2023 AHL All-Star Challenge: Pacific Division All-Stars Take The Crown
The American Hockey League's (AHL) 2023 AHL All-Star Classic concluded with the All-Star Challenge Monday evening.
In a night that featured six three-on-three games, each with two five-minute periods, four of the six games required shootouts.
The final regular match between the Atlantic Division All-Stars and North Division All-Stars might have felt like the championship match.
The hometown fans and Toronto Marlies captain Logan Shaw pleaded with the referees to allow the shootout to be extended to sudden death since a trip to the finals against the Pacific Division was on the line.
What ensued was an 11-round shootout with thrilling stops and silky smooth dekes. In the end, Alex Nylander sent the Atlantic to the finals against the Pacific Division.
In the finals, Seth Griffith (Bakersfield) scored his fifth goal of the night to give the Pacific Division a 1-0 lead they never looked back on in winning the 2023 AHL All-Star Challenge.
Griffith figured to be in line for the MVP award, but they opted to go with co-MVPs in Pacific All-Star goalies Lukas Dostal (San Diego) and Dustin Wolf (Calgary), who combined for the shutout in the final.
Both goalies also appeared on the scoresheet with one goal each. Both goalies also subbed in and helped Jesper Wallstedt and the Central Division All-Stars as Milwaukee Admirals goalie Yaroslav Askarov was unavailable for the event due to a family matter and Wallstedt was the Central's lone goalie.
Dostal had 21 saves on 25 shots in his outings, and a 2-for-3 showing in the shootout only allowing one shootout goal.
Wolf finished with 24 saves on 28 shots on the night, and also a perfect 6-for-6 against shootout attempts.
Game 1: North - 2 vs. Pacific - 2 (SO)
It was a bit of a feeling out process in the opening five minute period between to the two teams, but in the final two minutes the pace picked up and chances were exchanged - though shots were listed at just 4-4 through the first half of the game.
In the final minute of the first half, Egor Sokolov (Belleville) connected on a give-and-go with Logan Shaw (Toronto) with Sokolov getting the finish past Pacific Division goalie Dustin Wolf (Calgary) to put North up 1-0.
The goals started coming late in the second period, as three goals were scored in the final 1:06 of the contest.
Max McCormick (Coachella Valley) finished off a feed from Brayden Pachal (Henderson) and Thomas Bordeleau (San Jose) to tie the game at 1-1.
Just 11 seconds later, Gabriel Dumont (Syracuse) won a face-off to Noel Hoefenmayer (Toronto) and he sent it to Anthony Richard (Laval) who made a defender miss on a deke before roofing one over Wolf's shoulder off the bar and in to give North the lead back at 2-1.
T.J. Tynan (Ontario) finished a feed from Matthew Phillips (Calgary) with 19.6 seconds left to force a shootout. Moments earlier, Phillips appeared set to attempt 'The Michigan' lacrosse-style goal before deciding to opt out of that move at the last second.
Nico Daws (Utica) put on a clinic in the shootout, stopping Seth Griffith (Bakersfield) before making a big sprawling glove save on Bordeleau and impressive left pad stop on Phillips to prevent Pacific from getting a goal.
Wolf was equally impressive, stopping all three shooters he faced (Richard, Sokolov & Shaw)
North Goalies: Joseph Woll (4 saves - 4 shots) and Nico Daws (4 saves - 6 shots, 3-for-3 in shootout) Pacific Goalies: Dustin Wolf (7 saves - 9 shots, 3-for-3 in shootout)
Game 2: Central - 3 vs. Atlantic - 4 (SO)
The second game of the night also needed a shootout after 10 minutes brought about another tied score.
The Atlantic Division All-Stars stormed out to a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals from Riley Nash (Charlotte) and Ethen Frank (Hershey) but the Central Division stormed back in the second period on two goals from Riley Nash (Texas) and one from Thomas Harley (Texas) with a goal from Atlantic's Ruslan Iskhakov (Bridgeport) sandwiched between Barber's goals.
In the shootout, Alex Nylander (W-B/Scranton) made a nice move going backhand to forehand for an easy tap-in past the out-stretched left pad of Lukas Dostal (San Diego, subbed into 2nd period for Central due to Milwaukee goaltender Yaroslav Askarov being pulled from the events this weekend due to a personal matter)
Central Goalies: Jesper Wallstedt (Iowa, 5 saves - 7 shots) and Lukas Dostal (San Diego subbing for CEN, 0 saves - 1 shot, 2-for-3 in shootout)
Atlantic Goalies: Joel Hofer (Springfield, 2 saves - 2 shots) and Brandon Bussi (Providence, 0 saves - 3 shots, 3-for-3 in shootout)
Game 3: Pacific - 6 vs. Atlantic - 2
The Pacific Division All-Stars jumped out to a 3-0 lead on the Atlantic in the opening 1:19 of the first period on goals from Griffith, Bordeleau and Tynan.
