Sydney Bears

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Sydney Bears
Sydney Bears logo.png
City Jamisontown, New South Wales
League Australian Ice Hockey League
Founded 1982
Home arena Penrith Ice Palace
Franchise history
1982–1997 Macquarie Bears
1997–2007 Sydney Bears
2007–2009 AIHL Bears
2010– Sydney Bears

main

Penrith Bears logo.png

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.

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

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
Season Regular season Finals Wilson Cup Top points scorer
P W T L OW OL GF GA GD Pts Finish P W L GF GA Result Semi Final Preliminary Final Goodall Cup Final Name Points
2000 Information not available 1st 1 0 1 5 6 Runner-up – – Lost 5–6 (SO) (Avalanche) – Information not available
2001 16 7 1 8 – – 70 74 −4 15 2nd 1 1 – 10 7 Runner-up – – Lost 7–10 (Avalanche) – Information not available
2002 20 16 1 3 – – 126 69 +57 33 1st 1 1 – 1 0 Champion – – Won 5–4 (SO) (Avalanche) – Flag of Australia Murray Wand 27
2003 18 11 – 7 – – 74 64 +10 22 3rd 2 1 1 14 12 Third Lost 4–7 (North Stars) – – – Flag of the Czech Republic Vladimir Rubes 14
2004 20 8 1 6 1 4 68 71 −3 31 3rd 1 – 1 4 5 Semi-finalist Lost 4–5 (Ice Dogs) – – – Flag of Canada Trent Ulmer 24
2005 26 11 – 12 2 1 96 100 −4 38 4th 1 – 1 3 6 Semi-finalist Lost 3–6 (Avalanche) – – – Flag of United States Andy Luhovy 33
2006 28 15 – 11 1 1 133 101 +32 48 5th – – Flag of the Czech Republic Vladan Stransky 57
2007 28 14 – 8 4 2 112 84 +28 49 4th 2 2 – 7 3 Champion Won 4–1 (Avalanche) – Won 3–2 (OT) (North Stars) Winner Flag of the Czech Republic Tomas Landa 62
2008 28 20 – 7 – 1 134 118 +16 61 1st 1 – 1 5 7 Semi-finalist Lost 5–7 (North Stars) – – Winner Flag of the Czech Republic Vladan Stransky 63
2009 24 1 – 20 3 – 66 140 −74 9 7th – Group Flag of the Czech Republic Vladimir Rubes 36
2010 24 12 – 8 1 3 82 90 −8 41 3rd 1 – 1 1 2 Semi-finalist Lost 1–2 (Ice) – – – Flag of the Czech Republic Vladimir Rubes 34
2011 28 2 – 21 2 3 83 151 −68 13 8th – – Flag of Canada Michael Schlamp 45
2012 24 9 – 12 2 1 92 93 −1 32 3rd, Bauer – – Flag of the Czech Republic Tomas Landa 58
2013 28 7 – 20 – 1 73 120 −47 22 7th – – Flag of the Czech Republic Tomas Landa 33
2014 28 6 1 19 1 1 88 125 −57 22 8th – Group Flag of Canada Hamilton Steen 31
2015 28 11 – 14 1 2 110 110 +0 37 7th – Runner-up Flag of United States Joe Harcharik 52
2016 28 5 – 15 5 3 77 95 −18 28 6th – Winner Flag of the Czech Republic Tomas Landa 33
2017 28 6 – 14 3 3 101 121 −20 33 6th – Winner Flag of United States Jackson Brewer 45
2018 28 15 – 7 3 3 104 72 +32 54 2nd 2 1 1 6 4 Runner-up Won 3–0 (Thunder) – Lost 3–4 (OT) (Brave) Runner-up Flag of United States Charlie Adams 54
2019 28 15 – 11 2 – 121 102 +19 49 4th 2 2 0 11 6 Champion Won 6–4 (Brave) – Won 5–2) (Thunder) Winner Flag of Canada Danick Gauthier 53
2020 2020 and 2021 AIHL seasons were cancelled and not contested
2021
2022 20 10 – 8 2 – 105 93 +12 34 3rd 2 1 1 10 7 Prelim-finalist Won 7–3 (Mustangs) Lost 3–4 (OT) (Northstars) – Winner Flag of Australia Tomas Landa 38
2023 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Totals 500 201 4 231 33 29 1915 1993 -98 16 9 7 72 59

