Amarillo Bulls
| Amarillo Bulls | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Amarillo, Texas |
| League | NAHL |
| Division | South |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Home arena | Amarillo Civic Center |
| Colors | Scarlet red, navy blue, and gold |
| Owner(s) | Consolidated Sports Holdings USA, Inc. (Bill Yuill, CEO; Gary Gelinas, President) |
| General manager | Rick Matchett (2013–14) |
| Head coach | Rocky Russo (2017–18)[1] |
| Media | Denis Puska |
| Franchise history | |
| 2008–2010 | Albert Lea Thunder |
| 2010–present | Amarillo Bulls |
| Championships | |
| Playoff championships | Robertson Cup 1 (2012–13) |
The Amarillo Bulls are a Tier II junior ice hockey team based in Amarillo, Texas. A member of the North American Hockey League's South Division, the team plays its home games in the Amarillo Civic Center.[2]
History
The franchise joined the NAHL as the Albert Lea Thunder, located in Albert Lea, Minnesota, in 2008. During the second season, issues with ownership forced the league to step in to keep the team playing.[3] On May 11, 2010, it was reported that the team had found new owners and would relocate to Texas for the 2010–11 season.[4] Their franchise and roster were officially sold to the Amarillo ownership on May 26, 2010. On June 18, the team announced the new name, logo and colors of the team after a name-the-team contest.[5]
The Amarillo Bulls announced their inaugural coach as Denis Williams, former NCAA Division I coach at Bowling Green.[6] On May 13, 2013, the Bulls captured their first Robertson Cup Championship defeating the Wenatchee Wild 5–0 in the championship game. Following the 2013–14 season, coach Williams was named as the head coach of the expansion Bloomington Thunder of the United States Hockey League, a Tier I team and a recent addition to the Consolidated Sports Holdings portfolio.
Season-by-season records
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albert Lea Thunder | ||||||||||
| 2008–09 | 58 | 4 | 49 | 5 | 13 | 112 | 309 | 1,497 | 5th of 5, Central | Did not qualify |
| 2009–10 | 58 | 19 | 34 | 5 | 43 | 153 | 231 | 1,345 | 4th of 5, Central | Lost in 1st Round |
| Amarillo Bulls | ||||||||||
| 2010–11 | 58 | 36 | 16 | 6 | 78 | 209 | 171 | 1,637 | 2nd of 6, South | Lost Robertson Cup Semifinal |
| 2011–12 | 60 | 46 | 7 | 7 | 99 | 263 | 136 | 1,550 | 1st of 7, South | Lost Robertson Cup Semifinal |
| 2012–13 | 60 | 46 | 7 | 7 | 99 | 248 | 118 | 1,268 | 1st of 6, South | Robertson Cup Champions |
| 2013–14 | 60 | 40 | 15 | 6 | 86 | 207 | 120 | 1,395 | 1st of 7, South | Lost in Division Finals |
| 2014–15 | 60 | 25 | 31 | 4 | 54 | 174 | 222 | 1,493 | 7th of 8, South | Did not qualify |
| 2015–16 | 60 | 13 | 43 | 4 | 30 | 133 | 218 | 1,211 | 6th of 6, South | Did not qualify |
| 2016–17 | 60 | 22 | 28 | 10 | 54 | 173 | 206 | 917 | 6th of 7, South | Did not qualify |
| 2017–18 | 60 | 23 | 26 | 11 | 57 | 166 | 193 | 1,333 | 5th of 6, South | Did not qualify |
Playoffs
- 2010
- First Round – Bismarck Bobcats defeated Albert Lea Thunder, 3-games-to-0
- 2011
- Division Semifinals – Amarillo Bulls defeated Texas Tornado, 3-games-to-1
- Division Finals – Amarillo Bulls defeated Topeka RoadRunners, 3-games-to-2
- Robertson Cup Round Robin – Amarillo Bulls (2-1) - Qualify for Semifinal Game (W, 5-2 vs. Warriors; W, 5-3 vs. RoadRunners; L, 1-2 vs. Ice Dogs)
- Robertson Cup Semifinal Game – Michigan Warriors defeated Amarillo Bulls, 6-2
- 2012
- Division Semifinals – Amarillo Bulls defeated Odessa Jackalopes, 3-games-to-1
- Division Finals – Amarillo Bulls defeated Topeka RoadRunners, 3-games-to-1
- Robertson Cup Round Robin – Amarillo Bulls (1-2) - Qualify for Semifinal (OTW, 3-2 vs. Tornado; L, 1-3 vs. Ice Dogs; L, 2-6 vs. Bobcats)
- Robertson Cup Semifinal Game – St. Louis Bandits defeated Amarillo Bulls, 3-2
- 2013
- Division Semifinals – Amarillo Bulls defeated Corpus Christi IceRays, 3-games-to-1
- Division Finals – Amarillo Bulls defeated Texas Tornado, 3-games-to-0
- Robertson Cup Round Robin – Amarillo Bulls (2-1) - Qualify for Championship Game (OTW, 2-1 vs. Ironmmen; OTW, 2-1 vs. Bobcats; L, 0-7 vs. Wild)
- Robertson Cup Final – Amarillo Bulls defeated Wenatchee Wild, 5-0
- Robertson Cup Champions
- 2014
- Division Semifinals – Amarillo Bulls defeated Wichita Falls Wildcats, 3-games-to-0
- Division Finals – Topeka RoadRunners defeated Amarillo Bulls, 3-games-to-2
References
- ^ "ROCKY RUSSO NAMED 4TH BULLS HEAD COACH IN FRANCHISE HISTORY". Amarillo Bulls. June 16, 2017.
- ^ "NAHL approves Amarillo, Texas membership". NAHL. May 20, 2010.
- ^ "NAHL finds Thunder guilty of pay-to-play". Albert Lea Tribune. November 20, 2009. Archived from the original on December 31, 2009.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Albert Lea, Mason City Lose NAHL Teams". KIMT. May 11, 2010. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Bulls stampede into Amarillo". NAHL. June 18, 2010.
- ^ "Williams named head coach in Amarillo". NAHL. June 16, 2010.