there's a shot, score! >> i played so many games in my career and that reminded me of so many where it's a close game . maybe we are outplaying them, maybe they are outplaying us, a bounce goes in and it's a one goal game. literally anything can happen

>> we let the team hang around and it's an opportunity for us to go again. >> >> we came in in the locker room and said we just need to keep pushing like we are, taking control of the game like we know we can. >> seniors, this is the last game you'll play against this team and you have the opportunity to do something that's never been done, sweep them in back-to-back years. the last thing for everyone of you guys -- it's an unbelievable day and an unbelievable game. but you will remember it. you want to remember that you won the game. let's go. >> you know for this team, it would make their season if they

>> it was just a 5-3 there. i put it on net. >> he got me the pass. i fired it again. it was a lucky shot, i think. [laughter] >> i think the power play -- >> it's nearly impossible. >> a historic night, the du pioneers beat colorado college, 4-1. >> [cheering] >> what a great experience for all of us. that's neat, 35,000 people. and

we didn't play great, but we played very well and took care of business when we needed to. whatever we are going to do, do it together. you guys are playing for each other and we've got to keep it up. >> we can't be satisfied with that. we've got to build towards playoffs. i'm a huge believer in, you don't start playing playoff hockey the first game of playoffs. you've got to start earlier in the season like now and likely have been through this calendar season. you've got to build momentum towards that. >> the whole event was way beyond anything i could have imagined. it was spectacular. i think it's memories that all of us are going to have for the rest of our lives. >> [cheering] >> the pioneers kept it rolling

western michigan. that is seven straight victories for denver, matching their longest streak in a decade. we will be right back. it's not easy getting a

we moved in every eighth, parked the refrigeration truck, and is that's going in we put in the board filled with our cool and. -- our coolant. on the evening of february 15 we started making the ice. [music]

maybe know is how long it actually takes to build ice. we were saying our guys worked almost 24 hours a day, round- the-clock. it takes a good hours -- eight hours or 10 hours to build a quarter of bench -- quarter inch of ice properly. we have a spray boom and we go out from there. we don't open up a hose and let it feel like a swimming pool -- of -- silica swimming pool and let it freeze. it's a lot of walking around. and a lot of man hours put in. >> i think that we were expecting some warm days, not necessarily two weeks of warm days. it definitely changed the way we've operated, the temperatures. we have good representation from around the nfl, from the

others as well, but we also have -- people that joined our crew here to help build the rink and the ice and be a part of this. some of our staff worked all the way through the night and then another crew came in first thing in the morning so we've been spraying and working during the middle of the day -- those people were switching to work to the night -- through the night instead. we have really good group of guys here that we work with and everybody knows what to expect when we show up, that it's going to be long hard hours but it's all worth it in the end. >> and now the hard part, they've got to tear it all down to get this back to a baseball field. it's a weird rink, obviously in the middle of a baseball diamond. did you notice that when you got out there?

the lack of sound, the sound in the arena is -- ed echols a lot. you have to protect her voice a little bit more to know where you are. you've got the conditions, the wind, the light, the reflection off the ice, that all plays a factor but the ice i was very impressed with considering the weather conditions being as warm as they were. i was very impressed with the staff that put that together. >> they said tonight 65 degrees, that puck drop was the warmest they've had in a stadium series game and somehow they kept it frozen. >> yes the ice conditions looked good to me. >> you are still involved with scouting and player development so from an outsiders perspective , now they need to regroup and get focused for a playoff run. >> yes they are poised for a good run. the west is tough, the division is really tough but they've got a good mix of veteran guys that

with tanguay -- you go right down the list, they've got good veteran leadership and the youth, the energy they can get you through the games with a playoff push. with all the young talent and getting hot at the running -- at the right time, they could be very dangerous. >> if you were a betting man right now -- >> i never bet against the avalanche and certainly never against patrick want. >> -- patrick roy. >> we just got a chance to talk to the players in the locker room after the game. >> this is an atmosphere for all of us -- we had goosebumps on the ice, we had chills. i was excited. this was a game to get motivated for. just not the result we were looking for. >> the fans took a lot of pride in a swimming. -- us winning.

was a fun time. a fun game back and forth. we did a good job, kept climbing back after they scored. >> i enjoyed it. it was a nice experience. i am disappointed because we lost tonight, but everything was first-class by the organization. they did a super job, every detail. it was a nice experience. >> all sorts of events on the ice this week. the avs held a family skate on thursday and we got a rare look at the players. we don't often get to see them play the role of dad. >> [music] it's something that you don't get to do very often, in a gorgeous facility.

i am a baseball fan also, so it's cool to come in and see a totally different perspective. it's fun. they wanted to come out and get this chance -- in this atmosphere. it's neat to get this opportunity. >> they've skated before. they follow their dad a little bit, not by choice by any means. [laughter] >> it's a great day for us to bring the family. we're so busy with what we do and as a dad you want to give them as much time as possible and sometimes it's not easy with the schedule we have on the road and things like that. >> they got on pretty quick. i think they are on the ice around two or three years old. we had a rink in our backyard. >> this is a great event. it's not every day you get to skate in a venue like this. i had guys taking pictures to

with the kids because it's so beautiful. these are memories they might not remember at the age they are at but with the pictures i am sure they will have clips to be able to remember it. space -- i am sure they will have a glimpse to be able to remember it. you live in chicago now, you are involved with the league a little bit so what was it like to get the boys back together? >>when i think about it i can't stop smiling. just being around the guys, feels like home instantly. some of these guys i haven't seen in five or six years but as soon as i sit down with them, it feels like home. same old jokes that you heard 15 years ago -- >> still funny? >>oh yeah. you know what it is, but you still laugh just as hard if not harder. we're all going to suffer some withdrawal after relief. >> 40,000 last night, 50,000 tonight.

