Perhaps it was fate that a solid week of torrential downpours would cease and the skies would part to bring forth the glorious sun, on the very day a VRH session was scheduled. Perhaps then it was fate too that this would become one of the most significant sessions in Burton Hockey history.

A solid organizational effort by Sam resulted in enough players for 3-on-3 with a sub on each team (for most of the session). The first series saw Rhino-Rob-Darrel-Dom(G) beat Bernie-Tony-Sam-Ollie-Stu(G) two games to none. Team Stu just could not match the intensity and defensive presence of the Rob-Darrel combo (with Rhino providing the offensive flare).

Knowing that Ollie was only 12 points behind Lee Orr for the all time Burton Hockey scoring lead, a keen eye was kept on his stats. After two long, grueling games, Ollie was sitting at 5 points and it seemed like it just wasn’t in the cards on this day.

The next series would feature some serious redemption. Ollie-Sam-Markus-Rhino-Dom(G) would get beaten handily in the first game by Tony-Rob-Bernie-Darrel-Stu(G) but would come together as a team to take the next two games. This series was not without controversy though as there were a number of disputed goals/posts from Sam’s stick (one was allowed, one was not). Ollie’s steady production in this series would see him get up to 12 points tying Lee Orr’s record in the process.

With most everyone near the point of exhaustion and an increasing number of soccer players hovering ominously about the rink, it was evident that the next game would be the final one. Perhaps it was the luck of the Irish on this day of the Saint, but despite a subpar performance (including 0 shots & a team loss), Ollie did manage to pick up one second assist. This would be just enough however, to crown him the new all-time Burton Hockey scoring champion, knocking Lee off his lofty pedestal for the first time in many years.

By getting that final point Ollie would also crush the League Commissioner’s hopes of seeing the point takeover happen at a possible BUSH session (featuring some Vancouverites) next weekend. It was however, more than fitting that record would be broken in Vancouver during a VRH session; a former BUSH stalwart, Ollie has over the last 5 years entrenched himself in VRH and now calls that league home.

This scoring lead change is perhaps a signifier of something greater than a single man’s honour; if anything it is a testament to the strength of VRH and all its members. After all, records can’t be broken without sessions, and sessions can’t happen without the contribution of the entire VRH community. And this aspect ultimately will likely be the determining factor in the question of whether Lee is able to regain the scoring lead; will BUSH (or Arena) be able to get off the ground again and keep pace with VRH? Only time will tell…

P.S. My write-ups don’t rhyme but that’s not a crime.

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Thanks, Bernie! A truly historic day as Oliver Koth-Kappus reclaims the all-time scoring lead he gave up back in November of 2009 with 2,753 points. While it would have been sweet irony to break it right in front of an injured Lee’s face in Burton next weekend, the fact that he broke it in Ambleside is, as Bernie wrote, a testament to the strength and growth of VRH. Nevertheless, it was Sam who was the dominant force today, posting the first 20-pointer of the season (11G-9A). Tony made his 2013 debut and showed no rust as he finished second with 9G-8A. Brother Rob took third star with 7G-9A. Ryan and Oliver each 11A, the highest total of the young season. Rob did some Orr-bashing of his own; he passed Graeme Orr in all-time points to become the first VRH-bred player to enter the top ten… In goal, Stu narrowly bested Dom .812-.809 to reinforce his claim to being the new top dog of the West Van crease. He also posted 108 saves to become the first goalie to make 00 saves in a session this year.

Game Scores:
Ryan Rob Darrel Dom def. Bernie Tony Sam Oliver Stu 5-2 5-4
Oliver Sam Markus Ryan Dom def. Tony Rob Bernie Darrel Stu 2-5 5-3 5-2
Tony Ryan Sam Bernie Stu def. Rob Darrel Oliver Markus Dom 5-3

Elo Ratings
Sam Lam 2079 (+30)
Tony Hajdu 2022 (+22)
Rob Hajdu 2047 (+1)
Ryan Disterheft 1919 (+4)
Darrel Voser 1888 (-26)
Oliver Koth-Kappus 1877 (-6)
Markus Lohuaru 1706 (-15)
Bernie Koth-Kappus 1512 (-10)

Season Stats: With a slightly different line-up today, this has enabled Rob to open up a slight lead now at 39 points, ahed of Ryan (36) and Oliver (32). Former leader Andrew Smart, absent today, falls to fourth at 24, while Sam now sits sixth at 21… The goals chart has been completely turned on its head. Rob (15) leads Ryan (14) followed by Sam and Andrew (11) followed by a logjam in fifth place at nine goals (Oliver, Tony, Markus, Riley)… Rob and Oliver lead the assists at 24 narrowly ahead of Ryan at 23; it’s a long way back to Andy and Jordan at 13… Ryan leads Rob in assists, 109-90; Sam debuts fourth at 49… Tony, Darrel, and Markus sit 1-2-3 in shooting percentage… Dom’s save percentage drops 30 points to .837 but he still leads all goalies this year; Stuart debuts fourth… Dom takes the save lead with 180, while Stuart sits in second at 108… Ryan has played all 15 games this year; Rob and Oliver have played 14 and Sam and Dom have played 10… Only Dom has goaltended in multiple sessions this year… Sam, Andrew, Riley, and Rob each have 15 three-star points… Sam leads in total star points with 30 ahead of Dom at 20… Sam debuts second in PPG and GPG… Dom and Stuart are both tied for second in saves-per-game at 18.00… Sam’s 20-point session is tops so far this year; Tony’s 17 tie for second and Rob’s 16 tie for third… Sam’s 11 goals today rank second-best in sessions this year; Tony’s nine rank third and Darrel’s eight tie for fourth… Ryan and Oliver set new session assist marks on the year with 11 each; Rob and Sam’s nine apiece tie for fifth… Sam’s 49 shots today are a season best; Ryan’s 39 tie for second and Rob’s 38 rank fourth… Stuart’s .812 and Dom’s .809 rank fourth and fifth-best in sessions this year… Stuart’s 108 saves are tops while Dom’s 80 rank fourth… Stuart’s 930 PPS is second-best this year while Dom’s 898 ranks fourth.

SDF/GDF: With yet another session led in scoring, Sam’s grip on top the SDF is firm… Kellan falls under the session minimum (the last Arena player to do so) and falls behind Rob to third… Ryan swaps fifth and sixth with Darrel; Oliver falls behind Stefan to seventh… After three rankings on top, Stu hands back top spot on the GDF to Bron as both Stu and Dom have slightly below-average performances (which is saying a lot!), but that’s just how good the top VRH goalies are. It’s Bron’s 17th career ranking led, placing him eight all-time.

All-Time Session Milestones & Streaks

On the All-Time Front: 2,753 points is the new all-time scoring benchmark, and Oliver will only grow the gap between himself and Lee as long as Leeroy remains on the shelf… Rob becomes the first VRH-bred player to enter the all-time top ten, moving ahead of Graeme Orr; he needs 40 points for 1,000… Tony and Ryan passes Joern Hornhardt and now ranks 15th in scoring with Ryan ten points behind Joern… Sam is four points behind Mitch Detta for 18th… Darrel needs four points to enter the top 30… Oliver needs 18 goals for 1,100… Ryan needs eight goals for 400… Sam is four goals behind Jordan Barlow for 17th… Rob passes K.J. O’Connor for ninth in assists… Ryan asses Tony for 16th in assists and is11 behind Nathan Robson for 15th… Sam is five assists behind Laird Bilinski for 19th… Dom passes Justin Gordon for eighth in games played… Ryan needs three games for 400… In his first start since 13 May 2012, Tony records his 25th career 15-pointer and fourth in a row…Sam ties Mitch Detta for 11th in ten-goal sessions with 14… Oliver records his stunning 66th ten-assister; it was Ryan’s sixth… With nine and eight consecutive .800s, respectively, Dom and Stu have the third and fourth-longest streaks of all-time… Stu’s 7 straight .810 ties him with Bron for the second-longest .810 streak of all-time… Dom’s .810 streak ends at four; his .820 streak at two… Stu’s .820 streak ends at six… Stu records his fourth 100-saver… Rob plays his 11th consecutive session; Oliver his seventh

Following up on the excitement of today’s historic session, attention now swings east of the Monashees back to the ancestral home of Burton Hockey for next weekend. Will we get the first BUSH session of the year this weekend? Will the Nakusp Arena be ready for roller hockey next week? And will Sam Lam put together another VRH session next weekend? It should be fun!