PROVIDENCE, RI – American Hockey League President and CEO David Andrews announced today that the AHL Board of Governors has selected the Providence Bruins and the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority to host the 2013 Dunkin’ Donuts AHL All-Star Classic as part of a weekend of festivities January 25-28, 2013. The 2013 Dunkin’ Donuts AHL All-Star Classic will kick off with a Providence Bruins home game on Friday, January 25, followed by the Providence Bruins Youth Hockey Festival on Saturday, January 26. The AHL All-Star Skills Competition will take place on Sunday, January 27, and the AHL Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony and the 2013 AHL All-Star Game will be held Monday, January 28. “The American Hockey League is excited to be returning to one of its founding cities for the 2013 All-Star Classic,” said Andrews. “Providence has been part of the fabric of our league since our first season in 1936, and the Providence Bruins organization has been a cornerstone for the last two decades. We’re looking forward to showcasing our brightest stars to capacity crowds at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center and to an international television audience.” The 2013 Dunkin’ Donuts AHL All-Star Classic will mark the third time that Providence has hosted an AHL All-Star event. The old Rhode Island Auditorium was the site of an All-Star Game on Oct. 23, 1956, and the Dunkin’ Donuts Center hosted the first AHL All-Star Game of the modern era on Jan. 17, 1995. “The 2013 Dunkin’ Donuts AHL All-Star Classic is the American Hockey League’s premier exhibition, bringing together dozens of hockey’s rising stars for an exciting weekend of competition,” said Jeff Fear , CEO of the Providence Bruins. “The Providence Bruins are honored to play host to this special event.” Events scheduled to take place include: • Friday, Jan. 25: Providence Bruins regular-season home game – Dunkin’ Donuts Center • Saturday, Jan. 26: Providence Bruins Youth Hockey Festival – Dunkin’ Donuts Center • Sunday, Jan. 27: 2013 AHL All-Star Skills Competition – Dunkin’ Donuts Center • Sunday, Jan. 27: AHL All-Star Post-Skills Party – Rhode Island Convention Center • Monday, Jan. 28: AHL Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony – Veterans Memorial Auditorium • Monday, Jan. 28: 2013 AHL All-Star Game – Dunkin’ Donuts Center “We couldn’t be more thrilled to have this event coming to Providence and to be using our entire Complex,” said James Bennett , CEO and Chairman of the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority. “One of our primary goals is to bring big-time sporting events to our facilities and we continue to do just that: the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championships in 2010, the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Regional Tournament in 2013 and now the 2013 Dunkin’ Donuts AHL All-Star Classic weekend.” The AHL All-Star Classic annually draws thousands of fans to the host city, and the 2013 Dunkin’ Donuts AHL All-Star Classic is expected to provide a boost to hotels and restaurants in and around the city of Providence. “Major sporting organizations have realized that the City of Providence has the infrastructure, facilities, hotels and restaurants to put on a world-class event,” said Providence Mayor Angel Taveras . “We are building lasting relationships with these organizations that will continue to fuel our economy for years to come.” Comment@prohockeynews.com

SPRINGFIELD, Mass – American Hockey League President and CEO David Andrews announced today that the 2012 AHL All-Star Classic will be held at historic Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., on Sunday, January 29 and Monday, January 30, 2012. The first AHL All-Star event held outside an AHL city is being made possible through the partnership of the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, Caesars Entertainment and the American Hockey League. “The American Hockey League is looking forward to working with Boardwalk Hall, the ACCVA, the CRDA and Caesars to make the 2012 AHL All-Star Classic a truly special event,” said Andrews. “The historic Boardwalk Hall will provide an incredible and appropriate backdrop for us to celebrate our league and our sport’s best young players.” The 2012 AHL All-Star Classic, pitting the top players from the AHL’s Eastern Conference against the best of the Western Conference, will begin with the AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 3 p.m.; the AHL All-Star Game will follow on Monday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. Tickets for the 2012 AHL All-Star Classic, which include admission to both the Skills Competition and the All-Star Game, are priced at $52 for seats on the glass, $37 