As they were preparing to leave for Moncton and the 40th Annual Purple Cats Classic Hockey Tournament, the Annapolis Valley Regional School Board told the team that they were not going because school had been cancelled for the day.
With about a dozen teams from Nova Scotia scheduled to participate in the Moncton tourney, the decision threw tournament organizers into a herculean rescheduling effort. The result saw Avon View play three games of hockey all on Feb. 7.
The following is a recap of the games involving the Avalanche.
Avalanche 4, Louis-Mailloux Acadiens 2
Keeshaun Such, from Mitchell Singer and Nick Gerhardt, scored in the opening period to put the Avalanche up 1-0.
Gerhardt and Joe Beaton then put the Avalanche up 3-0 with a pair of goals 3:09 apart in the second period.
Adam Ferguson, marking his return to the line-up for the first time since November, scored the Avalanche’s fourth and final goal in the third period.
The Acadiens then added a pair of goals mid-way through the third period but that was all the scoring they could muster.
The Moncton tournament standings are based on a different set of points, with teams getting two points for a win and a single point for every period they emerge victorious. In this case, the Avalanche won out in points 4-1.
Georges-Vanier Gladiateurs 6, Avalanche 0
The Gladiateurs scored a pair of goals in each of the three periods and easily won the point count 5-0.
Hants East Tigers 4, Avalanche 2
Ben McNeill, of the East Hants Tigers, and Tyler Comeau, of the Avalanche, exchanged goals in the opening period.
The teams remain tied after two periods, with the score being 2-2 with Andrew Hines scoring for the Tigers and Joe Beaton for the Avalanche.
The Tigers did what they had to do in the third period to advance in the tournament by scoring twice on goals from Logan Pierro Howe and McNeill.
The Tigers won out in points 4-1 as the teams were given a half point each for periods when clubs scored the same amount of goals.
With the win, the Tigers advanced to the quarter-final round early Sunday morning and lost 4-0 to the Roland-Pépin Prédateurs.
The Tigers were in the game almost to the bitter end as they trailed only 1-0 with 4:02 to play. The Prédateurs then scored three times in a span of 1:35 to salt the victory away.
Upcoming games
There is still no make-up date listed for the Avalanche’s game against the Horton High Griffins. It was postponed on Jan. 31.
However, the Avalanche will get back into Valley High School Hockey League action Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. when they host the 5-10-1 Yarmouth Vikings at the Hants Exhibition Arena.
