The Amarillo Bulls were a Tier II junior ice hockey team based in Amarillo, Texas. They were a member of the North American Hockey League's South Division and played home games in the Amarillo Civic Center.
History The franchise joined the NAHL as the Albert Lea Thunder, located in Albert Lea, Minnesota, in 2008. During the second season, issues with ownership forced the league to step in to keep the team playing. On May 11, 2010, it was reported that the team had found new owners and would relocate to Texas for the 2010–11 season. Their franchise and roster were officially sold to the Amarillo ownership on May 26, 2010. On June 18, the team announced the new name, logo and colors of the team after a name-the-team contest.
The Amarillo Bulls announced their inaugural coach as Denis Williams, former NCAA Division I coach at Bowling Green. On May 13, 2013, the Bulls captured their first Robertson Cup Championship defeating the Wenatchee Wild 5–0 in the championship game. Following the 2013–14 season, coach Williams was named as the head coach of the expansion Bloomington Thunder of the United States Hockey League, a Tier I team and a recent addition to the Consolidated Sports Holdings portfolio.
In 2019, the team was sold to F&S Management Company LLC led by majority owner Alberto Fernandez. On March 5, 2021, it was announced that the team would relocate to Mason City, Iowa, starting in the 2021–22 season as the North Iowa Bulls, an organization that had been operating in the North American 3 Hockey League and also owned by Fernandez.
The Bulls were replaced in Amarillo by the Amarillo Wranglers in the 2021–22 season.
Season-by-season records Season GP W L OTL Pts GF GA PIM Finish Playoffs 2010–11 58 36 16 6 78 209 171 1,637 2nd of 6, South Lost Robertson Cup Semifinal 2011–12 60 46 7 7 99 263 136 1,550 1st of 7, South Lost Robertson Cup Semifinal 2012–13 60 46 7 7 99 248 118 1,268 1st of 6, South Robertson Cup Champions 2013–14 60 40 15 6 86 207 120 1,395 1st of 7, South Lost in Division Finals 2014–15 60 25 31 4 54 174 222 1,493 7th of 8, South Did not qualify 2015–16 60 13 43 4 30 133 218 1,211 6th of 6, South Did not qualify 2016–17 60 22 28 10 54 173 206 917 6th of 7, South Did not qualify 2017–18 60 23 26 11 57 166 193 1,333 5th of 6, South Did not qualify 2018–19 60 46 8 6 98 263 136 1,332 1st of 6, South Lost Robertson Cup Semifinals 2019–20 54 39 10 5 83 185 101 597 2nd of 7, South Season cancelled 2020–21 56 29 18 9 67 159 166 1,003 4th of 6, South7th of 23, NAHL Lost Division Semifinals
Playoffs 2011 Division Semifinals – Amarillo Bulls defeated Texas Tornado, 3-games-to-1 Division Finals – Amarillo Bulls defeated Topeka RoadRunners, 3-games-to-2 Robertson Cup Round Robin – Amarillo Bulls (2–1) - Qualify for Semifinal Game (W, 5–2 vs. Warriors; W, 5-3 vs. RoadRunners; L, 1–2 vs. Ice Dogs) Robertson Cup Semifinal Game – Michigan Warriors defeated Amarillo Bulls, 6–2 2012 Division Semifinals – Amarillo Bulls defeated Odessa Jackalopes, 3-games-to-1 Division Finals – Amarillo Bulls defeated Topeka RoadRunners, 3-games-to-1 Robertson Cup Round Robin – Amarillo Bulls (1–2) - Qualify for Semifinal (OTW, 3–2 vs. Tornado; L, 1-3 vs. Ice Dogs; L, 2-6 vs. Bobcats) Robertson Cup Semifinal Game – St. Louis Bandits defeated Amarillo Bulls, 3–2 2013 Division Semifinals – Amarillo Bulls defeated Corpus Christi IceRays, 3-games-to-1 Division Finals – Amarillo Bulls defeated Texas Tornado, 3-games-to-0 Robertson Cup Round Robin – Amarillo Bulls (2–1) - Qualify for Championship Game (OTW, 2–1 vs. Ironmmen; OTW, 2–1 vs. Bobcats; L, 0-7 vs. Wild) Robertson Cup Final – Amarillo Bulls defeated Wenatchee Wild, 5-0 Robertson Cup Champions 2014 Division Semifinals – Amarillo Bulls defeated Wichita Falls Wildcats, 3-games-to-0 Division Finals – Topeka RoadRunners defeated Amarillo Bulls, 3-games-to-2 2019 Division Semifinals – Amarillo Bulls defeated Corpus Christi IceRays, 3-games-to-2 Division Finals – Amarillo Bulls defeated Shreveport Mudbugs, 3-games-to-2 Robertson Cup Semifinals – Aberdeen Wings defeated Amarillo Bulls, 2-games-to-12021 Division Semifinals – Shreveport Mudbugs''' defeated Amarillo Bulls, 3-games-to-1''
References
External links Official website