Guildford Flames
Encyclopedia
The Guildford Flames are an ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 team based in Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...

, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

 and their home ice is the Guildford Spectrum
Guildford Spectrum
Guildford Spectrum is a leisure complex in Guildford, Surrey, England. Owned by Guildford Borough Council, it was opened on 28 February 1993 at a cost of £28 million. It is the home of ice hockey team the Guildford Flames, and other sports clubs...

.

Founded in October 1992, the team played for many years in the British National League
British National League
The British National League is a defunct second-level professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague and above that of the...

. Following its dissolution at the end of the 2004/5 season, they have transferred to the English Premier Ice Hockey League
English Premier Ice Hockey League
The English Premier Ice Hockey League commonly abbreviated to EPIHL, or simply EPL, is a senior ice hockey league in England, and is run and administered by the English Ice Hockey Association...

 for the 2005/2006 season and clinched the league title in February 2006 after defeating reigning champions Milton Keynes Lightning
Milton Keynes Lightning
The Milton Keynes Lightning is an ice hockey team from Milton Keynes, England, currently playing in the semi-professional English Premier Ice Hockey League...

 on their own ice. The team's Head Coach is Paul Dixon
Paul Dixon (ice hockey)
Paul Dixon is an ice hockey defenceman, player-coach; from Sunderland, England. He is currently the Player/Head Coach of the Guildford Flames.- Playing career :...

 who took over as the teams Head Coach after Stan Marple
Stan Marple
Stan Marple , whose full name is Stanislaus Marple, was an ice hockey player and after twelve years in the British game he retired as coach of the Guildford Flames...

 retired at end of the 06/07 Season. Paul Dixon
Paul Dixon (ice hockey)
Paul Dixon is an ice hockey defenceman, player-coach; from Sunderland, England. He is currently the Player/Head Coach of the Guildford Flames.- Playing career :...

 played hockey at the now defunct Durham Wasps and Newcastle, before moving south to Guildford in 1999. Notable current Guildford players include captain David Longstaff
David Longstaff
David Longstaff is a British ice hockey forward. He is the team captain of the Guildford Flames of the English Premier Ice Hockey League....

, a member of the Senior GB National Team. Canadian stars David Oliver
David Oliver (ice hockey)
David Lee Oliver is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Oliver played several seasons in the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...

 and Jamie McLennan
Jamie McLennan
Jamie McLennan is a former professional ice hockey goaltender. He retired from playing in 2008 after spending a season with the Nippon Paper Cranes of Asia League Ice Hockey.-Playing career:...

 were both signed to Guildford during the 04/05 NHL lockout.

Formation

The team was initially owned by Barry Dow, an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 who already owned the Basketball team Guildford Kings
Guildford Kings
Guildford Kings was a successful British basketball franchise, most prominent in the British Basketball League during the early 1990s. They ceased operations at the end of the 1993-94 season....

, he owned the team along with Bill Hurley and the two were both new to the sport of ice hockey. The owners brought in Mike Urquhart
Mike Urquhart
Mike Urquhart is a retired Canadian ice hockey player, coach and General Manager. He played for the Nottingham Panthers, Oxford City Stars, Chelmsford Chieftains, Guildford Flames, Bracknell Bees and Milton Keynes Kings during the 1980s and 1990s. He was inducted to the British Ice Hockey Hall of...

 as Coach and Darrin Zinger as captain.

Key players signed for the first season included Canadians
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 Sean Murphy and Dave McGahan who had been transferred due to their high scoring at Solent Vikings
Wightlink Raiders
The Wightlink Raiders are an ice hockey team based in Ryde on the Isle of Wight, England. They are sponsored by Wightlink and play in the third-tier English National Ice Hockey League...

. In addition a number of British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 players including Goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...

 Mike Kellond, Forward Danny O'Hanlon and Defender Gary Shearer.

When the 23rd of January 1993 finally arrived and the Guildford Spectrum
Guildford Spectrum
Guildford Spectrum is a leisure complex in Guildford, Surrey, England. Owned by Guildford Borough Council, it was opened on 28 February 1993 at a cost of £28 million. It is the home of ice hockey team the Guildford Flames, and other sports clubs...

 opened, the event was a big one. Local newspaper the Surrey Advertiser
Surrey Advertiser
The Surrey Advertiser is a newspaper for Surrey, which was established in 1864. Guardian Media Group sold the paper to current owner Trinity Mirror in 2010...

 described the local council's £28million arena as "Awesome". Guildford's first game at their new home showing a convincing win with Andy Sparks scoring the first goal at the Spectrum. The team went to the top of the Conference due to that game, a position they were in for the whole season.

Unfortunately in their first season many of the defence men and Goaltender Kellond ran into injury problems, these were poorly timed occurring just before the start of the play-offs; however despite this Guildford still managed to gain a promotion for the following season.