Atlantic started generating chances, but Dostal was in position to stop all but one of the seven shots he faced in the first five-minute period.
Atlantic's lone goal of the first frame came after a great deke from Nylander at the left-wing wall followed by a backhand saucer pass centered right onto the tape of Ronnie Attard's stick for a quick shot past Dostal.
Pacific turned up the heat in the second period, getting goals from Phillips (Calgary) and a second goal from Griffith. Dostal picked up the first goalie assist of the night on Phillips' goal, making a save on a 2-on-1 and flinging it down to McCormick for the 2-on-1 that Phillips finished.
Christian Wolanin (Abbotsford) finished off a feed from Tynan to put Pacific up 6-1 before Ruslan Iskhakov tallied just before the final buzzer to complete the 6-2 final score.
Pacific Goalies Lukas Dostal (14 saves - 16 shots)
Atlantic Goalies: Brandon Bussi (1 saves - 4 shots) and Joel Hofer (1 saves - 4 shots)
Game 4: North - 2 vs. Central - 2
Logan Shaw converted an unassisted goal off a turnover in the opening minute to give the North Division All-Stars an early lead, but it was quickly responded to with a Central Division goal from Luke Evangelista just over a minute later.
Darren Raddysh (Syracuse) put North back on top, 2-1, with just under two minutes left in the first frame with assists going to Sokolov and Alex Belzile (Laval).
Barber had a buzzer beater in the closing seconds of the first period to tie the game at 2-2 on his third goal of the evening.
No goals were scored in the second period as Wolf came on for Central and Woll came on in net for the North.
Both goalies were also a perfect 3-for-3 in the shootout which brought about the second 2-2 tied game of the evening.
North Division Goalies: Nico Daws (2 saves - 4 shots) and Joseph Woll (4 saves - 4 shots, 3-for-3 in shootout)
Central Division Goalies: Jesper Wallstedt (7 saves - 9 shots) and Dustin Wolf (3 saves - 3 shots, 3-in-3 shootout)
Game 5: Pacific - 5 vs. Central - 2
The Pacific Division All-Stars punched their ticket to the finals with a 5-2 win over the Central Division All-Stars thanks to two goals each from Seth Griffith and Brayden Pachal, and a three-point game from Tynan (one goal, two assists).
Sammy Walker (one goal, one assist) and Thomas Harley tallied for Central All-Stars in the loss.
Pacific Goalies: Lukas Dostal (5 saves - 6 shots) and Dustin Wolf (5 saves - 6 shots)
Central Division Goalies: Jesper Wallstedt (13 saves - 18 shots)
Game 6: Atlantic - 4 vs. North - 3 (SO)
Tyson Foerster opened the scoring by re-directing a Matthew Highmore shot, then on their next shift together Foerster dangled around a North All-Star and got it to Highmore who later took it behind the net and fed it out in front to Foerster for his second goal of the first period.
The final minute of the first frame was thrill-a-second hockey.
Anthony Richard scored with 59 seconds left to cut the North's deficit to 2-1.
Next, Ruslan Iskhakov was awarded a penalty shot only to be stopped by Joseph Woll to keep the North in a one-goal game.
Then, Darren Raddysh scored in the closing seconds of the period to tie the game at 2-2.
Alex Nylander tucked home a rebound goal with 1:16 left in the 2nd period that seemed to be the game-winner but Egor Sokolov tied the game at 3-3 in the final seconds and did the shhh! to the Atlantic Division bench in celebration of his goal forcing the fourth shootout of the night.
After Alex Barre-Boulet and Ethen Frank were the only scorers in the shootout and it was still tied, Logan Shaw and the Laval fans begged and pleaded to make it a sudden death shootout and the referees eventually obliged.
What ensued was an 11-round shootout that saw every skater shoot once.
Only Barre Boulet (North) and Frank (Atlantic) had scored in the opening 10 rounds until Alex Nylander won it in the shootout for the second time tonight to send the Atlantic Division to the finals.
Atlantic Goalies: Joel Hofer (2 saves - 4 shots) Brandon Bussi (8 saves - 9 shots, 10 of 11 in shootout)
North Division Goalies: Joseph Woll (3 saves - 5 shots) Nico Daws (4 saves - 5 shots, 9-of-11 in shootout)
FINALS: Pacific - 1 vs. Atlantic - 0
Seth Griffith made it five goals on the night, opening the scoring 18 seconds in to put Pacific on top 1-0.
That's all the offense that was needed as Wolf and Dostal combined on a seven-save shutout to give the Pacific Division All-Stars the championship.
Pacific Division Goalies: Dustin Wolf (5 saves - 5 shots) and Lukas Dostal (2 saves - 2 shots)
Atlantic Division Goalies: Brandon Bussi (2 saves - 3 shots) Joel Hofer (0 saves - 0 shots)
