BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – This past week marked the nineteenth year of the ECHL All-Star Classic. Players from ECHL teams across the country were chosen to represent their team in a retro style version of the ECHL All-Star Classic hosted by the Bakersfield Condors. This format has not been used since 1997, where a single team of All-Stars faced the host team. The ECHL All-Stars team defeated the Condors, with a final score of 9-3 at Rabobank Arena before 7,392 fans. The Stockton Thunder was represented by rookie Center Mark Arcobello. Arcobello scored three of the first five goals of the game earning Most Valuable Player accolades. The feat made him only the eighth player in ECHL All-Star game history to pick up a hat trick. Arcobello had been reassigned to the Thunder earlier this week from the Oklahoma Barrons (AHL), where he had been playing since January 11. At the time of his selection to the All-Star team, he had been leading the Thunder rookies with 13 points in 26 games, and was tied for the teams rookie lead with six goals. There were 12 additional rookies on the All-Stars team this year including goalies Tyler Beskorowany (Idaho), and Patrick Killeen (Wheeling), forwards Andy Bohmbach (Toledo), Eric Lampe (Elmira), Chris Langkow (Alaska), Aaron Lewadniuk (Ontario), Blake Parlett (Greenville), John Scrymgeour (Reading), Ben Street (Wheeling), Evgeny Timkin, (Florida), Marc-Olivier Vallerand (Greenville), and defenseman Steven Tarasuk, (Kalamazoo). In addition to the rookies, the rest of the All-Stars team included goalie Michael Ouzas (Las Vegas), forwards Ryan Ginand (Trenton), Mark Derlago (Idaho), Michael Forney (Gwinnett) and defensemen Josh Godfrey (South Carolina), Brian O’Hanley (Cincinnati), and Jake Gannon (Utah). The match began with Arcobello opening the scoring in the first period, followed by goals from Langkow and Ginand. Ouzas was in the net for the All-Stars in the first period, stopping all six Condor’s shots. Bakersfield got on the board by scoring early in the second period with a goal by Joel Broda. However, Arcobello scored his second and third goals at the 5:10 and 12:34 marks, for the hat trick. Condors Pascal Morency found the net late in the period to attempt to close the gap. Beskorowany was in the net for the second period, stopping 13 of 15 shots he faced. The third period saw Ginand score his second goal of the evening, A single unassisted goal by Condors Erick Lizon in the period would not be enough. The All-Stars scored three more tally’s by Vallerand, Langkow (second) and Lampe. Killeen stopped seven of eight shots in the third period. Beskorowany posted the win for the game. Condor goalie Josh Tordjman was in the net for the entire game and posted 32 saves on 41 shots. Contact the writer at: Shellie.Lima@prohockeynews.com
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