Long Beach Bombers

The Long Beach Bombers were an Amateur Athletic Union-sanctioned Tier II junior ice hockey team in Western Division of the Western States Hockey League (WSHL). The team played their home games at The Rinks – Lakewood Ice in Lakewood, California.[1][2][3]

Long Beach Bombers
CityLakewood, California
LeagueWSHL
DivisionWestern
Founded1993
Folded2019
Home arenaThe Rinks - Lakewood Ice
ColorsBlack, white, gray, & blue
Franchise history
1993–1996Anaheim Jr. Ducks
1996–2006Southern California Jr. Bombers
2006–2010Bay City Bombers
2010–2019Long Beach Bombers

History

Before moving to Tier III Junior A hockey, the Bombers competed in Junior B hockey from 1994 until 2007 when the team and WSHL were upgraded to Tier III Jr. A status. In 2011, the league left USA Hockey sanctioning and joined the Amateur Athletic Union and in 2012, the AAU-sanctioned United Hockey Union. In 2015, the Bombers and the WSHL were promoted to Tier II under the AAU sanctioning.

Led by Dr. Don Thorne, the team was a founding member of the WSHL in 1993 as the Anaheim Jr. Ducks and won the first two Thorne Cup Championships of the league's existence. The franchise was then transferred to Ron White, a rink owner and president of the Southern California Bombers youth hockey programs, and the team became the Southern California Jr. Bombers in the 1996 offseason.[4] Like Dr. Thorne before him, White also became commissioner of the WSHL by 1998. The Bombers were also branded as the Bay City Bombers in 2006, and then revised their name once more becoming the Long Beach Bombers in 2010.

In 2019, White sold the Bombers to a new ownership group and was rebranded as the Long Beach Jets.[5] White then used the Bombers' branding to launch a new WSHL team in Barrhead, Alberta.[6] On August 12, the WSHL announced that the Jets ceased operations prior to the 2019–20 season.[7] The Bombers were the last founding franchise of the WSHL still playing in the league.

Season-by-season records
SeasonGPWLOTWOTLPtsGFGAPIMFinishPlayoffs
2010–11461826—238156179–6th of 8, Western
10th of 13, WSHL		Did not qualify
2011–12461627—33515723611925th of 6, Western
12th of 16, WSHL		Did not qualify
2012–13461925—24016522811296th of 6, Western
15th of 22 WSHL		Did not qualify
2013–14462818—05622817011334th of 6, Pacific
11th of 24, WSHL		Lost Div. Semifinals, 0–2 vs. Fresno Monsters
2014–15463313—06621514010443rd of 8, Western
9th of 28, WSHL		Lost Div. Quarterfinals, 1–2 vs. San Diego Gulls
2015–16523910—38124713513332nd of 8, Western
5th of 29, WSHL		Div. Quarterfinals bye
Won Div. Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Fresno Monsters
Won Div. Finals, 2–0 vs. Valencia Flyers
Lost Thorne Cup Semifinals, 0–2 vs. Idaho Jr. Steelheads
2016–1752465—1933651158711st of 8, Western
1st of 27, WSHL		Div. Quarterfinals bye
Won Div. Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Las Vegas Storm
Won Div. Finals, 2–0 vs. Valencia Flyers
1–2–0, 5th of 6, Thorne Cup round-robin
(L, 3–6 vs. Jr. Thunder; L, 0–6 vs. Mustangs; OTW, 3–2 vs. Flyers)
2017–18513611—4762631587021st of 6, Western
6th of 23, WSHL		Div. Quarterfinals bye
Won Div. Semifinals, 2–1 vs. Phoenix Knights
Won Div. Finals, 2–0 vs. Fresno Monsters
1–2–0, 4th of 6, Thorne Cup round-robin
(W, 4–1 vs. Rhinos; L, 2–4 vs. Mustangs; L, 1–5 vs. IceCats)
Lost Thorne Cup Semifinal game, 3–10 vs. Ogden Mustangs
2018–195135862119[lower-alpha 1]2621376531st of 5, Western
4th of 23, WSHL		Won Div. Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Ontario Avalanche
Won Div. Finals, 2–1 vs. Fresno Monsters
0–3–0–0, 5th of 6, Thorne Cup round-robin
(L, 1–6 vs. Aeros; L, 2–4 vs. Rhinos; L, 1–6 vs. Jr. Blazers)
  1. Beginning with the 2018–19 season, the WSHL began awarding 3pts for a win, 2pts for an overtime win, and 1pt for an overtime loss.

Alumni

The Bombers have had a number of alumni move on to higher levels of junior, college, and professional ice hockey.[8]

References
  1. http://www.calirubber.com/assets/200904April.pdf
  2. "Pointstreak Sites | Glacial Gardens | Home Page". Archived from the original on 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2010-06-11.
  3. "Junior Hockey Magazine - We Have Everything You Need". 23 December 2022.
  4. "WSHL History". WSHL. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  5. "Bombers to jets". WSHL. June 24, 2019.
  6. "2019-2020 WSHL DIVISIONAL NOTES". WSHL. August 12, 2019.
  7. @WSHLHockey (August 12, 2019). "The Long Beach Jets Hockey Club have chosen to cease operations prior to the 2019-2020 season. Specific details have not been divulged" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. "Western States Hockey League". Archived from the original on 2010-03-13. Retrieved 2010-06-11.


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