Bradford Bulls (2012–)
The Bradford Bulls are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Bradford, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League (GMHL).
| Bradford Bulls | |
|---|---|
_Logo.png.webp){kind=logo} | |
| City | Bradford, Ontario, Canada |
| League | Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League |
| Division | North |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Home arena | Bob Fallis Sports Centre |
| Colours | Dark blue, yellow, and white |
| Owner(s) | Brandon Billie |
| General manager | Brandon Billie (2018–20) |
| Head coach | Curtis Warren (2019–20) |
History
The Bulls were announced on February 23, 2012, by the GMHL.[1] They are the namesake of the old Bradford Bulls Junior C team that which became the Bradford Rattlers. The Ratters and Bulls play out of different arenas in Bradford, but gave the Rattlers a geographical rival.
The Bradford Bulls first regular season game was on September 16, 2012, in Bradford, Ontario. The game was on the road against the cross-town rivals the Bradford Rattlers. The game resulted in a 6–2 loss for the Bulls but had its first goal in franchise history scored by Clint Zumer, and assisted by Justin Tucker. On September 26, 2012, the Bulls would pick up their first franchise victory defeating the Lefroy Wave at home, 9–7. Donald Oldreive made 41 saves to pick up the victory.[2]
On March 26, 2013, the Bradford Bulls won the GMHL playoffs in a 4-games-to-1 series victory against their hometown rival and defending champion Bradford Rattlers. The Bulls finished the regular season in first place in the South Division, fourth overall and three points out of second. They faced the Knights of Meaford in the first round and swept them 3-games-to-none. In the second round, they swept territorial rival Alliston Coyotes 3-games-to-none. Instead of a division final, the league elected to do a divisional crossover and the Bulls had to face the second seed from the North, the Temiscaming Royals. The Bulls took the series in a four-game sweep and were set to face the Rattlers in a "Sidewalk Series" as they knocked off the first seeded Seguin Huskies. Although the Rattlers gave the Bulls their only loss of the playoffs, it was not enough as the Bulls took their first league title after only two years of existence.
Season-by-season standings
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | Regular Season Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | 42 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 182 | 195 | 42 | 8th GMHL | Lost Division Semi-finals |
| 2013–14 | 42 | 32 | 6 | — | 4 | 226 | 109 | 68 | 4th GMHL | Won League |
| 2014–15 | 42 | 12 | 29 | — | 1 | 144 | 221 | 25 | 5th South-Central Div. 15th GMHL | Lost Conference Elimination |
| 2015–16 | 42 | 25 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 226 | 168 | 54 | 4th Central Div. 12th GMHL | Lost Division Quarter-finals |
| 2016–17 | 42 | 19 | 20 | 0 | 3 | 181 | 172 | 41 | 7th of 10, North Div. 14th of 21, GMHL | Lost Division Quarter-finals |
| 2017–18 | 42 | 28 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 235 | 165 | 56 | 5th of 12, South Div. 9th of 21, GMHL | Lost in Division Semi-finals |
| 2018–19 | 42 | 18 | 20 | 0 | 4 | 194 | 181 | 40 | 7th of 10, North Div. 15th of 22, GMHL | Lost in Division Quarter-finals |
| 2019–20 | 42 | 29 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 180 | 140 | 59 | 3rd of 10, North Div. 6th of 23, GMHL | Lost in Division Semi-finals |
| 2020–21 | Lost season due to COVID-19 pandemic | |||||||||
| 2021–22 | 38 | 25 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 154 | 109 | 54 | 3rd of 10, North Div. 6th of 19, GMHL | Won division Quarters, 2-0 (Rockhounds) Won Division Semi-finals, 3-2 (Bradford Rattlers) Lost division finals, 0-4 (Temiscaming Titans) |
| 2022–23 | 42 | 31 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 250 | 117 | 65 | 3rd of 9, North Div. 5th of 16, GMHL | Won division Quarters, 2-0 (Northumberland Stars) Won Division Semi-finals, 3-0 (Durham Roadrunners) Lost division finals, 1-4 (North York Renegades) |
Playoffs
- 2013
- Bradford Bulls defeated Toronto Canada Moose 3-games-to-1 in division quarter-finals
- Orangeville Americans defeated Bradford Bulls 3-games-to-1 in division semi-finals
- 2014
- Bradford Bulls defeated Knights of Meaford 3-games-to-none in division quarter-finals
- Bradford Bulls defeated Alliston Coyotes 3-games-to-none in division semi-finals
- Bradford Bulls defeated Temiscaming Titans 4-games-to-none in crossover series
- Bradford Bulls defeated Bradford Rattlers 4-games-to-1 in finals
- Russell Cup Champions
- 2015
- Orangeville Americans defeated Bradford Bulls 6–5 (game) in Conference Elimination Round 1
- 2016
- Oshawa Riverkings defeated Bradford Bulls 3-games-to-none in division quarter-finals
- 2017
- Parry Sound Islanders defeated Bradford Bulls 3-games-to-none in division quarter-finals
- 2018
- Bradford Bulls defeated North York Renegades 2-games-to-1 in division quarter-finals
- St. George Ravens defeated Bradford Bulls 3-games-to-none in division semi-finals
- 2019
- Ville-Marie Pirates defeated Bradford Bulls 2-games-to-1 in division quarter-finals
- 2020
- Bradford Bulls defeated Bancroft Rockhounds 2-games-to-1 in division quarter-finals
- Bradford Rattlers defeated Bradford Bulls 3-games-to-2 in division semi-finals
League award winners
- Marshall Uretsky Award
- An annual award "to the player who is adjudged the most valuable player (MVP) in the regular season"
Tomi Taavitsainen 2014
- Tyler Fines Award
- An annual award "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the GMHL"
Zan Hobbs 2015
Sergei Bolshakov 2014.svg.png.webp)
Devon Gillham 2013
- Louis Ricci Award
- An annual award "to the forward who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest ability at the position"
- Tomi Taavitsainen 2014
- Al Donnan Award
- An annual award "to the goaltender adjudged to be the best at his position"
- Sergei Bolshakov 2014
Notable alumni
References
- "The Official Web Site - Bradford Bulls". Bradfordbulls.ca. 2012-02-10. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
- "Wrapper Game :: Greater Metro Jr. A Hockey League". Gmhl.net. 2012-09-26. Retrieved 2017-07-18.