Postcards From Europe: April 29

On the final day of the Nordic Hockey Trophy tournament in Finland, the Colorado Avalanche Pee-Wee Hockey Team ran into its toughest opponent yet, the Northern Sweden Hockey Academy (NSHA), which was undefeated in tournament play.

NSHA outmatched the Jr. Avalanche in a decisive 5-0 game.
"They came out really strong," said defenseman A.J. Scarafoni. "They had all three lines working, and we came out kind of slow."
Noah Grolnic added: "They wanted it more than us. We needed to work better as a team, there was a lot of individual effort."
NSHA went on to win the Nordic Hockey Trophy championship.
Due to the loss to NSHA, the Jr. Avs competed in the fifth-place game for their final matchup of the weekend. The Jr. Avalanche defeated EPS Red (Finland) 4-1.

"Playing EPS, a lot of our billet brothers were on that team, so it was kind of a fun game," A.J. said. "I think we were more relaxed playing against them since we knew a lot of them."
Left wing Gavin Rowan scored two goals and center Colter Urban had a goal and an assist. Goaltenders Derek Wood and Kaleb Bartholomew split the game evenly, as both keepers provided outstanding performances for the team all weekend long.

"Going in, we just wanted to end on a high note," Noah said. "We knew that it was going to be our last game together as a team, so we just wanted to play our best hockey and it showed."
Out of the 16 teams in the AAA+ division of the international tournament, the Jr. Avalanche's fifth-place finish was impressive. It's important to note that the Avalanche International Qualifier, which selected the Colorado-based club to represent the organization on this trip, is a pee-wee AA tournament.
The Arvada Hockey Association's Pee-Wee AA Team won the qualifier back in November and represented the Avs and all of Colorado hockey to the highest extent. Stick taps to the club for competing at a higher level than it played all season and finishing its Euro trip with a 6-4 overall record.

"It was the experience of a lifetime," said head coach Marcus Scarafoni. "These players and families will remember this trip forever. My coaching staff this season was impeccable, and I had the ultimate trust in them; I couldn't have done it without them. This season will live on forever in my players' memories. I would like to thank the Colorado Avalanche for providing such an unbelievable experience for my team."
Following their last game, the players headed to a local mall in Espoo for one final dinner with their billet families before saying their goodbyes. The Jr. Avs will travel back to Denver on Monday.