Christmas Session Returns to Burton Hockey
The annual Christmas session was a tradition for the first four years of Burton Hockey. Tomorrow afternoon, it will return for the first time since 2003.The Christmas session was a tradition that predated the league itself; friends coming back home to the Arrow Lakes valley at the holidays to get together and play hockey. Typically, it was a foot session held in either the Burton or Fauquier community hall. The small confines of the hall produced 2-on-2 hockey with massive shot volumes for goalies to feast on. Today, it would simply be a really good session, but when Laird Bilinski stopped 156 shots on 30 December 2001, that was new territory for Burton Hockey.
The first Christmas session under Burton Hockey auspices was rather quite the anomaly. To this point, it has been the only session actually played in Nakusp, the hub of the league where most of its players are tied to. It was played inside the Nakusp Secondary School gymnasium. Rather than the tight confines of the Burton Hall, the NSS gym made for a wide-open 4-on-4 game with little scoring. It also marked the only appearance of Andrew Watson's older brother Stewart, who would actually lead the session in scoring (and then look at your humble statistician's boxscore and say, 'Points; those are goals plus assists, right?').
We are very happy to announce that for the first time since we got together in the Burton Hall back at Christmas 2003, the hallowed session will return to Burton Hockey tomorrow, capping off our most successful season ever. For the first time, we will take it outdoors with just the second session ever held within the municipal limits of Nakusp; a good old asphalt battle on the parking lot of Nakusp Secondary School. We understand that a former award-winning Burton Hockey star of the past will playing his first session in over six years! (Hint: it's one of the folks listed in the chart below.)
All-Time Christmas Session Scoring Chart (GS, G, A, P)
Stefan Klopp 22 31 15 46
Justin Gordon 16 29 16 45
Bernie Koth-Kappus 22 14 17 31
Oliver Koth-Kappus 22 15 14 29
Lee Orr 8 19 9 28
Laird Bilinski 3 6 15 21
Robert Rogers 5 15 5 20
Lorne Bilinski 4 9 3 12
Graeme Orr 5 5 7 12
Joern Hornhardt 0 0 11 11
Stewart Watson 4 1 9 10
Mitch Peterson 5 7 2 9
Isaac Saban 4 6 3 9
Chris Jackins 7 3 6 9
Joe Chwachka 4 4 4 8
Patrick Strachan 4 5 2 7
James Inglis 3 2 1 3
Jackson Hewer 4 1 1 2
All-Time Christmas Session Goaltending Chart (GG, SA, SGA, SPCT)
Justin Gordon 2 39 33 6 0.846
Laird Bilinski 12 245 206 39 0.841
Joern Hornhardt 18 357 285 72 0.798
Lorne Bilinski 4 67 50 17 0.746
Kyle wrote on December 23, 2010 @ 20:17:25 PST
The afternoon of the 24th, before everyone heads off to their families that evening.
Stefan wrote on December 23, 2010 @ 17:05:05 PST
Is this session being played on the 24th or the 25th? or today on the 23rd. It is a little unclear by the date of the post, and the wording in the post.