Photo credits: Island Images (Nikitin), Liz Wolter (Allen, Felsing)
Chilliwack Chiefs goaltender Vladimir Nikitin, Salmon Arm Silverbacks defenceman Tristan Allen and Merritt Centennials forward Michael Felsing have been named the NAPA Auto Parts 3 Stars of the Week.
1st Star – Vladimir Nikitin (G) – Chilliwack Chiefs
Nikitin stopped 82 of the 84 shots he faced last week to earn two straight victories on the road and finish the week with a .976 save percentage and a 1.00 goals-against average.
On Wednesday afternoon, the 2023 Ottawa Senators draft pick made 34 saves on 35 shots, including all 18 he faced in the first period, to lead the Chiefs to a 4-1 victory over the Coquitlam Express. Two days later, he drew the start again against the Interior Conference leading Penticton Vees and turned in his best performance of the year. Nikitin stopped 48 of the 49 shots he faced, guiding Chilliwack to a 3-1 victory. The Chiefs needed every one of those saves as the game was tied 0-0 midway through the third period when they finally broke through with a pair of goals. He was named first star of the game.
Since returning from the Division 1A World Junior Championships where he led Kazakhstan to a gold medal and was named the tournament’s top goaltender, Nikitin has won all three of his starts and only allowed four goals during that stretch.
2nd Star – Tristan Allen (D) – Salmon Arm Silverbacks
Allen led all BCHL players last week with six points, all of which came via assists.
After the Silverbacks were shutout in a 2-0 loss to the Vernon Vipers on Wednesday, the 20-year-old Rochester Institute of Technology commit earned a trio of helpers in Salmon Arm’s 5-3 win against the Prince George Spruce Kings. Two of his three assists were primary and the third came on the game-winning goal. Allen was named the first star of the game.
On Saturday in a rematch against PG, the Kamloops, B.C. product matched his three-assist output from the night before, again with two of three being primary, in a 6-0 Silverbacks triumph.
Allen is the BCHL’s second-highest scoring defenceman with 35 points in 35 games, which also makes him the top scorer among all Salmon Arm players.
3rd Star – Michael Felsing (F) – Merritt Centennials
Felsing piled up three goals and two assists for five points in a pair of games over the weekend.
Despite his team’s struggles on Friday night, the 20-year-old from Pittsburgh, Pa. had a strong outing, scoring two goals and earning third star honours in the Centennials 8-3 loss to the West Kelowna Warriors.
A night later, the team turned things around and recorded a 6-3 victory over the visiting Victoria Grizzlies. Felsing registered his 12th multi-point performance of the year, scoring once and adding a pair of helpers for a three-point night.
With 43 points on the season, the Robert Morris University commit has climbed into a tie for fifth place in the BCHL scoring race, while his 30 assists are tied for third most in the league.
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Honourable mentions:
Vernon Vipers G Ethan David: 2GP – 1W – 1SO – .974 SV% – 1.01 GAA
West Kelowna Warriors Felix Caron: 2GP – 2G – 3A – 5PTS
West Kelowna Warriors F Michael Salandra: 2GP – 2G – 2A – 4PTS
West Kelowna Warriors F Callum Hughes: 2GP – 1G – 3A – 4PTS
Cowichan Valley Capitals F Gavin Giesbrecht: 2GP – 2G – 2A – 4PTS
Cowichan Valley Capitals F Andrej Kovacevic: 2GP – 1G – 3A – 4PTS
Merritt Centennials F Jaxson Murray: 2GP – 1G – 3A – 4PTS
Merritt Centennials F Jack Ziliotto: 2GP – 4A – 4PTS
Victoria Grizzlies F Malcolm Green: 2GP – 1G – 3A – 4PTS
Chilliwack Chiefs F Brady Milburn: 3GP – 3G – 2A – 5PTS
Powell River Kings G Vincent Lamberti: 1GP – 1W – 1SO – 1.000 SV% – 0.00 GAA
Salmon Arm Silverbacks G Ryan Grout: 1GP – 1W – 1SO – 1.000 SV% – 0.00 GAA
