in 1982, the Bears are the only remaining founding member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) still operating. The Bears are based at Macquarie Ice Rink, within the Macquarie Centre, in the northern suburbs of Sydney. The Sydney Bears have claimed three Goodall Cups in 2002, 2003 and 2019.

Contents

History

Prior to AIHL

The Sydney Bears was founded on 1 July 1982 as the Macquarie Bears Ice Hockey Club Incorporated. The team was formed concurrently to the non-incorporated local ice hockey club sharing the same name. [1] The Bears were based out of the Macquarie Ice Rink. The club competed in the NSW Super League (NSWSL) and then the East Coast Super League (ECSL). [2] In 1989 the Bears claimed the NSWSL championship with star defenceman Glen Foll claiming top points scorer for the season. [3] In 1997 the club decided to change its name to the Sydney Bears Ice Hockey Club in preparation for a new national competition. [4] In September 1999, the Bears won the East Coast Super League after defeating the Canberra Knights in a two match grand final series held at Phillip Ice Skating Centre, Canberra. In game one, on 18 September, the Bears fought their way to a close a 6–5 victory over the hosts. In game two, on 19 September, Sydney's goalkeeper Alan Becken claimed a shutout as the Bears won 5–0. [5]

AIHL era

2000–10

Logo used from 2000 to 2007. Changed when the Bears moved to Penrith Sydney Bears team logo.jpg
Logo used from 2000 to 2007. Changed when the Bears moved to Penrith

In 2000, the Australian Ice Hockey league (AIHL) was established. [6] The league adopted a franchise arrangement for competing teams so the Sydney Bears set up their incorporation as The Bears AIHL Inc. and were granted an AIHL licence. [7]

The Sydney Bears claimed the inaugural AIHL season premiership by finishing top of the round-robin season involving the Bears, Adelaide Avalanche and Canberra Knights. The Bears were defeated by the Avalanche, 6–5 in a shootout in the single match championship final. [8]

The Sydney Bears backed up this performance and made the championship final in 2001. They were again defeated by the Adelaide Avalanche, 10–7. [9] The Bears did find success in the Goodall Cup tournament in 2001. Held in Newcastle, it was the last Goodall Cup tournament held independently to the AIHL. [7]

In 2002, the Bears had a breakout AIHL season. The team left Macquarie and moved to the new Sydney Ice Arena in Baulkham Hills. The league doubled in size to six teams and the Bears finished the season first in the table to claim their second premiership. They faced a familiar foe, Adelaide Avalanche, in the first Goodall Cup Final for the AIHL. [6] In Blacktown Ice Arena, the Bears defeated Adelaide 5–4 in a shootout to clinch the Goodall Cup and claim their first AIHL Championship. [10]

In 2003, the AIHL adopted a new finals format that involved the top four teams from the regular season. [6] The Sydney Bears were involved in and won the one and only third place play-off in an AIHL finals weekend. The Bears continued their rivalry with Adelaide and defeated them 10–5 in the match to claim third. From 2004 the AIHL tweaked the finals format to remove this match. [11]

The Bears next found success in 2007 and 2008. In 2007, the Sydney Bears changed their name to the AIHL Bears (or simply the Bears) as the team left Sydney for Penrith. [12] The team played out of the Penrith Ice Palace. The Bears won their second championship and Goodall Cup by defeating the Newcastle North Stars 3–2 in overtime in the final. [13] The Bears also won the inaugural Wilson Cup in 2007. [14] In 2008, the Bears claimed the H Newman Reid Trophy for the first time by finishing top of the league table ahead of the Western Sydney Ice Dogs. [15] The Bears also claimed back-to-back Wilson Cups after defeating the Ice Dogs in the pre-season tournament's final 6–4. [14]

2010–20

To start the new decade, in 2010, the team rebranded and changed their name back to the Sydney Bears. [12] The team switched between Penrith and Sydney Ice Arena over the course of seven seasons. [16] [17] In 2017, Macquarie Ice Rink, at a cost of $3 million, had been upgraded to AIHL standards providing the Bears the opportunity to return to their spiritual home. [1] The Bears, along with the Ice Dogs, moved into the newly renovated arena located within the Macquarie Centre. [18] The upgrade of Macquarie Ice Rink also brought back the Sydney Bears (IHNSW) club to Macquarie. Since the move in 2017, the AIHL team and the IHNSW club have increased cooperation and support between the two clubs. Ex AIHL Bear's players have been taking up coaching roles within the IHNSW club while the IHNSW Bears provides the AIHL team a pathway for local players. [19] In 2018, prior to the season starting, the Bears unveiled a new team logo to signify their return home to Macquarie. [20]