The team was very popular in their first season, with the average attendance being over 2000 (capacity was 2200); and because of this positive reaction the team attracted local insurance company Cornhill as a sponsor along with Pepsi Cola as the shirt sponsor; the latter prompting a temporary name change to the Pepsi Guildford Flames between February and November 1993.

Season by season review

1993/94 Season

In their second season in the higher league was a lot tougher for the team. By march of the 1993/94 season the true impact of the club's financial problems was revealed, with players threatening to strike over unpaid wages; eventually a deal was completed allowing the club to complete its season fixtures. The team finished mid table, missing out on both promotion and relegation.

1994/95 Season

The 1994/95 season saw the club being taken over by new owners SportFact Ltd. led by banker John Hepburn
John Hepburn
John Hepburn, Prior of Saint Andrews was the son of Patrick Hepburn, 1st Lord of Hailes. He established Saint Leonards College at the University of St Andrews in 1512...

, Hepburn's sons were all in the Flames junior set-up and he befriended Flames stars Paul Thompson
Paul Thompson (ice hockey b. 1968)
Paul Thompson is a former Canadian ice hockey defenceman from Manitoba. He acquire British citizenship.Thompson played in the WHL for parts of 2 seasons between 1986 and 1988 for Brandon Wheat Kings, Swift Current Broncos, Prince Albert Raiders and New Westminster Bruins...

 and Ryan Campbell
Ryan Campbell
Ryan John Campbell is a former Australian cricketer who currently plays for ICL's Ahmedabad Rockets. Known as Cambo, he played for the Western Warriors as a wicket-keeper and as a quick-scoring right-handed batsman, often as an opener...

; they installed Ron Charbonneau as general manager and assigned him the task of taking the club to the Premier within three seasons. The club's roster was changed radically leaving only five players from the previous season.

Among highpoints of the third season was a draw with the Cardiff Devils
Cardiff Devils
The Cardiff Devils are a Welsh ice hockey team who play in the British Elite Ice Hockey League. The team currently plays in the temporary Cardiff Arena...

 at the time the most successful club in British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 Ice Hockey; however the club was alleged to have broken wage-capping rules, Flames subsequently won their case against this but the negative reputation of being a "Rich Club" has never been shifted.

1995/96 Season

The fourth season saw the team go from strength to strength, Guildford appointed Ivan Brown
Ivan Brown
Ivan Elmore Brown was an American bobsledder who competed in the 1930s. He won the gold medal in the two-man event at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.-References:*...

 (former Winnipeg Jets coach) as a new non-player coach. Flames' finished one place higher than in the previous season and made their first appearance in the Promotion playoffs. Finishing third in a playoff group so close that three more goals would have put them in first place. This was also the season which on Sunday 17 December 1995, saw Andy Sparks gets his number retired in a ceremony after a match with the Bracknell Bees
Bracknell Bees
The Bracknell Bees are an ice hockey team from Bracknell, Berkshire, UK.-Early years:The Bracknell Bees were formed in 1987, under the ownership of John Nike OBE. Bees began life in the Heineken League Division Two, under the leadership of former Durham Wasps and Nottingham Panthers forward, Jamie...

 at the Guildford Spectrum. In a fitting tribute in front of a full house, his no. 15 shirt was the first to be retired and hung from the rafters.

1996/97 Season

The 1996/97 season was a major change in British Ice Hockey with the launch of the ISL
Ice Hockey Superleague
The Ice Hockey Superleague was a professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom between 1996 and 2003. Formed in 1995, it replaced the Premier Division of the British Hockey League, it was the highest level of ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom...

. The Flames had advised setting up the new top league and then controversially at the time, didn't play in it; instead they played in the second tier British National League
British National League
The British National League is a defunct second-level professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague and above that of the...

. Unfortunately the season that began with optimism turned out not to be as successful with the Flames securing only third place after the play-offs.

1997/98 Season

The 1997/98 season after three seasons of failing to live up to their potential Flames’ were half way through their 5-year plan and crunch time was approaching. For the second season in a row the management trekked up the M4
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...

 in search of a coach, this time welcoming Stan Marple
Stan Marple
Stan Marple , whose full name is Stanislaus Marple, was an ice hockey player and after twelve years in the British game he retired as coach of the Guildford Flames...

, fresh from his all conquering season with the Swindon IceLords.

With major changes in the team winning became common place for the team, not only successful in the national league, they also showed the ISL
Ice Hockey Superleague
The Ice Hockey Superleague was a professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom between 1996 and 2003. Formed in 1995, it replaced the Premier Division of the British Hockey League, it was the highest level of ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom...

 - BNL
British National League
The British National League is a defunct second-level professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague and above that of the...

 gap was one that could be bridged with Challenge game wins over Basingstoke Bison
Basingstoke Bison
The Basingstoke Bison are an English Ice Hockey club from Basingstoke. They currently compete in the English Premier Ice Hockey League and have previously been members of the Ice Hockey Superleague and its successor the Elite Ice Hockey League- History :...

 and Nottingham Panthers
Nottingham Panthers
The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League...

