Bristol Pitbulls

The Bristol Pitbulls are an ice hockey team representing Bristol, England, currently playing in the NIHL National League. Following the closure of the Bristol ice rink in 2012, their home ice moved to Oxford Ice Rink. In October 2021, the team returned to Bristol, winning their first fixture on their new home ice at the Planet Ice rink at Cribbs Causeway.^[1]

Bristol Pitbulls
City	Bristol, England
League	NIHL
Division	National League
Founded	2009
Home arena	Planet Ice Bristol, Cribbs Causeway
Colors	Blue, White and Black
Owner(s)	Richie Hargreaves
Head coach	Bari McKenzie
Affiliates	Cardiff Devils, EIHL Oxford City Stars, NIHL 1 Bristol Pitbulls 2, NIHL 2 Bristol Huskies, WNIHL (Elite)
Website	Bristol Pitbulls
Franchise history
2009 - Present	Bristol Pitbulls

The team has an active official supporters' club, known as The Pack.

Club roster 2022–23

Source:^[2]

(*) Denotes a Non-British Trained player (Import)

Netminders
No.	Nat.	Player	Catches	Age	Place of birth	Acquired	Contract
31		William Kerlin	L	(2001-02-21) 21 February 2001 (age 23)	Bedford, England	2022 from Nottingham Panthers, EIHL	Two-Way
33		Ethan Frain		(2001-01-03) 3 January 2001 (age 23)	England	2022 from Swindon Wildcats 2	22/23
35		John Dibble		(1987-12-18) 18 December 1987 (age 36)	Market Lavington, England	2018 from Invicta Dynamos, NIHL 1	Two-Way
62		Tyler Perre	L	(2000-07-30) 30 July 2000 (age 24)	Swindon, England	2021 from Swindon Wildcats, NIHL	22/23

Defencemen
No.	Nat.	Player	Shoots	Age	Place of birth	Acquired	Contract
2		Daniel Bradley	R	(2004-06-24) 24 June 2004 (age 20)	Ascot, England	2022 from Bees IHC, NIHL	22/23
7		Edward Bradley	R	(2001-03-07) 7 March 2001 (age 23)	Wokingham, England	2022 from Bees IHC, NIHL	Two-Way
14		Tom Ralph	R	(1993-12-29) 29 December 1993 (age 30)	Hull, England	2022 from Invicta Dynamos, NIHL 1	22/23
23		Jacob White-Sey	L	(2005-05-15) 15 May 2005 (age 19)	Surrey, England	2022 from Slough Jets, NIHL 1	Two-Way
27		Reece Kelly	R	(2001-04-27) 27 April 2001 (age 23)	Fife, Scotland	2022 from IPK U20, Mestis U20	Two-Way
38		Jacob Minter	L	(2004-04-24) 24 April 2004 (age 20)	Nottingham, England	2022 from Slough Jets, NIHL 1	Two-Way
73		Sam Smith	R	(2001-09-02) 2 September 2001 (age 23)	Cardiff, Wales	2021 from Swindon Wildcats, NIHL	22/23
44		Joe Morris	L	(1995-04-09) 9 April 1995 (age 29)	Cardiff, Wales	2021 from Cardiff Fire, NIHL 1	22/23
96		Ben Solder	L	(2000-11-09) 9 November 2000 (age 24)	Chelmsford, England	2022 from Manchester Storm, EIHL	Two-Way

