Feb. 18 - Friendly Match Against the Colorado Avalanche

Today was another jam-packed day, which began with picking up the kids at Le Colisée at 10:00am. At noon today, they played a friendly match against the Colorado Avalanche, which the team lost 3-2. After all the penalties of the last couple of games (and at the end of the regular season), the coaches have instituted a new policy that if a player takes a stupid penalty, they have to miss a shift on the bench. I checked the Tornament website, and the Little Capitals are the most penalized team in their bracket (mon Dieux!). it appears that the coaches' tactic today was partially effective, as the team committed slightly fewer penalties than average (4 rather than 5+).

Max was in goal and he played well despite the outcome. Phip scored one of the goals, and he played another overall very strong game. The Caps really need their Big Guy, and his resurgence is good news for the team. Henry had an excellent game, with a number of good defensive plays and a few offensive rushes. He said after the game that his right skate was getting dull, which limited his effectiveness. Patrick, his Host Family Dad, has graciously agreed to get them sharpened for him tomorrow.

The game was played in a local rink on the northern edge of the city--then Arena Réjean Lemelin. Here a link to a video clip from late in the game, in which you can see Henry falling three times during the shift, but he manages to recover in time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_tvgkRmAW0