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Steamboat Springs seniors Randy Rule and Daniel Coloccia have been selected to play in this year's Senior All-Star hockey game.

Rule was the Sailors' starting goalie this year, and Coloccia was the team's captain and one of its starting defensemen.

On Friday, the teammates talked about what made the other a strong player.

"Daniel plays where he needs to," Rule said. "He knows how to play the defensive systems. I'm sure playing with the Outlaws helped him. He's offensive-minded, as well. If there's no one to pass it to, he'll just skate it out of the zone."

Coloccia spent the past several years in Denver playing club hockey before returning to Steamboat for his senior season.

"Randy communicates really well with the defensemen," Coloccia said. "He's a real good positional goalie. He's quick side to side. He doesn't have a weak side."

This was Rule's first -- and only -- year on the varsity hockey team, opting to play at the Midget Minor level to get more playing time in recent years.

Senior Brad Bonner was selected as an alternate as well, but an off-season knee surgery would have prevented him from playing had he been selected.

The All-Star game is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Sertich Arena in Colorado Springs, and it caps off a weekend of activities for the state's top senior prep players.

The weekend begins with a banquet Friday at the Sheraton Hotel in Colorado Springs. There, players will be recognized with individual honors, and All-Academic teams will be announced.

On Saturday, the players will have an early morning practice, and Rule said he was told the players would be taken to the practice in a limousine. The practice will be followed by a luncheon at the Warehouse, and the game begins at 7:30 p.m.

Neither player knows which team he is on, but Rule and Coloccia know they will be teammates one last time.

-- To reach Melinda Mawdsley call 871-4208 or e-mail mmawdsley@steamboatpilot.com