SEASON 8 REVIEW
Our 8th season finished this past Sunday after completing the finals. Congratulations go out to the championship Blues who won the series 2-1 against FUBAR.
The first game was tight throughout with excellent goaltending at both ends. After the game ended up in overtime tied 3-3, Mike Moore scored his 2nd goal of the game to give the Blues the 1-0 lead in the series. Andrew Trecartin scored the other two goals and Bruno Dugas had four first assists in the game. FUBAR got their goals from Wyatt Ashworth, Brent McKenna, and Stephen Rafuse. FUBAR came out flying in the 2nd game, cruising to a 10-5 win to tie the series. Brent led the way with a hat-trick, while Clay Bouzane, Stephen Rafuse, and Collin Sleep each had a pair of goals and Wyatt added a single. Bruno had a hat-trick for the Blues, while Doug Taylor and Mike each added goals. The 3rd and final game got off to a bad start for the Blues with Brent picking off a pass and scoring in front of the net 10 seconds into the game, giving FUBAR a quick 1-0 lead. Despite some spectacular goaltending from FUBAR’s Mark Ferrell, the Blues played a tight defense and kept a fast pace on their way to a 7-1 win to claim the prize. Mike got the Blues on the board to tie the game, then scored his 2nd of the game, which turned out to be the game winner. Bruno also scored a pair of goals, while Chirstian Haines, Doug, and Tyson Taylor also scored. Bruno, Mike, and Brent led all scorers in the finals, each with 5 goals, while Bruno had the most points with 10.
BLUES – 2012/2013 Champions
Andrew Trecartin (captain) – First League Championship
Jeff Smith (goalie) – Second League Championship
Bruno Dugas – First League Championship
Christian Haines – First League Championship
Mike Moore – Second League Championship
Doug Taylor – Fourth League Championship
Tyson Taylor – Second League Championship
Ben Warren – First League Championship
THOUGHTS, OBSERVATIONS, MILESTONES. RECORDS, STATS
This season provided one of our stranger finals series. The spectators thought they were in for a close series after watching the first game go to overtime. But the 2nd and 3rd games were basic blowouts with each team taking a turn. Not a predictable series by any stretch. Doug Taylor set a new record for the league’s most championships with his fourth. Ian Stevens was also going for his fourth, but did set a record for the most finals appearances, currently holding the record with Mike Moore and Doug Taylor who have now been there five times. Clay Bouzane has a current 3 seasons finals streak. He’s been the league’s number one draft pick in all 3 seasons. Andrew Trecartin also has a 3 seasons finals streak, getting to the finals in every season since he started. The Blues finished the regular season lower than any other championship team, only managing fifth place.
The Renegades claimed a 2nd consecutive regular season championship with the best record any team’s ever had. They set a new record for most wins (47) and most points (98). They also tied the record for the least losses at 9.
There were only a few new individual records set this season, compared to last season when we had many. Marc Guitard had and still has a lot of them, but added a new record for the most points in a game with 11, while Tim O’Leary and Marc set a new record for the most points during a week, each with 21. Rick Bartlett set new records for the most total assist during a game (9) and a season (115).
Dennis Moffitt and Rick Bartlett continued their 100 pts. streaks each extending them to 8 seasons. Dennis, Jim Taylor, and Rick all scored their 1000th regular season points this season. Rick still leads all playoff scorers while Doug Taylor has the most points during the finals.
Although players have won multiple scoring races (Dennis Moffitt with 3, and Troy Doyle and Jim Taylor each with a couple), and a player has led the league in most total assists multiple times (Rick Bartlett 4), along with players leading in multiple first and second assists categories, no player has had multiple most goals seasons. We’ve had 8 different goal scoring leaders in the 8 seasons we’ve played. Brent McKenna added his name to the list this season.
I believe we’re done playing in Harvey and next season we’ll be back to a closer more convenient facility. Of the two seasons Harvey was involved in our league, scoring went up and most scoring records were broken there. Due to the travel distance and added time that translated into added commitment, the teams often played with a short bench if any bench at all, as in the case of the Collective during their two playoff games. Most teams were faced with player issues throughout the season at one time or another. The teams that usually won were the teams that showed up with their players. The regular season and playoff champions were indicative of that. A lot of players and teams will ponder and wonder of what may have happened if their respective teams would have been full all season long, but not the Blues. They found out.
