Time to lace up those skates

Finally, it’s that time again, time to lace them up.  Usually every year around the Thanksgiving weekend our ice at the A.G. Ross Arena will be ready to skate on. This year we had an earlier then normal start, but as we encountered a few breakdowns with the plant and then the boiler. Nothing a little money and some willing volunteers couldn’t fix; now the ice is ready.

The anxious kids hit the ice last Tuesday and Thursday for practise and then on Saturday our Atom Avalanche hosted Mannville in the first game of the year.

The more games you can get played in the first month are critical to tiering system. Getting placed into the right tier will make all the difference for a good year. Start the season in the wrong tier can make for a very long year and no one has any fun losing by huge scores. Winning by big scores are a lot of fun for some, but that doesn’t work that well for developing the skills. In the past the governors are reluctant to move teams after the first two months, mainly because of all the make up games and rescheduling involved.

The Atom  Avalanche lost the home opener 15 to 7,  but the shots were close 26 to 20. Between the pipes for the first time ever Notorious Nolan Ballas battled hard and wasn’t fazed.

A hat trick and an assist for ‘Wild Wyatt’ Fontaine. Two goals and an assist for Kale the ‘Hawk’ Ockerman. Braylee ‘B.J.’ Lesyk with two goals. Remington ‘Steel’ Reynolds with a helper.

This is only one game and the first of the year let’s wait and see how they make out next week. And  I did notice on the game sheet that one Mannville player was in on 11 of the 15 goals.

Not much of a contest up in Lac La Biche for our Bantam Avalanche who clipped the wings of the Clippers to the tune of 10-2.

Back with his buddies, after spending a year in Bonnyville, goalie Vanden ‘Super Mario’ Moroziuk was behind the mask doing a excellent job of keeping the puck out. Last year when we couldn’t ice a bantam team Super Mario played in Bonnyville.

Also back after a year in St. Paul ‘Mic Jager’ Fontaine, leading the charge with a hat trick and three assists. Cea Jay Quinney with a hat trick as well. The ‘Bionic Man’ Brady Hymanyk, who spend last year in Frog Lake, scored with a break- away goal.

First year rookie Seth ‘Motorman’ Morton finding the twine with two and the rugged D Man, another rookie, ‘Spiderman’ Sam Rogal spinning through the web to the net with one.

Another first year bantam playing contact hockey for the first time ‘Kid Kade’ Fontaine looking like an old veteran throwing the body around in the corners picking up two assists Steady stay at home defenseman  ‘Saint Nic’ Penner and Landon the ‘Magnificient’ Malchowski with a helper each.

Just like the Atoms this is a very small sample size and the teams will need a lot more games under their belt to see where we stand and what tier we should be seeded  in .