Photo credit: Garrett James Photography
Penticton Vees forward Bradly Nadeau, Alberni Valley Bulldogs forward Nicholas Beneteau and Salmon Arm Silverbacks goaltender Matthew Tovell have been named the FortisBC 3 Stars of the Month.
1st Star – Bradly Nadeau (F) – Penticton Vees
Nadeau continued his monster season by leading the league in scoring in January with 12 points in seven contests on four goals and eight assists.
The 2023 NHL Draft prospects registered at least one point in all but one game during the month and put up multi-point performances on three different occasions. His best outing came on Jan. 25 when he potted a pair of goals and added a helper in a 4-0 win over the Vernon Vipers.
The 17-year-old University of Maine commit leads the BCHL in scoring this year with 73 points in 37 games. He’s also the top goal scorer in the league with with 31 and second in assists with 42.
2nd Star – Nicholas Beneteau (F) – Alberni Valley Bulldogs
Beneteau had the highest points-per-game average during the month with a rate of 1.83 per contest after piling up 11 points in six matches. His nine assists during the month were the most in the league.
The Windsor, Ont. native notched a point in every game in January, including two separate three-point performances, helping the Bulldogs to six straight wins during the month and eight consecutive overall. His month was highlighted by a one-goal, two-assist showing in a Jan. 13 home game against the Langley Rivermen, a game won 5-0 by Alberni.
Beneteau leads the Bulldogs in scoring this season with 30 points in 35 games. The St. Lawrence University commit has 11 goals and a team-best 19 assists.
3rd Star – Matthew Tovell (G) – Salmon Arm Silverbacks
Tovell’s .951 save percentage was the highest in the BCHL among goalies with more than two games played during the month. He won four of his six starts in January, stopping 195 of the 205 shots he faced and posting a pair of shutouts.
The 21-year-old from Belleville, Ont. let in one goal or less in five of his seven appearances during the month. His 37-save shutout Jan. 6 against the Vernon Vipers tied for the most amount of shots he has faced in a game this year without letting in a goal. He was also busy in his other January blanking when he made 30 saves in a 5-0 win over the Merritt Centennials on Jan. 27.
Tovell’s .924 save percentage ranks third among all BCHL goalies this season, while his four shutouts are tied for third and just one back of the league lead. His 2.62 goals-against average is also top-five in the BCHL.
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Honourable mentions:
Chilliwack Chiefs D Abram Wiebe: 8GP – 2G – 8A – 10PTS
Chilliwack Chiefs F AJ Lacroix: 8GP – 5G – 5A – 10PTS
Penticton Vees F Josh Nadeau: 7GP – 4G – 6A – 10PTS
Penticton Vees F Aydar Suniev: 7GP – 5G – 4A – 9PTS
Alberni Valley Bulldogs F Will Elger: 6GP – 4G – 4A – 8PTS
Alberni Valley Bulldogs G Hobie Hedquist: 6GP – 6W – .940 SV% – 1.82 GAA – 1 SO