On the ice, the Bears struggled to find form. The team spent seven consecutive seasons failing to reach the AIHL finals weekend between 2011 and 2017. In 2018 the team's fortunes began to improve. The Bears finished second in the league and made their first appearance in the Goodall Cup final in eleven years. [21] They were defeated 4–3 in overtime by the CBR Brave but their display and spirit was praised. [22] In 2019, the Sydney Bears surprised many and went one better and clinched their third Goodall Cup. It was their second Cup success after finishing the regular season in fourth place. The Bears defeated the Perth Thunder, 5–2 in the final. [23]

Season-by-season results

Sydney Bears all-time record
SeasonRegular seasonFinalsWilson CupTop points scorer
PWTLOWOLGFGAGDPtsFinishPWLGFGAResultSemi FinalPreliminary FinalGoodall Cup FinalNamePoints
2000 Information not available1st10156Runner-upLost 5–6 (SO) (Avalanche)Information not available
2001 167187074−4152nd11107Runner-upLost 7–10 (Avalanche)Information not available
2002 20161312669+57331st1110ChampionWon 5–4 (SO) (Avalanche) Flag of Australia (converted).svg Murray Wand27
2003 [lower-alpha 1] 181177464+10223rd [lower-alpha 2] 2111412Third [lower-alpha 3] Lost 4–7 (North Stars) Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Vladimir Rubes14
2004 20816146871−3313rd1145Semi-finalistLost 4–5 (Ice Dogs) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Trent Ulmer24
2005 2611122196100−4384th1136Semi-finalistLost 3–6 (Avalanche) Flag of the United States.svg Andy Luhovy33
2006 28151111133101+32485th Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Vladan Stransky57
2007 281484211284+2849 [lower-alpha 4] 4th2273ChampionWon 4–1 (Avalanche)Won 3–2 (OT) (North Stars)Winner Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Tomas Landa62
2008 282071134118+16611st1157Semi-finalistLost 5–7 (North Stars)Winner Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Vladan Stransky63
2009 24120366140−7497thGroup Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Vladimir Rubes36
2010 24128138290−8413rd1112Semi-finalistLost 1–2 (Ice) Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Vladimir Rubes34
2011 282212383151−68138th Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Michael Schlamp45
2012 24912219293−1323rd, Bauer Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Tomas Landa58
2013 28720173120−47227th Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Tomas Landa33
2014 2861 [lower-alpha 5] 191188125−57228thGroup Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Hamilton Steen31
2015 28111412110110+0377thRunner-up Flag of the United States.svg Joe Harcharik52
2016 28515537795−18286thWinner Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Tomas Landa33
2017 2861433101121−20336thWinner Flag of the United States.svg Jackson Brewer45
2018 281573310472+32542nd21164Runner-upWon 3–0 (Thunder)Lost 3–4 (OT) (Brave)Runner-up Flag of the United States.svg Charlie Adams54
2019 2815112121102+19494th220116ChampionWon 6–4 (Brave)Won 5–2) (Thunder)Winner Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Danick Gauthier53
2020 2020 and 2021 AIHL seasons were cancelled and not contested
2021
2022 20108210593+12343rd211107Prelim-finalistWon 7–3 (Mustangs)Lost 3–4 (OT) (Northstars)Winner Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tomas Landa38
2023
Totals5002014231332919151993-9816977259

Notes:

  1. 2003 AIHL season statistics are incomplete. No one source has all the information and the AIHL has not published official statistics on www.theaihl.com.
  2. Based on the most complete information available, the Sydney Bears finished the 2003 season in third place and qualified for the first four team finals weekend.
  3. 2003 was the one and only season where a third place play-off was contested as part of the finals format for the AIHL. The Sydney Bears defeated the Adelaide Avalanche 10–5 in the third place play-off to clinch third.
  4. The Bears were penalised 3 competition points for icing players that had not been officially cleared to play by the IIHF and IHA.
  5. As of the 2006 AIHL season, all games have a winner, which eliminated the tie from the league. In 2014 due to the cancellation of a game against Adelaide Adrenaline, the AIHL declared the result a tie.

Notes References: [24] [25] [26] [27] [28]

ChampionsRunners-upThird place

Championships

Gold medal icon.svgChampions (3): 2002, 2007, 2019
Silver medal icon.svg Runners-Up (1): 2001
Gold medal icon.svgPremiers (1): 2008
Silver medal icon.svg Runners-Up (1): 2018
Gold medal icon.svgWinners (6): 2007, 2008, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022
Silver medal icon.svg Runners-Up (2): 2015, 2018
Gold medal icon.svgPremiers (1): 2002
Silver medal icon.svg Runners-Up (1): 2001
Gold medal icon.svgChampions (1): 1999
Gold medal icon.svgChampions (1): 1989
1This list includes Premierships prior to the first trophy for Premiers in 2004.

