Although the Pacific Division didn't three-peat at the AHL All-Star Classic, several Calgary Wranglers players and their interim head coach had a great experience at the annual event.
On Monday night, the Central Division defeated the Atlantic Division 2-1 in a shootout to win the 2025 AHL All-Star Challenge. However, the Pacific Division, led by Calgary Wranglers interim head coach Brett Sutter, almost advanced to the final thanks to performances from Rory Kerins and Devin Cooley.
It was a thrilling win for the Western Conference, who lost the All-Star Skills Competition to the Eastern Conference on Sunday night. Twenty-four hours before the 3-on-3 tournament, Kerins and Cooley had big spots in the skills competition to determine AHL bragging rights.
Upon his return to the Wranglers last week after a stint with the Calgary Flames, Kerins participated in the Inglasco Puck Control Relay, Upper Deck Breakaway Relay, and Silvercreast Pass and Score.
Meanwhile, Cooley's, one of the AHL's top goaltenders heading into the event, participated in the Fortune Tires Rapid Fire and Upper Deck Breakway Relay.
After endless selfie opportunities, the boys put on their competitive faces for Monday's main event. In their three games, the Pacific Division defeated the North 3-2 in the tournament's first contest, lost in a shootout to the Atlantic 4-3, and then fell to the Central 5-2.
Kerins, who has 34 points in 36 AHL games and four in five NHL games, had two lamplighters for the Pacific. His teammate Cooley played five minutes in each game, surrendering six goals and making 16 saves for a .727 SV%. During the shootout against the Atlantic, he made only one save on three shots.
Unfortunately for the Pacific Division, their reign as the All-Star champions ends after two years, as they won the 2023 and 2024 events. Meanwhile, the Central picked up their first victory at the All-Star Classic since their back-to-back wins in 2016 and 2017.
After the Wranglers split their weekend series with the Abbotsford Canucks on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, they are off until Friday night when they visit the Henderson Silver Knights for two games in two nights.
