Welcome to the 2025-26 Hockey Season!

September 2025 - Issue 24

Author

Jason Dearborn
September 18, 2025

Hey folks, I’m back with another issue of Bears Hockey News. You’ll notice a bit of a rebrand as I try to keep an independent voice. After all, I cover more than just the Oakland Bears.

This newsletter is my way of giving back and shining a spotlight on the great hockey and other programs run out of Oakland Ice. There’s a lot to be proud of and excited about. It’s also a way to pull together all the information floating around about the rink, teams, coaches, and programs. For families new to the sport or the Oakland Ice community, it can feel overwhelming. Hopefully I can make it a little less so.

One quick disclaimer before we dive in: these opinions are mine alone and don’t necessarily reflect those of Oakland Ice. I’m just a hockey dad that’s been around a long time.

I’ll see you at the rink!

Spotlight: Alysa Liu’s Gold Medal

September tends to be one of the warmest months in the Bay Area. People say Californians do things their own way, and Bay Area weather certainly fits the stereotype. We have chilly coastal summers and then heatwaves just as kids return to school and hockey starts back up again. The warmer weather actually makes me want to spend time in the rink. It’s cool, comfortable and I don’t need my heavy jacket in the stands yet.

But, if you want real chills, I’ve got just the thing to start off the first issue of the season. Maybe you’ve already seen this. I don’t care. Watch it again.

In March, Oakland’s own Alysa Liu was recognized as the world’s best figure skater, winning gold at the ISU World Figure Skating Championship in Boston. Despite the amateur video quality it still captures all the emotion of one of the best short programs I’ve ever seen. And yeah, I get chills every time I’ve watched it. I think you will too. If you keep your eyes open you’ll see Alysa around the rink from time to time.

Coach Feature: Brad Martin Named NORCAL Coach of the Month 💪🏒

Coach Brad Martin was voted NORCAL’s latest Coach of the Month. He’ll be recognized at the upcoming San Jose Sharks home opener October 9th against the Vegas Golden Knights.

In addition to leading several Bears teams, Brad works long hours with his staff to give Oakland players opportunities to level up through the offseason IDHT (Intense Dynamic Hockey Training) program. He has also played an important role in growing the club’s off-ice strength and conditioning program.

Brad didn’t really want me to highlight his recent recognition, instead insisting that his coaching staff are the ones who really deserve the credit. Spoken like a true coach of the month if you ask me. 🙂 

NORCAL Coach of the Month

Cal Hockey: Season Opener vs GCU 🏒📅

Cal Ice Hockey is back on October 3. The boys open their ACHA D2 season against Grand Canyon University. GCU runs a strong program with teams at the D1, D2, and D3 levels. Cal takes on GCU’s D2 team on Friday October 3rd at 7:30pm.

Last year, Cal went undefeated in the regular season and made it to West Regionals. Battling injuries, they fell to Texas in overtime, which kept them from advancing to Nationals. Even so, the run proved Cal has one of the top D2 programs in the country. They even beat the Oregon Ducks ACHA D1 team in back-to-back exhibition games. If they can put together another season like that, a jump to a higher division isn’t out of the question.

Cal hockey games are a budget and family friendly way to spend a weekend evening. Bring the kids or bring a date. All home games are played at Oakland Ice on the NHL sheet. The boys play fast, physical hockey, and it’s always entertaining.

Cal Hockey Partial Home Schedule

Oakland Bears Team Updates 🐻🏆

Youth Hockey Updates

Before reporting on this season, I’ll catch you up on something that happened over the spring while the newsletter was on hiatus. The 14U IDHT kids traveled to Santa Clarita to participate in the Memorial Day Spring Hockey Cup. The team went undefeated and brought home another trophy and banner for the rink.

14U - Spring Hockey Cup Champs

A little further down the road in El Segundo, the 10U team put in work to win their own championship banner!

10U - President’s Day Challenge Champs

Travel Team Updates

This year the Oakland Bears are lining up the following youth teams: one 18AA squad and two teams each at 14U, 12U, 10U, and 8U. Preseason isn’t quite over yet, and I’m not entirely sure where each team will land, so I’ll hold off on most predictions for now.

I can report that a couple of 14-1 players suffered unfortunately timed injuries prior to the Tier II preseason jamboree in San Jose last weekend. Those missing players put the team at a disadvantage going into an important event. At 14U, CAHA approved four slots for NORCAL teams for the 2025–26 season. With eight Bay Area teams competing for those spots, half were bound to drop to A for the regular season.

The Bears 14-1 group came within a single goal of tying GSE 14-1 for the final Tier II berth, but it wasn’t enough to push them through. Still, based on their dominant showings against the other teams that didn’t qualify, it’s clear this competitive group will be a force in the A division especially once the injured players are cleared to play again.

Across the rest of the club, last weekend saw an impressive total of 45 goals from 24 different players. FIVE players had hat tricks! Mason (14U-1), Dylan (14U-1), Alex (12U-1), Jordan (12U-1), and Hiro (10U-1).

High School Hockey Updates

Oakland is offering two East Bay Bears teams. One will skate at the varsity level, the other in JV-B. Most varsity players dual-roster with other clubs, so there won’t be formal practices for that group. I’ve heard the JV-B team will get occasional practices.

Tips, Feedback and Submissions 📢

Got a story tip or highlight video from a recent game? Want to see something featured in next month’s issue? Hit reply or drop me a note — I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’ve got friends, teammates, or family who’d enjoy this newsletter, please forward it their way!