League stars overcome Jacksonville Icemen in wild ECHL All-Star Classic

Steeped in hockey for his whole life, Ben Hawerchuk knows what a hockey goal normally looks like.

So Monday night's goal-without-a-goal felt... a little strange.

"It's kind of like an Olympic Games kind of atmosphere and you get points for doing different stuff," Hawerchuk said. "It makes it fun."

On a night of hockey celebration, an evening with the Stanley Cup trophy in the house and the NHL Network broadcasting the First Coast to an audience around North America, Hawerchuk won the skills competition for the fastest skater at the ECHL All-Star Classic — and netted credit for a goal in the process.

Hawerchuk's speed didn't make a difference in the end for the Icemen, defeated by the ECHL's All-Star team 14-7 in a wild and free-flowing ECHL All-Star Classic as the league's showcase event touched down at Jacksonville's VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.

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The All-Stars' Marcus Crawford of the Kansas City Mavericks, named most valuable player, and Anthony Nellis of the Trois-Rivieres Lions both netted hat tricks. The Lions' Olivier Archambault also tallied five assists in a game of wide-open spaces, wide-open shots and goals, goals, goals.

Anything but a normal night on the ice. And smack in the middle of a 72-game grind that stretches deep into spring, that's not a bad thing.

"It's kind of like pond hockey or you're playing a men's league game," said Icemen forward Derek Lodermeier. "It's fun to showcase some skill, and it's just a good time."

Fielding two goaltenders with a combined total of three Jacksonville games — Justin Kapelmaster joined the team two weeks ago, soon followed by Stephen Mundinger, a 6-foot-8 rookie from Long Island University in his first professional game — the Icemen came under pressure early and often.

But the hosts had highlights, too. The 23-year-old Hawerchuk, the son of Hall of Fame forward Dale Hawerchuk, rounded the rink in 13.01 seconds to win the night's first skill competition.

Speed meant a score: Under All-Star Classic rules, his skill competition title earned him credit for a goal.

The first of the regular home goals belonged to Abbott Girduckis, who enters the books as the first Jacksonville Icemen scorer in a home All-Star Classic. The forward received a Nick Ford pass and blasting a shot into the net to punish a turnover at 10:11 of the opening period.

Vladislav Mikhalchuk also converted a second-period penalty shot, Icemen defenseman Croix Evingson won the hardest shot competition and Lodermeier captured the shooting accuracy contest with four crisp blasts as Jacksonville swept the skills competitions.

"It's a great event for the fans," Icemen coach Nick Luukko said. "The guys have a lot of fun with it. Overall, it's an awesome night, great for our organization, being on NHL Network and getting the Icemen name out there."

The highlights weren't enough for the home team to come out on top on the scoreboard.

The visiting All-Stars skated out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first six minutes, the second goal from Allie Thunstrom of the women's Premier Hockey Federation on a point-blank rebound, and the bombardment didn't let up.

Former Icemen forward Alexis D'Aoust, who played for Jacksonville in multiple stints between 2018 and 2020, also got on the scoreboard with a third-period goal in his First Coast return.

The result doesn't shake the Icemen's standing as a prime contender in the ECHL South Division, where the club is neck-and-neck with the Florida Everblades in the first-place race.

Monday was a relative hockey oasis ahead of the division games to come. Jacksonville plays Friday through Sunday against the South Carolina Stingrays, the first two at home, with an extended and punishing trip ahead.

The Icemen travel to the Atlanta Gladiators Jan. 28 and 30, then hit the road for three games in the Mountain Time Zone against Idaho and Utah to begin February. After Saturday night's game against South Carolina, they won't play in Jacksonville again until Feb. 9 against the Orlando Solar Bears.

With that challenge ahead, the show, not the score, was on the minds of the Icemen.

"I think we put on a show, the All-Stars and the Icemen as well," Lodermeier said. "It was an absolute blast."

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: 2022 ECHL All-Star Classic brings highlights for Jacksonville Icemen