Photo credits: Chris Fowler Photography (Pulver), Liz Wolter (Makow, Lucarelli)
Salmon Arm Silverbacks goaltender Eli Pulver, Prince George Spruce Kings forward Linden Makow and Powell River Kings forward Anthony Lucarelli have been named the NAPA Auto Parts 3 Stars of the Week.
1st Star – Eli Pulver (G) – Salmon Arm Silverbacks
Pulver stopped 65 of the 66 shots he faced over the weekend as the Silverbacks earned back-to-back regulation wins over the first-place Penticton Vees in their home-and-home set.
On Friday night at home, the 20-year-old netminder shut the door on the Vees, swatting aside all 28 shots he faced to earn his second shutout of the season and ninth of his BCHL career. The ‘Backs needed every one of those saves as the game remained scoreless until Salmon Arm won it with 23 seconds to play in regulation.
Pulver got the nod in net the following night, this time on the road in Penticton, and was up to the task again. The third-year BCHL veteran made 37 saves on 38 shots, including 15 in the final frame, to secure a 2-1 victory. He was named first star of the game.
He now sits fifth in the BCHL with a 2.29 goals-against average and sixth in the league with a .923 save percentage.
2nd Star – Linden Makow (F) – Prince George Spruce Kings
Makow had a hand in every one of the Spruce Kings goals last week, finishing with two tallies and a trio of assists.
With Prince George down 2-0 heading into the third period on Friday night in Cranbrook, Makow helped key a dramatic comeback that saw his team top the Bucks 3-2. The 19-year-old registered three assists in the final frame to allow the Spruce Kings to take the lead with just 1:32 to play in the third.
On Saturday, in a rematch against Cranbrook, he scored two goals, including one with the man advantage, in his team’s 4-2 loss.
Makow now has eight goals and eight assists for 16 points in 25 games this year. His goal and point totals are both second most on the team.
3rd Star – Anthony Lucarelli (F) – Powell River Kings
Lucarelli tied for the league lead in goals last week with four markers in two games.
The Powell River captain opened the scoring for his team on Friday night with a power-play goal, but the Kings eventually fell to the Nanaimo Clippers by a 6-4 score line.
On Saturday, he earned his second-career hat trick and scored the game-winning goal in his team’s 5-4 win over the Cowichan Valley Capitals. With Powell River down 2-0 after one, Lucarelli potted an early second-period goal to get the Kings on the board. He scored again early in the third to give his team the lead, then with the score tied once again, he netted his third of the contest with under seven minutes to play, which proved to be the winner. He was named first star of the game.
Lucarelli has a team-high 11 goals on the year, to go along with 11 assists for 22 points in 23 contests.
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Honourable mentions:
West Kelowna Warriors F Jackson Kyrkostas: 2GP – 4G – 4PTS
West Kelowna Warriors F Jack Pridham: 2GP – 2G – 2A – 4PTS
Nanaimo Clippers F Noah Alvarez: 2GP – 2G – 2A – 4PTS
Nanaimo Clippers F Mike Murtagh: 2GP – 1G – 3A – 4PTS
Merritt Centennials G Andrew Ballantyne: 2GP – 1W – .950 SV% – 1.51 GAA
Surrey Eagles G Ajeet Gundarah: 2GP – 2W – .946 SV% – 1.50 GAA
Coquitlam Express F Logan Morrell: 2GP – 3G – 3PTS
