LAVAL, Que. … Goaltenders Dustin Wolf of the Calgary Wranglers and Lukas Dostal of the San Diego Gulls shared Most Valuable Player honors, backstopping the Pacific Division to victory in the 2023 Mise-o-jeu AHL All-Star Challenge on Monday night.
Wolf and Dostal combined to stop 42 of 49 shots over 46 minutes of work during the Challenge, a round-robin tournament among the league’s four divisions played at 3-on-3. The evening capped the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Bell in collaboration with Manulife Bank at a sold-out Place Bell.
Wolf and Dostal helped the Pacific Division secure the title by shutting out the Atlantic Division, 1-0, in the championship game. Seth Griffith of the Bakersfield Condors scored five goals on the night, including the only goal of the final, and T.J. Tynan of the Ontario Reign led all scorers with six points (three goals, three assists). Henderson Silver Knights defenseman Brayden Pachal added two goals and three assists for the Pacific, which won its first-ever All-Star Challenge title.
The Atlantic Division earned its spot in the championship game with a thrilling 11-round shootout victory over the North Division in the final round-robin contest. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins forward Alex Nylander scored the decisive goal in the shootout and also notched a goal and two assists on the evening.
The North Division was led by Belleville Senators forward Egor Sokolov, Toronto Marlies forward Logan Shaw and Alex Belzile of the hometown Laval Rocket with three points apiece. Riley Barber (three goals) and Thomas Harley (two goals, one assist) of the Texas Stars led the Central Division offense.
The All-Star Challenge featured 12 former first- or second-round NHL draft picks, and 17 players who have skated in the National Hockey League already this season.
The road to the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs continues when the American Hockey League’s 87th season resumes on Friday.
2023 Mise-o-jeu AHL All-Star Challenge Results
Game 1 – Pacific Division 2, North Division 2 (SO)
Game 2 – Atlantic Division 4, Central Division 3 (SO)
Game 3 – Pacific Division 6, Atlantic Division 2
Game 4 – Central Division 2, North Division 2 (SO)
Game 5 – Pacific Division 5, Central Division 2
Game 6 – Atlantic Division 3, North Division 2 (SO)
Championship – Pacific Division 1, Atlantic Division 0
