Photo credits: Garrett James Photography (Schwartz), Christina Gillett (Losier), Lisa Mazurek (Pastro)
Surrey Eagles forward Aaron Schwartz, Merritt Centennials forward Zachary Losier and Vernon Vipers forward Erik Pastro have been named the NAPA Auto Parts 3 Stars of the Week.
1st Star – Aaron Schwartz (F) – Surrey Eagles
Schwartz led all players with seven points last week in just two games after piling up a pair of goals and five helpers in two Eagles wins.
On Friday night, Surrey hosted the Chilliwack Chiefs and Schwartz got off to a hot start, assisting on the game’s first goal just over five minutes in, then scoring one of his own on the power play to make it 2-0 at intermission. He scored again in the second, this time shorthanded, and added another assist to finish with a four-point night for the fourth time in his BCHL career. He was named first star of the game.
The 19-year-old from Parkland Fla. kept things rolling on Saturday in a road matchup against the Langley Rivermen. He assisted on all three of his team’s goals, including two in the third period to clinch a 3-2 victory.
Schwartz now leads the BCHL in scoring with 12 points in six games and his eight assists are also most in the league.
2nd Star – Zachary Losier (F) – Merritt Centennials
Losier’s four goals last week were the most among all BCHLers. He added an assist for a five-point weekend in two Merritt wins.
The 18-year-old scored his fourth goal of the season just 1:32 into the first period of the Centennials Friday night road matchup against the Cranbrook Bucks, then had the primary assist on his team’s second goal less than three minutes later to put them up 2-0 early on. They would go on to win by a 4-2 margin.
In a rematch in Cranbrook on Saturday night, Losier exploded for his first-career BCHL hat trick, all of which came in the third period or later. With the game tied 2-2, the Niagara Falls, Ont. product scored a power-play goal to give Merritt a 3-2 lead, then, after Cranbrook tied the game, he scored again to give his team the lead again. The Bucks would tie the game to force overtime, but Losier sealed it with his third of the contest 1:02 into the extra frame to make it a 5-4 final. He was named first star of the game.
After his strong performance over the weekend, he now leads the league with seven goals in six games and his eight points are tied for third in the BCHL.
3rd Star – Erik Pastro (F) – Vernon Vipers
Pastro had four points on three goals and an assist last weekend in Vernon’s two victories on their Lower Mainland road trip.
On Friday night in Langley, Pastro had a breakout game, finishing with three points in a 7-2 victory over the Rivermen. The Vernon product scored his first BCHL goal midway through the second period to grow the Vipers lead to 4-1, then scored his second of the game early in the third to extend the lead to four. He added an assist on a last-minute goal to set a career high in points early on his his BCHL tenure and was named the game’s first star.
On Saturday, the Vipers were in Chilliwack to take on the Chiefs where Pastro scored for the second game in a row to give Vernon a 3-2 first-period lead in a game they would eventually win 5-4 in overtime.
The BCHL rookie now has three goals and three assists for six points in five games this year.
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Honourable mentions:
Surrey Eagles F Cade Cranston: 2GP – 2G – 3A – 5PTS
Surrey Eagles F Ryden Evers: 2GP – 2G – 2A – 4PTS
Trail Smoke Eaters D Patrick Reilly: 2GP – 4A – 4PTS
Langley Rivermen F Oskar Komarov: 2GP – 3G – 3PTS
Vernon Vipers F Owen Kim: 2GP – 1G – 3A – 4PTS
West Kelowna Warriors F Michael Salandra: 2GP – 1G – 3A – 4PTS
Salmon Arm Silverbacks F Casy Laylin: 2GP – 1G – 3A – 4PTS
Alberni Valley Bulldogs G Hlib Artsabanov: 1GP – W – .980 SV% – 1.00 GAA
Powell River Kings G Will Baker: 1GP – W – .977 SV% – 0.98 GAA
