Photo credit: Garrett James Photography
Nanaimo Clippers forwards Brody Waters and Sean Donaldson and Penticton Vees goaltender Kaeden Lane have been named the BCHL 3 Stars of the Week.
1st Star – Brody Waters (F) – Nanaimo Clippers
Waters had three goals and two assists in Nanaimo’s two wins to close out the Coastal Conference Finals, totaling five points to tie for the most points during the week.
The 2002-born forward from Heidelgberg, Ont. scored a massive goal for the Clippers in Game 3 on Tuesday night against the Langley Rivermen, burying a power-play marker with six seconds left in the second period to tie the game 3-3. That goal was Nanaimo’s second in the final minute of the middle frame as Waters assisted on a Kai Daniells goal just 23 seconds earlier. The Clippers would go on to win 5-4 in overtime.
The following night in Game 4, Waters scored twice and added an assist to earn first star of the game in his team’s series-clinching 6-1 victory to advance to the championship round.
Waters has 14 points in 12 playoff games, putting himself in the top-10 in postseason scoring. His nine goals are tied for the fourth most in the playoffs.
2nd Star – Sean Donaldson (F) – Nanaimo Clippers
Donaldson tied for the BCHL lead in points during the week, finishing with five in two games as he led his team to a Round 3 series sweep of the Langley Rivermen.
On Tuesday night, the 21-year-old had one of the best games of his impressive postseason. He assisted on a late goal in the second period to tie the game 3-3 as the Clippers came back from a two-goal deficit, then scored one of his own midway through the third to give Nanaimo a 4-3 lead. Langley would eventually tie the game to force overtime, but that’s when Donaldson stepped up again, scoring the winner at the 10:59 mark of the extra frame and giving his team a commanding 3-0 series lead.
On Wednesday in Game 4, the Vancouver, B.C. product contributed a pair of assists in the Clippers 6-1 win to finish off their third-round series.
Donaldson is tied for the league lead in points during the postseason with 19 in 12 games. He also has the most playoff goals with 12. He has at least a point in 10 of 12 postseason games and has registered multiple points on six different occasions.
3rd Star – Kaeden Lane (G) – Penticton Vees
Lane’s stellar play last week helped the Vees stymie the potent West Kelowna Warriors offence. The second-year BCHL goaltender stopped 46 of the 49 shots he saw over two contests, winning both and posting a .939 save percentage and a 1.50 goals-against average.
In Game 3 on Monday night, Lane kept the door shut for most of the game, only surrendering a pair of goals late when the game was already in hand. He made 19 saves on 21 shots to earn a 5-2 victory. Two days later in Game 4, the Northern Michigan University commit stopped 27 of the 28 shots he faced and was named the game’s first star in the Vees series-clinching 6-1 win.
Lane is tied for the best goals-against average in the playoffs with a mark of 1.54 and has the second-best save percentage at .939. He owns a record of 12-1 with one shutout.
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Honourable mentions:
Penticton Vees F Josh Nadeau: 2GP – 2G – 2A – 4PTS
Penticton Vees F Adam Eisele: 2GP – 1G – 3A – 4PTS
Nanaimo Clippers F Kai Daniells: 2GP – 3G – 3PTS
