CBU Capers men's ice hockey
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| CBU Capers men's ice hockey | |
|---|---|
| University | Cape Breton University |
| Arena | Sydney, Nova Scotia |
| Colors | Orange, Green, and White |
| Conference tournament champions | |
| 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 | |
The CBU Capers men's ice hockey team (formerly the UCCB Capers) was an ice hockey team representing the CBU Capers athletics program of Cape Breton University. The Capers played from 1968 until 1996 when the university decided to terminate the program due to budget constraints.[1]
UCCB hit the ice for the first time in 1968 as a member of the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA), a conference in the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association, the second tier of college sports in Canada.[2] By the mid-70s, the Capers became the dominant power in the conference and won every conference championship from 1974 until 1987 (except for 1979). When the CCAA began holding a national tournament in 1975, Cape Breton was a participant every year until 1987. Unfortunately for the Capers, the team had trouble making the championship. In thirteen appearances, UCCB made the finals just twice, winning the championship in 1978.
In 1987, UCCB became a victim of its own success. That year, the ACAA decided to end its sponsorship of ice hockey, leaving the Capers without a conference. Fortunately, the team was invited to join the Atlantic Universities Athletic Association (AUAA), the top-tier conference in the region. Cape Breton posted a few respectable seasons before recording their first winning season in 1991. Unfortunately, the Capers fell on hard times afterwards and finished last in their division in four of the succeeding five seasons. In 1996, Cape Breton University was at a crossroads; the ice hockey team was among the worst teams in the conference and required a great deal of financial resources from the school. The athletic department decided to reallocate the funding to support several other less-expensive programs, ending the hockey team.