Postcards From Quebec: Feb. 18

The Jr. Avalanche went back to the roots of the game on Monday with a morning outdoor practice at Parc de glisse du Grand-Héron, a local recreation center of one of the billet families that is located in Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier, Quebec. With temperatures hitting a high of 5 degrees Fahrenheit all morning, the Jr. Avs skated through an authentic old-time hockey experience.

"I thought we got a lot done for an outdoor practice, it was really cool. In Colorado, we don't really have too many frozen over ponds or outdoor rinks to skate on," left wing Carson Petz said. "There was also a lot of snow on the ice, so that was different."

After the extended 90-minute practice, the team skated straight from the outdoor rink to a skating trail that stretches over 3 kilometers around the area with a beautiful surrounding winter scenery. It was a unique experience that the players had never seen before.
"I've never done or heard of anything like that," said Carson. "It was really awesome because it was so different. We don't have skating trails like that at home. The woods surrounding it was so cool to skate through."

The Jr. Avalanche made a much-needed stop at the local pro-shop to get their skates sharpened for their upcoming games. Then, the team headed to the coach's hotel for a mid-trip homework session. While the players may be absorbing an exceptional cultural experience, it is important to remember that the Jr. Avalanche are student-athletes that are students first.
Following the homework session, the squad headed back to the tournament hub, Videotron Center, to trade pins some more. A big hit with all teams in the tournament, the Jr. Avs look forward to the trading each and every day.
"I exchanged with a player from the Switzerland team today and he spoke English," added Carson. "I liked that I was able to talk to them and see how they were doing in the tournament."

In addition to getting to the know the other players from around the world, the Jr. Avs are also able to have a hands-on experience with the culture of Quebec through their billet families.
"The billets. Just staying with them and having a different lifestyle, learning about their culture has been super cool," Carson said of the trip so far. "The food that they eat is way better than home, especially the poutine."
The Jr. Avalanche will face off against the Australia Ice Crocs on Tuesday morning in an exhibition matchup.