; being the first ever defeats of Superleague teams from a British team not in the league.

The season also represented the Flames first testimonial match
Testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....

 with Darrin Zinger retiring from the club in a full time role.

1998/99 Season

The 1998/99 season was rocked by injury and various players leaving the club. The teams grip on the British National League
British National League
The British National League is a defunct second-level professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague and above that of the...

 slipped every game with more and more points being dropped. One of the reasons that the team was suffering so badly was the injury of Goaltender Jamey Organ which occurred during a Christmas Cup clash with Peterborough Pirates
Peterborough Pirates
Peterborough Pirates was an English ice hockey team. It was established in 1982, as the senior adult semi-professional team of the newly formed Peterborough Ice Hockey Club....

.

1999/00 Season

The 1999/00 season represented high spending for the club, but not much in the way of results; the team signed Team GB captain Ian Cooper
Ian Cooper (ice hockey)
Ian Edward Cooper is a retired British ice hockey player. He is a member of the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame and is the younger brother of fellow Hall of Fame member, Stephen Cooper.-Club:...

 from ISL side London Knights
London Knights
The London Knights are a junior ice hockey team from London, Ontario, Canada, playing in the Ontario Hockey League, one of the leagues of the Canadian Hockey League.-Early days–1968:...

. This season had a number of milestones Pete Kasowski and Derek DeCosty
Derek DeCosty
Derek DeCosty is a former American ice hockey forward from Clarksville, Tennessee.Noted for being a sniper, he began playing for RPI of the NCAA. He played 6 games in the AHL for Capital District Islanders in 1990-91. He then played 5 years in the ECHL for Winston-Salem Thunderbirds and Wheeling...

 scored their 100th goals; Stan Marple
Stan Marple
Stan Marple , whose full name is Stanislaus Marple, was an ice hockey player and after twelve years in the British game he retired as coach of the Guildford Flames...

 coached his 100th game.

2000/01 Season

The 2000/01 season had a change of uniform and colours for the team. The team claimed the Baker Tilly Shield beating the superleague's Bracknell Bees
Bracknell Bees
The Bracknell Bees are an ice hockey team from Bracknell, Berkshire, UK.-Early years:The Bracknell Bees were formed in 1987, under the ownership of John Nike OBE. Bees began life in the Heineken League Division Two, under the leadership of former Durham Wasps and Nottingham Panthers forward, Jamie...

; and the team went on to compete in the last ever Benson & Hedges Plate final where they lost out to the Basingstoke Bison
Basingstoke Bison
The Basingstoke Bison are an English Ice Hockey club from Basingstoke. They currently compete in the English Premier Ice Hockey League and have previously been members of the Ice Hockey Superleague and its successor the Elite Ice Hockey League- History :...

. The team went on the win the ntl: Cup beating Fife Flyers
Fife Flyers
The Fife Flyers, established in 1938, are the oldest ice hockey team in Scotland, and also in the United Kingdom, beating the Nottingham Panthers by 8 years...

 in the two leg final. The Flames were victorious in their home arena in front of a capacity crowd of screaming Bison and Flames fans in this finale to the British National League, which could not have been better scripted; Guildford won the game and the league. At the end of this season (Mr Guildford)Ryan Campbell
Ryan Campbell
Ryan John Campbell is a former Australian cricketer who currently plays for ICL's Ahmedabad Rockets. Known as Cambo, he played for the Western Warriors as a wicket-keeper and as a quick-scoring right-handed batsman, often as an opener...

 retired from the game and his #10 shirt was retired and hoisted to the rafters. During this season, former player and Junior coach Fred Perlini
Fred Perlini
Fred Perlini is a former Canadian NHL ice hockey centre. He was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1980.-Junior:...

 had his number 11 shirt retired.

2001/02 Season

The Flames began the 2001/2002 season like the previous season, with back-to-back games against the Bracknell Bees
Bracknell Bees
The Bracknell Bees are an ice hockey team from Bracknell, Berkshire, UK.-Early years:The Bracknell Bees were formed in 1987, under the ownership of John Nike OBE. Bees began life in the Heineken League Division Two, under the leadership of former Durham Wasps and Nottingham Panthers forward, Jamie...

; unfortunately it was the Berkshire side that won the two-leg series 8-3 on aggregate to take the Baker Tilly Shield back to Amen's Corner.

2002/03 Season

The 2002-2003 season saw the Flames finish in 3rd spot with 22 wins and 14 losses. The Flames finish was good enough for a playoff qualification, however, and they were pitted in Group B along with the explosive Dundee Stars, the Edinburgh Capitals and Fife Flyers. A solid Flames showing, losing just 2 of 6 playoff contests, launched them into the 2 leg playoff semi finals. Unfortunately, their second place playoff seeding put them up against the league champion Coventry Blaze
Coventry Blaze
Coventry Blaze are an ice hockey team based in Coventry, England. They currently compete in the British Elite Ice Hockey League .-Club history:...

