Postcards From Quebec: Feb. 16

The Jr. Avalanche had a big day on Saturday, starting with the team's first educational activity of the trip: a guided tour of La Citadelle de Quebec.
Located in the heart of Old Quebec, the active military installation is Canada's oldest military building and the largest British fortress in North America. La Citadelle is also the official residence of Canada's monarch and its Governor General.

"I learned that they built the fortress in case they got attacked by anybody, but they never have," left wing Mario Rodriguez said. "And they use a special goat as the ceremonial animal for the changing of the guards each day."

The Jr. Avs spent the rest of their afternoon before a big game just like the pros do--a pregame pasta meal followed by some down time and power naps.
In the evening, the pee wees faced off against the Moncton Wildcats of New Brunswick, Canada, at the Videotron center for their first tournament match of the trip.
The Jr. Avs defeated Moncton 2-0 in the game as goaltender Derek Wood recorded another impressive shutout. Left wing Max Neumayr tallied a short-handed goal in the first period with a quick wrist shot from the hash marks that went top shelf on the Wildcats goalie. Center Zac Palik added an insurance goal in the third period with a nice deflection while crashing the net on a shot from Mario. Defenseman Devin Berg also assisted on the play.

"We couldn't really get going in the start of the game, but I think we dominated the third period," said Mario. "Their goalie just played really good. We couldn't get anything past him."
The Jr. Avalanche finished the game with 33 shots while holding the Wildcats to just 11.
"I think we're going to do well in the upper bracket, but it's going to get harder every game," Mario added.

The Quebec International Pee-Wee Tournament is structured to guarantee each team two games, however the first tilt decides which bracket you will compete in. Following the first game, it is single-elimination for the rest of the way, having to win 6 total games to take home the gold.
The Jr. Avs will have the day off on Sunday to enjoy some quality time with their billet families. Next postcard will be February 18.