for lower-level seats and $32 for upper-level seats. Tickets go on sale Monday, Sept. 12, at noon ET , at the Boardwalk Hall box office, all Ticketmaster locations, by phone at (800) 736-1420 and at www.ticketmaster.com . For group orders, please call (609) 348-7021 . Details on other social events to take place during the All-Star Classic, including the 2012 AHL Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony, will be announced at a later date. “The AHL All-Star Classic is a great addition to the lineup of exciting sporting events scheduled to take place in Boardwalk Hall this year,” said Jeff Vasser , President of the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority. “Continuing with A10 Men’s Basketball, ECAC Hockey and the Atlantic City Boardwalk Rodeo, Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall is the perfect venue to enjoy your favorite activity.” “Partnerships and events of this magnitude are what continue to help grow our market and position Atlantic City as the East Coast’s top entertainment destination,” said Don Marrandino , Eastern Division President for Caesars Entertainment. “The 2012 AHL All-Star Classic at historic Boardwalk Hall will shine the national spotlight on Atlantic City, allowing the community to showcase what a diverse entertainment destination we are.” While this is the debut of the AHL’s All-Star Classic at Boardwalk Hall, the venue enjoys a life-long association with hockey dating back to Dec. 28, 1929, when the New York Rangers took on the Ottawa Senators in a regular-season National Hockey League contest. Boardwalk Hall hosted four Albany Devils games during the 2010-11 AHL season, and is currently the home of the ECAC Hockey men’s championship. “We’re thrilled to host this event as it provides the perfect opportunity for local fans to see the best up and coming talent that hockey has to offer”, said Greg Tesone , General Manager for Boardwalk Hall. “The All-Star Game, coupled with the Skills Competition and Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony, will also allow fans to interact with the players and experience the sport on a more engaging level.” The 2012 AHL All-Star Classic in Atlantic City will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League, competing in the AHL All-Star Skills Competition and the AHL All-Star Game. Of the 562 players to take part in the AHL All-Star Classic since 1995, more than 93 percent have competed in the National Hockey League, including Patrice Bergeron , Brad Boyes , Dan Boyle , Daniel Briere , Brian Campbell , Zdeno Chara , Miikka Kiprusoff , Ryan Miller , Zach Parise , Bobby Ryan , Martin St. Louis , Jason Spezza , Eric Staal and Tomas Vokoun . Listed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks, Boardwalk Hall first opened in 1929 and underwent a three-year, $90-million renovation to transform the building into a modern special events arena capable of variable seating for up to 14,770 people. Upon its reopening in 2001, the unique seaside venue has been recognized as Atlantic City’s premier entertainment venue, known for high profile concerts, family shows and sporting events. SMG manages Boardwalk Hall on behalf of its client, the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority. Comment@prohockeynews.com

CLEVELAND, OH — Rookie goaltender Eddie Lack made 14 of his 29 saves in the first period, and Manitoba broke a 1-1 tie with a pair of third-period goals to take a 3-1 road win over Lake Erie on Sunday at Quicken Loans Arena to force a decisive Game 7 in this North Division semifinal. That winner-take-all tilt will take place on Tuesday in Cleveland, with the winner moving on to battle Hamilton in the North Division Finals. The game was deadlocked at a goal apiece heading into the third period, but Moose defenseman Keith Seabrook broke the tie on the power play at 7:36 of the third frame. It marked Manitoba’s first power play goal of the series after going 0-for-21 through the first five contests. Kevin Clark and Jordan Schroeder picked up assists on Seabrook’s first goal of the playoffs and just his second goal in 19 games overall since joining Manitoba from the Abbotsford Heat. Manitoba nursed the 2-1 advantage for nearly 10 minutes before Sergei Shirokov provided insurance at 17:02 with his team-leading fourth postseason goal. Marco Rosa earned an assist for his 10th point of the playoffs (3-7-10), and Jason Jaffray also helped out. The teams played a scoreless hockey until Lake Erie’s Julian Talbot and Manitoba’s Bill Sweatt traded goals just 1:33 apart early in the second period. Lack, the AHL’s All-Rookie goaltender for 2010-11, has now stopped 54 of 55 shots (.982) over the past two contests after backing up Tyler Weiman for Games 2, 3, and 4 of this series.
