Other Dayton Professional Hockey Teams
Dayton Owls: At the same time the Dayton Gems were suspending operations after the 1976-1977 season,
their in-state rival, the Columbus Owls, began looking for a new home. Like the Gems, the Owls suffered
from poor fan support at their home in Columbus - the Ohio State Fairgrounds Coliseum.
In August 1977, after the Gems had announced that they would not compete for the 1977-1978 season, Owls'
owner Al Savill made a deal with Hara Arena to move the team from Columbus to Dayton. Savill and Coach
Moe Bartoli felt that they would be able to overcome the difficult economic conditions in Dayton and make a
success of the Owls.
Unfortunately, the Owls experienced the same poor support that plagued the Gems the year before. In
November 1977, the Owls made arrangements to move the team from Dayton to Grand Rapids, Michigan,
where they completed the season and remained there until after the 1979-1980 season.
Dayton Ice Bandits: When the Dayton Bombers left Hara Arena for the Nutter Center in 1996, the management
of Hara Arena, some Dayton hockey fans and the Colonial Hockey League(CoHL) felt that the hockey void
left in northwest Dayton should be filled and that Dayton could support two hockey teams.
In March of 1996, the CoHL Board of Govermors voted to place a franchise in Dayton that would play at
Hara Arena. The team, the Dayton Ice Bandits, were owned by Mike Ploszek who felt confident that the
Ice Bandits would "be here into the next century".
A solid opening night crown of 3,459 watched the Dayton Ice Bandits defeat Port Huron 7-3. For the
remainder of the season, the team struggled on the ice and in the stands at Hara Arena. The Ice Bandits
finished their first and only season with an average attendance of 1,956 per game and a record of 13-53-8.
The tean folded in the summer of 1997.
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