, and 120 minutes of semi final hockey saw the Flames lose a 9-3 aggregate score

2003/04 Season

The 2003/04 season represented a change in the recruiting process; rather than a club with lots of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

n players, Stan Marple
Stan Marple
Stan Marple , whose full name is Stanislaus Marple, was an ice hockey player and after twelve years in the British game he retired as coach of the Guildford Flames...

 brought in more British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 and Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

n players. The team won the British National League play-offs.

2004/05 Season

Flames competed in the BNL
BNL
BNL may refer to:* Barenaked Ladies, a rock band from Canada* Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, an Italian bank* Block nested loop, an algorithm used to join data in a relational database* British National League, a defunct ice hockey league...

. They lost to Dundee Stars in the play-off final. During this season, Flames made 2 big signings while the NHL was locked out. David Oliver
David Oliver (ice hockey)
David Lee Oliver is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Oliver played several seasons in the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...

 the Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...

 forward signed and then Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in Sunrise, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their games at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise and are the...

 goalie Jamie McLennan
Jamie McLennan
Jamie McLennan is a former professional ice hockey goaltender. He retired from playing in 2008 after spending a season with the Nippon Paper Cranes of Asia League Ice Hockey.-Playing career:...

 also signed up.

2005/06 Season

The 2005/06 season saw the Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

 based side win most of their games, with a twenty game winning streak in the first two months of the season, before finally being defeated by Swindon Wildcats
Swindon Wildcats
The Swindon Wildcats are a professional ice hockey team based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. They are member of the English Premier Ice Hockey League . Since their inception, the Wildcats have played their home games at the 2800 capacity Link Centre. The club was founded in 1986, as the Swindon...

 away from home in their first meeting of the year. They went on to clinch the EPL Championship when they defeated the Milton Keynes Lightning on Saturday 11 February 2006 at the Planet Ice Arena.

2006/07 Season

The 2006/07 season saw the Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

 based club crowned EPL Cup winners after they defeated the Milton Keynes Lightning
Milton Keynes Lightning
The Milton Keynes Lightning is an ice hockey team from Milton Keynes, England, currently playing in the semi-professional English Premier Ice Hockey League...

 7-5 on aggregate. The first leg was held at the Guildford Spectrum
Guildford Spectrum
Guildford Spectrum is a leisure complex in Guildford, Surrey, England. Owned by Guildford Borough Council, it was opened on 28 February 1993 at a cost of £28 million. It is the home of ice hockey team the Guildford Flames, and other sports clubs...

 on Wednesday 28 February 2007 in front of 1,232 spectators and the Flames won the game 3-2. The second leg was played on Thursday 8 March 2007 and the Flames won another close encounter 3-4 in front of 1,026 spectators at the Planet Ice Arena to secure the win and Premier Cup bragging rights for 2006-2007. The Play-offs in Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...

 brought no riches, after their Preimer Cup Succees. After Rick Plant's Overtime winner against Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

 sealed a place in the final, against local rivals Bracknell Bees
Bracknell Bees
The Bracknell Bees are an ice hockey team from Bracknell, Berkshire, UK.-Early years:The Bracknell Bees were formed in 1987, under the ownership of John Nike OBE. Bees began life in the Heineken League Division Two, under the leadership of former Durham Wasps and Nottingham Panthers forward, Jamie...

, the Flames could not clinch the play-off title crashing out 3-2 on melting ice. This also marks the year of retirement of long time Flames coach Stanislaus (Stan) Marple in 10 years, he played 194 Games, scoring 15 Goals, assisting on 32, gaining 638 Pim's, coaching 614 games for Guildford and winning 396 of them, the Flames won ten Titles under his reign. On 4 March 2007 his number 3 was hoised into the rafters never to be worn again.

2007/08 Season
Guildford Flames Season 2007-08
During the 2007-08 season, Guildford Flames participated in the semi-professional English Premier Ice Hockey League. It was the 16th year of Ice Hockey played by the Guildford Flames and the first season Paul Dixon was head coach. They were crowned EPL League champions on the 9th March 2008...



Paul Dixon opened his coaching account with a win as the Guildford Flames handed the visiting Romford Raiders
Romford Raiders
The Romford Raiders are an ice hockey team based at the 1,500 seat Romford Ice Arena in Romford, Havering, east London. They were founder members of the EPIHL but now compete in the ENIHL. Their development team was the Romford Spitfires who played in Division 2 of the ENIHL before being succeeded...

 a 9-2 defeat in the opening game of the English Premier League. After that things started to nose dive as the flames failed to qualify for the knockout stage of the English Premier Cup. Often up until late October with half the squad out due to injury the flames struggled, and by mid-November had a 6-2-4 record. But with the signing of a fifth import, Canadian Taras Foremsky
Taras Foremsky
Taras Foremsky is a Canadian ice hockey forward from Calgary, Alberta.-Junior and college:Calgary born Foremsky began his hockey career in his local league, the Alberta Junior Hockey League , where he spent three seasons plying his trade with four different teams putting up 212 points...

