Photo credits: Garrett James Photography (Melo & Lonsdale), Island Images (Nicholson)
Blackfalds Bulldogs forward Joey Melo, Alberni Valley Bulldogs forward Zeke Nicholson and Nanaimo Clippers forward Cole Lonsdale have been named the NAPA Auto Parts 3 Stars of the Week.
1st Star – Joey Melo (F) – Blackfalds Bulldogs
Melo led the BCHL in points last week with six in two games, piling up two goals and four assists in a pair of Blackfalds wins.
On Friday night, the University of Alaska-Anchorage commit collected a pair of assists in his team’s 4-0 victory over the Vernon Vipers. A night later, Melo produced a career-best four points, getting in on each of his team’s goals, in a 4-2 win against the Spruce Grove Saints. With his team down 1-0 in the first, the 19-year-old scored to tie the game before intermission, then totaled another goal and two assists in the third to complete the comeback.
Melo leads Blackfalds in all offensive categories with 14 goals, 18 assists and 32 points in 36 games this season.
2nd Star – Zeke Nicholson (F) – Alberni Valley Bulldogs
Nicholson’s three goals last week were tied for the most in the league. He added a pair of helpers to finish with five points in two games.
The four-year BCHL veteran picked up an assist in Friday’s 5-2 home win over the Powell River Kings, then exploded for four points the following night in Alberni’s 8-2 victory over the Surrey Eagles, including his second hat trick in the BCHL. All three of Nicholson’s goals on Saturday came in the second period. His second was shorthanded and his third came with just one second on the clock to extend his team’s lead to 6-1, while his assist also came while a man down in the third. He was named first star of the game.
Nicholson is fifth in team scoring with 34 points in 47 games, while his 16 goals rank third.
3rd Star – Cole Lonsdale (F) – Nanaimo Clippers
Lonsdale chipped in two goals and three assists in two games last week in a pair of Clippers wins.
The Mississauga, Ont. product scored the tying goal in the third period of Friday’s game against the Surrey Eagles, then assisted on the winner with under nine minutes to play as Nanaimo won 4-3. The following night, Lonsdale picked up a goal and two assists, including a helper on the game-winner for the second night in a row, as the Clippers held on for the 5-4 victory against the Victoria Grizzlies.
With 62 points in 48 games this season, the Rochester Institute of Technology commit is tied for fourth in league scoring. He also sits in the top-10 in the BCHL in goals (25) and assists (37).
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Honourable mentions:
Nanaimo Clippers D Garin Ludwig: 2GP – 5A – 5PTS
Coquitlam Express F Thomas Zocco: 2GP – 5A – 5PTS
Brooks Bandits F Parker Lalonde: 2GP – 3G – 1A – 4PTS
Langley Rivermen G Dylan Johnson: 2GP – 1W – .956 SV% – 1.51 GAA
Victoria Grizzlies G Oliver Auyeung-Ashton: 1GP – 1W – 1 SO – 1.000 SV% – 0.00 GAA
Blackfalds Bulldogs G Lukas Fürsten: 1GP – 1W – 1 SO – 1.000 SV% – 0.00 GAA
