2010 South Texas All-Star Game Starters Announced

Three First-Year All-Stars Highlight Starting Six

TEMPE, ARIZONA (December 28, 2009) The 2010 Central Hockey League (CHL) All-Star game is scheduled for Wednesday, January 13 at the Laredo Entertainment Center in Laredo, Texas and today the CHL announced the starting line-up for the South Texas All-Star Team (made up of players from the Laredo Bucks, the Corpus Christi IceRays and the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees) that is scheduled to play a team of CHL All-Stars comprised of the remaining 12 teams. The starters were selected by the South Texas coaching staff made up of head coach Terry Ruskowski from Laredo and assistant co-coaches Brent Hughes from Corpus Christi and Chris Brooks from Rio Grande Valley.

The host team Laredo Bucks feature three players on the starting unit led by one of the co-Most Valuable Players of the 2009 CHL All-Star Game, Darryl Smith. The 2009 CHL Rookie of the Year is averaging nearly a point a game with 12 goals and 11 assists in 24 contests. Smith had a goal and an assist in last year’s game. He is joined on the starting unit by teammates Jean-Philippe Levasseur and defenseman Adam Rivet. Levasseur, a first-time CHL All-Star, is currently in the American Hockey League with the Springfield Falcons. In his 16 games with the Bucks this season, the Victoriaville, Quebec native has a 10-3-3 record with a 2.31 goals against average (second in the CHL). Rivet will be playing in his second CHL All-Star Game. This season, he ranks just outside the top 10 among defensemen in scoring with 16 points (5-11=16).

Two starters will represent the Killer Bees with forward Jesse Bennefield and defenseman Nathan Ansell named to the starting six. Bennefield has been among the league’s top goal scorers all season and currently sits in second place in the CHL with 17 goals (38 points). He is joined by teammate Ansell who is fifth among defensemen with 22 points (3-19=22). It will be the first CHL All-Star appearance for both players.

Rounding out the starters and making his second All-Star appearance is Corpus Christi forward Justin Quenneville. The Montreal, native is tied for the IceRays team lead with 22 points (11-11=22).

2010 South Texas All-Star Starters
Position- Player (Team), Appearance
Forward - Darryl Smith (Laredo), 2nd
Forward - Justin Quenneville (Corpus Christi), 2nd
Forward - Jesse Bennefield (Rio Grande Valley), 1st
Defenseman - Nathan Ansell (Rio Grande Valley), 1st
Defenseman - Adam Rivet (Laredo), 2nd
Goaltender - J.P. Levasseur (Laredo), 1st

The starters for the CHL All-Star team will be announced on Tuesday, December 29 with the reserves for both teams being announced later in the week.