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Top Talent Takes Center Ice in Rockford
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 1 hour ago
By Hazze Sports | February 16 2026
ROCKFORD, IL. There was no shortage of excitement in Rockford, Illinois, as the All-Stars took the ice. From inside, there was barn-rocking noise from fans as soon as the puck dropped. Outside, there was a buzz as they tailgated at a block party-style event. The Rockford IceHogs played host this week for players, staff, and media, getting to be a part of this fun event.
Night one was the Skills Competition. Skills included puck control, rapid fire, fastest skater, hardest shot, accuracy shooting, and a breakaway relay. The East dominated many of the skills. The West made a strong effort for a comeback, starting to pick up points later in the competition. Puck control was broken down into four rounds; the last two rounds broke teams to 1-1, from the original six players that competed in the first two rounds. When it came to the fastest skater, Calgary Wranglers ' Matvei Gridin took that win, with a 14.4 mph speed.
In the Rapid Fire competition, the goalies were now getting involved. Goals and saves would be tracked, and the highest total would earn a goal. Two shooters would take on a goalie in the opposing division. There were eight rounds, and it was the East that would also win that competition. Belleville Senators right-winger, Arthur Kaliyev, won the hardest shot competition, with a 104-mph shot. Coachella Valley Firebirds player Jagger Firkus won the accuracy shooting competition with a perfect score of 4 out of 4. Goalies got to show off their skills when players took part in the pass and score competition. Just because it wasn’t a regular season doesn’t mean the goalies and their stops lacked anything. They also got to show what they can do, which excited fans even more.
That feeling continued for the Breakaway relay, where the West gathered some points to continue building on the comeback they were looking for. But it would ultimately be the Eastern conference that would hold on to the lead, the overall score being 18-15. Among players being named for fastest shot, fastest skater, and perfect accuracy, Calle Clang had been named top goaltender.
Night two was six rounds of round robin style play, which would end with a final championship round. Rounds would be 3 on 3 players, two, four-minute rounds. The first game between Central and Atlantic ended in a shootout, resulting in a 1-1 tie. Pacific and the North took on game two. Captain Jayson Megna had an unassisted goal in the first round, and there would be a 0-1 score. The North had scored one goal. But it would be a big win for the Pacific, continuing with another three goals, the captain would get a hat trick, and the final score would be 4-1. Atlantic and Pacific would play game three. Jayson Megna kept his scoring streak going with another goal in the second round. The Pacific would win 2-3 over the Atlantic Division. The North and Central take on game 4. The North takes an early lead with a 2-0 lead. Central will even the score and take the win with a 3-2 game. Game 5 between Pacific and Central was a shutout win for Central, winning the game 0-4. Finally getting to the championship game between Central and Pacific would result in another Pacific 3-1 win.
With the events coming to an end, fans showed up and demonstrated how passionate they are for their players. The games had something for everyone. Fans are going to be looking forward to next year’s game while still thinking about what they experienced over the last several days.
