Avalanche Teams Continue Tiering Play at the A.G. Ross Arena

This past weekend marked week two of the tiering process. A few of our teams had some very close games and appear to be in the right competitive tier. Others are still a work in progress and will likely be moved—or see some other teams moved up.

Our U7 and U9 Avalanche teams split the ice and played at the same time against Dewberry/Marwayne early Saturday morning at 9 a.m. The stands were packed with parents and grandparents. More about them in the weeks to come.

Right after the half-boards were put away, and before the ribbon cutting of the new ice plant, our U11 team hosted the Redwater Rush. This one ended in an 11–6 win for the Avalanche. Six goals were scored by the talented Maximus “To the Max” Laliberte, including a Michigan from behind the net. Wow — I’ve never seen one of those from anyone this young!

Cohen “Big Horn” Brousseau added four goals and an assist, while younger brother Gavin “The Badger” chipped in three assists. “Sir Winston” Ung was on the doorstep pounding one in as well. Freewheeling defenceman Landon “Lights Out” St. Arnault and Brady “Bulldozer” Heathcote each added two assists. Mya “Magnificent” Lorenson, Mason “Mini-Wheels” Weir, Jasper “Grizzy” Hymanyk, and Blake “The Rattlesnake” Fontaine all contributed with an assist.

On Sunday, the U11 Avalanche faced a bigger challenge when they hosted the Bonnyville Pontiacs, coached by one of our former players and coach, Devin Moneta. The Avalanche won this barn burner by a score of 9–8, with the winning goal scored by Mya “Magnificent” Lorenson with a minute and a half left on the clock. “To the Max” tallied a hat trick, and “Big Horn” scored four. “Grizzy Bear” ripped in his first goal of the year. “Rattlesnake” added two assists and some fabulous backchecking.

Stay-at-home defenceman Damian “Fog Horn” Ockerman didn’t make the scoresheet but stopped many of the Pontiacs in their tracks, helping out his goaltender, Tydis Whiskeyjack Cardinal, who faced 36 shots and shut the door in the final minutes.

U13 Avalanche

The U13 Avalanche had a tough weekend, losing both of their games. Saturday at home, they fell to Hughenden 11–5. All five Avalanche goals were scored by Jase “The Jackal” Malo. Stetson “Shack” Reynolds picked up two assists, and Christian “Bones 2.0” Yaremkevich added one.

On Sunday, the U13s travelled to Kitscoty and dropped that one 10–2. “The Jackal” scored both Avalanche goals unassisted.

U15 Avalanche

The U15 Avalanche had a great weekend, winning both of their games. At home on Saturday, they hosted Wainwright and skated away with a 5–1 victory. Hudson “The Bull” Brousseau and Reid Dechaine each netted two goals, with Jaxon “Magic” Marcoux adding one.

Set-up man William “Billy Bob” Ballas collected four assists, while Hunter “Hardrock” Pankiw, Cade “Eagle Eye” Elliot, Remi Amyotte, Grayson “Slim” Skakun, and Lennox “All Out” St. Arnault each picked up one.

On Sunday, the boys travelled north to Cold Lake and came home with a 6–2 win. Billy Bob, The Bull, Dechaine, Magic, Hardrock, and Eagle Eye all found the back of the net, with Slim adding a couple of helpers. Reid Sayers and Theo “Long Horn” Loughran-Quinney shared goaltending duties this past weekend.

U18 Avalanche

The U18 Avalanche suffered a couple of one-sided losses, falling 7–1 to Vegreville on Saturday and 5–1 to Hughenden on Sunday. Liam “Sledgehammer” Swedgen scored the only goal in both contests, with assists going to Remington “Steel” Reynolds and Brendan “Buzzsaw” Kadutski.

Owen “Ollie the Goalie” Grykuliak and Drayden “The Wall” Skakun shared time between the pipes, each facing a fair share of shots. This team has plenty of new faces and needs time to gel — with many first-year players facing off against teams stacked with seasoned third-year skaters.