Hockey with some twists: Here's what to expect at Jacksonville's ECHL All-Star Classic

Clayton Freeman, Florida Times-Union
·3 min read
Jacksonville Icemen forward Bauer Neudecker (23) scores his first goal with the club against South Carolina on Dec. 29.
Jacksonville Icemen forward Bauer Neudecker (23) scores his first goal with the club against South Carolina on Dec. 29.

Skills competitions between periods. Players from 27 teams. Three-on-three action.

Monday's ECHL All-Star Classic is not your average hockey game.

But for Jacksonville Icemen forward Abbott Girduckis, the anticipation is higher than ever.

"I know we've had this date circled on our calendar all year," the Jacksonville Icemen forward said.

The spotlight moment arrives — complete with a few twists — Monday night, when the Jacksonville Icemen face a selection of the top players from across the ECHL in the league's All-Star Classic at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.

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Center ice showing the All-Star Classic logo during warm-ups before an ECHL hockey game between the Icemen and South Carolina Stingrays.
Center ice showing the All-Star Classic logo during warm-ups before an ECHL hockey game between the Icemen and South Carolina Stingrays.

The city's wait has stretched two years. The ECHL office announced the All-Star Classic's pending arrival in Jacksonville on Jan. 11, 2020, but because of COVID-19, it's taken more than two years to become reality.

"There'll be some familiar faces out there that I played against or played with," Icemen defenseman Jacob Friend said. "So it's going to be interesting just to get to know everyone out on the ice and take part in some fun skills competitions."

Yes, skills competitions — one more sign that although there's going to be plenty of hockey on the ice, Monday night's event will be about more than the score.

The competition consists of three periods, each with a 24-minute running clock, the first two periods at standard 5-on-5 and the final period with 3-on-3. In case of a tie, the teams will conduct an immediate sudden-death shootout with no overtime.

The All-Star festivities are also scheduled to include four players from the women's hockey leagues, the Premier Hockey Federation and the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association: Allie Thunstrom of the Minnesota Whitecaps, Jillian Dempsey of the Boston Pride, Sophia Shaver of Team Adidas and Loren Gabel of Team Sonnet.

Then there are the skill competitions. Between periods, players will also participate in a series of challenges, including fastest skater, hardest shot and shooting accuracy, and they're about a little more than just bragging rights: The winner of each skills event gets credited with a goal toward the All-Star Classic score.

So Icemen head coach Nick Luukko isn't worried if the digits on the scoreboard end up looking like something other than an everyday hockey score.

It's not everyday hockey. And as the eyes of North American hockey turn to Jacksonville for a few hours, it's part of the fun.

"Obviously, right now, with COVID and all the chaos going on, it's nice to have a day where you can kind of have that game-like atmosphere, but at the same time you don't have to worry about all the wins or losses," Luukko said. "You can just have fun with your buddies and enjoy the moment."

Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Skills competitions, twists for Jacksonville Icemen at ECHL All-Star Classic