Drouin sets Mooseheads record for most assists as Halifax wins barnburner: Saturday’s 3 stars

No. 1 star: Jonathan Drouin, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)

Drouin set a Mooseheads record by tallying six assists and adding a goal as the Mooseheads beat the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 8-6 in a wild shooting gallery. The Mooseheads scored five goals in the third period to finish the come-from-behind victory, as Drouin earned four assists in the frame.

Drouin’s seven points were one off the Mooseheads record of eight, set by Ramzi Abid.

Philippe Gadoury scored a hat trick for the Mooseheads, while Darcy Ashley and Nikolaj Ehlers scored and added two assists each. Halifax improved to 47-18-0-3 with the win. They have a date with the Charlottetown Islanders for the first round, as they finished in second place in the QMJHL.

Cape Breton dropped to 37-27-1-3, earning them a matchup with the Gatineau Olympiques. Charles-Eric Légaré had a goal and added two assists in the loss. Alex Bureau made 44 saves in the loss.

No. 2 star: François Brassard, Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)

The Rimouski Oceanic threw everything they could at the Quebec netminder, but they couldn’t get a puck by him as Brassard earned the shutout.

He stopped all 47 shots he faced, including 22 in the third period, as the Remparts beat the Oceanic 2-0. Nick Sorenson scored two minutes into the game on the man advantage and Zachery Moody added an insurance marker early in the third, also on the powerplay, to give Quebec the win. Olivier Archambault assisted on both goals.

The game could have had major playoff implications. Coming into Saturday, Rimouski was tied with Baie-Comeau for the league lead, and needed a Drakkar loss along with a win to move into first. Quebec needed a win and Drummondville to lose to move into sixth spot, and a loss and a Gatineau win would have put them in eighth. None of that happened.

Philippe Desrosiers took the loss in goal, making 26 saves.

No. 3 star: Todd Fiddler, Prince George Cougars (WHL)

In a game that meant nothing to either team, Fiddler went out and got what he was looking for, lighting the lamp four times to give him 50 goals on the season.

Fiddler hit 50 on the nose on his fourth goal late in the third period as the Cougars defeated the Kamloops Blazers 8-3.

The playoff matchups are already set in the WHL’s Western Conference, and both the Cougars and Blazers are on the outside looking in, so the game meant nothing but bragging rights. Fiddler took advantage.

Troy Bourke had a goal and added three assists in the win, while Sam Ruopp completed a three-point night with an unassisted goal late in the third. Zach Pochiro had three helpers in the win.

Honourable mention: Andre Burakovsky, Erie Otters (OHL)

Burakovsky carried the Otters through the last game of the season with five points in an 8-4 win over the Sarnia Sting. Burakovsky scored twice and added three assists in the win.

The Otters finished two points behind the league-leading Guelph Storm. Michael Curtis and Brendan Gaunce each chipped in with a pair of goals, while OHL-leading scorer Connor Brown had a pair of assists, giving him 128 points on the year and a 21-point cushion heading into the league’s final day of play. Dane Fox scored his 64^th goal of the year in the late stages of the third.

The loss ends a dreadful year for the Sting, who again dressed only 15 skaters. They finished with the OHL’s worst record by eight points.

Notables: Oliver Bjorkstrand scored his 50^th goal of the season in grand style, scoring a hat trick with his third one the milestone goal as Portland whitewashed Seattle 7-0. Mathew Dumba had a goal and three assists. Brendan Burke had a 28-save shutout. … Curtis Lazar and Henrik Samuelsson each had two goals and two assists as Edmonton defeated Red Deer 7-4. Cody Corbett scored and added three helpers in the win. Dysin Mayo had three apples. … Jean-Sébastien Dea beat the clock to score his 50^th goal of the season, earning the milestone marker with just twenty seconds left on the clock as Rouyn-Noranda defeated Gatineau 5-1. Dea had two goals and an assist in the game, while Marcus Power had three helpers. Gatineau rested six players for the playoffs. … Peter Quenneville pitched a hatty as Brandon clinched a playoff spot by doubling Regina 6-3. Tim McGauley had three helpers, while captain Ryan Pulock had a goal and two assists. … Curtis Valk scored twice and had two assists as Medicine Hat doubled Lethbridge 6-3. Cole Sanford had a goal and three helpers, while Trevor Cox chipped in with two goals and an apple. … Charles Hudon had a hat trick, while three other players: Valentin Zykov, Maxime St-Cyr and Denis Gorbunov each had a goal and two assists as Baie-Comeau routed Chicoutimi 9-2. … Marc-Olivier Roy potted two goals and added two assists for a four-point night as Blainville-Boisbriand defeated Shawinigan 6-2. The Armada outshot the Cataractes 16-2 in the first period to a 4-0 lead into the first intermission then let off the gas. … Jack Flynn made 44 saves and stopped all three shooters he faced in extra fun as Owen Sound defeated Guelph 2-1. Kurtis Gabriel scored the winner in penalty kicks. … Keven Bouchard stopped all 21 shots he faced while Maxime Presseault scored twice as Val-d’Or nailed Sherbrooke 6-0. The loss seals the Phoenix’s fate in the basement of the QMJHL. … Georgs Golovkovs had a pair of goals while Matthew Donnelly had a goal and two helpers as Drummondville defeated Victoriaville 7-2. These two teams match up in their first-round playoff series starting next week. … Zach Beaton scored twice while Mason McDonald made 35 saves as Charlottetown defeated Saint John 6-2. Spencer Smallman scored both goals for the Sea Dogs, who were eliminated from playoff contention Friday night. … Anthony Stolarz stopped 41-of-43 and five players had three point nights, including Max Domi and Bo Horvat, as London roasted Saginaw 6-2. … Greg Chase scored twice and added a pair of assists as Calgary doubled up Kootenay 6-3. Mike Winther and Paval Padakin each had a goal and two helpers. … Jayden Hart scored twice and Collin Valcourt had a goal and two helpers as Prince Albert beat Saskatoon 6-4. Chase Clayton scored twice and Cory Millette had three assists for the Blades in the loss. … Carter Rigby notched a pair of goals while Nick Merkley scored a goal and added two helpers as Kelowna beat Vancouver 5-3. … Andreas Athanasiou scored twice and added an assist as Barrie doubled Peterborough 6-3. … Jason Rioux stopped 35 shots and Vladimir Tkachev scored the winner on a beauty one-timer as Moncton edged Acadie-Bathurst 2-1. … Nathan Burns and Coda Gordon each had a goal and an assist as Swift Current defeated Moose Jaw 3-1. Eetu Laurikainen stopped 29-of-30 in the win. … Remi Elie scored twice and Scott Simmonds had three helpers as Belleville ends their season on a high note with a 7-4 win over Sudbury. … Eric Comrie had an 18-save goose egg as Tri-City blanked Spokane 3-0. … Carson Stadnyk snapped a 2-2 tie late in the third and added an assist as Everett snuck by Victoria 3-2. Manrej Hayer had two apples. … Ryan Hartman and Zach Lorentz each had two assists as Plymouth beat Windsor 4-1. Dalen Kuchmey made 41 saves in the loss.