Photo credits: Island Images (Virk), Liz Wolter (Kendrick, Gundarah)
Chilliwack Chiefs forward Savin Virk, Trail Smoke Eaters goaltender Teagan Kendrick and Surrey Eagles goaltender Ajeet Gundarah have been named the NAPA Auto Parts 3 Stars of the Week.
1st Star – Savin Virk (F) – Chilliwack Chiefs
Virk led all BCHL players with six points in two games last week after piling up three goals and three helpers in a pair of Chilliwack wins.
The 16-year-old from Surrey, B.C. had a breakout game on Friday night, registering the first multi-point game of his BCHL career when he tallied four points in a 4-2 Chiefs win over the Langley Rivermen. Virk scored just 54 seconds into the game, then added a pair of power-play assists as well as his second of the contest, all in the first period, to give his team a 4-1 edge at intermission. He was named the first star of the game.
On Sunday afternoon, Chilliwack was on the road to take on the Merritt Centennials in a New Year’s Eve tilt. The Michigan State University commit kept things rolling by scoring his team’s first goal once again, then assisting on the game-winning goal on a third-period power play to clinch a 4-3 victory.
Virk’s six-point total last week nearly doubled his count and he is now up to 13 points in 26 games played.
2nd Star – Teagan Kendrick (G) – Trail Smoke Eaters
Kendrick posted a league-high .985 save percentage last week after stopping 65 of the 66 shots he faced. He also finished with two wins, a 0.50 goals-against average and one shutout.
The St. Albert, Alta. product earned his first-career BCHL shutout on Friday night when he made 27 saves to blank the Cranbrook Bucks at home in a 3-0 victory. After facing just three shots in the first period, he swatted aside 13 and 11 shots in the second and third to preserve the shutout and the win.
Kendrick was back in the crease on Sunday in a rematch against the Bucks, this time in Cranbrook. He stopped 38 of 39 shots to guide the Smokies to a 3-1 triumph. His busiest stretch came in the third period when the Bucks were pressing to tie the game and take the lead, but the 19-year-old stopped 15 of 16 attempts on goal to get the win.
Kendrick now has a 6-8-2 record on the season for Trail who sit in fifth place in the Interior Conference.
3rd Star – Ajeet Gundarah (G) – Surrey Eagles
Gundarah tied for the league lead with a 0.50 goals-against average last week for netminders with a minimum of two starts. He made 52 saves on 53 shots to earn a .981 save percentage, a pair of wins and his first shutout of the year.
The 20-year-old from Richmond, B.C. earned the win on Friday night at home against the Merritt Centennials when he made 27 stops in a 4-1 Eagles victory. The Centennials piled up 24 shots in the first two periods, but Gundarah only let one by him to ensure his team led heading into the third where the Eagles eventually pulled away.
On Saturday, the Sacred Heart University commit blanked the Langley Rivermen with a 25-save performance in a 6-0 Surrey win. Down 2-0 at the first intermission, Langley poured it on in the middle frame with 12 shots on goal, but Gundarah shut the door and allowed his team to pull away late for the second game in a row.
Gundarah now has as .935 save percentage on the season, which is tops in the BCHL. He also leads the way with a 2.00 goals-against average and 16 wins.
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Honourable mentions:
Salmon Arm Silverbacks F Cole Cooksey: 2GP – 3G – 1A – 4PTS
West Kelowna Warriors F Felix Caron: 2GP – 3G – 1A – 4PTS
West Kelowna Warriors D Isaiah Norlin: 2GP – 4A – 4PTS
West Kelowna Warriors F Michael Salandra: 2GP – 1G – 3A – 4PTS
Powell River Kings G Owen Crudale: 2GP – 2W – .954 SV% – 1.49 GAA
Powell River Kings F Christian Maro: 2GP – 1G – 3A – 4PTS
Powell River Kings F Anthony Lucarelli: 2GP – 1G – 3A – 4PTS
Surrey Eagles F Caden Cranston: 2GP – 2G – 2A – 4PTS
Vernon Vipers F Owen Kim: 2GP – 1G – 3A – 4PTS