., from the Peterborough Phantoms, the Flames rallied going unbeaten for over a month, winning 11 games, placing them top of the English Premier League. Over the New Year period, Guildford won a thrilling 4-3 home tie against Slough in front of 1921 fans at the Spectrum; and then delivered an impressive 4-0 win over visiting Bracknell, just their 3rd shutout of the season. The Flames continued this good run of form, with the exception of a patch in mid January, leaving them top of the table, in a pivotal weekend (16/17th of Feb.) the Flames beat 3rd placed Milton Keynes 5-1 and 2nd placed Slough Jets 6-2 leaving them top of the table by 4 points with 6 games remaining. The Flames reached the Knockout cup semi-final, but gave a poor display, losing 11-6 on aggregate to Milton Keynes. Heading into the second to last weekend, they knew that 2 wins from 4 remaining games would hand them the title. 1769 fans weren't disappointed as they enjoyed a 7-3 win in a very ill-tempered game with Romford. Josef Kohut had a hat-trick of goals and an assist earning him Man of the Match. On Sunday the Flames travelled to Telford and came away with a 6-1 win, crowning them EPL League Champions with one weekend to spare. The last weekend of the regular season saw the Flames thrash Swindon 7-2 and beat MK Lightning 5-3. It was their 11th consecutive league game win. The Flames opened the playoffs with a convincing 8-3 win at the Spectrum but then lost the following day 5-3 in Sheffield. The following weekend, the Flames got their 4th shutout of the season, winning 3-0 against Romford. The second of the 2 back-to-back games in Romford was postponed until Thursday 3 April, however, this didn't affect the players as they won 8-3 in a match with 181 penalty minutes. The Flames needed just 1 point to clinch a place in the finals. A perfect final weekend consisting of a 6-4 away win at Peterborough followed by a match which attracted the largest crowd of the season for the Flames (and therefore the league) with 2,022 witnessing the 4-3 win over visiting Sheffield. Despite these wins, Guildford finished 2nd in group A, behind Sheffield on the tie-break rule. The Flames lost to Slough 4-3 in the playoff finals.

2008/09 Season
Guildford Flames Season 2008-09
During the 2008-09 season, the Guildford Flames participated in the semi-professional English Premier Ice Hockey League. It was the 17th year of Ice Hockey played by the Guildford Flames and the second season under Paul Dixon as head coach....



After an indifferent start to the season with 3 wins and 3 losses, it was announced on the 9th October that the Flames would travel to Slovakia and take part in an exhibition against Extraliga side Poprad in a game opened by the Queen during her state visit to the country. Guildford struggled to find form up to the Christmas period where they remained top of the league, 2 points ahead of Peterborough. However, every other team in the league was playing catch-up (Peterborough with 4 games in hand). By late January the inevitable had taken place with too many dropped points resulting in Peterborough moving up to lead the table, and still with 4 games in hand. A mixed January included the loss of veteran defenseman Mark Williams, who returned to Romford, but culminated in a convincing 8-2 win in front of 2,124 fans was a fitting result to end a game in which Jozef Kohut returned with the Swindon Wildcats. Poor results in February saw Guildford lose too much ground on Peterborough and Milton Keynes. It was obvious that back-to-back titles would not be enjoyed.

2009/10 Season
2009–10 Guildford Flames season
During the 2009-10 season, the Guildford Flames participated in the semi-professional English Premier Ice Hockey League. It was the 18th year of ice hockey played by the Guildford Flames and the third season under Paul Dixon as head coach....



It was all change during the off-season with many players moving on. Many high-profile replacements were announced, including Gary Clarke and Nathan Rempel, and culminated in the signing of Martin Masa
Martin Máša
Martin Máša is a Czech ice hockey left winger who plays for Bracknell Bees in the English Premier Ice Hockey League. He has previously played for teams in France, England, Czech Republic, and North America.-Trivia:...

 from Grenoble
Brûleurs de loups
The Brûleurs de loups are a professional ice hockey team that resides in Grenoble, France.-History:The name comes from an event recorded by Cardinal LeCamus in 1672 at St Christophe en Oisans, see the book from Thomas Pfeiffer, Le Brûleur de loups, Lyon, 2004, and Sur les traces des brûleurs de...

. Masa and Smital
Lukáš Smítal
Lukáš Smítal is a Czech ice hockey right winger who currently plays for the Bracknell Bees in the English Premier Ice Hockey League...

 had been teammates in five previous teams.

2010/11 Season

The 2010/11 season saw the team bolster its ranks of British players with the addition of Matt Towe, Ben Campbell and David Longstaff, who was team captain from the outset. Slovak Miroslav Hala was a high profile member of the team, carrying all early season netminding duties while Mark Lee recovered from surgery. The team enjoyed a significant winning record throughout the season, but a few losses against lower placed teams ultimately left them a close second in league standings. The team reached the cup semi-finals against Slough Jets, but a bad third period in the first leg effectively decided the result.
With netminder Mark Lee recovered, he backstopped the team to 17 consecutive wins to end the season as playoff champions, the teams first success at the EPL finals weekend in Coventry.

