RAPID CITY, S.D. – The eyes of the Central Hockey League are set upon the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Arena in Rapid City, South Dakota where tonight’s 2011 CHL All-Star Game is set for an opening faceoff at 6:35pm MST.
The format of this season’s battle features the host team and defending CHL Champion Rapid City Rush facing-off against a team of CHL All-Stars. Since the CHL has adapted the unique format of the home team comprising the opponent for the CHL All-Stars, the host club has won each time with the Colorado Eagles defeating the CHL All-Stars, 8-4, in 2009 and the South Texas All-Stars (players from the Laredo Bucks, Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees and Corpus Christi Ice Rays) winning last year’s game, 9-4.
One of the newest features of the all-star contest was the CHL Facebook Fan Vote which allowed fans to vote between four candidates for the 19th and final all-star roster spot. The winner of the contest was Missouri’s Nick Sirota who edged out Colorado’s Riley Nelson, Bossier-Shreveport’s Justin Aikins and Odessa’s Todd Robinson in the voting that took place over two days.
The coaches for the CHL All-Stars are the Allen Americans’ Dwight Mullins and the Missouri Mavericks’ Scott Hillman. The pair both earned their spots by having the highest win percentage in their respective conferences on December 24. The bench boss for the Rush is 2010 CHL Coach of the Year Joe Ferras. His assistant coach is former CHL All-Star defenseman Mark DeSantis.
Seven Rapid City players will be competing in an all-star game for the second and/or third times. Scott Wray and Vladimir Hartinger will both be playing in their third all-star games, while Jay Birnie, Les Reaney, Danny Battochio, Andrew Smale and Gio Flamminio will be playing in their second all-star contets.
The Rush’s newest skater, Konrad Reeder, scored four goals in the 2009 CHL All-Star Game. Reeder was named the All-Star Most Valuable Player of that contest. His performance marks the last time a hat trick or better was scored in a CHL All-Star Game.
The CHL All-Star team is made up of 19 skaters who are all seeing action in their first CHL All-Star Game, with the exception of The Odessa Jackalopes’ Sebastien Thinel, who is making his sixth all-star appearance. The collection of first-time stars means the game will feature the youngest collection of players in the game’s history (average age is 26.2 year-old).
The starters for this year’s game, as voted by CHL Coaches, CHL Communication’s Staffs and select media members from around the CHL, are forwards David Rutherford (Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs), Neil Trimm (Laredo Bucks) and Thinel (Odessa Jackalopes), defenseman Nathan Lutz (Mississippi RiverKings) and goaltender Kyle Jones (Colorado Eagles). Rio Grande Valley’s Darcy Campbell was the top vote getter but an injury will force him out of the game and the starting line-up. Allen’s David Strathman will replace Campbell in the starting six.
Two other CHL All-Stars will not be able to attend this year’s game and have been replaced on the roster. Allen’s Bruce Graham is on personal leave from the Americans and unable to play. He was replaced by Colton Yellow Horn and the Quad City Mallards’ Mike McLean is out with an injury with his spot in the line-up taken by teammate Darren McMillan.
Other all-star editions this year are equipment manager Tony Deynzer (Colorado Eagles) and athletic trainer Stuart Nichols (Tulsa Oilers) who both earn their appointments for the CHL All-Star team thanks to earning the yearly awards at the end of the 2009-10 season.
The four CHL broadcasters selected to bring fans the action are Rapid City’s Daniel Nieves and Mississippi’s Bob Bakken who will carry the radio broadcast and Odessa’s Brien Rea and Quad City’s Brian Lavelle who will cover the action on CHL-TV.
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