PACK, PAST & PRESENT, KEY TEAM CANADA SO WIN 

Team Canada came from three goals down in the third period to defeat PlanetUSA in a shootout 10-9 to win the 2010 AHL All-Star Game at the Cumberland County Civic Center Tuesday night.

For the Hartford Wolf Pack their paw print was all over this game.

Second year Pack defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti took to the ice for PlanetUSA. While this was his second trip to the game, it was his first time playing in it. Last season Sanguinetti competed in the skills competition but a broken jaw prevented him from playing in the game. During this season’s skills competition, the New Jersey native set the AHL Fastest Skater record with a time of 13.677. Sanguinetti was solid throughout the entire game. He represented the  organization with solid play and got the sole assist on Keith Aucoin’s second period goal.

Also on the ice representing the Wolf Pack was center Corey Locke. The Toronto native made an impact on the ice with every shift. Early in the second period, Locke was stopped on a beautiful play by goaltender Alexander Salak but then assisted for the Canadian side on captain Nolan Baumgartner’s goal. The helper for Locke set a league record with his ninth career All-Star point.

But the game really hinged on a couple of ex-Pack who played a major role in the outcome of the game.

With less than a minute to play in the game and Manchester Monarch goaltender Jonathan Bernier pulled for an extra attacker, Portland Pirates’ own, Nathan Gerbe had a breakaway on the empty net. Ex-Pack/Checker Bryan Rodney (05-07 in Charlotte and 8 games with the Pack in 05) flew up the ice and eliminated the puck from Gerbe before he could get off a shot.

Team Canada then rushed up the ice and found the best scorer in the AHL, ex-Pack Alexander Giroux all alone on the left side of the crease and the Quebec native buried it into the back of the cage with just 17.3 remaining.

The game then went to the shootout where P.K. Subban of Hamilton scored on a beautiful and fancy stop short shot that would prove to be the winner.

Some random thoughts:

* It’s hard to fathom that a game that finished in regulation with a 9-9 score was a goaltending battle, but this one was. While Bernier, started the game, he had a rough go of it allowing five goals on fifteen sots. Justin Peters of Albany came in for the second and surrendered goals to Providence’s Mikko Lehtonen and Hershey’s Keith Aucoin. But Peters stood tall on many other good, solid scoring chances turning them all away. Finally, in the third, Peters gave way to Cedrick Desjardins. The Edmundston, New Brunswick native played brilliantly in the third period. The backstop for Team Canada neutralized PlanetUSA on 8-of-10 and then went four–for-five in the shootout and earned the win.

* In the first, despite surrendering a goal in the first 47 seconds, Dustin Jeffrey, PlanetUSA saw Anton Khudobin put on a show flashing some of the most brilliant goaltending imaginable stopping 20-of-23 in a wide open period where he got little to no help from his defense. Sine it was a show, and an entertaining one at that, one of the games highlights was Salak making a stop with the glove then punting it across the ice which led to a failed scoring chance. There’s a play you’ll only see in a game like this.

* Some records were set in the first period. Two goals in the first 1:12, one for each side, was the fastest to that score in the game’s history.

* Brett Sterling’s goal in the first period included an assist to Salak which was only the second goaltender assist (Barry Brust) in the game’s history. His goal was his fifth in the All-Star game, a record as well.

* The 5-2 score ending the first was the highest since 2001

* Other ex-Pack in the game, as stated, Alex Giroux got the game tying goal with 17.3 left in the third. Bryan Rodney made a game saving play for Team Canada, and Patrick Rissmiller was at the game but much like his time in Hartford was completely invisible.  He was minus-2 and had one shot on goal. Ex-Ranger Dan Fritsche was even and had two assists and two shots.

* That we noticed Sanguinetti and Locke only matched up one against each other with Sanguinetti breaking up a play. The two skated up ice together and seemed to be laughing.

* Despite an announced crowd of 5,225, the building was quiet and looked empty when shown on camera.

* There were FAR too many camera and announcing mistakes especially though the introductions as many players were announced incorrectly.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

(Bobby Sanguinetti photo courtesy of hartfordwolfpack.com / Corey Locke photo courtesy of theahl.com)

For a complete recap of the game, here’s the release from the AHL:

After an 18-12 win in Monday’s Skills Competition, the Canadian AHL All-Stars completed a sweep of the 2010 Time Warner Cable AHL All-Star Classic tonight with a come-from-behind 10-9 shootout win over PlanetUSA in the 2010 AHL All-Star Game at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

Rookie Tyler Ennis of the hometown Portland Pirates, one of 10 former NHL first-round draft picks in the game, was named most valuable player after notching a goal and two assists for the Canadians.

The Canadians were down by four goals when the Worcester Sharks’ Logan Couture began the comeback at 7:48 of the third period. The Binghamton Senators’ Ryan Keller collected his second goal of the night at 12:30 and Dustin Jeffrey of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins cut the deficit to 9-8 at the 14:41 mark. Then, with their goaltender pulled for an extra attacker, the Canadian squad evened the score when reigning league MVP Alexandre Giroux of the Hershey Bears banged home a shot with 18.0 seconds remaining.

Couture and Hamilton Bulldogs rookie P.K. Subban scored in the shootout while Hamilton’s Cedrick Desjardins stopped four of five PlanetUSA attempts to seal the win, establishing the largest third-period comeback in AHL All-Star Game history.

PlanetUSA’s offense was led by Brett Sterling of the Chicago Wolves, Mikko Lehtonen of the Providence Bruins and Sergei Shirokov of the Manitoba Moose with two goals apiece.

Corey Locke of the Hartford Wolf Pack picked up an assist for the Canadian side to set a league record with his ninth career All-Star point.

The road to the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs continues when the American Hockey League’s 74th season resumes on Friday.