denver this way this weekend? >> absolutely, the fans have been unbelievable basically since they showed up. it's no surprise to me that you got 100,000 fans out in two days. >> thank you so much for joining us. that will do it for course to coworkers -- coors. thanks for joining us, everyone.

this is 9news. >> strong winds halted tonight's hockey game at coors field. you can see it shaking the camera. crews stopped game briefly to clear -- stopped the game briefly. it was a beautiful day at coors

stadium turned into a rowdy hockey rink with thousands of fans. the fans were excited, stoked to see the detroit redwings take on the avalanche under the stars tonight and they saw a down to the wire game and they left tonight without the victory that many of us were hoping for. good evening, i am christine noel. >> what a game tonight, so many interesting things about the game. we lost but the wind really made for quite a show out there. >> you have to deal with the elements. what they did in the third period, as they halted at the 10 minute mark so they could switch sides so one team didn't have the advantage, but the advantage turned out to go to the redwings because they scored four times in the third and final period. to hockey games at coors field between the avalanche and the rival red wings. but i will be honest, last night's alumni game was better

tonight had its moments though, the fake snow was classic. they covered the infield with cotton to make it look like there was no but when the wind kicked up we had a fake lizard. pick it up -- we had a fake blizzard. alex tanguay cleaning up and we are tied at three but in the end it was all for naught. i was hoping for overtime. it just didn't happen. the game-winner with exactly 1 minute left, putting it up and over varlamov. the final score, 5-3. >> it was bang bang bang for goals, they scored, we scored, and then i think the same shift they scored again. you don't see that very often. i think all three goals were within -- i couldn't tell you. it didn't give us a chance to get the momentum. >> it was an event.

afterwards in the locker room. he said this was the highlight of my career. it was a loss but the experience with this -- for this young kid to come in here and play in front of 50,000 people. coors field -- that's how much it holds and with that new bar it doesn't hold that much, pepsi center only 19,000 so they are not used to playing in front of that many people. >> 50,000 more people cashing in -- >> you can't win everything all the time. [laughter] >> when we do picture hockey at coors field late in february, we likely wouldn't have pictured what it was like today. instead of snow fans were treated it temperatures in the 70s and a beautiful sunny day out there. meteorologist danielle grant joins us. normally in february we would have a real snow blowing around expect the real deal, right?

february, just wild. toward the tail end you saw all that fake snow whipping around -- wind gusts in the 40 mile- per-hour range in broomfield coming directly at us from the northwest, hitting downtown denver and then heading out toward dia and aurora. also southern wyoming and nebraska wins beats kicking up quite a bit also. we have a high wind warning in place until 2:00 in the morning. i 25 and i-80, gusts easily around 65 to 70 miles per hour. we stay in the 50s right now but overall temperatures looking a little bit cooler. gusty winds came in because we had some cool front -- a cool front heading through the area, bringing us light snow up to the high country. ms. weak storm system -- this

former secretary of state hillary clinton cruised to her first primary victory today in south carolina. she held a 26 point lead over sanders heading into today but beat him by nearly 50%. she finished with 74%, sanders receiving about 26%. south carolina marks her third win.

wins in nevada and iowa were narrow. sanders won decidedly in new hampshire. back to the hockey game now. even with the disappointing loss, fans were still excited to be at the game. >> they certainly were. >> i'm surrounded here by a bunch of apps fans, -- avenue this fans -- it's anything but your typical coors field crowd >> the pregame festivities felt a lot like -- people buying street merchandise and music, but the winds picked up quickly knocking over fencing and if you are actually watching the game then you saw all the fake snow flying around the stadium. it actually blew over the

>> it was good, the snow was blowing around but it was a great time. >> a great opportunity -- to be part of history for denver. a really cool experience. a tough game for the avalanche but that happens. >> the outcome not what they were looking for today but historic, -- regardless, a historic opportunity for everyone involved. jonathan gonzalez and go avalanche, right? >>go avalanche! >> jonathan gonzalez reporting out there outside of coors field but just -- so cool to be part of that history.

a sport that combines skating, speed, finesse and epic wipeouts expected to draw more than 100,000 visitors to st. paul, minnesota this weekend for the red bull crashed ice world championship. 200 ice cross downhill racers fly down and iced hill and try not to crash. >> you can get good views from the air, but skating it gives a whole different experience as you can imagine. one skater strapped a gopro to his helmet. he was able to make it through the course without any major crashes.

toughest obstacles is at the end of the race where he had to make it up a 20 foot -- wall. there we go. >> it's hard to make it up there.

the red wings and the avalanche tonight. they picked up debris. and 65 degrees, they didn't take long for the action for the kick-off. both scored within the first 10 minutes of the game.