The Dayton Bombers were an
ECHL
The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL).
The ...
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...
team located in
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County, Ohio, Greene County. The 2020 United S ...
. The team most recently was in the North Division of the ECHL's American Conference. The Bombers originally played at
Hara Arena
Hara Arena was a 5,500-seat multi-purpose arena located in the Trotwood, Ohio suburb of Dayton. The facility began as a ballroom in 1956, added an arena in 1964 and grew to a six-building complex which closed in August 2016.
At various times, it ...
from 1991 to 1996. The team moved to the
Ervin J. Nutter Center on the campus of
Wright State University in
Fairborn, Ohio
Fairborn is a city in Greene County, Ohio, United States. The population was 34,620 at the 2020 census. Fairborn is a suburb of Dayton, and part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area.
It is the only city in the world named Fairborn, a ...
, in 1996.
On March 30, 2009, it was announced that the Bombers would not be playing during the 2009–10 season. Despite the arrival of the
International Hockey League's
Dayton Gems, the Bombers had not folded nor planned to relocate at that time, and continued to aim towards securing additional investors and season ticket holders to play in Dayton again for 2010–11. However, on June 25 of that year, the Bombers' owner turned the team's membership back to the ECHL, citing lack of a suitable business partner or re-entry plan.
Season records
''Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, SOL = Shootout losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties infraction minutes''
Playoffs
*1991–92: Lost to
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...
3-0 in first round.
*1992–93: Lost to
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...
3-0 in quarterfinals.
*1993–94: Lost to
Toledo 2-1 in first round.
*1994–95: Defeated
Huntington 3-1 in first round; lost to
Greensboro 3-2 in quarterfinals.
*1995–96: Lost to
Toledo 3-0 in first round.
*1996–97: Lost to
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, Californi ...
3-1 in first round.
*1997–98: Lost to
Wheeling 3-2 in first round.
*1998–99: Lost to
Roanoke 3-1 in first round.
*1999–00: Lost to
Peoria 3-0 in first round.
*2000–01: Defeated
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
3-2 in first round; lost to
Peoria 3-0 in quarterfinals.
*2001–02: Defeated
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...
3-0 in first round; defeated
Johnstown 3-0 in quarterfinals; defeated
Atlantic City
Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497. 3-1 in semifinals; lost to
Greenville 4-0 in finals.
*2002–03: Did not qualify.
*2003–04: Did not qualify.
*2004–05: Did not qualify.
*2005–06: Did not qualify.
*2006–07: Defeated
Trenton 3-0 in first round; defeated
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...
4-3 in quarterfinals; defeated
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
4-3 in semifinals; lost to
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Monta ...
4-1 in finals.
*2007–08: Lost to
Johnstown 2-0 in first round.
*2008–09: Did not qualify.
All-time record vs. other clubs
Dayton Bombers club records
Players
* Most points, season - 119
Darren Colbourne (1991–92)
* Most points, game - 7
Tom Nemeth
Tom Nemeth (born January 16, 1971) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey defenceman. He was selected by the Minnesota North Stars in the 10th round (206th overall) of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft.
Prior to turning professional, Nemeth played ...
vs Toledo, Oct. 23, 1993 &
Jamie Ling vs Roanoke, Jan. 15, 1999
* Most goals, season - 69
Darren Colbourne (1991–92)
* Most goals, game - 5 Jamie Ling vs Roanoke, Jan. 15, 1999 &
Chanse Fitzpatrick vs Trenton, Nov. 3, 2007
* Most assists, season - 82 Tom Nemeth, 1993–94
* Most assists, game - 6 Tom Nemeth vs Toledo, Oct. 23, 1993
* Most PIM, season - 429
Darren Langdon, 1992–93
* Most PIM, game - 39
Derek Ernest vs Roanoke, Nov. 23, 2000
Goaltenders
* Most appearances: 51,
Michael Ayers (2004–05)
* Most minutes: 2,937 min, Michael Ayers (2004–05)
* Most wins: 23,
Adam Berkhoel
Adam James Berkhoel (born May 16, 1981) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Atlanta Thrashers. He was drafted 240th overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago ...
