Postcards From Quebec: Feb. 15

The Jr. Avalanche started the day on Friday by playing its first game of the trip against the Gothiques of Amiens, France. With no time to waste, the Jr. Avs took an early, 5-goal demanding lead halfway through the first period at Complexe Sportif de Wendake.

The Gothiques were no match in the exhibition contest for the Jr. Avalanche, who won the matchup 10-0. Goaltenders Derek Wood and Jadon Henry split the game, recording a tag-team shutout. Right wing A.J. Ulrich netted a hat trick and one assist. Center Zac Palik (two goals, one assist) and defenseman Devin Berg (one goal, two assists) both added three points in the game.

"I thought it was super interesting that we were playing a team from France. It was a great game on our part, winning is always good," right wing Curren Stukey said. "We were just moving the puck and had really good D-zone positioning. Our defense also got most of their shots through."
Next on the agenda was another fun team activity, a recently formed tradition of Jr. Avalanche teams in Quebec: dogsledding! Located in Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier, Quebec. Players paired up with tour guides and coaches as they took turns going out on an incredible 45-minute scenic sled ride. The Jr. Avs also met some of the 5-month old malamute puppies in the warming huts.

"Dogsledding was awesome," Curren said. "It was actually kind of relaxing. I was in the basket of the sled, so I just got to sit down and enjoy the views of the trails. I would definitely do it again, it was so much fun."
The Jr. Avalanche Pee Wees will look to continue their momentum into their first tournament game on Saturday night at the Videotron Center versus the Moncton Wildcats of New Brunswick, Canada.
"The activities we get to do as a team are all so cool and also all the foreign teams. I'm just happy we are only three days into this trip out of two weeks and can't wait for our tournament game tomorrow night," Curren added. "I hope we can keep playing like we did today, because that was a really good game, we were firing on all cylinders. If we keep playing like that, I think we should do fine."