Not very busy this past weekend at the A.G. Ross Arena, with only a few home games played. Both the U9 and U11 Avalanche teams had a break from their schedules and likely stayed inside where it was warm. The U15 Avalanche were on the road, playing in a tournament up in Lac La Biche.

The U7 team, skating with only seven players, hosted Dewberry/Marwayne and ventured out on a bitterly cold Saturday morning at 9 am. Jackson “Lumberjack” Wood, “Motley Krew” Mudryk, Cassie Zhou, Axton “Ace” MacKinnon, Lukas Allen and Elijah Large were all in on the scoring or assists in this one. U9 player Rylan Allen gave the short-bench squad a hand, stepping in between the pipes — without goalie gear, no less.

The U13 Avalanche hosted Mallaig on Saturday afternoon. This one didn’t turn out so well, as the Avalanche fell 6–0. Goalie Benny “Benny Boy” Saddleback faced close to 60 shots and played very well, but despite some great chances, the Avalanche just couldn’t buy a goal. Getting the call-up for this game was U11 player Damian “Fog Horn” Ockerman. Normally a defenceman, he was moved up to forward and impressed, grinding hard on the forecheck and showing no intimidation against so many bigger bodies.

With ice time available, Sunday turned into a rare doubleheader as the U13s hosted Cold Lake. The Avalanche swept both games, winning 13–10 in the 10 am opener and 10–7 in the 2 pm matchup.

In game one, Jase “The Jackal” Malo had a monster performance with five goals and one assist. “Hurricane Kael” Large chipped in with a hat trick and an assist, while Grayson “Big Bang” Koppang added two goals and two assists. Call-up Maximus “To the Max” Laliberte scored twice. Former forward turned defenceman Jaydn “The Shark” Sakowsky added two assists, Obrey “The Big O” John scored once, and “Jumbo Jay” Large added a helper. Goalie “General Lee” Barstad was solid, turning aside 43 shots.

In the second game, Stetson “Shack” Reynolds filled the scoresheet with five assists. The Jackal followed up with four goals and two assists, while Big Bang added two goals and two assists of his own. Playing out for this one, General Lee scored a goal and added an assist. The Shark also had a goal and an assist, while The Big O, Gabriel “Dangerous” Dion, Thomas “The Tank” Morris and To the Max all contributed assists. Benny Boy was back between the pipes, facing 55 shots.

On what might have been the coldest day of the winter, the U18 Avalanche boys travelled to the Border City on Friday night and came home with a 7–4 win over the Blazers. “Wild Wyatt” Fontaine had a huge night with two goals and three assists. Braylee “Free Willy” Lesyk added two goals and two assists, while Brendan “Buzz Saw” Kadutski and Lucius Jackson also found the back of the net. Dominique “Dome” Krankowski picked up a pair of helpers, with Kaysen “Dynamite” De Moissic also adding an assist.

On Sunday afternoon, the U18s were back home hosting Bonnyville and skated away with an 8–4 win. Free Willy led the way with a hat trick and three assists, while Wild Wyatt added two goals and two assists. Remington “Steel” Reynolds chipped in with a goal and an assist, Buzz Saw had a goal and two assists, and Morris Amyotte collected three helpers. Cade Sayers added two assists, with Tristan “Bob Cat” Brousseau and Timmy “The Train” Cardinal also picking up assists.

This coming weekend at the A.G. Ross Arena will be a busy one, with action on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as the U13 Avalanche hosts their home tournament. Come down to the rink and cheer them on to victory.