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Moose Jaw Warriors' Brayden Point chills Ice with hat trick: Wednesday's 3 Stars

Neate Sager
Point scored his first two goals on backhands on Wednesday (Larry MacDougal, The Canadian Press
Point scored his first two goals on backhands on Wednesday (Larry MacDougal, The Canadian Press

No. 1 star: Brayden Point, Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)

Point (3G, +2) was as creative as he was combative, or vice-versa, while putting Moose Jaw on his back during a much needed 4-3 win over his Team Canada contemporary Sam Reinhart and the Kootenay Ice.

Point seemed to take the matchup against Reinhart as a personal challenge. The 18-year-old Tampa Bay Lightning prospect scored two goals in a four-minute span in the first period, beating Kootenay goalie Wyatt Hoflin with nearly identical backhand moves each time to stake Moose Jaw to an early 2-0 lead. Torrin White scored a breakaway goal near the midpoint of the game that helped the Warriors maintain a 3-2 lead going into the third period. With 8:51 left in regulation, Point wired home a shot from the slot for his fourth career hat trick and the eventual game-winning goal.

The win moved the Pats to within three points of the Ice, who hold the last Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Nick Ritchie did all his damage in the first two periods (Natalie Shaver, special to Yahoo! Canada Sports)
Nick Ritchie did all his damage in the first two periods (Natalie Shaver, special to Yahoo! Canada Sports)

No. 2 star: Nick Ritchie, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)

So much for keeping Soo fans' expectations down. In his home debut for the 'Hounds, Ritchie (4G, +3) scored a mortarboard trick during the first two periods of a 12-5 deflating of the Saginaw Spirit.

The 19-year-old Anaheim Ducks first-round choice struck twice in the first period, getting a power-play goal off a setup from Jared McCann and a 5-on-5 salvo on a setup from fellow former Peterborough Pete Connor Boland. Ritchie also struck twice more in the second, with Anthony DeAngelo drawing assists on both markers.

All told, the four new 'Hounds — Boland, DeAngelo, Ritchie and Justin Bailey, who had a hat trick — tallied 13 points on Wednesday. It's fair to say the Soo is rather stacked.

 

No. 3 star: Daniel Wapple, Regina Pats (WHL)

In a game where the storyline involved Medicine Hat Tigers' deadline adds Kyle Burroughs and Dryden Hunt facing their former team, ex-Tiger Wapple stole the show with 37 saves in the Pats' 6-1 upset. The 19-year-old goalie managed to stop 11-of-12 first-period shots against one of the most potent teams in major junior even though the Pats yielded four power plays. Wapple turned in a scoreless second before the Pats broke the game open, with Austin Wagner (1G-1A, +1) getting a short-handed goal and also springing Jesse Gabrielle for a breakaway tally.

The win made it 18 consecutive decisions without a regulation loss for Wapple.

Hunt had the lone goal for Medicine Hat.

Honourable mention: Connor Bleackley, Red Deer Rebels (WHL)

The Colorado Avalanche first-rounder came to the rescue to preserve Red Deer's winning streak. Bleackley (2G, +1) scored an overtime-forcing goal with 1:09 left in the third period against the Calgary Hitmen, creating an opportunity for the Rebels to score a 5-4 shootout decision for their fifth consecutive win. The 18-year-old captain also had a game-high six shots.

Honourable mention: Justice Dundas, Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)

The overage came through with a pair to pace Saint John to a 3-2 win over the Drummondville Voltigeurs that ended a four-game win streak. Dundas (2G, +1) finished off a 2-on-1 with a glove-side wrist shot 1:35 into the second on a setup from Boston Bruins draft pick Mitchell Dempsey. At the midpoint of the period, Dundas batted in a rebound for 2-0 Sea Dogs lead. Another goal and goalie Alex Bishop's 34-save night helped the Sea Dogs bank two points.

Potent notables — San Jose Sharks pick Rourke Chartier (2G-1A, +3) scored his WHL-leading 38th goal during Kelowna's win against Tri-City ... Winnipeg Jets prospect Chase de Leo's 17-game point streak ended during Portland's loss againgst Kamloops. Cole Ully scored his 20th of the season for the Blazers, who got a four-point night from captain Matt Needham (2G-2A, +2) ... In the QMJHL, Alexis D'Aoust (2G, +1) got his 20th during Shawinigan's 6-4 win over Val-d'Or ... Montreal Canadiens prospect Zach Fucale had an 11-save shutout during his Quebec Remparts debut, a 6-0 romp over last-place Acadie-Bathurst.

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