Wvw Facing A Pair Of Key Tests This Week

All My Children: Bianca Stopped The Show

By CHARLIE LENTZ clentz@leader.net
 Sunday, January 07, 2001 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3C 





Forty-six hockey players worked diligently to make the rosters for the
First Union AHL All-Star Classic on Jan. 14-15. They weren't the only ones. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins team President Jeff Barrett and his staff
put in extra time last year in hopes the event goes off without a hitch. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Last January at the AHL all-star game in Rochester, N.Y., Barrett learned
the Penguins and First Union Arena had been named the host site for this year.
It has been nonstop ever since. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``The game itself is probably the easiest part of the whole week,'' Barrett
said. ``(My staff) put in a tremendous amount of time. It was a little bit
more than we thought, to be frank. It's an (American Hockey League) function.
We're just the host, we're just kind of guiding them in the right direction.
We have every minute scripted out from the week before through the last event.
We know who's doing what, where they're doing it, where they're supposed to
be.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Barrett said one of the biggest logistical hurdles was coordinating
transportation for players, officials, and fans from local hotels to the arena
for the game and various events. The Woodlands Inn &amp; Resort, the Hampton Inn
at Cross Creek Pointe, and the East Mountain Inn, all in Plains Township, and
the Ramada Inn in Wilkes-Barre were utilized for accommodations. The event
includes a skills competition at 7 p.m. on Jan. 14, the 4 p.m. game on Jan.
15, and various brunches, luncheons, and receptions. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Another obstacle was finding a venue with a large capacity to hold a
reception where fans could mingle with players after the skills competition.
Pocono Downs racetrack was selected for that. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We had to come up with a transportation loop that's continuous,'' Barrett
said. ``We have over 1,000 visitors from out of town coming to this. When they
get here, we don't want them to have any questions on how to get around. We
want this to be flawless.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Penguins built this season's schedule around the event. The team's last
home game was Dec. 30 against Rochester. Their next home game is set for Jan.
19 against Philadelphia. Five road games were sandwiched in between the
Rochester and Philadelphia games. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``I've got a two-and-a-half-week down time to concentrate on this event,''
Barrett said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ESPN2 will televise the game and Barrett attended several production
meetings with network personnel so the arena could be tailored to meet their
technical requirements. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Many players, along with team and league officials, will fly in to
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport. Barrett's staff has made sure
someone will be there to greet them. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The AHL recently released more all-star game tickets and as of Friday, 521
seats remained. Only one possible glitch looms on the horizon and no amount of
planning can prevent it. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``That's the one thing we can't control is the weather,'' Barrett said.
``We hope that things work out and the weather's fine. But we'll deal with it
however we have to deal with it. I think we're going to have a real special
event.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Arena Staff Hoping To Put In An All-star Performance 
Taking Care Of The Preparations For The Ahl All-star Classic Has Kept The
Folks At The First Union Arena Busy For Months.

Arena Staff Hoping To Put In An All-star Performance Taking Care Of The Preparations For The Ahl All-star Classic Has Kept The Folks At The First Union Arena Busy For Months.