Eurolanche

Team White rallied back from a 2-1 deficit heading into the third period to earn a 4-3 victory over Burgundy in front of a sold out crowd at Cadet Ice Arena at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.  Seven different players scored in the contest, including a four-goal flurry in the third period.

Greg Mauldin had a goal and an assist (1g/1a) for Burgundy, but it was Erik Johnson of team White who scored the game-winning goal at 11:09 of the third period.

Brad Malone of Team White got things started in the first period, beating Burgundy goaltender Semyon Varlamov a breakaway 6:21 into the contest.  

The lead would last until the second period, when Burgundy scored two consecutive goals by Gabriel Beaupre and Patrick Bordeleau five minutes apart.  With the opposing forwards collapsing in the zone, Beaupre rushed in uncontested and buried the puck past goaltender Sami Aittokallio. The 2011 draft pick was all smiles as his teammates congratulated him.

The intensity level picked up considerably after Burgundy’s two quick goals.

“I thought as the game went on, the urgency picked up,” said Avalanche head coach Joe Sacco.  “Once they got their legs under them, the pace and intensity picked up.  That’s what we were looking for.”  

The third period started out with a bang, as team White’s Ryan Stoa scored the game-tying goal three minutes in, on assists from Tyson Barrie and 2011 fifth-round pick Garrett Meurs. 

Matt Duchene gave White its second lead of the night, after redirecting a shot attempt by Milan Hejduk at 9:13.  Duchene’s goal produced a significant cheer from the fans in attendance.  

Burgundy forward Greg Mauldin erased the deficit just 18 seconds later, on a goalmouth scramble at 9:31 of the third period, for his second point of the night.

The game would remain tied until 11:12 of the third period, when defenseman Erik Johnson showed off his offensive game.  After receiving the puck in the neutral zone, Johnson deked both defensemen before depositing the puck into the back of the net.  

Despite having an extra attacker on the ice during the late stages of the game, Team Burgundy couldn’t solve Sami Aittokallio.

Combinations
Burgundy’s top line consisted of Paul Stastny centering left wing Joakim Lindstrom and right wing David Jones.  Also for team Burgundy, Jay McClement centered a line with Cody McLeod at left wing and Chuck Kobasew on right wing.  Kyle Quincey and Stefan Elliott were paired up, as were Duncan Siemens and Ryan O’Byrne.  

For team White, Ryan O’Reilly centered a line with Gabriel Landeskog at left wing and Daniel Winnik on right wing.  Also, Matt Duchene centered Peter Mueller and Milan Hejduk.  Defensive pairings for White included Jan Hejda and Erik Johnson, and Matt Hunwick with Shane O’Brien.

Notes
Burgundy was coached by Avalanche pro scout Terry Martin…White was led by Avalanche pro scout Garth Snow…White outshot Burgundy 36-33…Ryan Stoa (White) had a game-high five shots…Ryan O’Reilly (Burgundy) won 7-of-11 faceoffs (64%)…Erik Johnson (White) had a game-high five blocked shots…Matt Hunwick (White) had a game-high +2 rating.