Due to the sudden illness of Kitimat Ice Demons head coach, Danny Baker, former coach Mike Steponavicius, who was at the helm for the Ice Demons as they won three Coy Cup championships in four years, will again be behind the bench for the Demons in Prince Rupert March 8-12 as they make a run for a fourth Cup.
Baker was admitted to Kitimat General Hospital on the weekend, which meant general manager Terry Marleau and former general manager Mike Whelan handled the bench as the team lost in two intense games in the CIHL playoffs final in Williams Lake.
Players asked Mike Step if he would take over the bench and he agreed Wednesday, handling the Thursday night practice and a couple of additional workouts scheduled over the weekend
The Ice Demons were scheduled to again face the Williams Lake Stampeders for their fourth game in succession as the tournament opened in Prince Rupert’s Jim Cicerone Complex on March 8.
The Prince Rupert Rampage is host team for the Coy Cup and the four team roster is filled out by last year`s winner, the Powell River Regals.
After a round robin, the leading team will get a bye to the final on Saturday, March 12, while the next two teams in points totals will play a semi-final Friday, March 11, for a spot in the 2011 provincial senior AA men`s championship.
Kitimat, Williams Lake and Powell River are all previous Coy Cup winners so the competition level is expected to be very high.