BROOMFIELD — The entertainment value was relative.
If you wanted a competitive hockey game, you came to the wrong arena. If you came to judge the talent of the Central Hockey League’s premier players and surround your children in a kid-friendly environment, the Broomfield Event Center was the place to be.
In a no-checking, little-hustle but otherwise entertaining, cost-friendly affair, the CHL’s All-Star Game took place Wednesday night before a near-capacity crowd. The final score? South, 11-6, but it didn’t matter. The easy-to-please players didn’t seem to care.
“It was a really good experience,” said all-star Scott Wray, a forward for the host Rocky Mountain Rage. “Nice setting, and the boys were put up in a nice hotel. We couldn’t ask for any more.”
Attendance was announced at 4,640 in a building that holds 5,056. The kids in the stands had fun, and the men on the ice that play for the pure love of the game proved that their skill level should not be compared to “Slap Shot,” the classic movie about a dysfunctional minor-league hockey team. And the comparison should not be made to the NHL, either.
CHL players aren’t in the NHL for a reason. They aren’t good enough. But they can entertain, which is the very basis of their employment.
“You could see that a bunch of these guys have a lot of talent,” said Rage coach Tracy Egeland, the bench boss for the North all-stars. “Young and old, they can play the game. I’ve said that a lot. I think our hockey is a lot better than people realize. I would have paid money to come and watch this game.”
The Rage and its rival to the north, the Colorado Eagles of Loveland, teamed up for the first time on Colorado ice. Four Rage players and two Eagles played for the North squad, which went down softly to the South.
The only thing more entertaining then the first-intermission magic show was the South’s third-period dominance. But that didn’t sit too well with the spectators, who saw Rage goalie Scott Reid give up five goals on 17 shots in the period.
It didn’t really matter. The event was a success.
“This organization here put on a great show,” Eagles forward Greg Pankewicz said. “A lot of people behind the scenes don’t get enough credit. We come in here, steal all the glory and leave, and they still plum away. It takes a special group of people to have this go off.”
Game MVP honors went to Arizona Sundogs forward Alex Leavitt, who had three goals and two assists for the South. The former Wisconsin Badger joked afterward that all that mattered “was the win.”
Rage forward Brent Cullaton was honored as the North’s best player. He had a goal and two assists.
Southern Conference 3 3 5 — 11
Northern Conference 1 4 1 — 6
First period — 1, Southern Conf., Leavitt (Redenbach, Reeder), 8:28. 2, Northern Conf., Wray (Cullaton), 12:02. 3, Southern Conf., Redenbach (Reeder, Leavitt), 17:15. 4, Southern Conf., Fornataro (Banga, Howarth), 19:58. Penalties — None.
Second period — 5, Northern Conf., Cullaton (Wray, Pankewicz), 0:28. 6, Southern Conf., Leavitt (Redenbach, Reeder), 4:05. 7, Southern Conf., Hartinger (Schlemko), 7:15. 8, McCutcheon (Pohl, Campbell), 8:43. 9, Northern Conf., Burgoyne (Schneekloth, McCutcheon), 15:06. 10, Northern Conf., Richards (Pegoraro, Landmesser), 18:43. 11, Southern Conf., Banga (Nimmo, Fornataro), 19:27. Penalties — None.
Third period — 12, Southern Conf., Tessier (Reeder, Redenbach), 2:38. 13, Northern Conf., Pankewicz (Wray, Cullaton), 5:38. 14, Southern Conf., Thinel (Tessier, Bes), 10:52. 15, Southern Conf., Leveille (Thinel, Bes), 11:25. 16, Southern Conf., Leavitt (Arvai, Redenbach), 13:36. 17, Southern Conf., Reeder (Redenbach, Leavitt), 14:12. Penalties — None.
Shots on goal — Northern Conf. 14-19-23 — 56. Southern Conf. 14-19-17 — 48. Power-play opportunities — None. Goalies — Northern Conf., Franck 14 shots-11 saves; DeCaro 19-16; Reid 17, 12. Southern Conf., Traylen 14-13; Vincent 19-15; Martin 23-22.
Attendance — 4,640. T — 2:10. Referee — Tudor Floru. Linesmen — Jared Ottenhof, Kyle Simms.
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
