It’s a lot of fun for the kids to host a tournament, but it’s also a ton of work for the tournament committee. Not only do you need manpower for the prize table, time clock and penalty boxes, but at our arena you also need parents to operate the concession. That’s no small task. But hats off to the U13 Avalanche parents and friends of the team — they absolutely crushed it this past weekend, filling the cash register at the A.G. Ross Arena while running a smooth, competitive tournament from start to finish.

Six teams competed in total, including the Avalanche, with most of the visiting clubs coming from Edmonton and the surrounding area. Friday night didn’t start the way the Avalanche hoped, as they dropped a 5–3 decision to the Strathcona Mustangs.

Saturday morning told a different story. The Avalanche bounced right back, defeating the Whitemud Wolverines and punching their ticket to the semifinal against the Pembina Pirates. The semi-final was anything but a cakewalk. The Avalanche were outshot nearly two-to-one, but every player contributed in one way or another, gutting out a hard-fought win that sent them to the A Final on Sunday afternoon — once again against the Strathcona Mustangs.

The Avalanche looked a little nervous, or maybe a little tired, in the A Final and found themselves down three goals in the first five minutes. After a strong pep talk from the coaching staff, they came out flying in the second period, outplaying the Mustangs, battling all the way back to tie the game and even taking the lead briefly. But every time the Avalanche scored, the Mustangs answered right back. Penalties on both sides added to the tension, and by the end of the second period the score was knotted at five apiece.

The third period stayed tight, physical and intense. With just over two minutes left, the Mustangs finally found the twine to take the lead, then added another shortly after to seal it. The Avalanche skated away with the silver medal — a tough loss, but an impressive showing in a well-run home tournament.

The U11 Avalanche were also on the road this past weekend, competing in a tournament in Sylvan Lake and coming home with bronze. Friday night they opened with an 11–2 win over Millwoods. Early Saturday morning they tied Didsbury 5–5, then dropped an 11–7 decision to the West County Chiefs Saturday afternoon. Finishing the round robin with a 2–1 record, the Avalanche faced Millwoods again in the C Final and earned a 5–3 win to secure the bronze medal.

The U15 Avalanche hit the road as well, travelling to Athabasca on Saturday before staying overnight and heading to Slave Lake on Sunday. Competing in a tough Tier 2 league, the Avalanche struggled and dropped both games. On Saturday, Jaxon “Magic” Marcoux scored the lone goal, assisted by William “Billy Bob” Ballas. Sunday saw Billy Bob notch a hat trick, while Cade “Eagle Eye” Elliott added a goal and an assist. Hudson “The Bull” Brousseau, Hunter “Hardrock” Pankiw, Ethan “The Big E” Lorenson and Magic Marcoux all chipped in with assists.

The U18 Avalanche also enjoyed a road-trip sleepover, playing a doubleheader in Wabasca and sweeping the weekend. Saturday’s 6–1 win featured Brendan “Buzz Saw” Kadutski with two goals and an assist, Wild Wyatt Fontaine with two goals, and singles from Liam “Sledgehammer” Swedgan and Morris Amyotte. Anton “A-Bomb” Braithwaite, Cade Sayers, Tristan “Bob Cat” Brousseau and Kaysen “Dynamite” DeMoissiac all added assists.

Sunday’s 9–4 win saw Wild Wyatt explode for four goals, Buzz Saw add three, and the Bob Cat and Remington “Steel” Reynolds each post a goal and an assist. Odin St. Arnault and Dustin “Blowtorch” Brind were both on the scoresheet with helpers. Drayden “The Wall” Skakun and Owen “Ollie the Goalie” Grykuliak split the goaltending duties over the weekend.

This coming weekend is the annual Pink Day at the A.G. Ross Arena. Every one of our minor hockey teams will be playing at home on Saturday, so come down to the rink, wear some pink and support this great cause in the fight against cancer.