Hudson Valley Bears

The Hudson Valley Bears were an ice hockey team in the Eastern Professional Hockey League. They split their home games between the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York and the Ice Time Sports Complex in Newburgh, New York.

Hudson Valley Bears
CityPoughkeepsie, New York
Newburgh, New York
LeagueEastern Professional Hockey League
Founded2008
Home arenaMid-Hudson Civic Center
Ice Time Sports Complex
Colors  Black

  Gold

  Blue
Owner(s)Curtis Russell
General managerPhil Esposito
Head coachPhil Esposito
MediaPoughkeepsie Journal
Franchise history
2008 to 2009Hudson Valley Bears

History

2008-2009

The Hudson Valley Bears were founded in 2008 as an Eastern Professional Hockey League expansion team. The Bears were the savior of the league. The Bears were founded to be the 4th team in the league and save the EPHL season after Copper City Chiefs and New Hampshire Freeze folded. The Bears had little success during their first season, as they finished their inaugural regular season at 3-45-1-1, finished dead last and missing the playoffs by 54 pts. They also finished last in attendance with average attendance 235.[1]

In October 2008, weeks before the first games were scheduled, two franchises pulled out, leaving three teams. Rather than postpone the season, a replacement was cobbled together: the Hudson Valley Bears, who played their home games in Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York and the Ice Time Sports Complex in Newburgh, New York.[2]

The Bears’ roster was drawn from a pool of nearly 100 “local guys with part-time jobs,” as Jim Riggs, the league commissioner, put it.[3]

Roster
Goaltenders
# Player Pos. Catches Height Weight Place of Birth
30 Len DiCostanzo G R 5' 10" 185 lbs. Port Jefferson Station, New York, United States
33 Vincent Januska G R Chester, New York, United States
85 Tim Schneider G L 5' 7" 165 lbs Düsseldorf, NRW, GER
Defensemen
# Player Pos. Shoots Height Weight Place of Birth
3 Dan Malloy D L 6' 2" 215 lbs. Stamford, Connecticut, United States
4 Chris Sullivan D R 6' 3" 195 lbs. South Windsor, Connecticut, United States
5 Chris Clark D R 6' 3" 215 lbs. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
15 Tony Troccia D R Brick, New Jersey, United States
32 TJ Cline D L 6' 1" 220 lbs. Buffalo, New York, United States
77 Gabe Yeung D R 6' 5" 230 lbs. Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Forwards
# Player Pos. Shoots Height Weight Place of Birth
10 Jerry Cardinale F L 5' 9" 165 lbs. Brooklyn, New York, United States
12 Scott Horvath F R 6' 2" 225 lbs. West Redding, Connecticut, United States
14 John Geverd F R 5' 11" 217 lbs. Hooksett, New Hampshire, United States
15 Kevin Kaminski F R
16 Joey Bouchard C L 5' 9" 240 lbs. Deerfield, New Hampshire, United States
18 Jeff Pozzuto F R 6'1" 180 lbs. Butler, Pennsylvania, United States
18 Tom Westfall F R 6' 5" 220 lbs. Meadville, Pennsylvania, United States
19 Scotty Estey F L 5' 11" 190 lbs. Highland Falls, New York, United States
20 Joe Morrison F R
21 Devin Guy F 6' 0" 200 lbs. Highland Falls, New York, United States
44 Phil Esposito LW L 6' 2" 235 lbs. East Haven, Connecticut, United States
52 Bill Blaszcyk F R 6' 1" 208 lbs. Manorville, New York, United States
83 Chris Seifert F L 6' 0" 180 lbs. Fairfield, Connecticut, United States

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2010-07-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/27/sports/hockey/27minors.html?_r=2&ref=hockey
  3. https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/27/sports/hockey/27minors.html?_r=2&ref=hockey
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