Our third-annual Battle for the Banner Colorado Avalanche shootout finals took place last night during the first intermission of the Avs/Ducks game on Pepsi Center ice between Realty Source Financial and Hatrick Swayze.

The Avalanche Guild would like to congratulate REALTY SOURCE FINANCIAL on winning the Championship Banner with a 2-1 victory, winning on the 10th and final shot!

Please check back over the weekend as we will post tons of photos and hopefully a short video of the shootout! Thanks to everyone that checked out the shootout and enjoyed the adult hockey in-game entertainment experience!

:: REALTY SOURCE FINANCIAL ::
Reggie Archer
Alex Guralnik
Adam Kane
Will Briggs
Warren Niffeneger
Mike Berry (G)

Below is the official completed bracket from the Battle for the Banner 3 Shootout Tournament, which took place last month at Pepsi Center.

CLICK ABOVE TO DOWNLOAD THE FINISHED BRACKET

As we do with all of our supporters and followers, we enhanced their hockey experience with an unforgettable game on Pepsi Center ice! This game took place on Jan. 8, 2009 after the Avs/Blackhawks game. The event was a great success and it was a tightly played game with The KBPI Guild winning by a score of 5-4.

After Hours Game v. Sydney Pirates from Brad Stabio on Vimeo.

Shot by Joe Movick on his Sony EX-1 and edited at Stabio Productions studio, the video below is a great way to learn more about The Avalanche Guild and the unique programs we run. Some local celebrity players on the KBPI Guild team include Uncle Nasty from KBPI, Brian Maass and Alan Gionet from Chanel 4 News and goalie Jim Gromer from Comcast Entertainment TV.

Owned and operated by Kevin DeLange, who also captains a hockey team in the Rocky Mountain Hockey League (RMHL), Dry Dock Brewery is a small pub located in Aurora off of Hampden road. They are the only microbrewery in Aurora and hands-down one of the best, as they have won numerous annual awards for their tasty brews. 

As you can see, Kevin and his crew had an awesome time on Pepsi Center ice before the Avs game, as the two teams battled to another shootout that ended in a 5-4 victory for the Spitting Camels.

Be sure to watch the video, as Kevin invites all of you to check out Dry Dock Brewery and even gives you a free brew on the house if you mention this video! A special thanks to Kevin and his boys for being a great After-Hours group!

Like all of our After-Hours teams, the boys took advantage of a great Guild discount on tickets and in return for their support, they received a rare opportunity to hit Pepsi Center ice following the game for an hour of shinny, Vail style.

Here’s an interview we shot with Gary Defina, the captain of the Vail crew. Gary is also a coach for Battle Mountain High School’s hockey team, so he’s well-connected in the Vail hockey community and a great guy with some great stories. He’s a big supporter of The Hockey Guild and The Avalanche Guild, so we thank Gary for his passion and are proud to have him be a part of the exclusive After-Hours club!

As a way of saying thanks to Gary’s crew for their support, we granted him two free shootout teams in our third-annual Battle for the Banner Colorado Avalanche Shootout Tournament, which takes place every March right on Pepsi Center ice. The tournament brings together shootout teams comprised of players that participated in After-Hours games throughout the year. The two teams that advance to the final shootout game actually play the championship on Pepsi Center ice during intermission of an Avalanche home game!

If your adult (or youth) hockey team is interested in setting up one of our exclusive Avalanche Guild events, just contact us at info@thehockeyguild.com and we will do our best to make it happen!

Simply put, the Colorado Avalanche organization proved why they are the most classy team in the league, as the entire ceremony was picture perfect from the moment Joe Sakic entered Pepsi Center to the moment he dropped the ceremonial first puck with Avalanche captain Adam Foote and Sharks captain Rob Blake.

The entire Avs Board Bash group had bright eyes as wide as dinner plates throughout the entire night, as they caught the Retirement Ceremony and then a dominating offensive performance over an extremely rusty Sharks club. The first two periods were filled with brilliant plays by Wojtek Wolski, Paul Stastny and Matt Duchene, while the final frame was all about the focused goaltending of Craig Anderson. The result? A 5-2 victory worthy of Sakic’s retirement night.

Once the game was over, it was time for 30 members of the Avs Board Bash group to hit the ice for our first After-Hours game of the season! Here’s a short video for everyone to enjoy…and we apologize for the jittery video, but it’s a little tough to video tape a hockey game in all that goalie gear

No After-Hours game is complete without thanking the Colorado Avalanche fan development staff, especially Matt DeLuzio and Jason Schofield. Without their support, programs like ours could not exist. Thanks to everyone that joined forces to be a part of the Avs Board Bash, including Jill Jurca, Brian Holt and David Clark. We speak for everyone when we say we can’t wait for the next one!

Members from the Avalanche Message Board will be attending the game as a massive group in order to celebrate Joe Sakic’s career together while having the opportunity to take advantage of some great discounts throughout the night.

Then we turn things up a notch by hosting one of our exclusive After-Hours games for the group as well. So once the Avs are finished wiping the floor with Dany Heatley and the Sharks, you can catch close to 30 die-hard Avalanche fans playing in a friendly game of drop-in hockey on Pepsi Center ice, which caps off what will easily be one of the most memorable home games in Avalanche history!

Click above to learn more about the first-annual Avs Board Bash and remember, it’s still not too late to join us at the game. Just purchase your discounted tickets by clicking here!

Please contact us at 720-273-0444 if you are interested in securing one of the dates listed below!

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1
San Jose vs. Colorado

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23
Carolina vs. Colorado

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24
Detroit vs. Colorado

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6
Chicago vs. Colorado

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8
Edmonton vs. Colorado

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23
Philadelphia vs. Colorado

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11
Tampa Bay vs. Colorado

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13
Calgary vs. Colorado

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15
Washington vs. Colorado

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19
Columbus vs. Colorado

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26
Dallas vs. Colorado

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6
NY Islanders vs. Colorado

MONDAY, JANUARY 18
Edmonton vs. Colorado

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22
Nashville vs. Colorado

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24
Dallas vs. Colorado

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28
Minnesota vs. Colorado

SUNDAY, JANUARY 31
NY Rangers vs. Colorado

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6
Edmonton vs. Colorado

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12
Phoenix vs. Colorado

MONDAY, MARCH 1
Detroit vs. Colorado

TUESDAY, MARCH 9
Vancouver vs. Colorado

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17
Calgary vs. Colorado

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31
Anaheim vs. Colorado

FRIDAY, APRIL 9
Chicago vs. Colorado

Some of you are already quite familiar with the After Hours program, yet others have only heard about the experience from players on other teams. For those that are unfamiliar with this exclusive on-ice program, our official welcome letter will give you some basic information on how it works and what you can expect in the coming months as we prepare for the 2009-10 season. Click to download and then learn more by clicking on the After Hours tab at the top.

An After Hours game takes place either before or after an Avalanche home game. You and your teammates will literally play a hockey game on Pepsi Center ice, while also attending the game at a great group discount. Everything from the jumbotron and PA announcer to the locker rooms, your team is a part of a real game on real NHL ice!!

We are proud to offer available games for both pre and post-game ice, so now you have more opportunities to sign up for your own After Hours game. Remember, it doesn’t just have to be for your hockey team. It can be for your business or co-workers, a group outing with your hockey friends and family or just a good ol’ game of shinny with the weekly drop-in crew. Regardless of your playing level or ability, you’re welcome to play in our After Hours program.

And yes, we’re still giving away FREE team entries for our third-annual “Battle for the Banner” shootout tournament, coming in March 2010.