Avon View Avalanche Sr. Boys’ Head Coach Mark Tye said the hockey team experienced some great games heading into the Christmas break.
He congratulated his team on three solid victories.
“We established a goal heading into the five games, looking for hopefully eight points, and things turned out quite well as we went 4-1,” said Tye.
The head coach pointed out the competition wasn’t as fierce heading into the break.
The three most recent victories took place Dec. 20 and Dec. 21 in Windsor and Dec. 22 in Horton.
In the Dec. 20 game at the Hants Exhibition Arena, the Avalanche pummeled the Middleton Monarchs 11-2. Carter Swain led the way with a pair of goals and an assist as the Avalanche led 7-0 after the first period.
The next home game, Dec. 21, the Avalanche were playing the Digby Mariners — a team who had just learned of the death of a senior high school student from their school.
Prior to the opening face-off, the Avalanche held a moment of silence in memory of the Digby student who died less than 24 hours earlier in a car accident.
The Mariners still came and played hard but were no match for the Avalanche as Avon View won 8-1. Four points on two goals and two assists came from Jeremy Parker.
On Dec. 22, the Avalanche wrapped up their pre-Christmas schedule with a 5-3 win over the Horton Griffins.
Brett Wallace played a strong game for the Avalanche, scoring once and adding an assist.
The Avalanche now occupy sole position of third place in the Valley High School Hockey League standings with a record of 7-4-0-1 for 15 points — just four points back of the second place Parkview Panthers and only five behind the first place Northeast Kings Titans. The Titans hold down first place with a 10-1-0-0 record for 20 points.
The fourth place team is the West Kings Wolverines, who are presently three points behind the Avalanche.
Avon View now has scored the second most goals in the league for the season, accumulating a total of 69 compared to the Titans’ 76.
The Avalanche are now gearing up for a 24-team invitational tournament in Moncton Jan. 3-5.
Beginning Jan. 3, they will play Louis Mailloux High School, situated near Fredericton, followed by a game against St. Malachy's, a private school from the Miramichi. The Avalanche will have to finish in the top eight of their 12-team division in order to make a run at the tournament championship.
The Avalanche will be back on home ice Jan. 11 against the West Kings Wolverines in a 6:45 p.m. start. On Jan. 18, the Avalanche will be looking for their first win in four tries this season against the Parkview Panthers when they host them in a 7:45 p.m. game at the Hants Exhibition Arena.
