VR Hockey League Season 4 kicked off tonight for the first of almost nightly matchups for the next eight weeks between eight teams divided into A league and B league. VR Hockey League (VRHL) began its inaugural season in April 2020 and features the premier multiplayer VR hockey simulator Pick-Up League Hockey.
Tonight’s game featured Demons versus Dynamo Yaks. Demons have made it to the finals in the previous three seasons of VRHL and Dynamo Yaks is a new team so a huge challenge was anticipated on the ice for the Yaks.
Unfortunately for the Demons, the Dynamo Yaks came to rink to win and went away with the victory in both the upper and developing leagues. Final scores were 7-2 in A league and 7-6 in B league.
I asked Itsabrassbonanza, VRHL caster, why he thought the runner-up team of the previous two seasons failed to bring home a win tonight.
“They had a tough time breaking the puck out in their own zone at times,” he said, adding that “the Yaks simply capitalized on opportunities they were given.”
Itsabrassbonanza also pointed out that “Bolty had a huge game for them [the Dynamo Yaks] with four goals. The Yaks were able to dominate on both sides of the puck all night and that gave them the win.”
Pick-Up League Hockey (PULH) became one of the first games available on Oculus App Lab earlier this year as a full-featured multiplayer hockey game that uses realistic physics and motion controls. Customizable features for players include player-selectable jerseys and stick skins.
The VRHL draft took place on June 12 when captains selected their teams of six. Those teams were then divided into A league and B league teams. The A and B teams will compete in separate brackets and players from the B league will be allowed to participate in A league games, but A league players aren’t allowed to compete in B league. This gives the B league players an opportunity to develop skills with the potential of being put on an A team next season.
Subs
Players who weren’t selected in the draft are able to sign up as substitutes for league matches. They’re ranked as VRHL Free Agents and subbing for teams can create opportunities for them to be drafted onto a team in future seasons.
VRHL Season 4 Teams
When and Where to Watch
VR Hockey League games happen almost nightly for the next 8 weeks and then teams will progress to finals. A full schedule and individual team schedules can be found on the VRHL website.
You can watch league games on the official VR Hockey League Twitch channel or catch Pick-Up League Hockey any time on the Twitch channel of the game’s creator, Wraith of Electric Falcon LLC.
Join the Community
Pick-Up League Hockey (PULH) is available on Oculus headsets, including the Quest. This is a free game available through App Lab.
As always, we encourage you to engage with other VR community members. You’ll definitely find many dedicated fans who enjoy hockey in physical and immersive reality on the Pick-Up League Hockey Discord server.
Stay tuned to VR Fitness Insider for more information about Pick-Up League Hockey and the VR Hockey League.
