Bradford Sabres

Introduction

The Bradford Sabres are the ice hockey team for the University of Bradford and are run and funded by the University of Bradford Union. The club began in 2005 when a number 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 which had no previous experience of the sport. With the sessions being run by captain Mike Currie with the help of experienced netminder Kaz Matsumoto, the players started to gain some experience and it was decided that the club would enter into the BUIHA, Division 2 North cup competition.

2005–2006

Although the team was gaining more experience, numbers were still very low until the in-take of freshers at the beginning of the 2005-2006 season. Amongst these were not only a large number of beginners, but also several players with previous experience, most notably Jan Kucera and Tim Kelly. The teams very first game was away against the Sheffied Bears where although they were beaten 7-0, there were several outstanding performances. Netminder Kaz Matsumoto was awarded man of the match having faced over 70 shots and there was also a superb performance by defender Tim Kelly who was on the ice for 56 of the 60 minutes played.

The Sabres first home game showed a marked improvement from their loss at Sheffield. Even though they were defeated 6-9 by the Birmingham Eagles proving that the team could score goals was a major boost. 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 deservedly winning his first Man of the Match award.

The Sabres first win came in their next game against the Newcastle Wildcats. This would be the first of many very close and enjoyable games between the two teams. Fortunately for the Sabres however they came out on top of this one winning 6-5. Once again Jan Kucera scored all six for the Sabres, and after only two matches for the club, he was already being recognised as the best player in the division. Man of the Match in this game was rookie netminder Stephen Wilson, playing the second thirty minutes and helping the team to hold on for their first victory.

Unfortunately that would be the only victory the team would have in their debut season, and they finished bottom of the division of seven teams. Another moment of note that season was away at Newcastle. The team were down 3-0 at the end of the first period, and looked out of the game. In the second period Jan Kucera scored a hat-trick in under one minute, scoring the first from open play, and the next two by winning the face-off and scoring un-assisted. The team would unfortunately lose the match 4-3, but the game still is still much talked about because of the hat-trick. 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. However, due to administration complications not only were the team not allowed to compete, but they were also disqualified from the league, and their finial position of seventh never counted. Although the games that were played didn't officially count, the experience the team gained would be valuable for next season and for the continued growth of the club.

The end of the Sabres first season saw the departure of some key players. Jan Kucera - who still holds the record for goals scored - took the step up to the English National Ice Hockey League to play for the Bradford Bulldogs. Forward Ben Moss along with defenders Toni Brook and Louisa Bellis also departed the team after completing their final year at the university.

Off the ice there were also changes. President Ben Nunney along with treasurer Ben Neal left the university and their positions were taken over by Hassan Majeed and James Davidson while web officer Mike Currie continued with his role and Stephen Wilson took over the newly created position of fixtures Secretary.