Photo credit: Island Images (Pichette, Plante), Liz Wolter (Cobetto-Roy)
Penticton Vees forward Thomas Pichette, Trail Smoke Eaters forward Mathieu Cobetto-Roy and Nanaimo Clippers forward Joel Plante have been named the NAPA Auto Parts 3 Stars of the Week.
1st Star – Thomas Pichette (F) – Penticton Vees
Pichette had a highly productive week, collecting two goals and four assists for a league-high six points in two games.
The Vees co-captain had a career-high four points in Friday’s 8-1 home win over the Prince George Spruce Kings. Pichette had a power-play assist in the first period on Penticton’s 2-0 goal, then scored two of his own while adding another helper in the third to help his team pull away late. He was named the first star of the game.
Pichette kept things rolling the next night against the Victoria Grizzlies. He notched his second power-play goal of the season with 58 seconds to play in the first to extended the Vees lead to 2-0 at intermission. With the score 3-2 in the middle frame, the third-year BCHL veteran scored Penticton’s fourth of the game, the eventual game-winner in a 6-3 victory to seal the team’s 50th straight win at home over the past three seasons, including regular season and playoffs.
Through 19 games this year, Pichette has seven goals, 11 assists and 18 points.
2nd Star – Mathieu Cobetto-Roy (F) – Trail Smoke Eaters
Cobetto-Roy had five points in two games last week with a trio of goals and a pair of assists.
The Smokies hosted the Nanaimo Clippers on Friday night and the 20-year-old forward was involved early and often. After his team went down 1-0 just 80 seconds into the contest, Cobetto-Roy scored to tie things up midway through the first, then gave Trail the lead with a highlight-reel goal late in the period, reaching out with one hand to deflect an aerial pass into the net on a 2-on-1. He added a second-period assist for a three-point night in a game the Smoke Eaters would go on to drop by a 6-3 final. Despite the loss, he was named first star of the game.
On Saturday night, he scored his seventh goal of the season and chipped in with a late assist in his team’s 7-3 victory over the visiting Cowichan Valley Capitals.
Cobetto-Roy now has 15 points in 20 games this season.
3rd Star – Joel Plante (F) – Nanaimo Clippers
Plante tied for the league lead with four goals in two games last week, including his first-career BCHL hat trick.
In Friday night’s road game against the Trail Smoke Eaters, the Langley, B.C. native helped spark the Clippers comeback in the second period. He scored just 1:29 after Trail took a 3-1 lead, a goal which was the first of four straight for Nanaimo as they won 5-3.
The next night, Plante was the key contributor in his team’s 6-3 away win against the Cranbrook Bucks. His goal midway through the first period tied the game 1-1, his second-period marker gave his team the lead and stood up as the game-winner, while his goal early in the third provided some insurance and clinched his hat trick milestone. He was named first star of the game.
His four-goal weekend gives him a total of 12 on the year, which ties him for fifth in the BCHL, just two back of the league lead and one back of the Clippers team lead. He also has six assists to give him 18 points in 19 games on the season.
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Honourable mentions:
Penticton Vees F Conyr Hellyer: 2GP – 3G – 2A – 5PTS
Penticton Vees F Attila Lippai: 2GP – 2G – 2A – 4PTS
Penticton Vees F Zack Stringer: 2GP – 1G – 3A – 4PTS
Vernon Vipers G Ethan David: 2GP – 2W – 1SO – .968 SV% – 1.00 GAA
Vernon Vipers F Erik Pastro: 2GP – 2G – 2A – 4PTS
Vernon Vipers F Owen Kim: 2GP – 4A – 4PTS
Trail Smoke Eaters F Adam Parsons: 2GP – 1G – 3A – 4PTS
Victoria Grizzlies F Luc Pelletier: 2GP – 1G – 3A – 4PTS
Prince George Spruce Kings F Owen Goodbrand: 3GP – 1G – 4A – 5PTS
Coquitlam Express F Cole Melady: 3GP – 5A – 5PTS
Merritt Centennials F Michael Felsing: 3GP – 5A – 5PTS
Langley Rivermen G Mason Beaupit: 2GP – W – .941 SV% – 1.95 GAA
