Nick Holden’s first NHL goal was the game winner for the Colorado Avalanche against the Washington Capitals on Sunday night.
The Avalanche defenceman snapped a shot past Washington Capitals’ netminder Braden Holtby to break a second-period tie with 3:44 left in the frame. Gabriel Landeskog and Paul Stastny assisted on the play, as the Avalanche went on to win 4-1.
“I closed my eyes and got lucky,” Holden told reporters after the game while clutching the souvenir puck. “I came in from the point and I was yelling as loud as I could and (Landeskog) made a great pass, a flat pass. I just hit it as hard as I could, trying to go far side, and luckily it found its way in.
“I’m happy that it’s out of the way and hopefully I can score a few more.”
It was Holden’s first point in 11 NHL games – seven with the Columbus Blue Jackets and four with the Avalanche.
He logged 18:07 minutes of ice time on 24 shifts against Washington.
Holden, 26, signed with the Avalanche as a free agent in July and was a healthy scratch for the first 11 games of the season. In his Avalanche debut the former midget AAA Raider filled in for injured forward Jamie McGinn on the wing against the Dallas Stars.
The St. Albert Catholic High School graduate made his NHL debut with Columbus on Oct. 20, 2010 against the Anaheim Ducks. He played 9:46 minutes during 14 shifts and was plus one in the 3-1 win.
He also spent five seasons in the American Hockey League with Columbus’ farm teams in Syracuse and Springfield. His best season was nine goals, 39 points and a plus-24 rating in 73 games with Springfield in 2012/13.
The former captain of the Vancouver Giants in the Western Hockey League was among the inaugural 24 inductees into the City of St. Albert’s Skating Wall of Fame in 2011.
Trace Elson of St. Albert was among 11 Alberta Junior Hockey League players to win bronze with Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge.
Canada West defeated Switzerland 5-3 in the bronze playoff last weekend in Yarmouth, N.S.
Elson, 18, was penalized twice and was scoreless in the win.
The former midget AAA Raider finished the tournament with two assists in four games as Canada West finished 3-1. He also had one helper in the 4-3 exhibition loss to the United States.
In his second AJHL season the Whitecourt Wolverines’ forward had 13 goals and a team-high 30 points in 20 games.
Last season Elson recorded 13 goals, 26 points and 133 penalty minutes in 55 games.
St. Albert product Matteo Gennaro was named to the Team Pacific line-up for the World U17 Hockey Challenge, Dec. 29 to Jan. 4 at Cape Breton, N.S.
Gennaro is one of nine Alberta players selected to the 22-man roster.
The former midget AAA Raiders’ forward is a Western Hockey League rookie with the Prince Albert Raiders and in 20 games has five goals and four assists.
Team Pacific will compete in group A with Team West, Team Quebec, Sweden and Czech Republic.
Group B is comprised of Germany, United States, Team Ontario, Team Atlantic and Russia.
Team Pacific plays an exhibition against Russia on Dec. 28 before its first preliminary round contest against Team Quebec the next day.
Last year Team Pacific finished fifth overall.
For the first time in the 36-year history of the St. Albert bantam AAA tournament a European team will compete for the championship banner.
HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Republic, winner of its age division championship in 2013, will headline the John Reid Memorial Tournament, Jan. 16 to 19 at Servus Credit Union Place. The tournament was renamed in Reid’s memory in 2004.
Kometa Brnos is coached by Libor Zabransky, who played 40 NHL games with the St. Louis Blues from 1996 to 1998.
The 16-team line-up will feature the Los Angeles Jr. Kings, Dallas Jr. Stars Elite and Phoenix Jr. Coyotes.
The 2010 champion Los Angeles Selects were the first United States team to play in the tournament since the 2003 Seattle Sno-Kings.
Phoenix was part of the 2011 tournament and Los Angeles returned in 2012.
The North Shore Winter Club Hawks will defend their 2013 title and the SSAC Southgate Lions, last year’s western Canadian champions, have also been confirmed.
The final list of teams will be released by tournament organizers before the end of the month.
Meanwhile, the host St. Albert Sabres are skating at the 41st annual Medicine Hat Hockey Hounds Tournament this weekend. Games are scheduled against the Lloydminster Heat, Vancouver and Airdrie Xtreme.
The Sabres (6-6-1) resume league play next Saturday against the Maple Leafs (2-11-2) at 4 p.m. at Castledowns Arena.
