Avalanche beats Avalanche in annual scrimmage

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Normally a loose, high scoring affair, the first intra-squad scrimmage of the Jared Bednar era was a slow, stifling, grind-it-out affair. With the World Cup of Hockey headed for the finals round, the Colorado Avalanche were still without their top offensive players for the fan favorite Burgundy and White Game.

Without top talent on hand, head coach Jared Bednar chose to scratch the majority of his veteran NHLers and treat the game as a tryout opportunity for young and borderline players in the organization. The lower overall skill level combined with the team’s focus on defensive execution meant that fans at Magness Arena were treated to a much sloppier, muck and grind style that yielded just one goal.

This year’s iteration of the Avalanche intra-squad scrimmage featured a running clock with stoppages in the final five minutes of each period and saw all five goalies from training camp get time in net. Through 40 minutes of very even play, Team White led Team Burgundy 16 shots to 15, but neither side had any particularly dangerous scoring chances.

In fact, it took over 59 minutes for either side to break through on the scoreboard. In the game’s final minute, forward Mikhail Grigorenko broke the stalemate when he dug a rebound out of traffic and snapped it past goaltender Spencer Martin.

Without much offense, the game did feature some solid physical play. The game’s nastiness picked up late in the second period when John Mitchell boarded defenseman Josh Anderson and created a large scrum near the net. The bad blood boiled over midway through the third period when Anderson and amateur tryout Jeffrey Truchon-Viel dropped the gloves.

Highlights:

• The Avalanche defense played a steady, aggressive game in the neutral zone and the defensive zone. Chris Bigras, Nikita Zadorov, Nicolas Meloche, Eric Gelinas, and Patrick Wiercioch all showed well throughout the game. Duncan Siemens and Sergei Boikov up-and-down games but made a positive impact overall.
• Newly acquired free agents Joe Colborne and Patrick Wiercioch made their returns to Magness Arena, where both men played NCAA hockey for the University of Denver from 2008-2010. Wiercioch registered 62 points in 75 games with the Pioneers while Colborne scored 72 points in 79 contests.
• This was the third consecutive Burgundy and White game held at Magness Arena at the University of Denver and also the third consecutive victory for the White Team. Last year Alex Tanguay, Mikko Rantanen, and Jack Skille scored as Team White cruised to a 3-1 victory. The year before, Matt Duchene broke a late game tie to give Team White a 4-3 victory.