Club honours

  • Season 2010/11
    • English Premier League Playoff Champions
  • Season 2009/10
    • English Premier Cup
  • Season 2007/08
    • English Premier League Champions
  • Season 2006/07
    • English Premier Cup
  • Season 2005/06
    • English Premier League Champions
  • Season 2003/04
    • British National League
      British National League
      The British National League is a defunct second-level professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague and above that of the...

       Play-off Champions
  • Season 2000/01
    • Christmas Cup Winners
    • British National League
      British National League
      The British National League is a defunct second-level professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague and above that of the...

       Champions
    • British National League
      British National League
      The British National League is a defunct second-level professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague and above that of the...

       Play-off Champions
  • Season 1998/99
    • Benson & Hedges Plate Winners
  • Season 1997/98
    • British National League
      British National League
      The British National League is a defunct second-level professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague and above that of the...

       Southern Conference Winners
    • British National League
      British National League
      The British National League is a defunct second-level professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague and above that of the...

       Winners
    • British National League
      British National League
      The British National League is a defunct second-level professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague and above that of the...

       Play-off Champions
  • Season 1996/97
    • Benson & Hedges Plate Winners

Team Logo and Jersey

The team logo is very similar to that of the Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...

 of the NHL. The team jersey's are also those used by former NHL team Atlanta Thrashers
Atlanta Thrashers
The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season...

 from 1999 to 2006 (with logos replaced and advertisements added). This is an ironic pairing since the Calgary Flames were originally the Atlanta Flames
Atlanta Flames
The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA from 1972 to 1980. The team, a member of the National Hockey League , was relocated to Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the start of the 1980–81 NHL season and were re-named the Calgary Flames. The NHL returned to the...

.
The Flames' inaugural season began in October 1992; they began in the English League Division One, which at the time was the starting place for all new names. With the Guildford Spectrum
Guildford Spectrum
Guildford Spectrum is a leisure complex in Guildford, Surrey, England. Owned by Guildford Borough Council, it was opened on 28 February 1993 at a cost of £28 million. It is the home of ice hockey team the Guildford Flames, and other sports clubs...

 not yet completed, the team had to train at Slough
Slough Jets
Slough Jets are an ice hockey team from Slough, Berkshire, England. They are the current English Premier Ice Hockey League Cup champions for the 2010–11 season. The team was founded in 1986 after the construction of the Slough Ice Arena in Montem Lane in Slough. With the help of Gary Stefan who...

 with kind permission of Gary Stefan
Gary Stefan
Gary Stefan is a retired ice hockey player and coach. He played for Streatham Redskins between 1981 and 1987 before joining Slough Jets, whom he played for until he retired at the end of the 1998–99 season. He also played for the Great Britain national ice hockey team at three world...

. The Flames played their "home" games at Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is a building in North London, England. It stands in Alexandra Park, in an area between Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green...

 until their new home ice was ready and played their for the first time on 23 January 1993.

Management

  • CEO   Rob Hepburn
  • Commercial Manager   Kirk Humphreys

Coaching staff

  • Head Coach   Paul Dixon
    Paul Dixon (ice hockey)
    Paul Dixon is an ice hockey defenceman, player-coach; from Sunderland, England. He is currently the Player/Head Coach of the Guildford Flames.- Playing career :...

  • Assistant/Equipment Manager   Dave Wiggins
  • Assistant Coach/Bench Coach   Milos Melicherik
    Milos Melicherik
    Miloš Melicherík is a Slovakian ice hockey forward from Považská Bystrica. Currently playing for Guildford Flames of the EPIHL.-Playing career:...


Goaltenders

  • 1   Mark Lee
  • 34   Miroslav Hala

Forwards

  • 8   Rob Lamey
  • 14   Stuart Potts
  • 16   Nathan Rempel
    Nathan Rempel
    Nathan Rempel is a professional ice hockey player, who plays for Guildford Flames.-Career:Rempel left on 27 April 2009 the Peterborough Phantoms and signed for the up-coming season with Guildford Flames....

  • 17   Ricky Plant
    Ricky Plant
    Rick Plant is a British ice hockey player from Telford, UK. He plays right wing.Note: Plant, pictured below right, is the goal scorer.- Career :Rick Plant began his career with local side Telford Tigers in 1994...

  • 21   Milos Melicherik
    Milos Melicherik
    Miloš Melicherík is a Slovakian ice hockey forward from Považská Bystrica. Currently playing for Guildford Flames of the EPIHL.-Playing career:...

  • 25   David Longstaff
    David Longstaff
    David Longstaff is a British ice hockey forward. He is the team captain of the Guildford Flames of the English Premier Ice Hockey League....

