Patrick Wiercioch seizes opportunity, kick starts Avalanche offense

 

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Coming into the final game of their four-game homestand against the Los Angeles Kings, the Colorado Avalanche had produced a 1-2 record in the first three games and the team’s anemic offense continued, having scored just five goals in those three games, one of which was the Winnipeg Jets scoring on themselves in overtime.

To say the offense needed a spark would be putting it kindly. Insert Avalanche defenseman Patrick Wiercioch, who recorded five points in the season’s first five games but had yet to record a point since. Having sat out the last two games, Wiercioch was paired with Tyson Barrie to form Colorado’s second pairing and the duo ended up leading the Avalanche defense in ice time.

“It’s a confidence boost,” Wiercioch said of being given so much responsibility right away. “You know when the team is struggling and we’re looking for an answer, I happened to be the guy that came out for the two nights. It motivates you to keep working hard and doing the same things you’ve been doing all year, just maybe a little more detailed at it.”

Wiercioch took that confidence and translated it to the team’s first goal. After taking the puck off a won faceoff by Carl Soderberg, Wiercioch carried the puck deep into the zone and saw an opportunity to try a wraparound. It worked and the Avalanche were on the board first for just the sixth time this season.

“I just got around behind the net and saw him cheating off the post so I tried it,” Wiercioch said of the wraparound attempt. “It doesn’t work a lot in practice but it worked tonight.”

When asked if the rarely-successful wraparound attempt caught Kings goaltender Peter Budaj by surprise, Wiercioch provided insight into his read of the play.

” I think maybe he was reading pass because we had a guy coming down in the slot and maybe he was trying to push out,” Wiercioch explained. “I was able to get my stick out and jam it in off his pad.”

The goal was a big lift for the Avalanche, who entered the game dead last in the NHL in goals for. 22 seconds later, the Avalanche would make it 2-0 and were on their way to a 4-1 win over a stout Kings team.

“I think it was good for everyone here,” Wiercioch said of giving his team the lead. “We haven’t scored the first goal in a lot of games so to get out to that lead we had a really good first period and didn’t get rewarded for it.

That’s been kind of the case and when we don’t get rewarded for it, as of late, somehow, we give up that first one and we’re chasing the game. Just to follow that up with another…getting the puck in with the forecheck, getting a second bounce in there so finally we got the bounces going our way.”

Wiercioch was quick to attribute some of his success tonight to Barrie, his partner early and often this season.

“He’s a skilled defenseman,” Wiercioch said. “He’s really easy to play with because he moves the puck so well. Playing in the offensive zone is a lot easier than the (defensive) zone so the quicker we can get up the ice and focus on that half of the ice.”

For a team that has struggled mightily at home the last couple of seasons, the Avalanche were lucky to find some new blood to inject some life into an all-too morose Pepsi Center after yet another scoreless first period following being shut out Sunday afternoon by the Boston Bruins. Even so, Wiercioch isn’t too excited about one night’s success.

“It’s only one game. It’s a building block. It’s a big step for us as a team to stick with it and finally get the result we want but we can’t be satisfied taking two points and reverting back to the old ways. We gotta learn from that stretch of games that we had here at home but it’s nice to close out the homestand with a (win). ”

The stretch of games he’s referring to has not included a winning streak of any notable length this entire season. Colorado walking out of what should have been an easier homestand with a potential 1-3 record was something they were determined to avoid.

The win did not remove Colorado from the basement of the Central Division but it kept them right in the thick of the race, something the team had stressed recently.

“It’s huge,” Wiercioch said with a sigh of relief. “Obviously, we wanted a better outcome from our homestand. You gotta make those games count. To finish off on the right foot and get those two points before we hit the road and get back at it tomorrow.”

For a player like Wiercioch, coming off being a healthy scratch during an important stretch of games, the concept of tomorrow is a funny one. He has to make every shift count, every opportunity matter in the eyes of his coaching staff. On this night, it was mission accomplished.

“I thought (Wiercioch) was awesome,” Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said. “I know he sat the last couple games and I’m sure he wasn’t happy with it but his play started to dip. For me, he was rock solid right from the get-go. He brings a little bit of everything. I don’t think he’s really exceptional at one thing but he’s really good at a lot of things. He’s a steadying force back there and he moved the puck real well.”

The Avalanche will need that steadying influence of Patrick Wiercioch in coming weeks as he looks to continue trying to establish himself with his new organization, one in need of someone who can excel when partnered with the mercurial Barrie and bring out the best in him. For at least this night, he was king of the defensive kingdom.