Forwards from the Hershey Bears and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins found themselves on the wrong end of the final score during Sunday’s American Hockey League All-Star Skills Competition at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

The Eastern Conference – featuring Hershey’s Keith Aucoin, Chris Bourque and Boyd Kane plus Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s Colin McDonald – dropped an 18-10 decision to the Western Conference.

• In the rapid-fire shooting event, Kane scored on three of his five shots against Oklahoma City Barons goalie Yann Danis. Aucoin also scored three times against Houston Aeros goalie Matt Hackett.
• McDonald took part in the hardest shot competition, with his best drive registering 92.9 mph. Chicago Wolves defenseman Kevin Connauton won with a blast of 99.4 mph.
• In the accuracy-shooting event, Bourque hit four targets in six shots. Kane was 2-for-8 and McDonald missed all eight of his attempts. Oklahoma City’s Ryan Keller and Trevor Smith of the Norfolk Admirals tied for the individual title by hitting four targets in five shots. Aucoin, Syracuse Crunch forward Kyle Palmieri and Albany Devils defenseman Alexander Urbom scored on just one of three shots against Hackett.
• In the breakaway relay, Danis stopped Bourque’s attempt and Aucoin failed to score on Peoria Rivermen goalie Ben Bishop, but McDonald cashed in his chance against Hackett.
• Bishop won top goalie honors by stopping 16 of the 19 total shots he faced in various events. 
• The fastest-skater competition was won by Brian Connelly. The former Rockford IceHogs defenseman, who represented the Abbotsford Heat just two days after being traded to the Calgary Flames from the Chicago Blackhawks, completed a lap in 13.851 seconds.

The skills competition was the first part of the AHL’s annual All-Star Classic, which continues with tonight’s all-star game at 7:05.

York's Sullivan stars for Maine

Dan Sullivan, the sophomore goalie from York, Pa., stopped 66 of 69 shots he faced Friday and Saturday, helping the University of Maine to a pair of Hockey East road wins against second-ranked Boston University.

Sullivan made 28 saves in the 20th-ranked Black Bears’ 4-2 victory Friday night at Agganis Arena. He followed that up with a 38-save performance in Saturday’s 3-1 triumph.

This season, the 23-year-old netminder is 10-5-3 in 18 appearances for Maine (14-8-3) with a 2.92 goals-against average and .896 save percentage.

Sullivan played for the Philadelphia Junior Flyers before earning a spot with the Texas Tornado of the North American Hockey League

Otters’ Fox in top prospects game

Erie center Dane Fox will join Otters’ defenseman Adam Pelech at Wednesday night’s CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Kelowna, British Columbia. Fox was named to the team Sunday as an injury replacement.

Since arriving in a trade from the London Knights on Jan. 5, Fox has seven goals and three assists in nine games for the Otters. The 6-foot, 185-pound Fox netted his first OHL hat trick in Saturday’s 7-4 Erie victory against the Sudbury Wolves.

The last time the Otters had two players take part in the top prospects showcase was 2007, when right wing Nick Palmieri and center Zack Torquato played in Quebec City.

Notes

Prior to Sunday’s 5-1 road loss to the Kalamazoo K-Wings, the Reading Royals traded F Todd Griffith to the Toledo Walleye for future considerations. Griffith had five goals and three assists in 18 games with Reading this season. … Former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton RW Nick Petersen, demoted to the Wheeling Nailers last week, continued his strong ECHL play Sunday. Petersen scored again in a 5-2 Wheeling win vs. Toledo in Johnstown, Pa., giving him three goals and three assists for the Nailers in four games. … Sunday’s Nailers-Walleye game drew just 1,201 fans to the Cambria County War Memorial. … With the all-star break complete, the NHL resumes its season Tuesday night with 13 games. Both Pennsylvania teams will be in action as the Pittsburgh Penguins play host to the Toronto Maple Leafs while the Philadelphia Flyers welcome the Winnipeg Jets into Wells Fargo Center. The Pens and Flyers meet four more times this season, with the next game coming Feb. 14 in Philadelphia.