  • 28   Martin Masa
    Martin Máša
    Martin Máša is a Czech ice hockey left winger who plays for Bracknell Bees in the English Premier Ice Hockey League. He has previously played for teams in France, England, Czech Republic, and North America.-Trivia:...

  • 32   Lukas Smital
    Lukáš Smítal
    Lukáš Smítal is a Czech ice hockey right winger who currently plays for the Bracknell Bees in the English Premier Ice Hockey League...

  • 48   Ben Campbell
    Ben Campbell
    Ben Campbell may refer to:* Ben Nighthorse Campbell, U.S. Senator from Colorado* Ben Campbell , , bassist for rock bands Atlas and Zed* Ben Campbell, a character in the 2008 film 21...

  • 74   Matt Towe

Defenders

  • 4   Neil Liddiard
  • 6   David Savage
  • 22   Paul Dixon
    Paul Dixon (ice hockey)
    Paul Dixon is an ice hockey defenceman, player-coach; from Sunderland, England. He is currently the Player/Head Coach of the Guildford Flames.- Playing career :...

  • 29   Joe Graham
  • 82   Jez Lundin

All-Time Scorers List

Correct up to End of 2009/10 Season. This is the All-time top 20 Point scorers list for the Guildford Flames:

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty Minutes; # =Active Flames Player
Player Seasons GP G A Pts PIM
Ryan Campbell    1993–2001 474 373 543 916 397
Milos Melicherik
Milos Melicherik
Miloš Melicherík is a Slovakian ice hockey forward from Považská Bystrica. Currently playing for Guildford Flames of the EPIHL.-Playing career:...

    #
2003- 398 183 395 578 528
Ricky Plant
Ricky Plant
Rick Plant is a British ice hockey player from Telford, UK. He plays right wing.Note: Plant, pictured below right, is the goal scorer.- Career :Rick Plant began his career with local side Telford Tigers in 1994...

    #
1997–1998, 1999–2004, 2005- 663 226 339 565 575
Derek DeCosty
Derek DeCosty
Derek DeCosty is a former American ice hockey forward from Clarksville, Tennessee.Noted for being a sniper, he began playing for RPI of the NCAA. He played 6 games in the AHL for Capital District Islanders in 1990-91. He then played 5 years in the ECHL for Winston-Salem Thunderbirds and Wheeling...

  
1996-1997 & 1998-2003 338 262 209 471 255
Fred Perlini
Fred Perlini
Fred Perlini is a former Canadian NHL ice hockey centre. He was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1980.-Junior:...

   
1994–1997 167 256 182 438 164
Paul Dixon
Paul Dixon (ice hockey)
Paul Dixon is an ice hockey defenceman, player-coach; from Sunderland, England. He is currently the Player/Head Coach of the Guildford Flames.- Playing career :...

    #
1999- 619 83 342 425 380
Paul Thompson
Paul Thompson (ice hockey b. 1968)
Paul Thompson is a former Canadian ice hockey defenceman from Manitoba. He acquire British citizenship.Thompson played in the WHL for parts of 2 seasons between 1986 and 1988 for Brandon Wheat Kings, Swift Current Broncos, Prince Albert Raiders and New Westminster Bruins...

   
1993–1999 356 163 247 410 851
Terry Kurtenbach
Terry Kurtenbach
Terry Kurtenbach is a Canadian-British former ice hockey player from defenceman. He spent his entire professional career playing in the United Kingdom....

   
1994–1999 307 128 253 381 272
Rob Lamey    # 1996-2002 & 2006- 516 150 221 371 287
Rob Friesen
Rob Friesen
Rob Friesen is a Canadian former ice hockey player from Winnipeg, Manitoba.-External links:...

   
1993–1995 108 162 185 347 66
Jozef Kohut
Jozef Kohut
Jozef Kohut is a Slovakian ice hockey player from Trenčín, Slovakia.- The First Decade :During the 93/94 season Kohut made his debut for the Trenčín senior team and his consistent performances in the juniors earned him a place on the 1993 Slovakian European Junior championships team...

   
2003–2008 245 188 155 343 675
Barcley Pearce
Barcley Pearce
Barlcey Pearce is a former Canadian ice hockey forward from Edmonton, Alberta.-Junior:Pearce began playing for Sherwood Park Crusaders in the AJHL. In 1989-90 he played 13 times in the WHL junior league for the Spokane Chiefs recording 2 assists.-College:In 1990, Pearce started college at...

   
1997–2001 180 148 184 332 200
Stuart Potts    # 2004- 343 92 192 284 153
Sean Murphy
Sean Murphy
Sean Murphy may refer to:* Sean Murphy , cartoonist* Sean Murphy , professor at Royal Holloway, University of London* Seán Murphy , retired Irish football player...

   
1992–1993 40 117 163 280 46
Peter Kasowski
Peter Kasowski
Peter Kasowski is a Canadian former ice hockey and roller hockey player from Edmonton, Alberta. He was drafted by the Hartford Whalers of the NHL in 1989.-Junior career:...

