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I have to say, I was a little worried when I first heard that the AHL would switch up the format for the All-Star Classic festivities this year. Gone was the “East vs. West” format and in was the concept of a group of AHL All-Stars vs. an actual hockey club. That hockey club was Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League.

Known as “The Green Machine,” Färjestad has 18 Swedish League Championships playing in the highest hockey league in Sweden. It’s a team that has a history of winning versus a team put together from across a 30-team minor league hockey circuit known as the American Hockey League.

Well, on this night, the American Hockey League reigned supreme.

Anchored by three point performances by Rockford’s Brandon Pirri and Binghamton’s Mike Hoffman, the AHL All-Stars crushed Färjestad BK by a score of 7-2.

Chicago’s Jake Allen vs. Frederik Pettersson-Wentzel

Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins All-Star Brian Gibbons skated on a line with Bridgeport’s Ryan Strome and Syracuse’s Brett Connolly.

First Period: Couple of early chances for Färjestad. Allen was tested early by Tomas Hyka but squeezes the pads and makes the save. Next shift, ex-Penguin and current Abbotsford Heat Ben Street hit the post. It was really a nice pace to start by both teams without any actual hitting.

Then, the avalanche started on “The Rock”

Albany’s Joe Whitney centers to Binghamton’s Mike Hoffman to the left of Pettersson-Wentzel and Hoffman tapped it into a wide open net for a 1-0 AHL lead.

Later, Ryan Strome scores to put the AHL up 2-0 when Brian Gibbons forechecked Färjestad’s exit out of their own zone twice, setting up Stome’s goal.

Playing captain and St. John’s IceCap Jason Jaffray sets up Ben Street from behind the net to push the AHL lead to 3-0.

Texas’ Travis Morin, who leads the AHL in scoring, scored to put the AHL All-Stars up 4-0 with a ridiculous deflection from a Cody Goloubef shot from the point. Morin had Linus Fröberg draped on him, reached behind him, and deflected the goal in.

Each player from each of the four lines scored in the period.

Second Period: Färjestad settled down and became more accustomed to the narrower ice.

But Mike Hoffman accelerates past the Färjestad D and passes to Albany’s Joe Whitney but Pettersson-Wentzel made the pad save.

At right about halfway, Rockford’s Brandon Pirri welcomes backup Färjestad goaltender Pekka Tuokkola to the game with a goal :34 after both teams switched goaltenders.

Legit hooking penalty called on Mike Hoffman late and Färjestad had the game’s only power play. But it was the AHL that had the better of the chances shorthanded. Jason Jaffray blocked a shot and led a charge up ice and passed to Ben Street but Tuokkola made the save on Street’s backhand.

Third Period: A Magnus Nygren shot from the point through bodies finally put Färjestad on the board beating relief goaltender Dustin Tokarski. Nygren and Tokarski have a connection, with Nygren skating with Tokarski’s Hamilton Bulldogs earlier this year.

Later, Hoffman and Pirri lead a charge up ice and Pirri finishes off the Hoffman feed to re-gain the five goal lead for the AHL.

Färjestad responds with a Ludwig Byström shot from the point and Rickard Wallin with a Travis Morin-esque deflection and it was 6-2 AHL All-Stars.

Brian Gibbons continued to dog Färjestad on the forecheck, forced another turnover and fed Ryan Strome who scored to re-establish the AHL’s five goal lead.

Unfair that Färjestad travels more than 8,000 kilometers over to St. John’s to play a game against a team of all-stars? The AHL beats a currently mid-pack Swedish team with no NHL prospects? I don’t want to hear it. It took the AHL guts to break the format and put something like this together against a team from overseas. It’s the first time ever that something like this has happened. Bravo for the AHL to stepping up to the challenge against a good Swedish elite team.

Player of the Game for the AHL was Mike Hoffman (1-2-3, +2) and Christian Berglund for Färjestad (-1, 5 shots) Rockford’s Brandon Pirri was named MVP with two goals, an assist and +3.

Pirri is an interesting story. The SportsNet broadcast pretty much wrote off his future with the Chicago Blackhawks. It will be interesting to see if Pirri gets moved at the trade deadline and where he goes. I would not be surprised if he ends up in the AHL’s East Division. Pirri led the AHL last year in points.

One interesting note before I wrap this up, it’ll probably stand to be some kind of AHL All-Star Classic record for Jake Allen. Customarily the goaltenders in these events get lit up like Christmas trees. Allen didn’t allow a single goal. There was one shutout in 1956.

Here is the SendToNews highlight package.

Back to the AHL regular season grind Friday for the Penguins as they travel to Binghamton to face off against Mike Hoffman and the rest of the Senators. Gameday for that will be here on the blog Friday at 3 p.m.

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So it’s the first All-Star Classic that I have not been to since Binghamton, but I was able to watch on TV.

If by chance you were planning on watching on tape delay, come back and read this after.

The last competition of the night was the “Breakaway Relay” which is basically a shootout. One skater on one goalie.

St. John’s Captain and AHL All-Stars Captain Jason Jaffray was the final shooter for his team needing a goal to tie it. He did. It was 17-17 after regulation.

The shootout required, a shootout!

Jaffray scored in Round Three of Sudden Death, and the AHL All-Stars defeated Färjestad BK tonight by a score of 18-17.

Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins All-Star Brian Gibbons was featured in two events, fastest skater and in Breakaway Relay. Gibbons recorded the second quickest time for the AHL All-Stars with a time of 14.350 seconds. Binghamton’s Mike Hoffman won the Event with a time of 13.990. Hoffman slid at the line which caused a clock malfunction.

I’m always a fan of hardest shot. Well, Magnus Nygren from Färjestad BK recorded a shot of 104.6 mph, an AHL All-Star Skills Competition record. Best for the AHL was Rochester’s Brayden McNabb with a shot of 102.6 mph.

A couple takeaways. I’m glad Colton Sceviour plays in the Western Conference for the Texas Stars. Sceviour had some absolute snipes in the Rapid Fire Event…..Färjestad has a kid on their team. No really. A kid. He is 16 years old and his name is Oliver Kylington. He was very impressive for someone who would be a sophomore in high school playing with men, some twice his age or more…..Goal of the Night belongs to Charles Bertrand from Färjestad in the Breakaway Relay; a between the legs, back out and backhander top shelf goal on Chicago’s Jake Allen.

Here’s the SendToNews highlight package. Some other highlights and such. Bertrand’s sickening goal comes circa 1:06 of the package.

Let’s see if I am doing this right:

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Translated, if Google Translate did it right is, “Bring it On!”

Probably not, but, it’s the sprit of the Competition I suppose.

I’ll have an update tomorrow night after the All-Star Classic.

Let’s Go AHL!!!

In case you missed it: I set the table for today’s game against Hershey in Hershey.

So the NHL is on hiatus for the next two weeks because of the Winter Olympics in Russia. It’ll be good to go back to blogging up the highest level of hockey in North America for this time frame.

Wait. What’s that? The AHL is on hiatus for their own All-Star Break too? Just a week? Okay. Well, I guess I’ll make the most of what I have while I can.

Anyway, there are a slew of moves during the NHL break that are affecting East Division clubs in the AHL. We saw it firsthand yesterday with the reassignments of Jayson Megna, Brian Gibbons and Harry Zolnierczyk from Pittsburgh to Wilkes-Barre. Gibbons will head to St. John’s this week to represent the Penguins in the AHL All Star Classic.

As for the rest of the East Division, here’s who is on their way back down for the Olympic break, who each AHL East Division team plays and a reasonable expectation based off of who they do.

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Pittsburgh / Wilkes Barre

This trio needs no introduction. For Wilkes-Barre, the additions could not come at a better time divisionally because the next five games are against Hershey (today) Binghamton (Friday) Hershey (Saturday and Sunday) and Binghamton (next Wednesday) — Win all of them, and the Penguins are likely division leaders and in solid shape for playoffs heading into the month of March. Lose, forget about the division lead and scrape and muck with teams from 6 through 13.

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Washington / Hershey

Casey Wellman, Julien Brouillette and Patrick Wey — seemingly should be in the lineup this afternoon for the Bears. Bears get Wilkes-Barre (today) Albany (Friday) Wilkes-Barre (Saturday and Sunday) and Syracuse (next Saturday) for their next five. Bears can make a push for the division lead but have to jump over three other teams to get there. A daunting task, but nothing that the Bears can’t accomplish. A more reasonable expectation is for Hershey to solidify themselves in the Top 8 for playoffs.

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Ottawa / Binghamton

The East Division leaders got MORE offensive help earlier in the week with the return of second leading scorer Stephane Da Costa as well as Mark Stone. Binghamton gets Wilkes-Barre (Friday) Worcester (Saturday) Wilkes-Barre (next Wednesday) Hamilton (next Friday) and Utica (next Saturday) for their next five. The division leader is hoping for a Hershey win today to keep the Penguins at bay and then have to deal with the Penguins for two of their next three games with tough Worcester and Hamilton teams in there and the always surprising Utica Comets. For Binghamton, maintaining the lead in the division is crucial. If they fall back to Hershey or Norfolk, there may be no returning to the top.

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Tampa Bay / Syracuse

Defenseman J.P. Cote cleared waivers yesterday afternoon and played last night for Syracuse against Springfield, a 6-5 overtime loss for the Crunch. Kristers Gudlevskis and Vlad Namestnikov were sent back Sunday morning, but Gudlevskis is representing Latvia in the Olympics and won’t play for the Crunch. This will leave the Crunch in a bind in goal, something they have been used to in recent weeks. For Syracuse, it has to be about winning. The Crunch get Norfolk Friday and Saturday, Utica next Friday and Hershey next Saturday and Sunday. The Crunch may have to go 5-0 to even remain in the discussion for the 8 seed.

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Anaheim / Norfolk

Anaheim hasn’t yet announced who they are sending back but it is likely that leading scorer Emerson Etem will be back and will no doubt continue to help the Ads in staying in lockstep with Wilkes-Barre in trying to chase down leader Binghamton. The Admirals get Syracuse Friday and Saturday, the makeup game with Charlotte next Tuesday and then Albany and Springfield next Saturday and Sunday. Ideally, for Norfolk, separation from Hershey and Wilkes-Barre is the goal and then Binghamton will handle themselves with playing Wilkes-Barre twice. They can just win and let the Pens, Bears and B-Sens knock the snot out of each other trying to stay away from the ever dangerous Admirals.

Time, always tells.