Photo credit: Garrett James Photography
Victoria Grizzlies forward Matthew Wood, Langley Rivermen goaltender Jameson Kaine and Cranbrook Bucks forward Noah Quinn have been named the BCHL 3 Stars of the Week.
1st Star – Matthew Wood (F) – Victoria Grizzlies
Wood scored seven times in just three games over the weekend, including the potential goal of the year in the BCHL, which made it all the way to TSN SportsCentre’s Highlight of the Night. The recently turned 17-year-old also added an assist to finish with eight points.
His highlight reel goal came on Friday night against the Alberni Valley Bulldogs when he tied the game at one by deking through multiple defenders and finishing with a between-the-legs top corner finish. Wood added another goal late in the third period to get the Grizzlies to within one, but they would ultimately lose the contest 3-2. He was named first star.
On Saturday, in a high-scoring affair against the Nanaimo Clippers, Wood opened the scoring in the first period and scored for a second time halfway through the middle frame to put his team up 4-2, but Victoria eventually dropped a 7-5 decision.
Somehow, the best was yet to come for the second-year forward as he registered a hat trick and a helper for a four-point afternoon in Sunday’s 5-3 win against the visiting Chilliwack Chiefs. Wood scored in the first and second periods to give his team a 2-0 lead, then ultimately sealed the game into the empty net in the final minute. He was named first star of the game.
His incredible weekend has vaulted him to the top of the BCHL scoring leaderboard as he now sits with 70 points in 35 games, three clear of second. Wood also leads the league in goals with 39.
2nd Star – Jameson Kaine (G) – Langley Rivermen
Kaine won all three of his starts last week after being thrust into the starting role, stopping 116 of 121 shots to give himself a .959 save percentage and a 1.65 goals-against average over that stretch.
In a Tuesday night start, the North Vancouver, B.C. native made 36 saves and only let in two goals as the Rivermen held on for a 3-2 win against the Surrey Eagles. He was two seconds away from only having a single blemish in the game, but surrendered a goal at 19:58 of the third.
On Friday, in the first of back-to-back road dates with the Powell River Kings, Kaine was nearly perfect, allowing just one goal in a 2-1 Rivermen overtime victory in which he stopped 40 of 41 shots. He was named the first star of the game.
The 18-year-old netminder was back in the crease again on Saturday night, making another 40 saves and keeping his team in the game as they rallied for a dramatic comeback. The Rivermen were down 2-0 early in the third when they erupted for three straight goals and took their third straight decision by a 3-2 final.
Kaine now has a .922 save percentage, which is the fifth best mark in the BCHL. He owns a record of 13-4-2 and a goals-against average of 2.63.
3rd Star – Noah Quinn (F) – Cranbrook Bucks
Quinn tied for the league lead in points last with with eight over three games on four goals and four assists on Cranbrook’s weekend road trip.
The Bemidji State University commit collected a pair of second-period assists on Friday night as he helped the Bucks to a 4-0 road win against the Merritt Centennials.
Saturday night was when he really took off. Quinn scored four goals and chipped in with an assist for a five-point night to lead Cranbrook to a 6-3 win over the West Kelowna Warriors. His first came late in the second period to give his team a 3-1 lead heading into the break. He came out of the intermission and scored twice on the power play before the halfway point of the third frame to increase the lead to 5-1. He had one more in him as he potted his fourth of the game with less than three minutes to go. He was named the game’s first star.
On Sunday evening, he extended his point streak to nine games with a first-period assist in the team’s eventual 5-4 loss to the Penticton Vees.
Quinn is the Bucks second leading scorer with 44 points in 42 games, which puts him into the top-20 in league scoring. He also has 21 goals on the year, which again is second on the Bucks and top-20 in the league.
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Honourable mentions:
Prince George Spruce Kings G Aaron Trotter: 2GP – 2W – .961 SV% – 1.50 GAA
Victoria Grizzlies D Clark Hiebert: 3GP – 7A – 7PTS
Victoria Grizzlies F Ellis Rickwood: 3GP – 1G – 6A – 7PTS
Nanaimo Clippers F Max Itagaki: 2GP – 4G – 4PTS
Surrey Eagles G Eli Pulver: 2GP – 1W – SO – .980 SV% – 0.60 GAA