   
1997–2000 177 124 154 278 120
Dave McGahan    1992–1993 40 138 124 262 86
Darrin Zinger   /  1992-1994 & 1995-1998 241 101 149 250 205
Lukas Smital
Lukáš Smítal
Lukáš Smítal is a Czech ice hockey right winger who currently plays for the Bracknell Bees in the English Premier Ice Hockey League...

   #
2007- 161 97 141 238 152
Ollie Bronnimann   /  2005–2009 239 99 101 200 194
Karry Biette    1999–2001 120 88 110 198 251

  • Most Games Played: #17 Rick Plant (633)
  • Most Goals: #10 Ryan Campbell (373)
  • Most Goals (British): #17 Rick Plant (226)
  • Most Goals by a Defender: #16 Paul Thompson (163)

  • Most Assists: #10 Ryan Campbell (543)
  • Most Assists (British): #22 Paul Dixon (342)
  • Most Assists by a Defender: #22 Paul Dixon (342)

  • Most Points: #10 Ryan Campbell (916)
  • Most Points (British): #17 Rick Plant (565)
  • Most Points by a Defender: #22 Paul Dixon (425)

  • Most PiMs: #25 Vaclav Zavoral (1031)

All-Time Goalies

Top 7 Flames Goalies with 10 or more Starts (based on Save %). As of the end of the 2009/10 Season.

Note: GS = Games started; M = Minutes Played; SOG = Shots Faced; GA = Goals Against; SV% = % of shots saved; SO = Shut Outs; GAA = Average Goals Against per game; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime Loss; # =Active Flames Player
Player Seasons GS M SOG GA SV% SO GAA W L T OTL
Jamie McLennan
Jamie McLennan
Jamie McLennan is a former professional ice hockey goaltender. He retired from playing in 2008 after spending a season with the Nippon Paper Cranes of Asia League Ice Hockey.-Playing career:...

   
04-05 10 570 288 21 92.71 0 2.21 6 3 0 1
Mark Lee
Mark Lee
Mark Lee may refer to:*Mark Lee , Australian actor and director*Mark Lee , American novelist, playwright and journalist*Mark Lee , former NFL player...

    #
09- 27 1558:05 770 58 92.46 3 2.22 18 6 1 1
Mark McArthur    00-02 123 7249 3861 311 91.95 8 2.57 81 31 4 6
Joe Watkins
Joe Watkins
Joe Watkins is an English ice hockey goaltender from Durham.He plays for Guildford Flames of the English Premier Ice Hockey League...

   
05-09 204 11723:19 6385 527 91.75 9 2.7 136 50 8 8
Miroslav Bielik    04-05 58 3469 1900 165 91.32 6 2.85 26 26 3 3
Stevie Lyle
Stevie Lyle
Stevie Lyle is a British professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Cardiff Devils of the Elite Ice Hockey League and the Great Britain national ice hockey team.-Playing career:...

   
03-04 67 4033 1832 161 91.21 5 2.40 42 21 4 0
Tom Annetts    04-07 29 1958 943 89 90.56 3 2.73 20 8 1 0

Retired numbers

The retired numbers at the Guildford Flames are:
  • 3   Stan Marple
    Stan Marple
    Stan Marple , whose full name is Stanislaus Marple, was an ice hockey player and after twelve years in the British game he retired as coach of the Guildford Flames...

  • 10   Ryan Campbell
  • 11   Fred Perlini
    Fred Perlini
    Fred Perlini is a former Canadian NHL ice hockey centre. He was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1980.-Junior:...

  • 9   Terry Kurtenbach
    Terry Kurtenbach
    Terry Kurtenbach is a Canadian-British former ice hockey player from defenceman. He spent his entire professional career playing in the United Kingdom....

  • 15   Andy Sparks

Team Captains

  • 1992-94 -  /  Darren Zinger
  • 1994-99 -   Paul Thompson
    Paul Thompson
    Paul Thompson may refer to:*Paul Thompson , quarterback for the University of Oklahoma Sooners*Paul Thompson , former basketball player...

  • 1999-00 -   Karry Biette
  • 2000-01 -   Wayne Crawford
  • 2001-07 -   Paul Dixon
    Paul Dixon (ice hockey)
    Paul Dixon is an ice hockey defenceman, player-coach; from Sunderland, England. He is currently the Player/Head Coach of the Guildford Flames.- Playing career :...

  • 2007-09 -   Ricky Plant
    Ricky Plant
    Rick Plant is a British ice hockey player from Telford, UK. He plays right wing.Note: Plant, pictured below right, is the goal scorer.- Career :Rick Plant began his career with local side Telford Tigers in 1994...

  • 2009-10 -   Rob Lamey
  • 2010-?? -   David Longstaff
    David Longstaff
    David Longstaff is a British ice hockey forward. He is the team captain of the Guildford Flames of the English Premier Ice Hockey League....


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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