Forwards
No.	Nat.	Player	Shoots	Age	Place of birth	Acquired	Contract
4		Adam Harding	R	(1993-01-03) 3 January 1993 (age 31)	Cardiff, Wales	2022 from Basingstoke Bison, NIHL	23/24
10		Owen Sobchak*	L	(1993-05-08) 8 May 1993 (age 31)	Niagara Falls, ON, Canada	2022 from Brisbane Rampage, PHL
11		Sean Morris	R	2003 (age 19)	Nottingham, England	2022 from Provo Riverblades, USPHL	22/23
16		Jay Warren		(2001-03-09) 9 March 2001 (age 23)	England	2021 from Swindon Wildcats, NIHL	22/23
19		Elliot Lewis		(2001-12-31) 31 December 2001 (age 22)	England	2022 from Basingstoke Bison, NIHL	22/23
21		Tamás Éliás	L	(1996-04-21) 21 April 1996 (age 28)	Miskolc, Hungary	2021 from Bracknell Hornets, NIHL 1	22/23
32		Luke Smital	R	(2003-02-11) 11 February 2003 (age 21)	Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States	2022 from Slough Jets, NIHL 1	Two-Way
34		Bailey Hind-Pitcher	R	(2003-07-09) 9 July 2003 (age 21)	England	2021 from Swindon Wildcats, NIHL	22/23
54		Christian Mohr		(2003-07-31) 31 July 2003 (age 21)	England	2022 from Slough Jets, NIHL 1	Two-Way
71		Joshua Shaw	R	(2005-10-21) 21 October 2005 (age 19)	Frimley, England	2022 from Swindon Wildcats, NIHL	Junior
83		Steve Osman	R	(1987-08-17) 17 August 1987 (age 37)	Swindon, England	2021 from Solent Devils, NIHL 1	22/23
91		Mason Lipsey		(2001-10-02) 2 October 2001 (age 23)	England	2021 from Swindon Wildcats, NIHL	22/23
92		Caly Robertson	L	(2000-11-02) 2 November 2000 (age 24)	Kirkcaldy, Scotland	2022 from Dundee Stars, EIHL	22/23
94		Alex Roberts*	R	(1994-07-10) 10 July 1994 (age 30)	Burnaby, BC, Canada	2022 from Basingstoke Bison, NIHL	22/23

Team Staff
No.	Nat.	Player	Acquired	Role	Place of birth	Joined From
		Jamie Elson	2021-22	Head coach/General Manager	Cardiff, Wales	Okanagan Hockey Academy U18, England U18
4		Adam Harding	2022-23	Player-Assistant Coach	Cardiff, Wales	Basingstoke Bison, NIHL
		Steve Couzens	2009-10	Assistant coach	England
		Richie Hargreaves	2009-10	Director of Hockey Operations	Bristol, England	Oxford City Stars, ENL
		Matty Simpson	2022-23	Equipment Manager	England	Coventry Blaze, EIHL
		Charley Keen	2021-22	Physical Therapist	England	Great Britain, WC D2A (W)

2021/22 Outgoing

Outgoing
No.	Nat.	Player	Shoots	Date of birth	Place of birth	Leaving For
3		Bailey Perre	R	(2004-05-10) 10 May 2004 (age 20)	England	Leeds Knights, NIHL
6		Tom Asprey	R	(1991-03-04) 4 March 1991 (age 33)	Swindon, England	Bristol Pitbulls 2, NIHL 2
11		Oliver Shone	L	(1992-11-07) 7 November 1992 (age 32)	High Wycombe, England	Bristol Pitbulls 2, NIHL 2
17		Liam Coleman	L	(1999-04-29) 29 April 1999 (age 25)	Hereford, England	Solent Devils, NIHL 1
18		Loris Taylor	L	(1993-08-01) 1 August 1993 (age 31)	Swindon, England	Swindon Wildcats, NIHL
19		Tom Stephens	L	(2003-08-19) 19 August 2003 (age 21)	Milton Keynes, England	Oxford City Stars, NIHL 1
33		Aaron Moody	L	(2002-03-29) 29 March 2002 (age 22)	England	Oxford City Stars, NIHL 1
37		Richie Hargreaves	L	(1978-05-27) 27 May 1978 (age 46)	Bristol, England	Retired
82		Joe Llewellyn	R	(2002-06-28) 28 June 2002 (age 22)	England	Oxford City Stars, NIHL 1
96		Cain Russell	R	(2004-04-22) 22 April 2004 (age 20)	Portsmouth, England	Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings, USPHL Premier

History

Background

Bristol hadn't had an ice hockey team in the British senior leagues since the Bristol Bulldogs had folded after just one season in 1993. However, the Bristol Junior Ice Hockey Club had remained in place and was still producing players who would go on to play for senior teams elsewhere in the country.

One of those players was Richie Hargreaves, who had spent his career playing for teams in Cardiff, Swindon, Isle of Wight, Basingstoke, Slough and London. In the summer of 2008, Hargreaves initially decided to take some time away from playing with a view to setting up a senior team in Bristol the following season. However, due to the sacking of the coach at his brother Mike's team, the Oxford City Stars, Hargreaves was persuaded to continue playing, in addition to becoming a head coach for the first time, whilst working on his plans for the team that would become the Bristol Pitbulls.

