Recently, two huge milestones have been reached at Riley Rink.
The first big milestone hit was when the Burr and Burton Bulldogs faced Rutland in a home matchup with more on the line than just a win.
Captain Katie Brownlee entered the night with 96 career points, just four away from reaching the 100 point milestone at home.
“I’m sure the entire team knew what was at stake with Katie’s milestone,” said Dogs co-head coach Ed Lewicki.
Six minutes into the first period, Brownlee scored her first goal of the night to give the Dogs a 1–0 lead, immediately firing up the bench.
After regrouping, the Dogs returned to the ice ready to push in the second period. Brownlee struck again with five minutes remaining, sending a long shot into the net for her second goal of the night. Three minutes later, Brownlee scored again on a slap shot, bringing her to 99 career points, just one away from history.
“I knew how many points I was away,” Brownlee said. “But I didn’t want to play selfish hockey. I tried to open up the ice, pass to teammates, and let things happen.”
With 46 seconds left in the period, it finally happened. Brownlee fired a shot that deflected off the goalie, and co-captain Carmella Livingston jumped on the rebound and tapped it in. While Livingston scored the goal, Brownlee earned the assist, marking her 100th career point.
“It’s been a goal of mine for a few years,” Brownlee said after the game reflecting on her milestone.
Brownlee is now the fourth player in Burr and Burton girls hockey history to reach the 100 point milestone.
“It’s really special,” Lewicki said. “In 16 years, I’ve only had three players reach 100. I know how big of a deal this is.”
“I am so insanely proud of her,” Livingston said. “This milestone is incredible.”
The next milestone reached recently was when Mark Slade earned 100 wins against Rutland.
Burr and Burton came out strong, scoring twice in the first period with goals from Miles Searles and Bodie Smith.
The second period was evenly played, though tensions rose when Bulldogs player RJ Volski and several Rutland players were involved in a heated exchange. The incident resulted in a five-minute penalty for a Rutland player and a two-minute penalty for Volski. Neither team scored during the period.
The final period remained scoreless as well, and the Bulldogs secured a 2–0 shutout victory. The win marked Slade’s 100th career victory as head coach.
“Those 100 wins mean I’ve had 100 great moments with people over the last 12 years,” Slade said. “We can always be better coaches and better community members, and this program reminds me of that every day.”
Reaching the milestone with this year’s team was especially meaningful for Slade. “It’s one of the first groups I started coaching when my son was five, and now he’s 17,” he said. “The memories over the years with this group are really special.”