Chelmsford Chieftains
| Chelmsford Chieftains | |
|---|---|
| Division | English National Ice Hockey League South (1) |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Home arena | Riverside Ice and Leisure Centre |
| City | Chelmsford, Essex, United Kingdom |
| Colors | Black, gold and white
|
| Owner(s) |  Derek Bartlett |
| Head coach | Gary Clarke |
| Captain | Dan Wright |
| Minor league affiliates | Chelmsford Warriors English National Ice Hockey League South (2) |
The Chelmsford Chieftains are an Ice Hockey team based in Chelmsford, Essex that are currently playing in the English National Ice Hockey League. Since the team was founded in 1987, the Chieftains have played their home games at the Riverside Ice and Leisure Centre.
Chelmsford played their first game against the Peterborough Titans in September 1987. They had been placed in the then "Heineken League Division Two", and beat the Titans 11-4.
After competing in the English Premier Ice Hockey League for nine seasons between 1998 and 2008, the Chelmsford Chieftains withdrew from the league at the end of the 2007/2008 season, and instead entered the ENIHL. The hockey governing body in the UK, the EIHA, informed the club that they would be playing in Division 1 for the 2008/2009 season. However, at the league A.G.M., many of the clubs supported a motion to overturn the league's decision and the Chieftains were placed in Division 2. The Chieftains had already assembled a squad capable of playing in Division 1 and at such a late stage, the squad could not be rebuilt. The outcome was that the Chieftains started the season in a very strong position.
In the entire 2008/2009 season, the Chieftains allowed a single point, to the Invicta Mustangs at the start of the season. From then until the end of the season, the Chieftains won every game, with an average score of 8-2.
In 2009/10, they finished fourth in the league.
In the 2010/11 season, the Chieftains contended for top spot. Only in the final few weeks did the Wightlink Raiders cement their place at the top of the table. The Raiders had been the only side the Chieftains had failed to beat during the regular season.
At the conclusion of the season, Dean Birrell announced he would be moving to the role of Director of Coaching in Chelmsford, which would oversee the coaching of the Chieftains and Warriors. Taking his place would be MK Lightning forward Gary Clarke, who takes over in a player-coach role for the 2011-12 campaign.
Trophies
1989 Essex Cup
1990/91 Autumn Trophy
1992/93 British League Entry Playoffs
1996/97 Essex/Kent Cup
1996/97 Essex Cup
1999/00 English League Premier Division Playoffs
1999/00 Data Vision Millenium Cup
1999/00 English League Premier Division
2008/09 English National League South Division 2
2010/11 English National League South Division 1 Playoffs
2011/12 English National League South Division 1 Playoffs
2011/12 Essex Cup
2012/13 National Ice Hockey League South Division 1
2012/13 National Ice Hockey League South Division 1 Playoffs
Runners up in major competitions excluding league
1996/97 Playoff finalists
1997/98 Playoff finalists
1995/96 Autumn Trophy Finalists
2010/11 English National League South Division 1
2011/12 English National League South Division 1
2012/13 National Ice Hockey League South Cup
2012/13 South East Cup
League history
| Season | Name of League | Final Position | # of teams | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | OT Win | OT Loss | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987/88 | British League Div 2 | 2nd | 14 | 26 | 19 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 201 | 107 | 94 | 39 | |
| 1988/89 | English First Div | 5th | 8 | 28 | 10 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 148 | 153 | -5 | 23 | |
| 1989/90 | English First Div | 3rd | 7 | 24 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 222 | 140 | 82 | 33 | |
| 1990/91 | English First Div | 3rd | 8 | 28 | 17 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 269 | 213 | 56 | 36 | |
| 1991/92 | English First Div | 8th | 9 | 32 | 15 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 277 | 276 | 1 | 33 | |
| 1992/93 | English League Conference B | 2nd | 6 | 32 | 22 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 357 | 168 | 189 | 47 | |
| 1993/94 | British League Div 1 South | 8th | 8 | 44 | 10 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 260 | 374 | -114 | 22 | |
| 1994/95 | British League Div 1 | 10th | 12 | 44 | 10 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 274 | 404 | -130 | 24 | |
| 1995/96 | British League Div 1 | 10th | 14 | 52 | 16 | 31 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 267 | 377 | -110 | 37 | |
| 1996/97 | English League Div 1 South | 2nd | 12 | 22 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 175 | 51 | 124 | 37 | |
| 1997/98 | English League Div 1 South | 2nd | 11 | 20 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 187 | 69 | 118 | 33 | |
| 1998/99 | English League Prem Div | 4th | 9 | 32 | 14 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 195 | 181 | 14 | 32 | |
| 1999/00 | English League Prem Div | 1st | 5 | 24 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 138 | 85 | 53 | 39 | |
| 2000/01 | English National Prem League | 2nd | 9 | 32 | 23 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 203 | 106 | 97 | 48 | |
| 2001/02 | English National League South | 5th | 10 | 18 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 72 | 28 | 23 | |
| 2002/03 | English National Prem League | 5th | 12 | 42 | 24 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 245 | 170 | 75 | 54 | |
| 2003/04 | English Premier Ice Hockey League | 4th | 9 | 32 | 18 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 211 | 149 | 62 | 39 | |
| 2004/05 | English Premier Ice Hockey League | 7th | 9 | 32 | 10 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 128 | 130 | -2 | 28 | |
| 2005/06 | English Premier Ice Hockey League | 11th | 13 | 48 | 10 | 33 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 149 | 284 | -135 | 25 | |
| 2006/07 | English Premier Ice Hockey League | 8th | 12 | 44 | 20 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 194 | 184 | 10 | 43 | |
| 2007/08 | English Premier Ice Hockey League | 9th | 11 | 40 | 12 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 151 | 189 | -38 | 29 | |
| 2008/09 | English National League Two South | 1st | 9 | 32 | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 282 | 67 | 215 | 63 | |
| 2009/10 | English National League One South | 4th | 10 | 36 | 23 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 213 | 89 | 124 | 52 | |
| 2010/11 | English National League One South | 2nd | 11 | 40 | 28 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 253 | 101 | 152 | 64 | |
2012/13 Squad[1]
| Goaltenders | ||
|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | |
| 35 | |
Ben Clements |
| 40 | |
Ryan Bainborough |
| Defencemen | ||
|---|---|---|
| Number | Player|- | |
| 10 | |
Alex Green |
| 17 | |
Alex Staples |
| 21 | |
Sean Easton |
| 28 | |
Danny Wright (C) |
| 92 |  |
Michael McKay |
| 6 |  |
Tibor Schneider |
| 23 | |
Sean Barry |
| Forwards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | |
| 08 | |
Cameron Bartlett |
| 09 | |
Grant Bartlett |
| 11 | |
Darren Brown |
| 15 | |
Ross Brears |
| 19 | |
Danny Hammond |
| 71 | |
Julius Sinkovic |
| 91 | |
James Ayling |
| 14 | |
Gary Clarke |
| 05 | |
Thomas Castle |
| 25 | |
Michael Ranby |
| ||||||