Elk Point Avalanche teams are looking good in tiering system

It’s too early to tell, but if this past weekend is any indication, our teams seem to be able to compete in the tier they were locked into.

U18 Avalanche

The Elk Point U18 Avalanche, placed in tier two, only played one game this past weekend, so that is a small sample size. However, they won 3 to 1 over Kitscoty this past Sunday at home in our barn. The Pitbulls had defeated the Avs a few weeks earlier this year by a landslide, but the boys were better prepared for this one. Goalie “Goodyear” Charlie Lesyk between the pipes was up for the challenge. He saw his share of rubber, facing 45 shots, but played very solidly. The special teams played a significant role in this game. Two out of the three goals for the Avs were scored on the power play. “Bo Diddley” Fontaine scored the first one on the power play, assisted by Kaleb “Formula One” Flamand and “Top Gunner” Crawford, tying the game at one all at this point. Formula One scored the winner in the second period, with an even-strength goal assisted by Gavin “Greenlight” Kadutski and Top Gunner. The insurance goal, putting the icing on the cake, was scored in the third period, another power-play goal by Top Gunner, assisted by Formula One and Greenlight.

U15 Avalanche

The U15 Avalanche, also placed in tier two, looked really good. Lloydminster has two tier-two teams, and the Avs played them both on the weekend. They peppered the Lloydminster 631 Blazers with 41 shots, winning the game 7 to 0 on Saturday at home, with everyone on the team getting in on the action. “Wild Wyatt” Fontaine scored a hat trick and an assist. Cade “Easy Money” Elliot, Jesse James Penner, Tristan “Bobcat” Brousseau, and Jaxon “Magic” Marcoux also scored in this one. Remington “Steel” Reynolds, Ryder “Rhino” Malo, William “Billy Bob” Ballas, Liam “Sledgehammer” Swedgen, and Jaxon “Smitty” Smith all had assists.

On the road on Sunday in the Border City against the other Lloyd team, the 632 Blazers, it was a repeat of the day before. This time, the Avs fired 63 shots on the Blazers, resulting in a 6-all tie. Once more, it was a team effort, with everyone contributing. Bobcat scored a hat trick. Remington “Steel,” Wild Wyatt and Billy Bob scored a goal and added an assist. Sledgehammer had three assists; Easy Money, Smitty, Jesse James, and Magic got in with an assist. Theo “Longhorn” Loughran-Quinney and Owen “Ollie the Goalie” Grykuliak shared the goaltending duties.

U13 Avalanche

Our U13 Avs were placed in tier three and went three for three on the weekend. They won on the road Friday night in Hughenden, 5 to 3. Hunter “Hardrock” Pankiw scored a hat trick and an assist. Hudson “The Bull” Brousseau had two goals and an assist. The big D-man Ethan “The Big E” Lorenson jumped up into the play with two assists. Veteran goalie “Major Tom” Melnyk shut the door on the Jets.

On Saturday at home, the rookie goalie “General Lee” Barstad put on a show, facing 35 shots. The Avs won this one by a close 6 to 5 over Lloydminster. The Bull, seeing red, charged the net, scoring a hat trick and adding an assist. Hardrock scored two goals. Rugged defenseman Hudson “The Hammer” Krankowsky and speedy winger Delaney “Downtown” Swedgen also contributed with assists.

On Sunday, the U13 Avs hosted Irma, winning this one 4 to 2. The Bull had two goals and two assists. Big power forward “Fearless Frank” Killiam and Stetson “Shack” Reynolds each added one goal. Jadyn “The Shark” Sakowsky, doing some great forechecking and smelling blood, added an assist. Starting to get into the groove, the little rookie Kadence “Sundance” Blacklock is beginning to look more comfortable on the ice and had a great weekend. It’s only a matter of time before she will be on the scoreboard.

U11 Avalanche

Our U11 Avs were bumped all the way from tier four to tier two. Goalie “Benny Boy” Saddleback saw more shots in two games than in the previous eight games combined. This may be too big of a jump for them, but they seemed okay on Saturday when they came from behind and tied with Bonnyville 8 all. Jase “The Jackal” Malo and “Machine Gun” Kelly each had a hat trick and added two assists. Cohen “Big Horn” Brousseau had a goal and an assist. Thomas “The Tank” Morris, parking his big rig on the porch, hammered one home. Defenseman Landon “Lights Out” St. Arnault and “Jumbo Jay” Large each had an assist. On Sunday in Kitscoty, it was a different story. The Av’s took one on the chin, losing 12 to 4. Machine Gun Kelly had two goals and two assists. The Jackal and Big Horn each added one goal and one assist. We will have to wait to see how it goes next week before we panic too much.