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HAMILTON, ONT. — Nigel Dawes tallied a pair of goals, and Hamilton scored four times in the third period to collect a series-clinching 4-1 win over visiting Oklahoma City on Sunday afternoon in Game six of the teams’ North Division semifinal. The division-champion Bulldogs now advance to the North Division Finals, where they will meet the winner of Tuesday’s Game seven between Lake Erie and Manitoba. This contest was scoreless through the first 45 minutes of play before two-time Calder Cup champion Alexandre Giroux put Oklahoma City on the board at 5:41 of the third period. It marked Giroux’s second goal of this series and his 52nd career Calder Cup playoff goal, moving him into second place in league history behind Darren Haydar . The Barons’ lead didn’t last long as Dawes pulled Hamilton even just 1:02 later with his fourth postseason goal. Bulldogs defenseman Frederic St. Denis buried the eventual game-winner on the power play with less than three minutes left in regulation, and Dawes and J.T. Wyman added empty-netters late. Aaron Palushaj assisted on both goals by Dawes and wound up with three helpers in all, and Bulldogs goaltender Drew MacIntyre stopped 24 of 25 shots to pick up the win in net. Hamilton moves on to the division finals for the second consecutive season. In 2010, the ‘Dogs ousted Manitoba and Abbotsford, before falling to Texas in a seven-game conference final.
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WILKES-BARRE, Penn. — Steve Wagner ’s first-period hat trick staked Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to an early 3-0 lead and the Penguins went on to a 6-3 win over Norfolk on Saturday night, capturing the teams’ East Division semifinal series in six games. It’s the fourth time in franchise history that the Penguins have advanced after losing the first two games of a best-of-seven series, an accomplishment that has only been done 23 times total. Wagner scored twice on the power play in the first 3:58 of the game, and later in the period became the first AHL defenseman to notch a playoff hat trick since Freddy Meyer scored three times for Philadelphia in a conference final game vs. Providence in 2005. Marc-Antoine Pouliot and Blair Jones cut the deficit to 3-2 after the second period, but Joe Vitale restored Wilkes-Barre’s two-goal lead with 12:37 left in the third. James Wright ’s power-play goal got the Admirals back within one but the Penguins iced the series with empty-netters by Tim Wallace and Zach Sill . Brad Thiessen made 28 saves in leading the Penguins to their fourth straight win. Dustin Tokarski stopped 23 of 27 shots in the loss. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, which finished with the best record in the AHL during the regular season, will face either Charlotte or Hershey in the division finals beginning Thursday night. The Checkers have a 3-2 lead in that series heading into Game 6 on Sunday.
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MANCHESTER, N.H. — Ryan Potulny scored 3:07 into overtime as Binghamton completed a historic series victory over the Manchester Monarchs, advancing to the division finals with a 6-5 decision in Game seven at the Verizon Wireless Arena. The Senators became just the second team in AHL history to win four OT games in one series, the 16th club to successfully come back from a 3-1 series deficit, and the sixth to win Games 6 and 7 of a series on the road. The series was also the first one in the 75-year history of the AHL to see Games 5, 6 and 7 all decided in overtime. Potulny’s winning goal capped a five-point night, and gave the Senators forward eight goals and 14 points in the series. Binghamton jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the second period was a minute old, but for the second time in the series saw that advantage erased as Manchester took a 5-4 lead midway through the third. The Sens got a goal from Erik Condra – his second of the game and of the postseason – with 1:45 left in regulation to force the fifth overtime game of the series (tying another AHL record). Condra added an assist for three points on the evening, Ryan Keller had two goals and two assists, Bobby Butler scored his fourth goal of the series and Colin Greening and Geoff Kinrade picked up two helpers each for the Senators, who won their first playoff series since reaching the conference finals in 2003. Bud Holloway , Jake Muzzin , Brandon Kozun , John Zeiler and Dwight King scored for Manchester, which was hosting a Game 7 for the first time in the franchise’s 10-year history. Robin Lehner , coming off a 51-save effort in Game 6, stopped 32 shots to improve to 3-0. Jeff Zatkoff made 20 saves on 23 shots in relief of Martin Jones (13 saves). Binghamton will face Portland in the Atlantic Division finals beginning Wednesday night. Comment@prohockeynews.com