Game & Skills Competition to pit Adirondack Thunder against ECHL All-Stars

The ECHL, in conjunction with the Adirondack Thunder, announced on Wednesday the format for the 2017 CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic, presented by I LOVE NY.

The 2017 CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic, presented by I LOVE NY will feature the ECHL All-Stars facing off against the hometown Adirondack Thunder. The game will be played in a non-traditional format to incorporate both the game and a skills competition into an all-encompassing experience for fans in one night. The event will be played as two 25-minute halves with the skills competition to be held in between. The event will be televised throughout North America to showcase the league’s best talent.

The first portion of the event will be a 25-minute half, played entirely as 5-on-5 hockey between the All-Stars and the Thunder. Following the completion of the first half of play, the scores will carry over into the Skills Competition, which will be played during the intermission.

The Skills Competition will feature three events: Fastest Skater, Hardest Shot and Skills Relay. Each Skills Competition event will feature competitors from both the All-Stars and the Thunder and the winning team in each event will receive one goal (point) towards their overall score, with a total of three goals (points) available from the Skills Competition.

The second half will again feature a 25-minute stanza, but will incorporate some of the new and exciting situations typically featured during ECHL overtime. The half will begin with 10 minutes of 5-on-5 play but the first whistle after the 15-minute mark will see the teams switch to 4-on-4. At the first whistle following the 10-minute mark, the teams will switch again, this time to a 3-on-3 format, which will be carried out through the remainder of the game. At the end of the second half, the team with the most goals (points) from the first half, skills competition and second half combined will be the winner of the 2017 CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic, presented by I LOVE NY. In the event that the score is tied, a sudden death, five-minute, 3-on-3 overtime period will be played to determine the winner. If the event is still tied, a three-player shootout will commence to determine the winner.

“The 2017 CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic, presented by I LOVE NY is a one of a kind event spectacle and competition for the fans, players and coaches,” Adirondack Thunder President Brian Petrovek said. “This format will allow us to pit our players against the finest competition in our league and allow us to showcase some of the most fun and exciting concepts in hockey, such as the Skills Competition and 3-on-3 format. We’re excited to play host to the top talent the ECHL has to offer and look forward to showcasing world class players to our fans and viewers.”

"Our goal is to bring the best possible showcase of talent and skill to the event in order to provide an entertainment package that is new and exciting to our fans," ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna said.  "We applaud the Thunder and their innovative approach to this year's format, as we look forward to a fun and extremely entertaining couple of days in the Adirondack region."

Following the conclusion of the game, the “Taste of Downtown” will begin, highlighting more than ten downtown restaurants and bars. The “Taste of Downtown” will run throughout the evening in Glens Falls and bus transportation will be provided at the end of the evening for those staying in Lake George. A full list of participating local restaurants and bars will be announced at a later date.

Tickets to the CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic, presented by I LOVE NY are on sale now for all Adirondack Thunder ticket plan holders. Tickets are priced at $40 for both the game and Skills Competition and will remain available through an exclusive pre-sale window to Thunder ticket plan holders until Friday, Sept. 30. Individual tickets to the 2017 CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic, presented by I LOVE NY will go on sale to the general public on Monday, October 3 at 10:00 a.m. at the Glens Falls Civic Center Box Office.

About the ECHL

Began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 27 teams in 21 states and one Canadian province for its 29th season in 2016-17. There have been  who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including 30 who made their NHL debuts in the 2015-16 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the 30 NHL teams in 2016-17, marking the 20th consecutive season that the league had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com as well as on Facebook and Twitter.