Oct 23, 2014 | Drew Nunn | 486 views
Poise Under Pressure
The Avs got their first look at the Halton Hills Thunder on Thursday night as they hit the road
for a late night battle in Georgetown.
The Avalanche came out battling and put the pressure on the Thunder early in the game. Four minutes into the first period the Avs worked the puck down low and eventually fed defenceman Shannon a great pass to the point. Q made no mistake about letting a low hard shot go that found it's way past the Thunder keeper and into the left corner of the net.
The thunder equalized the score part way through the second period on a power play, only to see the Avs reapply their pressure and take a 2-1 lead on a Misale-Nunn combined bang in goal.
In the third period the ice looked like it hadn't been scraped all day and the game speed began to suffer. With a combination of bad ice and bobbled pucks the Avalanche suddenly found themselves down 3-2. The defensive core worked hard to win the battles in their end and give their forwards the support they needed. As the clock ticked down the Avs played with poise and determination under the pressure of the clock. Smith, DiFederico, Bryant, Armenio and Crechiolo all had solid scoring chances that just couldn't find their way across the line. Eventually, Sousa was able to pull a puck out of the scrambling Thunder defence and raise one over the net minder's sprawled body.
With lots of hard work and a game ending penalty kill, the Avalanche were happy to walk away with the single point, and the knowledge that their hard work and determination will continue to pay off.