The Buffalo Regals were an American junior "B" ice hockey team based in the Buffalo suburb of Cheektowaga, New York. They played in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL). The organization also had several youth hockey teams.
History Founded in 1987, the Wheatfield Jr. Blades played out of the Northeastern Junior Hockey League from 1987 until 1997. In 1997, the Blades jumped to the Tier III Junior B Empire Junior Hockey League (EmJHL). In the 2005–06 season, the Blades elected to field two teams, one to play in the EmJHL and another to play in the Canadian Junior B Golden Horseshoe Junior Hockey League (GHJHL). Each team's primary players were different, but listed the other team's players as affiliates. In the 2006–07 Season, the Blades sold their EmJHL team to the Buffalo Stars.
Before the 2011–12 season, the team was renamed the Buffalo Blades and managed by Jerry Shorthouse and John Bruno. As the Buffalo Blades, the team would only win nine times in 101 games. In 2013, the team was bought by a group with close ties to the local minor hockey association and the team was renamed the Regals.
It was announced on September 2, 2014 that the Regals would not play the 2014–15 season after the OJHL's Buffalo Jr. Sabres ended an agreement to transfer players between the two teams, causing the Regals to lose a valuable source of talent and unable to field a team. Prior to the 2015–16 season, the Regals failed to file the appropriate reinstatement paper work with USA Hockey in order to play the season.
The Regals returned to the GOJHL in time for the 2016–17 season. However, on 21 November, after 24 games, all of which were lost in regulation, the GOJHL announced over social media that the Regals had been removed from the league after the team did not travel to play the Welland Jr. Canadians. One day later, the statement was deleted and the Regals played a home game against the Ancaster Avalanche, which they lost 7–0. GM Mike Answeeney said: "It's back to normal as far as I’m concerned... We're going to show up for every game scheduled."
The team moved to Cornerstone Arena in nearby Lockport, New York, prior to the 2018–19 season and rebranded as the Lockport Regals. The team returned to using the Buffalo name at the start of the 2019–20 season and moved to the Holiday Twin Rinks in Cheektowaga, New York. The 2019–20 postseason was curtailed by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the following GOJHL season never took place due to the pandemic-related restrictions. The Regals were the only GOJHL team not listed to return for the 2021–22 season, and then they later resigned from the GOJHL.
Season results Season GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts Regular season finish Playoffs1987–88 22 14 16 2 ——— 30 4th NEJHL Lost final1988–89 44 10 33 1 ——— 21 5th NEJHL 1989–90 47 9 35 3 ——— 21 5th NEJHL 1990–91 59 33 23 3 ——— 69 2nd NEJHL Lost final, Won Nationals1991–92 53 31 19 3 ——— 65 2nd NEJHL Lost final1992–93 58 32 23 3 ——— 67 1st NEJHL Won League1993–94 55 36 17 2 ——— 74 1st NEJHL Won League1994–95 54 34 16 4 ——— 72 1st NEJHL Won League1995–96 56 30 23 3 ——— 63 1st NEJHL Won League1995–96 10 3 7 0 0 28 78 —GHJHL Interleague1996–97 ————————NEJHL1996–97 14 0 14 0 0 43 133 —GHJHL Interleague1997–98 33 29 12 2 ——— 60 2nd EmJHL Lost final1998–99 54 37 14 3 ——— 77 1st EmJHL Won League1999–00 28 15 12 1 ——— 31 4th EmJHL Won League2000–01 30 23 7 0 — 163 83 46 1st EmJHL Won League2001–02 34 32 1 1 ——— 65 1st EmJHL Lost final2002–03 32 21 8 3 — 153 91 45 3rd EmJHL Lost in Round Robin2003–04 38 31 6 1 ——— 63 1st EmJHL Won League2004–05 44 31 10 3 ———— 1st EmJHL-West 2005–06 42 2 34 3 3 91 212 10 19th EmJHL 2005–06 49 8 37 3 1 131 301 20 8th GHJHL Lost quarter-final2006–07 49 8 39 0 2 184 294 18 8th GHJHL Lost quarter-final2007–08 49 5 42 2 0 128 303 12 8th GOJHL-GH 2008–09 52 19 28 — 5 152 214 43 7th GOJHL-GH 2009–10 51 13 32 — 6 173 263 32 7th GOJHL-GH Lost Conference Quarter-final2010–11 51 4 45 — 2 105 334 10 8th GOJHL-GH 2011–12 50 8 40 — 2 130 295 18 8th GOJHL-GH Lost Conference Quarter-final2012–13 51 1 49 — 1 110 421 3 8th GOJHL-GH Lost Conference Quarter-final2013–14 49 4 44 — 1 112 264 9 9th GOJHL-GH Did not qualify2014–15 Leave of absence 2015–162016–17 50 3 47 0 0 66 536 6 9th GH Conf27 of 27 GOJHL Did not qualify2017–18 50 2 43 0 5 98 319 9 9th GH Conf26 of 26 GOJHL Did not qualify2018–19 48 8 38 1 1 120 298 18 8th GH Conf25 of 25 GOJHL Did not qualify2019–20 50 10 34 2 4 127 225 26 8th GH Conf24 of 26 GOJHL Did not qualify
References
External links Jr. Regals webpage Buffalo Regals organization webpage GOJHL webpage