Championships

1 Champions (3): 2002, 2007, 2019
1 Runners-Up (1): 2001
1 Premiers (1): 2008
1 Runners-Up (1): 2018
1 Winners (6): 2007, 2008, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022
1 Runners-Up (2): 2015, 2018
1 Premiers (1): 2002
1 Runners-Up (1): 2001
  • East Coast Super League
1 Champions (1): 1999
  • NSW Super League
1 Champions (1): 1989
1 This list includes Premierships prior to the first trophy for Premiers in 2004.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Our History". sydneybears.com.au. https://www.sydneybears.com.au/about. 
  2. ↑ Carpenter, Ross. "Hellyer, Wayne(1963 – )". Legends of Australian Ice. https://icelegendsaustralia.com/legends-2/bio_hellyer.html. 
  3. ↑ Carpenter, Ross. "Foll, Glen(1962 – )". Legends of Australian Ice. https://icelegendsaustralia.com/legends-2/bio_foll.html. 
  4. ↑ Carpenter, Ross. "Hulme, Tim (1967 – )". Legends of Australian Ice. https://icelegendsaustralia.com/legends-2/bio_hulme.html. 
  5. ↑ "The Superleague Team". Sydney Bears. Archived from the original on 1 March 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000301084751/http://www.sydneybears.com.au/bears/members.htm. Retrieved 26 June 2022. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "History of the Australian Ice Hockey League". Australian Ice Hockey League. https://theaihl.com/leagues/custom_page.cfm?clientid=3856&leagueid=11464&pageid=10074#history. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "About the Bears". Sydney Bears. http://bears.theaihl.com/leagues/custom_page.cfm?clientid=6062&leagueid=25081&pageid=16862. 
  8. ↑ "Adelaide Avalanche: The Franchise that changed Australian hockey forever". Adelaide Adrenaline. 3 August 2017. http://adrenaline.theaihl.com/leagues/newsletterarchive.cfm?clientid=6063&leagueid=25106&page=100834. 
  9. ↑ "Championnat d'Australie 2001" (in fr). hockeyarchives.info. https://www.hockeyarchives.info/Australie2001.htm. 
  10. ↑ Meltzer, Bill (28 May 2008). "Australia celebrates hockey centennial with gold". National Hockey League. http://www.nhl.com/ice/m_news.htm?id=371815. 
  11. ↑ "Championnat d'Australie 2003" (in fr). hockeyarchives.info. https://www.hockeyarchives.info/Australie2003.htm. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Team History". Sydney Bears. https://www.bearsshop.com.au/pages/about-us. 
  13. ↑ "2007 AIHL Grand Final Boxscore". theaihl.com. 2 September 2007. https://theaihl.com/leagues/hockey_boxscores.cfm?clientID=3856&leagueID=11464&gameID=1426845. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Hungry Bears have done it again!". AIHL Bears. http://www.bearsden.com.au/pages.asp?page=&pubid=103&issid=105&artid=474&pgid=576. 
  15. ↑ "Minor Premiership an ice hockey curse". theroar.com.au. 2 July 2009. https://www.theroar.com.au/2009/07/03/minor-premiership-an-ice-hockey-curse/. 
  16. ↑ Lambert, Peter (19 February 2012). "Bears in the Hills". Australian Ice Hockey League. http://www.theaihl.com/leagues/newsletter.cfm?clientID=3856&leagueID=11464&page=59783. 
  17. ↑ Brook, Eric (2015-01-08). "Sydney Bears Move To Penrith In 2015". Hewitt Sports. http://hewittsports.com/sydney-bears-move-penrith-2015/. 
  18. ↑ Musico, Bianca (17 January 2017). "#TheHomecoming: The Bears Finally Return Home to Macquarie Ice Rink". Sydney Bears. http://bears.theaihl.com/leagues/newsletter.cfm?page=98403&clientID=6062&leagueID=25081. 
  19. ↑ Darnley, Ryan (22 June 2017). "Bears Mentor Next Generation". Sydney Bears. http://bears.theaihl.com/leagues/newsletterarchive.cfm?clientid=6062&leagueid=25081&page=100484. 
  20. ↑ "Bears unveil new logo". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. 26 December 2017. https://icehockeynewsaustralia.com/2017/12/26/bears-unveil-new-logo/. 
  21. ↑ "Australian Ice Hockey League 2018 Standings". eliteprospects.com. https://www.eliteprospects.com/league/aihl/2017-2018. 
  22. ↑ Tiernan, Eamonn (2018-09-02). "Canberra Brave win first Goodall Cup in overtime epic". The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/sport/canberra-brave-win-first-goodall-cup-in-overtime-epic-20180902-p5019x.html. 
  23. ↑ Allen, Trevor (9 September 2019). "Bears shock rivals to claim Goodall Cup". International Ice Hockey Federation. https://www.iihf.com/en/news/13703/bears-shock-rivals-to-claim-goodall-cup. 

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