On 13 December, a trial game against the Vectis Tigers was put on in Bristol Ice Rink to test the viability of running a senior team in the rink. Bristol won the game 13-9 in front of a crowd of 350.^[3] The evening was regarded as a success, and so a decision was taken to apply to put a team into the senior leagues for the 2009-10 season.

Initially, the English Ice Hockey Association offered the opportunity for the team to go straight into ENL South Division 1. However, with a lack of local players ready to play at that level, Hargreaves opted to start in Division 2, deciding that his team "wasn't ready" and that "building a strong franchise and fan-base were the most important objectives for the first year."^[4]

Inaugural season

Hargreaves spent the summer recruiting players for the team. With few local, experienced players, a result from the 16-year absence of senior hockey in the city, the team was largely filled with players from Bristol’s u18 and rec teams, along with inline hockey players from the region.

The Bristol Pitbulls played their first official game in a pre-season friendly at Bristol Ice Rink against Hargreaves' old club, the Oxford City Stars on 29 August 2009. While Bristol failed to win that game, and the return leg in Oxford the following night, the experience helped make sure the team were more ready for the start of the season.

Bristol's first competitive game saw the Vectis Tigers, now re-branded as the Wightlink Tigers, return to the city for an ENL2 Cup First Round match. A 9-3 win for Bristol set the tone for the season,^[5] as Pitbulls went on to lose only six times in their 32 games across both league and cup competitions.

It was the league which saw the team win their first title, after coming out top in a season-long battle against local rivals, the Swindon ENL Wildcats. Both teams tied on points, but Bristol's better record against their rivals earned them the tie-break. However, the close nature of the competition ensured that Bristol were forced to fight to the end. A 3-3 tie at home to the Invicta Mustangs, twice needing to come from behind in the game's dying minutes, providing the foundation required to seal the title against the Streatham Bruins in the Streatham Ice Arena.

Swindon would get their revenge in the Cup, however, winning both legs of the final.

Into Division 1

As winners of Division 2, the rules of competition at the time allowed Bristol to decide if they wanted to be promoted to Division 1. While winning Division 2 at the first attempt meant the decision needed to be made earlier than expected, Bristol elected to take their place in Division 1, as did the Swindon ENL Wildcats as Division 2 runners-up.

Bristol strengthened over the summer, bringing in players with experience in the higher leagues. They also took the opportunity to create a second feeder team in Division 2 for those players that were not felt to yet be ready to make the step up. However, both teams suffered a difficult first season in their leagues.

The Division 1 team swept their season-series against Swindon, a result that effectively prevented them from being relegated. But, they only found another three wins in the forty-game schedule and finished a distance off of the mid-table teams in second-last position. The Division 2 team finished bottom of their league after the team were docked the points from a home win over the Peterborough Islanders for playing an illegible player. The two points lost would have placed the team above the Streatham Bruins.

But, surviving that first season in Division 1 gave the team credibility, allowing them to attract more established players. The headline summer signing was Egidijus Bauba, the most capped player ever for the Lithuania national ice hockey team, from the Swindon Wildcats in the English Premier Ice Hockey League. As a result, Bristol were able to hold their own in the league, finishing sixth and qualifying for their first ever playoffs.

The Division 2 farm team also fared better, winning 9 of their 24 games to finish 10th out of 13 teams.

The biggest news came in January 2012 when it was announced that Bristol Ice Rink planned to close, leaving the team's future unclear as they closed out the season.

Having qualified for the playoffs, the Division 1 side faced the previous season's league champions, the Wightlink Raiders, in the first round. Bristol put up a strong performance, losing both games by two-goals each. The team's 8-6 defeat in the second leg would be the last senior game ever held in Bristol Ice Rink.^[6]

Life without a rink

Hoping that the ice rink closure could be delayed, Bristol decided to continue into the 2012-13 season. However, a compromise was accepted where the team would only play in the re-branded National Ice Hockey League South Division 2. Furthermore, they backloaded their fixture list so that all of their home games would be in the second half of the season.

In the end, there would be no reprieve for the rink, and so Bristol were forced to find ice time elsewhere in order to stay in operation. Home games were played in Swindon, Oxford, Basingstoke and Solihull as the team spent the entire season playing catch up in the schedule. The team were the last to fall out of the title chase, leaving the Oxford City Stars as champions. Slightly deflated, Bristol struggled in their remaining games, eventually finishing in fourth.