(2006–07)
* Most losses: 28, Michael Ayers (2004–05)
* Most overtime Losses: 7,
Alex Westlund (1999-00)
* Most shots- 1,627, Michael Ayers (2004–05)
* Most saves- 1,485, Michael Ayers (2005–06)
* Most shutouts- 5, Adam Berkhoel (2006–07)
* Lowest GAA- 2.22,
Alex Westlund (2000–01)
* Best save percentage: .930, Alex Westlund (2000–01)
Team
* Most points- 96 (2000–01)
* Most wins- 45 (2000–01)
* Most losses- 46 (2005–06)
* Most goals scored- 316 (1993–94)
* Fewest points- 46 (2005–06)
* Fewest losses- 17 (1994–95)
* Fewest GAA- 191 (2006–07)
* Most PIM- 2,496 (1999-00)
Longest winning streak
* Overall- 8 Oct. 9-Nov. 5, 1994
* Home- 13 Oct. 28-Dec. 27, 2001
* Road- 5 Oct. 28-Nov. 14, 2000
Longest winless streak
* Overall- 16 Feb. 24-Apr. 1, 2006
* Home- 9 Jan. 4-Feb. 8, 2005
* Road- 13 Jan. 18-Mar. 26, 2003
Regular Season Game Attendance Record
* 10,057 vs Peoria, Jan. 23, 2004
Postseason Game Attendance Record
* 4,447 vs Idaho, May 27, 2007 Game 3 Kelly Cup Finals
Regular Season Attendance Record
* 158,492 (1998–99)
All-time playoff record vs. other clubs
NHL alumni
The following is a list of players who have gone on to play in the
NHL.
*
Kaspars Astashenko
*
Jean-Sebastien Aubin
*
Eric Boguniecki
*
Kevin Colley
*
Riley Cote
Riley D. Cote (born March 16, 1982) is a former Canadian professional ice hockey left winger and formerly an assistant coach with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League (AHL). He played eight National Hockey League (NHL) sea ...
*
John Emmons
*
Trevor Frischmon
*
Mark Flood
*
Sean Gagnon
Sean Gagnon (born September 11, 1973) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League for the Phoenix Coyotes and the Ottawa Senators between 1997 and 2001. He played a total of 12 regular sea ...
*
Steven Goertzen
*
Erich Goldmann
*
Greg Kuznik
*
Darren Langdon
*
Dan LaCosta
*
Kent McDonell
*
Mike Minard
*
Brandon Smith
*
Ole-Kristian Tollefsen
Ole-Kristian Tollefsen (born 29 March 1984) is a Norwegian former professional ice hockey defenceman who last played for Färjestad BK in Elitserien. He was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 3rd round (65th overall) of the 2002 NHL En ...
*
Pascal Trepanier
Pascal, Pascal's or PASCAL may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Pascal (given name), including a list of people with the name
* Pascal (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
** Blaise Pascal, Fre ...
*
Stephen Valiquette
Stephen Valiquette (born August 20, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Valiquette played 46 games in the National Hockey League, nearly all for the New York Rangers, before finishing his playing career in Europe.
Valiq ...
*
Daryl Reaugh
*
David Van Drunen
David John Van Drunen (born January 31, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played one game in the National Hockey League game for the Ottawa Senators during the 1999–00 season, on December 13, 1999 against the T ...
*
Mark Lawrence
*
Tyler Sloan
Tyler Sloan (born March 15, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. An undrafted player, Sloan spent seven years in the minor leagues before making his National Hockey League debut for the Washington Capitals in his hometown ...
*
Philippe Dupuis
References
External links
Dayton Bombers official message boardOfficial Message Board of the 218th Black Sheep Squadron - A Dayton Bombers Supporters GroupECHL site
{{ECHLdefunct
1991 establishments in Ohio
2009 disestablishments in Ohio
Defunct ECHL teams
Defunct ice hockey teams in Ohio
Fairborn, Ohio
Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2009
Ice hockey teams in Dayton, Ohio
Ice hockey clubs established in 1991
Wright State University