Three. More. Days.

The Uniforms

The Colorado Avalanche normal helmet just won’t match the rest of their Stadium Series look, so of course they are getting new head gear for the game. It features the same design as the jerseys, and the players will wear blue gloves to tie the look together.

Not to be left out, Pavel Francouz has pads and a new helmet to match the Stadium Series uniforms. He broke them out in practice the other day, while the skaters got their new helmets.

The Ice

The ice is almost ready for Saturday’s game. The Colorado Springs Gazette has a time lapse video of crews preparing the ice, even contending with recent snow.

Members of the Air Force Hockey team took the ice on Tuesday to show off their uniforms for Monday’s contest with Colorado College.

As a final touch, an F-16 fighter jet sits on the field behind one of the corners of the ice. Sam Hunt will perform on a stage next to it.

The Stories

Saturday is going to be the second outdoor game in Matt Nieto’s NHL career. As a member of the San Jose Sharks he played outdoors at Levi Stadium in 2015. The Sharks ultimately fell 2-1 to the Los Angeles Kings, but for Nieto, who grew up in southern California, that was the first time he ever played outside.

The Stadium Series is becoming a family affair for the Chmielewski’s. Tom Chmielewski is in his seventh season as a referee in the NHL and after growing up in Colorado Springs, and officiating Air Force hockey games, he will be a linesman for Saturday’s game.

His father, Bob, attended the United States Air Force Academy and later returned as a faculty member. He officiates many youth games, and the father-son duo worked together many times. Bob will attend Saturday’s game as a spectator, but he will take the ice at Falcon Stadium as a linesman on Tuesday for the Pine Creek High School versus Lewis-Palmer High School game.