Players

Current roster

Team roster for the 2022 AIHL season. [29] [30]

Active RosterCoaching staff
Goaltenders
  • 39 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ignacy Benjamin
  • 30 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Glen Forbes White
  • 26 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Justin Harrison
  • 28 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Anthony Kimlin
  • 55 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Gabriel Robledo

Defencemen

  • 16 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Ryan Annesley (I)
  • 97 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tyerell Clare (A)
  •  2 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brian Funes (C)
  • 13 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Joey Gunner
  • 87 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Robert Haselhurst
  • 68 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Kenshin Hayashi
  • 44 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Mika Laajunen
  • 68 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Nathan Moncrieff
  • 77 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tim Newmark (A)
  • 44 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Geoff O'Hara (I)
  • 44 Flag of the United States.svg Ethan Oberman (I)
  • 16 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Michael Poirier (I)
  • 27 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Aidan Wardlaw
Forwards
  • 91 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jeremy Brücker
  • 98 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ellesse Carini
  • 96 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Scott Clemie
  • 84 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Adrian Esposito
  • 72 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Alexandre Gauthier (I)
  • 22 Flag of Poland.svg Michal Glowka (I)
  • 86 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brian Kim
  • 24 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tomas Landa
  • 19 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Noah Moncrieff
  •  8 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Thomas Moncrieff
  •  9 Flag of New Zealand.svg Jacob Ratcliffe (A)
  • 10 Flag of Sweden.svg Taegan Rippon (I)
  • 89 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Alexander Wardlaw
  • 86 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Callum Wardlaw
Head Coach
  • Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ron Kuprowsky

Coaches


Legend
(C) Captain
(A) Alternate Captain
(I) Import player



Statistics
Average age: 26.9
Average height: 180.5 cm
Average weight: 80.9 kg
Locals: 25
Imports: 7

Last updated on: 25 June 2022
Elite Prospects

Player records

These are the top-ten all-time player records in franchise history for the following categories: Appearances, [31] Goals, [32] Assists, [33] Points, [34] Penalty minutes [35]
(Figures are updated after each completed AIHL regular season)

As of February 2020
All-time Apperiences
#NamePosGP
1 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Vladimir RubesF299
2 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Adrian EspositoF287
3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Michael SchlampD270
4 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brett Nelson-BondF270
5 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul ShumakF187
6 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Murray WandD180
7 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Steven AdamsD151
8 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Vladan StranskyF145
9 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Spencer AustinD141
10 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tomas LandaF134
All-time Goals
#NamePosG
1 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Vladimir RubesF176
2 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Michael SchlampD126
3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Vladan StranskyF101
4 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tomas LandaF86
5 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Murray WandD77
6 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brett Nelson-BondF54
7 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Roberto FranchiniF43
8 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Cameron ToddF36
9 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul ShumakF34
10 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Adrian EspositoF32
All-time Assists
#NamePosA
1 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Vladimir RubesF270
2 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Michael SchlampD182
3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Vladan StranskyF154
4 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tomas LandaF148
5 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Murray WandD84
6 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Ryan AnnesleyF78
7 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brett Nelson-BondF63
8 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Roberto FranchiniF53
9 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Cameron ToddF46
10 Flag of the United States.svg Andy LuhovyF40
All-time Points
#NamePosPts
1 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Vladimir RubesF446
2 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Michael SchlampD308
3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Vladan StranskyF255
4 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tomas LandaF234
5 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Murray WandD161
6 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brett Nelson-BondF117
7 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Roberto FranchiniF96
8 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Ryan AnnesleyD95
9 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Cameron ToddF82
10 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul ShumakF72
All-time Penalties
#NamePosPIM
1 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Spencer AustinD578
2 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Michael SchlampD505
3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brett Nelson-BondF469
4 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Vladimir RubesF351
5 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tyerell ClareD338
6 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Vladan StranskyF304
7 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Murray WandD263
8 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul ShumakF235
9 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Adrian EspositoF192
10 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Ryan O'KeefeD192

Staff

Current as of 2022 AIHL season. [36] [37] [38]

Bears staff
RoleName
Head coach Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ron Kuprowsky
President Flag of Australia (converted).svg Nathan Graham
Vice President Flag of Australia (converted).svg Andrew Bourne
Vice President Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ruby Bray
Vice President Flag of Australia (converted).svg Hamish Davey
Secretary Flag of Australia (converted).svg Vanessa Saros

Team facilities

Macquarie Ice Rink, The Bears spiritual home and current home barn since 2017 Macquarie Ice Rink photo.png
Macquarie Ice Rink, The Bears spiritual home and current home barn since 2017

The Sydney Bears' current home venue is the Macquarie Ice Rink, located within the Macquarie Shopping Centre in Macquarie, Sydney. The Macquarie facility consists of an Olympic sized rink (60m x 30m) with seating for approximately 2,000 people. [39]

Macquarie is the spiritual home of the Bears, as the team called Macquarie home from foundation in 1982 till 2002. In 2002 the team moved to the recently constructed Sydney Ice Arena in Baulkham Hills, Sydney. After five years the team moved out of Sydney and into the Penrith Ice Palace, Penrith, New South Wales, out west of the city. [40] In 2012 the Bears returned to Sydney and to the Sydney Ice Arena. In late 2013 / early 2014 it was announced that the ownership of the Sydney Ice Arena, Hillsong, had lodged a development application with the NSW Government to re-develop the site into a residential complex, removing the twelve year old ice rink. [41] [42] The Bears moved back to Penrith for the 2015 and 2016 AIHL seasons. [43] In 2017 it was announced that the Bears would return home to Macquarie to play out of the newly upgraded Macquarie Ice Rink, which now met AIHL standards. [44] [45]

Stadium history
RinkLocationTerm
Macquarie Ice Rink Macquarie 1982–01
Sydney Ice Arena Baulkham Hills 2002–06
Penrith Ice Palace Penrith 2007–11
Sydney Ice Arena Baulkham Hills 2012–14
Penrith Ice Palace Penrith 2015–16
Macquarie Ice Rink Macquarie 2017–Present

Leaders

Team captains

The Bears have had six captains in the team's known history. [46]

No.NameTerm
1 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tyler Lovering2001
2 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Don Burke2002
3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tyler Lovering2003–04
4 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Murray Wand2005–08
5 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Vladimir Rubes2009–10
6 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Michael Schlamp2010–19
7 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brian Funes2022–Present

References: [47] [48] [49] [50] [51] [52]

Head coaches

The Bears have had three head coaches in the team's known history. [53]

No.NameTerm
1 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Vladimir Rubes2001–05
2 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Kelly Lovering2006
3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Vladimir Rubes2007–15
4 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ron Kuprowsky2016–Present

References: [54] [55] [56]

General managers

The Bears have had two general managers/presedents in the team's known history. [53]

No.NameTerm
1 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Wayne Hellyer2000–19
2 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Nathan Graham2022–Present

References: [57] [37]

Broadcasting

Current:

Former:

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The 2014 CBR Brave season was the Brave's 1st season in the Australian Ice Hockey League since being founded in pre-season before the 2014 AIHL season. The season ran from 12 April 2014 to 30 August 2014 for the Brave. CBR finished third in their inaugural regular season behind the Melbourne Mustangs and Melbourne Ice. The Brave qualified for the AIHL Finals in Melbourne and played in semi-final two. Canberra were defeated by the Melbourne Ice, 1–6 in their semi-final match and were knocked out of the finals weekend, ending their season.

The 2022 AIHL season is the delayed 21st season of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL), following the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The season will consist of 60 regular season games and is scheduled to run from 30 April to 28 August 2022, with the Goodall Cup finals, consisting of 2 semi-finals, a preliminary final and a grand final, following the regular season on 2–4 September 2022. The CBR Brave won the double and claimed the H Newman Reid Trophy for a third time and Goodall Cup for a second time in 2022 by finishing top of the regular season standings and winning the AIHL grand final. The Newcastle Northstars were runner's up to both titles and the Sydney Ice Dogs claimed the wooden spoon.

The 2023 AIHL season was the 22nd season of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). The season consisted of 130 regular season games from 15 April to 13 August 2023, with the Goodall Cup finals consisting of two play-in matches, two semi-finals, and a grand final, following the regular season on 26–27 August 2023. The CBR Brave and Sydney Bears claimed the Rurak and Hellyer conference trophies for finishing top of their respective conference standings. The CBR Brave also won the Premiership and claimed the H Newman Reid Trophy for a record fourth consecutive time by finishing top of the regular season standings. The Melbourne Mustangs won the Championship and claimed the Goodall Cup for the second time in their history, defeating the Brave in the grand final. The returning Central Coast Rhinos claimed the wooden spoon.

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