PALM DESERT, Calif., - Grand Rapids Griffins head coach Dan Watson, forward Austin Watson and goaltender Sebastian Cossa came away victorious in their first-ever AHL All-Star Classic, as the Central Division defeated the Atlantic Division 2-1 in a shootout during the finals. Austin Watson potted two come-from-behind goals in the semifinals and Cossa posted two shutout periods and finished with a 1.81 goals-against average and a .842 save percentage in 18:12 of game time. 

The festivities began on Sunday with the AHL All-Star Skills Competition, with the Eastern Conference coming away with a 19-13 victory. Austin Watson kicked things off during the Inglasco Puck Control Relay, but his team of Rockford’s Cole Guttman and Henderson’s Grigori Denisenko failed to collect a point for the Western Conference, losing to Dalibor Dvorsky (SPR), Simon Nemec (UTI) and Trevor Carrick (CHA). Watson then participated in the Silvercrest Pass and Score competition with Chicago’s Ryan Suzuki and San Diego’s Sam Colangelo, scoring one goal on three attempts against Providence’s Michael DiPietro. Watson concluded his day with the Upper Deck Breakaway Relay, but Toronto’s Dennis Hildeby stonewalled every shot he faced. 

During the skills competition, Cossa got to work during the Fortune Tires Rapid Fire event, making five saves on 10 shots from Toronto’s Logan Shaw and Hershey’s Alex Limoges. Cossa returned to the crease during the Silvercrest Pass and Score, taking on Limoges, Nemec and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s Owen Pickering in 3-on-0 breakaways. Cossa made one stop on three tries. Cossa ended with the Upper Deck Breakaway Relay where he blanked four players on five shots, as Belleville’s Jeremy Davis was the only skater to sneak one past the netminder. 

Day two of the AHL All-Star Classic began with the hall of fame ceremony. Former Griffins star Michel Picard was formerly inducted into the hall of fame after competing in nine AHL seasons with Binghamton (1989-90), Springfield (90-92), Portland (93-94), P.E.I. (94-96), Philadelphia (2000-01), and Grand Rapids (02-04), logging 638 points (283-355—638) in 582 career games. Picard still ranks as the Griffins’ all-time leader with 158 goals, 222 assists, 380 points, 40 power-play goals and 26 game-winners. Click here to read more about Picard and his introduction to the hall of fame. 

The AHL All-Star Challenge ended the weekend with the Central Division coming away as the top division in the AHL. The division went 3-1 during the event with its only loss coming to the North Division, 4-2. Cossa and Milwaukee’s Matthew Murray split time in net for the Central Division. Cossa logged two shutout periods and finished with a 1.81 goals-against average and a .842 save percentage in 18:12 of game time. In the semifinals against the Pacific Division, Cossa showed eight saves on eight shots and guided the division to the championship game. The 22-year-old then contributed with one save on two shots in the finals. 

Watson was held without a point during the first two games of the 3-on-3 tournament. However, down two goals in the semifinals against the Pacific, Watson went on to score two back-to-back breakaway goals on Calgary’s Devin Cooley, which propelled the Central to a 5-2 victory. Watson finished with two goals and an even plus-minus rating in four games. 

Photo at top by Macy Mineni/Griffins