| Bg Color: | firebrick |
| Team: | Bellingham Blazers |
| Logosize: | 220px |
| City: | Bellingham, Washington |
| League: | United States Premier Hockey League |
| Founded: | 2012 |
| Arena: | Bellingham Sportsplex |
| Owner: | Whatcom Sports Commission |
| Coach: | [1] |
| Website: | Blazers' website |
| Name1: | Bellingham Blazers |
| Dates1: | 2012–present |
The Bellingham Blazers are an Amateur Athletic Union-sanctioned Tier II junior ice hockey team in the United States Premier Hockey League. The Blazers are based in Bellingham, Washington and play home games at the Bellingham Sportsplex.[2]
From 2012 to 2016, the Blazers played in the Northern Pacific Hockey League (NorPac/NPHL). In their first two seasons, the Blazers captured the Cascade Cup, awarded to the league playoff champions, and earned a spot in the USA National Tier III Championships. In 2013, coach Mark Collins was also awarded Coach of the Year when the Blazers won their first Cascade Cup. Collins was fired from team before the 2019 playoffs.[3]
In 2016, the team left the NPHL and USA Hockey-sanctioning with the intentions of joining the Amateur Athletic Union-sanctioned Western States Hockey League.[4]
| Season | GP | W | L | Pts | GF | GA | Regular Season Finish | Playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Pacific Hockey League | ||||||||||||
| 2012–13 | 40 | 22 | 16 | — | 1 | 1 | 46 | 204 | 165 | 3rd of 6, NorPac | Won Semifinals, 3–0 vs. Eugene Generals Won Finals, 3–2 vs. West Sound Warriors CASCADE CUP CHAMPIONS | |
| 2013–14 | 40 | 35 | 5 | — | 0 | 0 | 70 | 230 | 87 | 1st of 5, NPHL McBride Cup | Won Semifinals, 3–0 vs. Tri-City Outlaws Won Finals, 3–2 vs. West Sound Warriors CASCADE CUP CHAMPIONS | |
| 2014–15 | 42 | 33 | 7 | — | 0 | 2 | 68 | 269 | 91 | 2nd of 6, NPHL | Won Semifinals, 3–2 vs. Wenatchee Wolves Lost Finals, 0–3 vs. West Sound Warriors | |
| 2015–16 | 40 | 30 | 9 | — | 1 | 0 | 61 | 212 | 77 | 2nd of 6, NPHL | Won Semifinals, 3–2 vs. Eugene Generals Lost Finals, 0–3 vs. Wenatchee Wolves | |
| Western States Hockey League | ||||||||||||
| 2016–17 | 52 | 15 | 36 | — | 1 | — | 31 | 122 | 221 | 6th of 7, Northwest 22nd of 27, WSHL | Lost Div. Quarterfinals, 0–2 vs. Butte Cobras | |
| 2017–18 | 51 | 28 | 20 | — | 3 | — | 59 | 228 | 221 | 3rd of 6, Northwest 12th of 23, WSHL | Won Div. Quarterfinals, 2–0 vs. Southern Oregon Spartans Lost Div. Semifinals, 0–2 vs. Tahoe Icemen | |
| 2018–19 | 51 | 34 | 14 | 0 | 3 | — | 105 | 281 | 153 | 2nd of 4, Northwest 7th of 23, WSHL | Won Div. Semifinals, 2–0 vs. Southern Oregon Spartans Won Div. Finals, 2–1 vs. Seattle Totems 0–3–0–0, 6th of 6, Thorne Cup round-robin | |
| 2019–20 | 48 | 17 | 26 | 3 | 2 | — | 59 | 157 | 232 | 4th of 5, Northwest 15th of 20, WSHL | Playoffs cancelled | |
| 2020–21 | No season due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |||||||||||
| 2021–22 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 7 | 50 | Withdrew from season[5] | ||
| United States Premier Hockey League - - Premier Division | ||||||||||||
| 2022–23 | 44 | 9 | 33 | 0 | 2 | — | 20 | 120 | 228 | 5th of 5, Northwest 60th of 69, Premier | Did not qualify | |
| 2023–24 | 44 | 6 | 36 | 0 | 2 | — | 14 | 120 | 228 | 5th of 5, Northwest 56th of 61, Premier | Did not qualify | |
The Bellingham Blazers qualified for the Tier III Junior Hockey National Championships in 2013 and 2014 by winning their league playoff championship. The Blazers have never past the round-robin stage of the tournament.
Round-robin play in pool with top four overall teams advancing to the semifinal.
| Year | Round-robin | Record | Standing | Semifinal game | Championship game | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | L, Twin Cities Northern Lights (MnJHL) 0–6 L, North Iowa Bulls (NA3HL) 0–7 W, New Hampshire Junior Monarchs (EmJHL) 3–2 | 1–2–0 | 3rd of 4 National Pool | Did not advance | ||
| 2014 | L, Flint Jr. Generals (NA3HL) 1–6 L, Northern Cyclones (EHL) 0–12 L, Springfield Pics (USPHL-Elite) 2–8 | 0–3–0 | 4th of 4 Pool B | Did not advance | ||