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Val-d'Or's Anthony Richard gets natural hat trick in road heartbreaker: Sunday's 3 Stars

Neate Sager
Action from Game 5 of the 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup in London, ON on Tuesday May 20, 2014. The Val-d'Or Foreurs defeated the Edmonton Oil Kings 4-3 in overtime. Photo by Aaron Bell/CHL Images
Action from Game 5 of the 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup in London, ON on Tuesday May 20, 2014. The Val-d'Or Foreurs defeated the Edmonton Oil Kings 4-3 in overtime. Photo by Aaron Bell/CHL Images

No. 1 star: Anthony Richard, Val-d'Or Foreurs (QMJHL)

Completing a natural hat trick by going bar down with six seconds left to force overtime? For a team playing its third roadie game in fewer than 48 hours? Richard (3G, +3) did just that to give the road-weary Foreurs earned a regulation tie and a .500 weekend in the Maritimes before the Saint John Sea Dogs earned the 5-4 overtime win thanks to a Jakub Zboril goal.

The Foreurs found themselves looking uphill at a 3-1 deficit through 40 minutes. Richard (3G, +3) gave his team an adrenaline shot 1:19 into the period by seizing on some Sea Dogs sloppiness to deposit a loose puck behind goalie Alex Bishop. The Trois-Rivières, Que., native tied the game just more than four minutes later via a setup from Philadelphia Flyers prospect Nicolas Aubé-Kubel (4A, +3). Saint John retook the lead, but in the frantic final minute, Aubé-Kubel and Jérémie Fraser (2A, -1) got the puck to Richard for the equalizer.


The Foreurs are not as formidable as they were a season ago when Anthony Mantha led them to the QMJHL title, but Richard (22 goals, 43 points in 33 games) is having a breakout season. The 17-year-old also had a hat trick two Sundays ago.

No. 2 star: Max Domi, London Knights (OHL)

There was some Domi-nation ahead of Domi vying to represent his nation. The 19-year-old who's due to leave for Team Canada's camp this week made his likely final game for the Knights in the calendar year count, completing a five-point afternoon with a game-winner 1:44 into overtime for a 5-4 London win over the North Bay Battalion.

The Knights trailed by three at one point and were still down a pair when Nick Paul was gated for interference with 3:48 left in the third. Following a Ray Huether delay-of-game penalty for shooting the puck over the glass — how about eliminating that dumb rule and just resetting the power play to two minutes when that happens, eh? — the Knights' kicked it into gear. Domi (2G-3A) set up Montreal Canadiens prospect Michael McCarron on the 5-on-3 with 3:08 left. With 2:12 to go, the Arizona Coyotes prospect scored the equalizer, priming fans for his OT winner.

The game-winner vaulted Domi into the Ontario league scoring lead with 58 points in 27 games.

No. 3 star: Beau McCue, Tri-City Americans (WHL)

McCue (1G-3A), Parker Bowles (1G-3A) and Richard Nejezchleb (1G-2A) combined for 11 points to carry the Ams to a 5-4 decision over NHL No. 2 overall pick Sam Reinhart and the Kootenay Ice. McCue, a 19-year-old from Colorado Springs. Colo., assisted on three Ams goals before the contest was 24 minutes old. Kootenay, down 3-1, fell into a bigger hole when McCue shook free to score a short-hander via a feed from Justin Gutierrez. That goal helped give Tri-City goalie Eric Comrie (31 saves) enough to work with, even though Reinhart ran his point streak to 14 games and St. Louis Blues-drafted teammate Jaedon Descheneau extended his to 13.

Honourable mention: Nikita Korostelev, Sarnia Sting (OHL)

The 17-year-old was named first star after the Sting got the full two points against their division's leader with a 7-6 shootout decision over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Korostelev (3A, +1) had the only conversion of the breakaway contest, besting New York Rangers draftee Brandon Halverson while Sting goalie Taylor Dupuis turned away all three 'Hounds. Korostelev also had three helpers during a wild six-goal first period.

Potent notables — Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Oliver Bjorkstrand (1G-1A, +2) led Portland past Medicine Hat 4-1 ... Tri-City's Riley Hillis scored his first WHL goal ... Rookie Nolan Volcan (1G-1A) helped Seattle drop Spokane 4-1 ... Michael Dal Colle extended his point streak to 15 games with a third-period goal in Oshawa's win over Erie ... Barrie won 5-3 at Ottawa, with Buffalo Sabres second-rounder Brendan Lemieux (2G, -1) notching his second two-goal game in fewer than 24 hours while San Jose Sharks selection Kevin Labanc (2A, -1) ran his point streak to 13. The 67's Dante Salituro got his 20th goal ... Josh Burnside (2G-1A, +3) got Mississauga started ith a short-handed goal in their 5-1 win over Sudbury ... Newfoundland native Kyle Tibbo (1G-1A, +2) had his first QMJHL two-point game during Moncton's win over Acadie-Bathurst ... Félix Lauzon's goal with 4:15 left vaulted Victoriaville over Rimouski, 4-3 ... Cape Breton overage Kyle Farrell (1G-2A, +2) got his 25th of the season during a 6-4 home win over Rouyn-Noranda.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.