By Maeve Hushman, Staff Writer

The Avalanche had another slow week this week, only playing two games. They lost to Columbus again, this time in regulation, 4-2 and beat the Canucks 7-1.

I was fortunate enough to attend the Canucks and Avalanche game. The Canucks goaltender, Thatcher Demko, is from my home city and his aunt works with my mom, so I went specifically to cheer him on. However, despite the fact I made a sign for him complete with a requested message from his aunt, I was unable to go down to the ice where the Canucks were warming up. I had to stand at the bar, high up and wave the sign around hoping he could see it. The friend I went with (Mandy) was great as she tried to help me get to warm-ups and up to the ice. However even with this snafu, I did enjoy the game immensely.

There is a lot of talk about NHL fans and NHL arenas. The Leafs notoriously have a very quiet arena, but quiet is not at all how I would describe Ball Arena. It is loud, fun, welcoming, and high energy. Ball Arena has a great atmosphere mostly because Avs fans are great. They are passionate about their team and really show up. It gets loud and the sound of the entire arena singing Blink 182’s “All the Small Things” completely acapella will be ringing in my ears for a while. Even if you are sitting in the nosebleeds like I was, the people who go to Avs games always seem excited to be there and that makes even the cheap seats worth the experience. It is a wonderful place to attend your first hockey game (as my friend Mandy did that night) or your 100th. If you can find those $25 nosebleed tickets, maybe give Ball Arena and the Avalanche a try. Just remember to dress warm, cheer loudly, and know the lyrics to “All the Small Things”.

Now that I’ve said my piece on the spectator experience here are some takeaways from games 10 and 11: