All-Star Skill Descends On Vernon:

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All-star skill descends on Vernon

By Graeme Corbett - Vernon Morning Star Published: January 11, 2009

All-star games have certainly changed since Vernon Vipers’ head coach Mark Ferner’s playing days.
Ferner, a journeyman defenceman who played at every level, and pretty much at every corner of the continent (Kamloops Blazers, St. John’s Maple Leafs, Orlando Solar Bears and San Diego Gulls), was twice named to all-star teams. Once with the Blazers, and once with the Baltimore Skipjacks of the American Hockey League.
Ferner didn’t get the chance to dazzle the crowd in a fancy corporate-sponsored skills competition. They didn’t even have all-star games in the AHL or WHL then.
“They just told you you made the team. That was it,” said Ferner, who played 91 games in the NHL with the Sabres, Capitals, Ducks and Red Wings.
That won’t be the case at the 39th annual B.C. Hockey League All-Star Game, which goes Wednesday at Wesbild Centre (doors open at 6 p.m., puck drops at 7:30). There will be plenty of talent on tap as the best of the Interior Conference tangle with the Coastal Conference stars.
Tickets are $14 ($12 for season-ticket holders with a coupon).
The skills competition – featuring fastest skater, hardest shot, puck control, goaltending and breakaway competitions – will go during the intermissions.
It appears Vipers’ mascot Ssssniper has invited his colleagues from around the league to help him put on a good show.
While all-star games typically lack the intensity of a league game, players tend to have a little more leeway with puck creativity.
So if Vipers’ all-star d-man Kyle Bigos wants to try a spin-o-rama at the blueline – no problem. He won’t get benched until the playoffs, even if Ferner is the assistant coach for the Interior squad.
“The players can relax and try to do a lot more fancy goal scoring, whereas in a regular game their coaches would probably try to throttle them for it,” said Vipers’ marketing manager Heidi Schrader. “This’ll be my fourth all-star game, and it’s neat to see these kids relax and see just how good they really are.”
Other Vipers on the Interior roster include forwards Braden Pimm and Connor Jones, and netminder Andrew Hammond.
The all-star banquet goes Tuesday (cocktails at 6 p.m.) at the Prestige Inn. It is open to the public, and tickets are $100 each.
Guest speakers at the banquet include former NHL assistant coach Walt Kyle and Campbell Blair.
Kyle coached the U.S. team at the world juniors two years ago in Vancouver, and is the head coach for the Northern Michigan Wildcats.
Blair holds the BCHL record for most points by a defenceman in a season (109), which he posted with the Vernon Lakers in 1986-87. He is an assistant coach with the Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves.