Photo credits: Island Images (Dadiè), Christina Jean Photography (Ballantyne)
Surrey Eagles forward Aaron Schwartz, Powell River Kings forward Simone Dadiè and Merritt Centennials goaltender Andrew Ballantyne have been named the NAPA Auto Parts 3 Stars of the Week.
1st Star – Aaron Schwartz (F) – Surrey Eagles
Schwartz led all BCHL players with eight points in three games over the weekend and tied for the most goals with four.
The 19-year-old scored Surrey’s first two goals of the game on Friday night in their home contest against the West Kelowna Warriors, in an eventual 5-3 loss.
After being held off the score sheet the following night on the road against the Victoria Grizzlies, Schwartz rebounded in a big way in the rematch in Victoria Sunday afternoon. The Quinnipiac University commit registered a career-best six points during the Eagles 10-3 victory. Schwartz potted two goals in the third period and spread out an additional four assists during the game and was named the first star.
Schwartz is the BCHL’s second-leading scorer with 61 points in 41 games, only trailing his teammate Caden Cranston. His 24 goals are tied for fourth in the league, while his 37 helpers are third most.
2nd Star – Simone Dadiè (F) – Powell River Kings
Dadiè put up seven points in three games last week, finishing second in points among all BCHL players, while his four goals were tied for the most among his peers.
The Italian national contributed one assist last Monday in a Family Day afternoon tilt against the Coquitlam Express which the Kings won 5-1.
On Friday, Dadiè had a career night in Powell River’s 6-3 home victory over the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. The 20-year-old piled up four goals and added an assist for a five-point outing. He scored Powell River’s first two goals of the game, his hat trick goal stood up as the game-winner and his fourth came just 10 seconds into the third period. He was named the game’s first star.
Dadiè finished the week with another assist in a 2-1 loss to Alberni Valley in their rematch on Saturday.
Since joining the Kings in December, the Colgate University commit is averaging over a point per game with 22 in 21 contests.
3rd Star – Andrew Ballantyne (G) – Merritt Centennials
Ballantyne won both of this starts over the weekend, each coming against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks, making 77 saves on 79 shots to finish with a .975 save percentage and a 0.92 goals-against average.
The Whitby, Ont. product went the distance on Friday night, stopping 49 of the 51 shots he faced through regulation and overtime, then denying an astounding 11 straight shootout attempts to lead the Centennials to a 3-2 shootout win on the road. He was named first star of the game.
In the second half of the home-and-home set, Ballantyne recorded his first-career BCHL shootout, stopping all 28 shots he faced in a 4-0 win. He was named the game’s first star for the second straight contest.
The 19-year-old owns an 11-10-1 record this year, to go along with a .912 save percentage, good enough for ninth among all qualified goalies
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Honourable mentions:
Nanaimo Clippers F Cole Lonsdale: 2GP – 4G – 1A – 5PTS
Alberni Valley Bulldogs F Hayden Stavroff: 2GP – 4G – 4PTS
Surrey Eagles F Caden Cranston: 3GP – 1G – 5A – 6PTS
Victoria Grizzlies D Nathan King: 2GP – 1G – 3A – 4PTS
Prince George Spruce Kings F JR Perdion: 3GP – 3G – 2A – 5PTS
Powell River Kings F Anthony Lucarelli: 3GP – 2G – 3A – 5PTS
West Kelowna Warriors F Felix Caron: 3GP – 2G – 3A – 5PTS
Langley Rivermen F Oskar Komarov: 2GP – 3G – 3PTS
Langley Rivermen G Mason Beaupit: 1GP – 1W – 1SO – 1.000 SV% – 0.00 GAA
