Sheffield Bears The Sheffield Bears are a university ice hockey club from Sheffield , England who have teams in BUIHA divisions 1 , 2 and 3 . They were formed in 2004 and play their home games at iceSheffield . The teams leading sponsor is Walkabout Sheffield . The club are also sponsored by Aston Hotels . The Bears are currently Division 2 Southern Conference Play - Off Champions and National Play - Off Runner Ups , and Division 1 National Champions . The Bears , like several other member clubs of the BUIHA , are made up of players , 1st year alumni and staff from more than one higher education establishment . Most of the players are affiliated with either The University of Sheffield or Sheffield Hallam University , although current and previous Bears teams have included players from Lincoln University and Barnsley College , amongst others . Once a year , a Varsity Game is played as the showpiece game of the inter - university Winter Varsity cup between the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University . The clubs website is http : / / www . sheffieldbears . com Winter Varsity . The Sheffield Bears , divided into University ( Dark Jerseys ) and Hallam ( white Jerseys ) after the 2010 Varsity game , still very much one club ] ] Ice Hockey is one of the 30 sports contested in the Varsity series between the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University . The Match is traditionally the finale of the Winter Varsity series , taking place in February alongside Skiing and Snowboarding . In previous years this has been held at IceSheffield but in 2010 this match was played at the Hallam FM Arena in front of a crowd of 4000 spectators . This made the 2010 the largest varsity sport event ever hosted by the Sheffield universities , and second only to that of the Nottingham Mavericks in terms of numbers . Sheffield Hallam University are the current Ice Hockey Varsity champions , as well as Winter Varsity champions overall for the first time having won the 2010 varsity match 7 - 4 . History . 2008 / 2009 . During the 2008 / 09 season the Sheffield Bears fell just short of all three National Play - Offs , finishing as runners up in all divisions . The Sheffield Bears C Team were also crowned as BUIHA Division 3 Northern Champions after an unbeaten run in their division . The C team traveled to Cardiff , who won the Division 3 Southern Championship , in the Division 3 ' Cup Competition ' Final . However the Bears were comprehensively beaten 10 - 4 , after being 9 - 1 down after 2 periods , the Bears began a comeback where they clawed the game back to 9 - 4 within the first 10 minutes , however they eventually lost the game . The B team finished behind the Manchester Metros in their regular season , and had high hopes of making the playoffs , however , somewhat controversially , they missed out on going through as the highest points scoring runners up to Cardiff . The controversy arose because of the perceived underhand manner in which the Bears had been forced to forfeit a game away to the . According to the Bears Executive Committee , advanced notice had been given to the Ice Hawks that the proposed fixture date was unsuitable as it was the date of the hotly contested Winter Varsity showpiece game . A subsequent assertion from the Hawks that an alternative date would be found was made but not acted upon , causing the Bears to ultimately miss out and the Hawks register their sole win of the season . The B team fared relatively well at the National Championships , progressing from the group stages before being defeated 2 - 1 by the Imperial College Devils against the run of play . The A team had a quiet season , suffering from low attendance and despite being regarded as the most deep and talented tier 1 side the Bears had ever produced , failed to make any real impression at the National Championships , not even progressing from the group stages . 2009 / 2010 . The 2009 / 2010 season was again widely successful for all three Bears squads , who each finished in second place in their respective tables . The C team finished just behind the much - fancied Nottingham Mavericks C team . The post season National Championship run started well but ended in the semi - final against Nottingham , being beaten by a last minute goal . The B team again finished second to Manchester , but level on points , with only 4 goals separating the two teams , in Manchester ' s favour . Finishing second , due to a restructuring of the playoff format in tier 2 , enabled the B - team to progress into the playoff rounds drawing the previous year ' s antagonists the Imperial College Devils . However , due to the inability of the Devils to ice a team , the B ' s advanced to the Southern Conference Playoff Final unchallenged . The Nottingham Mavericks were the opponents in this game , the Bears , with a home - ice advantage produced a masterful display to beat the Mavs 4 - 0 . Inevitably , the opponents in the final were the Manchester Metros A team . After a less than impressive first two periods the Bears trailed 2 - 0 going into the third , and despite a much better display , the team tasted second place yet again , finishing 2 - 1 to the Metros . The A team placed behind the Newcastle Wildcats rounded up a somewhat inconsistent season with their own playoff run . However , unlike the B team they fell at the first hurdle , away to a determined and well organised Nottingham A team . This only spurred the team on , with them going on to win the 2010 Tier 1 national Championships , defeating Nottingham in the final . The club competed in the annual Winter Varsity competition , with players splitting into their respective University teams for one day only . Ice Hockey offered 1 point to whichever University could win the game towards their Varsity total . The night before at the Sheffield Ski Village , the Universities contested in Skiing and Snowboarding , and the event was tied at 2 - 2 , meaning the Ice Hockey would be the deciding event . In its short history , the Sheffield University had never lost the Winter Varsity competition , but Sheffield Hallam had never lost the Ice Hockey , so something would have to give . Sheffield Hallam ran out eventual 7 - 4 winners in a memorable day with the game being held at the 8500 capacity Sheffield Arena in front of a crowd of 4000 . The club also hosted its premier Old Bears Vs . Newbies game , which was played between a Sheffield Bears Alumni select squad and current club members . Both teams were composed of players of various levels of skill , and the current Bears team emerged victorious in a high scoring contest . The game was played after the club ' s annual dinner and awards night . 2010 / 2011 . The 2010 / 2011 season saw the Sheffield Bears grow considerably , entering a fourth team ( Sheffield Bears B2 ) that would compete in the BUIHA Division II alongside the clubs B team ( Sheffield Bears B1 ) .