Another amazing session at John McCormack tonight with eight of Burton’s brightest lights all on full display. No stinkers here, just a relentless two-hour, five-game epic that left the entire Burton crew exhausted and happy in what, despite its length, was probably the defining session of the season so far.

Everyone knew headed in that the line-up of players was absurdly even. The skill level on display was evident from the beginning when Ben, Stefan, Lyle, and K.J. took on Oliver, Shem, Lee, and Mitch. Ben immediately broke out with five points and 14 shots in the first game. In fact, four players had ten shots in the first game alone. Shem was on fire right out of the gate, stopping 25 shots. This was also the closest thing Lyle had to an off game, ‘only’ netting .750 in a game that went over 30 minutes. Ben, Stef, and K.J. won 5-4, but all skaters had at least three points. Game Two reversed those scores, the highlight coming when a Lee shot went through Shem but laid on the line; K.J. nonchalantly touched the ball for the greasy goal (according to him, the greasiest goal ever). Frankly, it’s hard to remember everything that went on in the session because there were just so many good plays and big moments. Ben kept sniping in Game Three, and his team took the series 5-2. In those last two games, it at times seemed that it was Ben’s court and everyone else was just borrowing it.

Regretfully, it was time to switch teams just to give players a chance to play with some other people. This game started off slowly when four balls left the court in five minutes of play. K.J. was the star here and his crew of Lee, Ben, and Lyle won 5-0 in the day’s lone shutout. Game Five saw Oliver traded for Ben, and Ben and Stefan hooked up for a 5-2 win. Ollie had numerous chances to bury shots but couldn’t get it on net, and his frustration was visible on the court. It was just too dark at this point and, sadly, an end had to be called at 9:10 pm.

It’s hard to believe such a brilliant session could have such a short write-up, but that is a testament to the players tonight. Everything was so good that nothing really stood out; it was all just great, skillful hockey from some great players. And what a goaltending duel! Shem stopped a career-high 113 shots in just five games to finish at a career high .856, and Lyle was equally up to the challenge of playing against these studs, stopping 85 shots and posting a donut en route to .842. Offensively, Ben and K.J. stood slightly above the rest. Ben dominated the flow for much of the session with his two-way play and booming shots. He had 55 shots on net in the five games for ten goals and eight assists, which was the inverse of speedy breakaway king K.J. (50 shots for him). Stefan’s rock-solid defence paired up well with Ben; the two cycled quite well together and Stefan got three goals and eleven assists to show for it. Lee actually got shutout from star points for the first time this season, and it’s not as if he (or any of the guys) were slouching. They were just so damn good. Oliver was just a rock on defence.

Here are the game scores:
Ben Stefan Lyle K.J. def. Oliver Shem Lee Mitch 5-4 4-5 5-2
K.J. Lee Ben Lyle def. Oliver Stefan Shem Mitch 5-0
Mitch Stefan Shem Ben def. K.J. Lee Oliver Lyle 5-2

Season Stats: Lee sits on 199 points, one away from becoming the first player to score 200 points in a season since four players did it back in 2006. Stefan sits 22 points back while the race for third tightens up between Kyle, Oliver, and Mitch (they’re within six points of one another). Below them, K.J. becomes the sixth player to score 100 points this year and Ben jumps from twelfth to a tie for eighth with Ryan, just seventeen points away from 100. Lee passes Kyle for the lead in goals and passes 100 goals on the year. Mitch is three goals behind Kyle for second. K.J. is one goal behind Pat for sixth, and Ben moves into the top ten. Lee’s lead in assists over Stefan narrows by five (97-92) while K.J. passes Mitch for fifth. Ben jumps to ninth in assists. Stefan’s lead in shots over Lee is now just one, 489-488, and Mitch just six behind Lee in a close three-way battle. Ben falls from third to fifth in shooting percentage. Shem passes Bron for fourth in season save percentage and Lorne for third in season saves. Lee passes Bernie for third in games played; Bernie is now tied with Mitch for fourth. Shem and Lyle pass Lorne for third and fourth in games goaltended. Lyle ties Bron for the lead in shutouts at three. K.J. knocks Pat out of the top five in three-star points. K.J. passes Kyle for second in APG; Stefan jumps to sixth. Shem and Lyle move past Bron into fourth and fifth in saves-per-game. Shem’s .856 is the fourth-best session this year.

On the all-time front: Stefan needs ten points to become the fourth player to score 1,000 points. Mitch needs eight points for 300, and is 22 behind Joe for 14th. Ben enters the top 30 in points. Lee is five points behind Oliver for the all-time BUSH scoring lead. K.J. needs two goals for 400. Mitch is three goals behind Kyle for 14th. K.J. is seven assists behind Laird for ninth and Mitch is twelve behind Robert for 13th. Lee needs eleven shots on goal to pass Lorne for first all-time; Mitch is seven behind Laird for eleventh. Shem jumps from seventh to fourth in all-time save percentage ahead of Bron. Lyle passes 1,500 saves. Stefan is one game played behind Seamus for eighth all-time; Mitch is seven games behind Simon for 14th. Shem passes Seamus for fifth in saves-per-game. Ben has three straight ten-goal sessions. Lee’s streak of nine straight 15-pointers, the second-longest of all time, ends, but K.J. has now tied said mark. Ben has three in a row. Lee (three) and K.J. (two) have 20-pointer streak end. Lyle ties Joern for fifth in 80-save sessions with 13 and has eight in a row; Shem has four in a row. Oliver has played 22 consecutive sessions, Mitchell seven, and Lee six.

SDF/GDF: Pat’s on top for the fourth ranking in a row. Lorne falls big again to ninth, and Ben enters the top ten for the first time. Joern falls off the SDF ranking for the first time since July of 2003. Nathan’s on top again of the GDF for the eighth consecutive ranking. Shem jumps from seventh to third, and Terryn falls off.

Check out those Records and Honours on the links page before you leave. It may be Saturday, it may be Sunday, but both leagues will be back this weekend, so make sure you’re back at BurtonHockey.com for the action!