The National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) has announced plans for their first All-Star game, which will be held at Buffalo’s HarborCenter on January 23 and 24, 2015.
The game will feature two 15-player squads playing four-on-four for two 20-minutes periods, creating an offense-first showcase for fans.
Buffalo Beauts captain Emily Pfalzer and Boston Pride co-captain Hilary Knight will each captain a team, cribbing a bit from the old NHL All-Star Game format and having the team captains select 11 of the team’s players themselves.
The remaining four players will be selected by fans via social media after the initial 24 players have been announced. Details on how this will work have not been announced.
Much like the NHL’s recently announced format, the NWHL will be providing financial incentive for the players. The winning team will be taking home 20% of ticket sales to the game, which will be split equally among the players.
The weekend will also feature a skills competition, with shooting accuracy, fastest skater, trick shot and agility obstacle course events among the activities. In addition, players will be doing autograph sessions and providing opportunities for fans to skate with the players, in a full weekend of All-Star festivities.
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