SPORTSHOUND: Avs Bring Home Gold

U15 Avalanche

It doesn’t get any sweeter than this. The U15 Avalanche took to the road over the weekend, playing in a tournament in Lloydminster, and returned home Sunday night with the gold medal. After winning the first two games of the round robin, the boys were matched against the Tier 1 team from the Lloydminster Blazers. The Avalanche had played at the Tier 2 level for two or three weeks.

The final game turned into a nail-biter, ending after 60 minutes of regulation tied at 3-3. Liam “Sledgehammer” Swedgen scored the first two Avalanche goals, the first assisted by Tristan “Bobcat” Brousseau and Remington “Steel” Reynolds, and the second was unassisted. Late in the third period, with the Avalanche down by one, the “Bobcat” buried a goal, assisted by Remington Steel and the Sledgehammer.

The game proceeded to a five-minute, three-on-three overtime period, which ended still tied. A shootout was required. Three players were chosen from each team. The First Avalanche shooter, Wyatt “Wild Wyatt” Fontaine, scored. Avalanche goaltender Owen “Ollie the Goalie” Grykuliak saved the Blazers’ first attempt. Jaxon “Smitty” Smith, the second Avalanche shooter, also scored, and Ollie the Goalie shut the door on the second Blazers shooter. At this point, the Blazers had no chance to tie, and the Avalanche secured the win!

The whole team elevated their play over the weekend, with each player contributing to the victory. Parents couldn’t be prouder of the players and their coaching staff for this early Christmas present.

 

U13 Avalanche

The U13 Avalanche had their hands full when they hosted the Border City Blazers over the weekend. Fortunately, body checking was removed from the U13 level because the Lloydminster Blazers had a significant size advantage. Nonetheless, the Avalanche players never backed down, putting up a valiant effort in a 6-3 loss.

Team captain Hudson “The Bull” Brousseau scored two goals, while Hunter “Hardrock” Pankiw added a goal and an assist. Grayson “Big Bang” Koppang, Jaydn “The Shark” Sakowsky, and goaltender “Major Tom” Melnyk each contributed an assist. Major Tom faced 32 shots on goal and added excitement to the game by losing his stick three times and venturing out of the net to the corner occasionally, even falling once. His D-men, Hudson “The Hammer” Krankowsky, Ethan “The Big E” Lorenson, and Mikey “The Beast” L’Heureux, did a fantastic job helping him out.

With one of the regular defensemen missing, “Fearless Frank” Killiam stepped in and excelled on the back end. This opened a forward position, leading the coaching staff to call up Aspyn “Machine Gun” Kelly from the U11 farm team. Machine Gun Kelly fit right in, even spending two minutes in the penalty box for being too aggressive.

 

U18 Avalanche

The U18 Avalanche hosted the Fort McMurray Oil Barons on Saturday night and again on Sunday at noon. They lost the first game 3-1 but rebounded to win on Sunday 7-5.

On Saturday, Quinton “Rampage” Quinney scored the lone Avalanche goal very late in the game, assisted by Gavin “Greenlight” Kadutski.

By Sunday, tensions were high, and the game was riddled with penalties, with 64 penalty minutes between the two teams. Despite the challenges, the Avalanche played significantly better, firing 48 shots on goal compared to the Barons’ 22.

Greenlight shone with two goals, including a short-handed tally, an insurance goal in the final seconds, and an assist. Anton “A-Bomb” Braithwaite added a goal and an assist, while team captain Kaleb “Formula One” Flamand scored a goal, assisted another, and made multiple trips to the penalty box. Bronson “The Bruiser” Riley-Brock contributed a goal, an assist, and a fair share of time in the sin bin. “Top Gunner” Crawford netted the eventual game-winner, and rookie Braylee “Free Willy” Lesyk also scored. Assists were recorded by Rampage and Trace “Without a Trace” Morgan.

This game highlighted the Avalanche’s resilience and determination as they bounced back to deliver an impressive victory.