Having survived a first season on the road, the team agreed to keep on playing until a new rink was built in their own city. Regular ice time was found in Oxford Ice Rink which gave the team some stability and allowed them to put together their best season since their inaugural season in 2009. The team would have a strong fight all season long against their cohabitants in Oxford. Stars would win that season-long series 3 games to 2, including a 3-1 defeat in the Cup Final in Oxford.^[7]

In one of the tightest races in the league's history with five teams still in with a chance of winning with two weeks left, Bristol eventually finished in third place. They had the best record against the teams in the top half of the table, including a season-sweep against the runners-up, the Slough Jets. Ultimately, it would be dropped points against the weaker teams that would cost Bristol the championship.

The 2014-15 season started with the promise that the previous season could be built upon. But, a win against the Basingstoke Buffalo in September would be their last of the year as the team went on a disastrous streak of seven games without a win.

Bristol strengthened over the Christmas break, bringing in Steve Osman and Jamie Newton back to the club after both had been playing for Division 1 teams earlier in the season. Both had an immediate impact and Bristol would go on to go unbeaten in the second half of the season. The run would see the team win the Western Conference in their last game of the season against the Wightlink Tigers. The Peterborough Islanders were dispatched with ease in the playoff semi-finals to set up a final between the conference winners, after Slough had easily beaten Basingstoke in the other semi-final.

A 4-0 shut-out in their home leg, played in Swindon, gave Bristol control of the series and their first ever double after winning the second leg 5-4.

The following two seasons, were a disappointment, however. The team never really got going, missing out on the playoffs and only scraping into the cup semi-finals in their last qualification game in 2015-16 and then failing to qualify for the cup semi-finals and losing 14-6 to the Peterborough Islanders on aggregate in the playoff semi-finals.

Home Again

On 30 October 2021, after 3492 days since they played in Bristol, Goaltender John Dibble led the Pitbulls onto their new home ice to face the Romford Raiders at the Ice Planet rink at Cribbs Causeway. Bristol's Jay Warren was the first scorer in a 6-1 win.

In March 2022, it was announced that the Pitbulls would be moving to the NIHL National League in the 2022/23 season.^[8]

Franchise records

(as of 29 Nov 2021)

Club Honours

• 2009-10 ENL South Division 2 Champions
• 2011-12 John Nike Cup Champions
• 2014-15 NIHL South Division 2 Western Conference Champions
• 2014-15 NIHL South Division 2 Playoff Champions
• 2022-23 NIHL South Division 2 Champions

Club Records

Club records cover both the Bristol Pitbulls and their second, development team.

• Most games without defeat: 20 (January 2015 - October 2015)
• Most goals scored by both teams in a game: 26 (6-20 @ Solent Junior Devils, 15 March 2020)
• Most goals scored by Pitbulls in a game: 21 (4-21 @ Lee Valley Lions, 6 February 2010)
• Biggest winning margin: 17 (4-21 @ Lee Valley Lions, 6 February 2010)
• Fewest goals scored by both teams in a game: 1 (0-1 v Slough Jets, 27 November 2021)
• Biggest losing margin: 15 (16-1 @ Solent & Gosport Devils, 19 September 2010)
• Most goals conceded in a game: 16 (16-1 @ Solent & Gosport Devils, 19 September 2010)
• Most shots without scoring in a game: 61 (0-1 v Slough Jets, 27 November 2021)

Player Records

Career Records

• Most games: 291, Richie Hargreaves
• Most goals: 185, Olly Shone
• Most assists: 301, Richie Hargreaves
• Most points: 441, Richie Hargreaves
• Most penalty minutes: 1041, Richie Hargreaves
• Most points by a defenceman: 134, Mike Hargreaves
• Most points by a netminder: 3, Ross Webster
• Longest goal-scoring streak: 10, Zach Dolphin (2019-20)
• Youngest player: 16 years and 3 days, Josh Shaw (24 October 2021 @ Oxford City Stars)
• Youngest goal scorer: 16 years and 23 days, Josh Shaw (13 November 2021 v Invicta Dynamos)
• Most career games without a goal (non-netminder): 35, Graham Chilcott

