The biggest and brightest stars in the AHL gathered in Syracuse on Monday night for the league’s annual All-Star Game, and two Rockford IceHogs played a pivotal role as the Central Division squad took home an impressive victory.
IceHogs captain Jake Dowell, who has appeared in 157 career NHL games, hit his groove during the festivities in Syracuse, scoring three goals and adding an assist as the Central Division triumphed in the 3-on-3 tournament.
Goaltender Michael Leighton also had an impressive evening for the Central Division squad, notching a hat trick in the championship game as the team beat the Atlantic Division squad 4-0 in the final game.
Ryan Hartman also contributed during the evening for the Central, scoring a goal and adding two assists to help the team to their impressive triumph.
Unfortunately for all three IceHogs, their performances weren’t good enough to take home MVP honors for the game. Those went to Chicago Wolves prospect Pat Cannone, who scored three goals and had a shootout goal for his team in the All-Star victory.
Even though the Wolves ended up with the extra hardware thanks to Cannone’s performance, the IceHogs could very well have the last laugh. Thanks largely to Leighton’s goaltending, the team is currently atop the standings in the Central Division race, with the Wolves 16 points behind them in sixth place.
