The Busiest Day Yet at the A.G. Ross Arena

Photo: Santa collecting the wish lists from all the good boys and girls at the AG Ross Arena on Saturday, December 13, 2024. Kyler Sakowich takes a break from hockey to find out his on Santa’s nice list.

This was, without a doubt, the busiest the A.G. Ross Arena has been this season. The U7 and U9 Avalanche teams co-hosted a one-day, half-ice tournament, inviting 12 teams. Most of the out-of-town teams came from the Lakeland area, but one team travelled all the way from Sherwood Park.

What a day it was! The parking lot was packed, and cars and trucks lined up and down 51st Street. The line-up to the concession stretched all the way to the door. The raffle table was full of goodies, and even Santa stopped by for a few hours that morning. Everyone was a winner in this one. Big hats off to the coaches, managers, parents, and friends of the Avalanche for volunteering their time and doing a terrific job.

U11 Avalanche Prove They Belong

The U11 Avalanche had three monster wins this past weekend. Winning three games in a weekend is normally not a big deal, but this team was moved up from Tier 4 to Tier 2 and is proving, without a shadow of a doubt, that they belong at this level.

Team captain and defenceman Jase “The Jackal” Malo went coast to coast, scoring a big majority of the goals. Aspyn “Machine Gun” Kelly and Cohen “Big Horn” Brousseau both added a number of goals and assists. Defencemen Kael “Hurricane” Large, Jay “Jumbo” Large, and Landon “Lights Out” St. Arnault not only got on the board with a few goals and assists but did a solid job holding the blue line and helping out goalie Benny Boy Saddleback, who made some outstanding saves all weekend.

Maximus “To the Max” Laliberte played really well, scoring two goals and adding an assist. The most improved players on the team—Thomas “The Tank” Morris, Damian “Foghorn” Ockerman, Raiden “Radar” Savadra, and Blake “The Rattlesnake” Fontaine—did outstanding work forechecking and creating turnovers.

This coming Sunday, the U11s will host Lloydminster at 11 a.m.

U15 Avalanche Take on Provost Blades

The U15 Avalanche played Saturday night at home, right after the tournament, against the Provost Blades. The Blades came out on top, winning 4–2.

Big power forward Jaxon “Magic” Marcoux scored both goals for the Avalanche, with assists from Ryder “Rhino” Malo and Reece “Stone Cold” Winterbottom.

The U15s will host the Cold Lake Ice this coming Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.

U18 Avalanche Battle Hard in Close Games

The U18 Avalanche had two very close games over the weekend, coming home Saturday night from Border City with a single point after a 4–4 tie with the Blazers. Rookie Trace “Without a Trace” Morgan scored twice, while “Top Gunner” Crawford and Braylee “Free Willy” Lesyk each added a goal. Assists came from Quinton “Rampage” Quinney, Brendan “Buzz Saw” Kadutski, and Cole “Cyclone” Pierce.

Sunday at home was another nail-biter, with the score going back and forth for three full periods. Tied at 5–5, it looked like this one was headed for another draw until the Bonnyville Pontiacs found the twine in the final two minutes, sneaking away with a 6–5 win.

Gavin “Greenlight” Kadutski, Madden “Mad Dog” Flamand, “Top Gunner” Crawford, and Braylee “Free Willy” Lesyk each had one goal and one assist. Bronson “Bronko” Riley Brock added a goal, with assists from team captain Kaleb “Formula One” Flamand and Cole “Cyclone” Pierce. Rylan “The Great” Quinney did a fantastic job killing penalties.

U13 Avalanche Enjoy a Weekend Off

The U13 Avalanche had a rare weekend off. This coming Saturday, they will host the Mallaig Monarchs at 2:15 p.m.