Bradford Sabres

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Bradford Sabres

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 very first game was away against the Sheffield Bears. 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]

Awards[edit]

Season records[edit]

All-time records[edit]

Sabres Alumni Game[edit]

References[edit]

• Bradford Sabres website
• University of Bradford Union