PORTLAND — When Kennebunk native Cam Cain took the ice Monday night before the 2010 AHL-Star Classic Skills Competion, he had one thought: “Don’t hit them in the head,” he said before a pre-game skate with AHL players.

Trevor Fleurent of Biddeford joined Cain, who competes for the Portland Jr. Pirates, at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

Fleurent and Cain participated in the 2010 AHL All-Star Classic Skills Competition, skating and competing with some of the best minor league hockey players in North America.

“The first event, nerves were going,” Cain said. “I was just trying not to fall, to be honest.”

Fleurent, a senior forward, who has 16 goals and 12 assists for Biddeford, competed for the Canadian AHL All-Stars while Cain, a Kennebunk native and defenseman for the Jr. Pirates, competed for the PlanetUSA All-Stars.

Both players participated in three events in the skills competition, the puck control relay, the fastest skater competition and the accuracy shooting competition.

Both players took part in the pre-game skate and were introduced along with the rest of the AHL All-Stars before the competition.

Both players held their own against their AHL stars, however Fleurent particularly impressed his peers in one event.

Due to a faulty timer, Fleurent was forced to skate not once, not twice, but three times around the ice.

“I’m still pretty gassed after that,” Fleurent said. “I just wanted to finish the event.”

The feat was enough to get a shoutout from Hamilton Bulldogs defenseman P.K. Subban on NESN, which was broadcasting the event, later in the evening. Coincidently, after three runs around the ice, Fleurent still bested Subban’s time in the competition.

“It’s always good to give the kids a little recognition,” Subban said. “For them, it’s a little bit nervous being on T.V. I’m sure [Fleurent] feels a bit happy that one of the players mentioned he did really good on the skating. I thought he did pretty good, so I threw it out there on national television.”

Fleurent said he was happy to receive the credit from Subban.

“It felt pretty good,” Fleurent said. “Any credit from an AHL guy is great.”

The players also received praise from Canadian All-Star captain Nolan Baumgartner.

“They were awesome,” Baumgartner said. “Just like P.K. said, the one guy [Fleurent] that went around three times and still beat his time in the fastest skater. Those guys were great. It was nice to see the young kids come out and show their skills and they were pretty good tonight.”

Both Fleurent and Cain competed well in the accuracy shooting competition, which involves knocking out four foam targets on each corner of a goal. Cain knocked out three targets in the fifteen seconds alloted to each player, while Fleurent broke all four targets.

In the end, the Canadian All-Stars prevailed, defeating PlanetUSA, 18-12.

After the event, Cain was still excited.

“You know it’s kind of unbelievable to see these guys on T.V., sometimes in the NHL, and to be kneeling right next to them, talking to them,” he saidd. “I’m still trying to get over it right now. I don’t know what just happened.”

Fleurent said the All-Stars were fun to hang around with for the evening.

“They’re a bunch of great guys, just like us,” Fleurent said.

Cain added that the All-Stars took turns poking fun at each other throughout the competition.

“They were great, they included us in conversation, joking around,” Cain said. “Obviously, talking on the bench, they were ragging on each other a lot. It was funny to hear. It’s nice to see they’re just big kids like us.”

Needless to say, the night was one both players won’t soon forget.

“Oh yeah, I’m going to have trouble forgetting this one,” Cain said.

– Contact Dave Dyer at 282-1535 ext. 317.