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Anton Zlobin lights up Saint John Sea Dogs to lead Sunday’s 3 Stars

Neate Sager

No. 1 star: Anton Zlobin, Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)

Kirill Kabanov has notoriety, but the Shawinigan Cataractes' other Russian has been having the stronger season. Zlobin had five points to help the Cats give the defending champion Saint John Sea Dogs a measure of comeuppance with a 6-2 blowout win. The Moscow native scored the first of his two goals on a first-period breakaway to put the Cataractes ahead in the first period and he set up a Michael Chaput tally with 56 seconds left in the second that opened a two-goal lead and went a long way toward convincing the Sea Dogs it wasn't happening for them on this day.

No. 2 star: Michael Clarke, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)

The rookie centre, who's called repeatedly for his team to work harder to generate more offence, walked his talk with one goal and three assists in Windsor's 7-5 win over the Nail Yakupov-less Sarnia Sting. In a critical game for the Spitfires, who are now three points ahead of ninth-place Sault Ste. Marie with three games to play, Clarke resuscitated Windsor after it fell behind 2-0 by setting up a goal less than a minute after a Sting tally. The London, Ont, native, who has a good chance of facing his hometown Knights in the playoffs, had two points in the second period and also set up fellow 17-year-old Kerby Rychel's tying goal in the opening minute of the final frame. Rychel also had four points (2G-2A). With the win, Windsor (63 points) is ahead of Guelph (62) and Sault Ste. Marie (60) with three games to play.

No. 3 star: John Gibson, Kitchener Rangers (OHL)

Gibson's wait for his first major junior shutout was well worth it. The Anaheim Ducks draft pick got the better of fellow Pennsylvanian Michael Houser, as each goaltender made 36 saves in the Rangers' tense 1-0 victory over the league-leading London Knights. Houser was tested far more often, but Gibson was a study in calm as he made a dozen saves in the final 20 minutes to make an Eric Ming goal stand up as the winner. Even though Gibson and netminding partner Franky Palazzese have been very reliable all season, it was the Rangers' first shutout. And it came against the league's highest-scoring team, go figure.

Honourable mention: Stefan Noesen, Plymouth Whalers (OHL)

The Ottawa Senators first-round choice was the linchpin of an 180-proof-potent power play that produced all four Whalers goals in their 4-3 win over Owen Sound. With a chance to tie the London Knights for first overall in the league, Noesen made sure Plymouth took care of business by getting two goals and one assist during their decisive second period. The Texan reached the 80-point mark on the season in the process.

The Knights do have a game in hand over the Whalers. Each plays Sarnia and Windsor once, meaning the Knights' game in hand is essentially their finale against ultimate also-ran Erie. Logically, London should hold on.

Honourable mention: Marek Tvrdon, Vancouver Giants (WHL)

The Detroit Red Wings fourth-rounder had three points, including an overtime assist in the Giants' 5-4 comeback win over the Victoria Royals. Vancouver has played poorly at home of late and spotted the Royals a two-goal lead, but scored late in the second period and got an unassisted tying tally from Tvrdon in the first minute of the third. After the teams traded goals and went to overtime, Tvrdon set up Jordan Martinook's 37th goal of the season. The bonus point kept the Giants two points ahead of Spokane in their race for home-ice advantage in their upcoming playoff series, but the Chiefs have two games in hand.

Potent notables — Tri-City Americans C Brendan Shinnimin (2G-2A) upped his league-leading point total to 129. Teammate Adam Hughesman had a hat trick in the Ams' win over Prince George ... Rookie Connor Honey scored with five seconds left in overtime to keep the Seattle Thunderbirds in the hunt for the final Western Conference playoff berth with a 3-2 win over Everett, but the T-Birds lost forward Branden Troock to a neck injury ... Calgary Hitmen's Brady Brassart, with two, reached the 25-goal mark ... In the OHL, Niagara IceDogs' Andrew Agozzino hit the 40-goal mark for the second year in a row ... Phoenix Coyotes second-rounder Lucas Lessio (1G-1A) was first star as Oshawa won 5-2 at Brampton to clinch a playoff berth ... San Jose Sharks-drafted defenceman Dylan DeMelo was +4 as Mississauga won 6-3 at Ottawa to complete a 3-0 road trip that included beating two division leaders ... Charles Sarault (2G-2A for Sarnia) reached the 85-point mark; he had 65 in three seasons with Kingston ... In the QMJHL, Mathieu Lemay's two third-period goals lifted Rouyn-Noranda over Val-d'Or 3-2 ... Overage goalie François Lacerte made a 35 saves to help Gatineau shut out Quebec 5-0.

(Game recaps available on the news page.)

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet (photo: The Canadian Press).