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Dayton Bombers (ECHL: 1994-95)

1994-95 Regular Season:
Bombers vs. Erie Panthers (x2)
Bombers vs. Wheeling Thunderbirds
Bombers vs. Columbus Chill


     After the collapse of the Dayton Gems in 1980, Hara Arena more or less went dark for pro hockey, except for the short-lived Dayton Jets of the semi-pro All-American Hockey League. The Dayton Bombers joined the Double-A East Coast Hockey League as an expansion franchise for the 1991-92 season and were the secondary affiliate of  the Minnesota North Stars (later Dallas Stars). 

     By 1994-95, the Bombers were in their fourth season of play at 5,550-seat Hara Arena, still a part of the Stars organization.  Former Saginaw Hawk Jim Playfair was back for his second year as head coach, with ex-Gems player Guy Trottier as his assistant. Arnold Johnson was General Manager.

     The Bombers greatly improved on their 1993-94 season, finishing 42-17-9 on the season, second place in the North Division. Their 93 points were just four back of the Wheeling Thunderbirds, who finished first overall in the league. Dayton drew 4,301 fans per game to Hara Arena, or about 77% capacity.

     Dayton had the second-strongest offense in the ECHL in 1994-95, scoring 307 goals. The Bombers were led by center Craig Charron, who scored 35 goals and 82 points in just 48 games. Jamie Steer was the other player with over 30 goals, scoring 33 to go with 81 points. Kevin Brown (29) and Rob Hartnell (21) were the other 20 goal scorers. Brandon Smith was the highest-scoring defenseman, with 16 goals and 65 points in 60 games.

     The Bombers were quite strong on defense, surrounding just 224 goals, third-fewest in the league. Only one player, Mike Black, was in the negative side of the +/- stat, being -2 in only 3 games. Steer led the Bombers in the +/- stat with a +43. Dayton used three goaltenders that season, with Jeff Stolp playing the most games. In 40 games, Stolp went 22-5-6 with a 3.08 GAA and 1 shutout. Paul Taylor was next in line with 32 games, sporting a 18-11-2 mark, a 3.45 GAA and 3 shutouts. John Bradley made it into 4 games, going 2-1-1 with a team-best 2.71 GAA and 1 shutout. Taylor and Stolp would see action in the Riley Cup Playoffs.

     The Bombers qualified for the Riley Cup Playoffs for the fourth straight season. The Bombers drew the Huntington Blizzard in the opening round, a team that went 28-37-3, finishing fifth in the West. Dayton won the best-of-five series in four games, outscoring the Blizzard 15-12. In the second round, the Bombers faced the Greensboro Monarchs. Despite an 11-0 blowout win in Game 1, the Bombers fell to the Monarchs in five games (best-of-five). Greensboro would advance to the Riley Cup Finals, where they fell to the Richmond Renegades in five games (best-of-seven)

     I bought a lot of four Bombers programs on eBay earlier this year. All four of them look the same, featuring defenseman Mike Vandenberghe on the cover. Each program is 72 pages long, almost all in black-and-white (except the roster pages). An article called The History of the East Coast Hockey League is found on pages 8-9. Player profiles are found on pages 38-39, and the mileage chart for the league is on page 43. The ECHL had three teams from Ohio at that time, and those teams competed for the Ohio Lottery Challenge Cup, which was won by Toledo in 1993-94. Page 45 has an interesting article about how the Zamboni works, and includes the lyrics to The Zamboni Song. Bomber franchise records are on page 49-55. The 1994-95 team just missed breaking the franchise record for best average attendance, which was set by the 1992-93 Bombers at 4,310 per game. 

     Local advertisements include Westwind Morgan Limousine Services, FOX 45 WRGT, Shuckin' Shack Raw Bar & Seafood House and Stubbies Neighborhood Sports Grill. 


Aftermath: The Bombers would continue to play at Hara Arena until 1996, when they would move to the 10,400-seat Nutter Center in downtown Dayton. Despite playing in a more modern facility, attendance barely increased from the Hara years. The Bombers would make one lone Kelly Cup Finals appearance in 2001-02, swept by Greenville in four straight. Declining attendance, poor ownership and increasing debt eventually forced the Bombers to suspend operations after the 2008-09 season. Hockey would return to Dayton, as the IHL Dayton Gems would play at the decrepit Hara Arena from 2009-12, followed by the Federal Hockey League's Dayton Demonz and Dayton Demolition. Hara closed its doors in 2016, then was destroyed by a tornado in 2019. Hockey has not been back to Dayton since.


References:

East Coast Hockey League Statistics: 1994-95, from hockeydb.com

     
 

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