Sherwood Park Crusaders defenceman Erik Kald, Prince George Spruce Kings forward Kazumo Sasaki and Chilliwack Chiefs goaltender Ben Laurette have been named the NAPA Auto Parts 3 Stars of the Week.
1st Star – Erik Kald (D) – Sherwood Park Crusaders
Kald led all players with six points in two games last week, finishing his week with two goals and four assists.
The defenceman from Oyster Bay, N.Y. opened the scoring with his first BCHL goal in Friday’s home matchup with the Okotoks Oilers, then added a second before the end of the frame to put his team up 3-0 at the first intermission. He would add three assists later in the game to finish with five points and was named first star in Sherwood Park’s 7-3 victory. A night later, he picked up an assist on the Crusaders lone goal in a 2-1 road loss to the Spruce Grove Saints.
The Merrimack College commit has only played four games since debuting with the team on Oct. 24 and his six points this week were his first in the league.
2nd Star – Kazumo Sasaki (F) – Prince George Spruce Kings
Sasaki averaged over a point per game last week, totaling five in a pair of contests on one goal and four assists.
The 2005-born forward totaled a career-best four points on Saturday in his team’s 4-1 home win over the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. Sasaki assisted on all four PG goals in the game, including one on the power play. The following afternoon, the third-year BCHL veteran scored his eighth goal of the season in a 4-2 loss to the Langley Rivermen.
Sasaki currently leads the BCHL in scoring with 22 points in 13 games on eight goals and 14 helpers.
3rd Star – Ben Laurette (G) – Chilliwack Chiefs
Laurette won both of his starts last week, stopping 50 of 53 shots to finish with a .943 save percentage, a 1.50 goals-against average and one shutout.
The 19-year-old netminder started the Chiefs Wednesday night road game against the Alberni Valley Bulldogs and made 33 saves on 36 shots to guide his team to a 5-3 win. He was back in the crease on Saturday for a home date with the Powell River Kings where he stopped all 17 shots he faced to earn his first career BCHL shutout in an 8-0 triumph.
Laurette now owns a 4-5-0 record through nine games this season.
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Honourable mentions:
Spruce Grove Saints G Ryan De Kok: 2GP – 1W – .957 SV% – 1.02 GAA
Langley Rivermen F Zachary Benayon: 2GP – 3G – 1A – 4PTS
Powell River Kings F Chris Battaini: 3GP – 2G – 3A – 5PTS
Powell River Kings F Brendan Giles: 3GP – 1G – 4A – 5PTS
