AIHL Bears

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

AIHL Bears
City: Penrith, New South Wales
League: AIHL
Founded: 2000
Home Arena: Penrith Ice Palace
Colors: Red, black, silver and white
Head Coach: Vlady Rubes
General Manager: Gabriel Robledo / Rick Williams / Wayne Hellyer
Franchise history
2000-2007: Sydney Bears
2007-present: AIHL Bears
Logo worn from 2000-2007. Changed when the Bears moved to Penrith
Logo worn from 2000-2007. Changed when the Bears moved to Penrith

The AIHL Bears are a semi-professional ice hockey team in the Australian Ice Hockey League. The team plays its home games at the Penrith Ice Palace in Penrith, on the western outskirts of Sydney, New South Wales. The team previously played at the Sydney Ice Arena in Baulkham Hills under the name Sydney Bears, but announced they would move to Penrith for the 2007 AIHL season, dropping the "Sydney" from their name.

The Bears are two-time winners of the Goodall Cup and won the AIHL championship in 2002 and 2007. The Bears were one of three teams that founded the AIHL in 2000, along with the Adelaide Avalanche and Canberra Knights. Although the Bears did not win the championship in either year, they won the Goodall Cup tournament in 2001 in Newcastle, the last time the Cup was awarded independently of the AIHL.

In 2002, the Bears defeated the Avalanche in the Goodall Cup final for their second consecutive Cup and their first and only AIHL championship to date.

Four members of the Bears - Tyler Lovering, Brett Nelson-Bond, Vladimir Rubes and Murray Wand - were named to the Mighty Roos roster for the 2006 Division II World Championships in New Zealand.

[edit] Championships

Goodall Cup: 2002, 2007

[edit] Trivia

[edit] External links