CALGARY – For the second straight season, University of Calgary head coach Blake Nill will lead the West team at the annual CIS East West Bowl all-star game – and he's taking three of his Dinos with him.

Along with Canada West defensive player of the year Sam Hurl, the Dinos send offensive linemen Kirby Fabien and Carson Rockhill to the annual showcase at The University of Western Ontario in London, Ont. on May 7.

Hurl, who played four different positions for the Dinos in 2010 after a rash of injuries required him to move his services around, thrived when he got to the linebacker spot and earned a conference all-star nod as well as the defensive player-of-the-year honour. Fabien was a second team All-Canadian on the offensive line in just his first year of eligibility in 2009 and is a highly-touted prospect for the 2012 draft, while Rockhill is an up-and-coming prospect on the O-line, standing 6-foot-6. All three players were key contributors to the Dinos' third straight conference championship in 2010 and a second consecutive trip to the Vanier Cup.

The two teams are made up of mostly players who will be eligible for the 2012 Canadian Football League draft. The East side is comprised of student-athletes representing schools from the Atlantic and Quebec conferences, as well as from Queen's, Ottawa and Toronto. The West squad is made up of players from Canada West and from the remaining OUA universities. . The competing coaches from the previous year's Vanier Cup lead their respective teams, so Nill will face off against Laval's Glen Constantin.

Western is hosting the game for the third straight year. The contest was previously held at McMaster (2008), Laval (2007, 2006) and Wilfrid Laurier (2005, 2004, 2003). Kickoff for the 2011 affair is set for 1 p.m.

The week-long event also includes the East West Bowl Free Agent Camp on May 4, as well as a coaches' clinic on May 6 and 7.

No less than 11 all-Canadians from 2010 will take the field in London – six for the East and five for the West – including Sherbrooke wide receiver Simon Charbonneau Campeau, Laval linebacker Frédérick Plesius, Mount Allison guard Mike Filer, Sherbrooke linebacker Filipe Fonseca Da Silva, Bishop's halfback Harrison Maloney, Saint Mary's receiver and punt returner Jahmeek Taylor, Regina running back Adrian Charles, Western guard Matthew Norman, Saskatchewan guard Ben Heenan, Saskatchewan free safety Bryce McCall and Regina cornerback Jamir Walker.

Charbonneau Campeau and Taylor were both nominees for the Hec Crighton Trophy awarded to the CIS player of the year last season, while Plesius was a finalist for CIS defensive MVP honours.

Quarterbacking the East team will be Bruno Prud'homme of Laval and Kyle Graves of Acadia, while UBC's Billy Greene, McMaster's Kyle Quinlan and Western's Donnie Marshall will run the West offence.

In his first season as a CIS starting pivot last fall, Prud'homme led Laval to an unblemished 13-0 campaign including a 29-2 win over Calgary in the 46th Vanier Cup final for the school's record-tying sixth national title – including five in the last eight years.

Also representing the CIS champion Rouge et Or at the event will be running back Sébastien Lévesque, who was named Vanier Cup MVP last November after he rushed for 168 yards and one touchdown.

EAST WEST BOWL NOTES: The East team prevailed 12-9 in 2010 to improve its all-time record to 2-6 in the series... Past East West Bowl participants include Hec Crighton Trophy winners Brad Sinopoli of Ottawa, Benoit Groulx of Laval, Daryl Stephenson of Windsor, Andy Fantuz of Western, Jesse Lumsden of McMaster and Tommy Denison of Queen's... Fantuz, a former Grey Cup champion with Saskatchewan, signed with the NFL's Chicago Bears over the winter... Other notables include former Western Mustang Vaughn Martin, who spent the last two seasons with the San Diego Chargers after being selected in the fourth round in the 2009 NFL Collegiate Draft, former Sherbrooke Vert & Or Samuel Giguère, currently on the New York Giants' reserve roster, and former Calgary Dino Dan Federkeil, who earned a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Indianapolis Colts in 2007...

Previous East West Bowl results:

2010 (at Western): East 12, West 9
2009 (at Western): West 16, East 7
2008 (at McMaster): East 25, West 12
2007 (at Laval): West 22, East 19 (OT)
2006 (at Laval): West 34, East 26 (OT)
2005 (at Laurier): West 34, East 16
2004 (at Laurier): West 21, East 12
2003 (at Laurier): West 10, East 5

East West Bowl website (includes full rosters): http://english.cis-sic.ca/eastwestbowl/2011/index

-UC-