After taking the NHL by storm and winning the Central Division last season, the up-and-coming Colorado Avalanche are aiming for even greater heights this year.
On Sept. 21, Colorado’s professional hockey team held their annual inner squad scrimmage, the Burgundy/White game at DU’s Magness Arena. This event exclusively featured Avalanche players and prospects, each of them attempting to prove something to the coaching staff. The white team won by a score of 4-3, but there were several key takeaways from the game.
Watching the Avalanche’s top forwards is going to be a treat throughout the upcoming season. The scorers were on full display and looked like dynamite out on the Magness ice.
One top line featured veteran Alex Tanguay, a superb playmaker who sets up the snipers on his line very well. Captain Gabriel Landeskog skated on the other wing, while 19-year -old phenom Nathan Mackinnon centered the two.
The legendary Jerome Iginla was signed to fill the spot of the departed DU alum, Paul Stastny, on the other scoring line. The former Calgary Flame looked comfortable skating on a line with Matt Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly.
“Dutchy and Factor have played together for a while; they obviously have some really good chemistry. It’s a good challenge because on the other side, you’re playing against Nate and Gabe and Tangs. So it’s almost like whoever has the puck, whoever’s got it coming into the zone, is going to force a tough shift for the other line,” Iginla said.
Fresh off a near point per game season, superstar Matt Duchene is looking to improve upon his totals and take a leadership role within the club.
“It was a great, close game. That’s what you wanna see this time of year, in the Burgundy and White (game),” Duchene said.
Duchene scored the winning goal off a rebound from a shot by Ryan O’Reilly.
If the scrimmage was any indication of what the season holds, the Avalanche have two amazingly-talented top lines to ride for the duration of the year. Of the seven goals scored in the game, three were gobbled up by one of those six forwards.
Another player to score at the Burgundy/White game was defenseman Tyson Barrie, a young up and coming defender who was injured in the playoffs last year. The Avalanche’s premier, stud prospect on the blueline looked the same as before his knee injury. A puck-mover, Barrie broke for a breakaway in the second period and sniped a wrist shot past prospect goalie, Sami Aittokallio.
Starters on defense included Erik Johnson, newly-acquired Brad Stuart, Jan Hejda, and Nick Holden. The last spot will be filled out by one of Ryan Wilson, Zach Redmond, Bruno Gervais, Nate Guenin,or Maxim Noreau.
Semyon Varlamov will be back in net for the Avalanche this season. He posted career totals last year, including 41 wins and a .927 save percentage. Colorado will be hoping for similar results from their 2013 breakthrough player.
The Burgundy/White game provides some prospects with the platform to flash their skills, but, more than anything, it signals the soon-to-begin NHL season. For the Avalanche players guaranteed a roster spot, Sunday was a fun and exciting opportunity to welcome back hockey and jump back into the sport they love.
“It was a good way to get back into it, I thought it was a fun game to be a part of, a good game for the fans,” Iginla said.
