Cardiff Redhawks

The Cardiff Redhawks are a British ice hockey team that play in the Second and Third Divisions of the British Universities Ice Hockey Association, formed in 2004. They play their home games at the Cardiff Bay Arena, Cardiff, Wales.

Introduction

The Cardiff Redhawks were formed in 2004 by a handful of students from Cardiff University, many of whom had never played before. Their first game was against a local team, the Cardiff Titans, on the 7th of May 2005 following an NHL exhibition game. The squad began to grow by bringing in players from neighbouring universities such as UWIC, Glamorgan, Swansea and Newport.

BUIHA Record

2005 - 2006

In September 2005 the Redhawks joined the BUIHA, entering teams in the Second (Southern) and Third Divisions. The year proved to be very successful; with the A Team securing second place in their division as well as the Second Tier National Tournament title, and the B Team were runners up in the Third Tier Nationals.

2006 - 2007

The following year began with the closure of the Wales National Ice Rink and the construction of the Cardiff Bay Ice Rink. Delays in construction left the Redhawks without a home for much of the 06-07 season, forcing the A Team to withdraw from the league.

The A Team represented themselves in Tier One of the 2007 BUIHA Nationals, but fared poorly, loosing all their matches and placing bottom. The Redhawks found solace in the success of the B Team who managed to improve on their previous season, winning the Third Tier Nationals.

2007 - 2008

The 2007-08 season saw the Redhawks regain their stability; the A Team returned to Tier Two South, with the B Team entering their third season in Tier Three. The Redhawks also gained membership to the Cardiff University Athletic Union.

Once again the A Team clinched second place with a post Christmas undefeated streak. They fell short though in the Nationals, managing only 5th place. The B Team overachieved once again, settling for 3rd place in a much more competitive Tier Three tournament.

The Celtic Cup

The Redhawks also participate in the Celtic Cup Varsity; an annual one off challenge game against the Edinburgh Eagles who are the only other non-English team in the BUIHA.

The competition has been running for the past three years, the location alternating between Cardiff Bay and Murrayfield, Edinburgh. The 2009 match will be held in Cardiff, some time in the spring. Cardiff has yet to win against the higher ranked Eagles, but every match is well played and high spirited.

Club Honours

2005 - 2006
* BUIHA Tier Two Nationals Champions (The Hopkins Plate)

2006 - 2007
* BUIHA Tier Three Nationals Champions

Great Britain Universities Squad Members

2007
* [http://www.redhawks.co.uk/player-profile.php?pid=11 Tom Smith]

External links

* [http://www.redhawks.com Cardiff Redhawks official web site]
* [http://www.cf.ac.uk Cardiff University official web site]
* [http://www.cardiffstudents.com/main/clubs/au Cardiff University Athletic Union official web site]
* [http://www.buiha.org.uk British University Ice Hockey Association official web site]