Season Records

• Most goals, all competitions: 33, Sam Hayman (2009-10)
• Most goals, league: 32, Steve Fisher (2011-12)
• Most assists, all competitions: 52, Richie Hargreaves (2009-10)
• Most assists, league: 46, Steve Osman (2011-12)
• Most points, all competitions: 83, Richie Hargreaves (2009-10)
• Most points, league: 72, Steve Osman (2011-12)
• Most penalty minutes, all competitions: 190, Alan Armour (2010-11)
• Most penalty minutes, league: 190, Alan Armour (2010-11)

Game Records

• Most goals: 6, Sam Hayman (v Romford Fury, 2009-10) and Adrian Smith (@ Wightlink Tigers, 2011-12)
• Most assists: 9, Richie Hargreaves (@ Lee Valley Lions, 2009-10)
• Most points: 10, Richie Hargreaves (@ Lee Valley Lions, 2009-10)

Season-by-Season Record

Season	Competitions	GP	W	T	L	Pts	GF	GA	Finish	Playoffs
2009-10	ENL South Division 2	20	17	2	1	36	140	54	Champions
	ENL South Division 2 Cup	8	6	0	2	12	53	33		Runners-up
2010-11	ENL South Division 1	40	7	2	31	16	137	270	10th	Did not qualify
	ENL South Division 2	24	3	1	20	7	65	167	13th
2011-12	ENL South Division 1	36	13	4	19	30	150	181	6th	First round
	ENL South Division 2	24	9	2	13	20	114	132	10th
2012-13	NIHL South Division 2	22	12	3	7	27	109	98	4th
2013-14	NIHL South Division 2	22	14	2	6	30	111	76	3rd
	NIHL South Division 2 Cup	6	5	0	1	10	34	16		Runners-up
2014-15	NIHL South Division 2 Western Conference	16	11	2	3	24	96	38	Champions	Champions
	NIHL South Division 2 Cup	6	1	2	3	4	24	30		Did not qualify
2015-16	NIHL South Division 2 Western Conference	16	8	2	6	18	67	56	3rd	Did not qualify
	NIHL South Division 2 Cup	6	3	1	2	7	30	26		Lost semi-final
2016-17	NIHL South Division 2 Western Conference	16	7	4	5	20	72	55	2nd	Lost semi-final
	NIHL South Division 2 Cup	6	3	1	2	7	25	20		Did not qualify
2017-18	NIHL South Division 2	26	10	2	14	22	103	104	7th	Lost quarter-final
2018-19	NIHL South Division 2	28	12	3	13	27	118	121	9th	Did not qualify
2019-20	NIHL South Division 2 Western Conference	19	10	0	9	20	117	81	3rd	Postseason cancelled
	NIHL South Division 2 Cup	6	4	0	2	8	28	23	2nd	No playoffs held
Season	Competitions	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	GF	GA	Finish	Playoffs
2020-21	NIHL 1 South	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		Season not played
2021-22	NIHL 1 South	32	17	11	2	40	140	108	3rd	Lost semi-final
2022-23	NIHL	56	15	35	6	36	200	291	9th	Did not qualify
2023-24	NIHL	54	10	40	4	24	161	321	11th	Did not qualify

References

1. "Bristol Pitbulls fixtures 2021-22". Bristol Pitbulls. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
2. "Bristol Pitbulls Roster 2022-23". Elite Prospects. Elite Prospects. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
3. "Bristol Pitbulls enjoy a winning return to the ice". Evening Post. Bristol News and Media. 16 December 2009. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
4. "Bristol Pitbulls turn down place in Div 1". Evening Post. Bristol News and Media. 9 June 2009. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
5. "Bristol Pitbulls start with a win double over Wightlink Tigers". Evening Post. Bristol News and Media. 8 September 2009. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
6. "I'm optimistic it is not the end, says Hargreaves". Evening Post. Bristol News and Media. 11 April 2012.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
7. "Cup final defeat will make us stronger, says Bristol Pitbulls coach Richie Hargreaves". Bristol Post. Bristol News and Media. 2 April 2014. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
8. Hatton, Louis (1 March 2022). "PRESS RELEASE". Retrieved 24 August 2022.

External links

• Bristol Pitbulls homepage
• Bristol Pitbulls Official Podcast on SoundCloud