Peter Quenneville brings Brandon back from the brink: Friday’s 3 Stars

No. 1 star: Peter Quenneville, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

How often does a team ice the puck with a one-goal lead in the last two minutes of the game and end up losing. Well, it's probably more of an anomaly, but Quenneville (2G-1A, +1) and the Wheaties seized on just such an opening to beat the Regina Pats 4-3 in overtime to keep control of their playoff destiny.

The Pats, who did clinch the Eastern Division with the regulation tie, twice had two-goal leads. Quenneville, back from missing 10 games due to injury, scored Brandon's first goal to keep the spread at 2-1 after 20. The Columbus Blue Jackets seventh-rounder earned an assist in the second period, but Regina seemed poised to escape without working overtime heading into the final two minutes. That was when the Pats committed that killer icing and Quenneville scored off a setup from Richard Nejezchleb (1G-1A, +1). Calgary Flames draft pick Eric Roy then snapped in the winner to get Brandon its 75th point, two ahead of Prince Albert and Red Deer (which has two games left to the other teams' one).

No. 2 star: Ivan Nikolishin, Everett Silvertips (WHL)

The 17-year-old Nikolishin (1G-2A, +2) pounced on a breakdown moments after Everett had taken a third-period lead, scoring the clincher in a 5-3 road win over the Victoria Royals in a potential first-round playoff preview. The Royals tend not to give up five goals on home ice, but in front of a sellout crowd of 7,006 hopeful of seeing Victoria sweep and finish with its first 50-win season, the Russian rookie earned assists on the game's first two goals to get Everett out to a 2-0 lead. The Silvertips maintained their hallmark discipline, but Victoria did get level at 3-3 with 10:53 remaining. Within the next three minutes, though, Manraj Hayer and Nikolishin scored 27 seconds apart to give Everett the win.

No. 3 star: Brett McKenzie, North Bay Battalion (OHL)

The first star of the first division title-clinching win by a North Bay club in 20 years has to be in the picture, especially when he played with the flu. The Battalion believed it had added one of the best pure goal scorers in Ontario minor hockey when it selected McKenzie (2G) in the OHL priority selection 11 months ago. Opportunities to put up points have been fleeting for the Vars, Ont., native, but with 4:11 to go in a one-goal game vs. rival Sudbury, McKenzie went backhand on a breakaway for eventual winner in a 5-3 Troops victory. The marker gave McKenzie his first two-goal OHL game.

Buffalo Sabres pick Nick Baptiste scored his team-high 44th for the Wolves, who led the Battalion by as much as six points earlier in the season.

Honourable mention: Marvin Cüpper, Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)

Marvin 'Cüpperfield' made Victoriaville's scoring chances disappear, stopping 39-of-41 shots to help Shawinigan win 4-2 to clinch a playoff berth after missing out in 2013. The 19-year-old German goaltender was stellar with 15 saves in each of the final two frames against a Victoriaville team that's dipped in the standings over the past month.

Cataractes captain Félix-Antoine Bergeron (3G, +2) had a hat trick against his hometown team.

Honourable mention: William Carrier, Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)

The St. Louis Blues second-rounder helped Drummondville beat Rouyn-Noranda 4-1 to stay in a three-way tie for sixth overall in the Q entering the regular-season finales on Saturday. Carrier (2G-1A, +2) was in on three goals in a row, getting a secondary assist in the first before scoring late in the inning to give the Voltigeurs a commanding 3-0 lead. The Lasalle, Que., native sniped a power-play goal in the second to all but seal the win.

Potent notables — Top NHL draft prospects Leon Draisaitl (1G-3A, +4 in Prince Albert's win over Saskatoon) and Sam Reinhart (1G-2A, +1 in Kootenay's shootout loss to Calgary) each reached 100 points. Reinhart's 67 assists are a club record; his goal Friday was also his 100th in the WHL ... League scoring leader Mitch Holmberg became Spokane's all-time goals leader ... Cole Ully's 30th was a highlight as Kamloops beat Prince George for just its 14th win in 71 tries ... In the OHL, Connor McDavid is three points from 100 with one game left for the Erie Otters, who have yet to clinch third place in the Western Conference ... Winnipeg Jets pick Scott Kosmachuk is two goals from 50 and one point from 100 with one Guelph Storm left. Kosmachuk scored four goals during Guelph's 13-1 win over Sarnia in a first-vs.-worst matchup ... Likely NHL first-rounder Michael Dal Colle scored with three seconds left in OT to give Oshawa a 3-2 win and extinguish Belleville's playoff hopes. Bulls overage Cameron Brace scored his 30th ... Colorado Avalanche-drafted goalie Spencer Martin (30 saves) led Mississauga to a 2-1 win over Niagara, guaranteeing the Steelheads no worse than a tie for the final playoff berth ... Robert Polesello (2G, +1) scored with 19 seconds left in OT to lift Kingston over fading Ottawa, which will need to win Sunday and get help from Kingston against Mississauga to stay alive ... Seventeen-year-old Charley Graaskamp's first OHL goal was the winner in Sault Ste. Marie's 6-5 verdict over Saginaw ... Alex Fotinos made 50 saves to help Windsor shade Kitchener 3-2 in a shootout to snap a five-game skid ... In the QMJHL, Jonathan Drouin got his 100th point in just his 45th game as Halifax blanked Saint John 7-0 to eliminate the Sea Dogs from playoff contention ... Ottawa Senators fourth-rounder Vincent Dunn reached the 30-goal milestone with a mortarboard trick during Gatineau's romp over last-place Sherbrooke ... Baie-Comeau's Philippe Cadorette made 25 saves vs. Chicoutimi for his league-leading seventh shutout ... the Drakkar and Rimouski Océanic are tied for first at 97 points with one game to go, as Winnipeg Jets-drafted defenceman Jan Kostalek scored in OT at Quebec to cinch the Océanic's 16th win in a row ... Captain Samuel Henley (1G-1A, +1) was named first star as Val-d'Or blasted Blainville-Boisbriand 6-1 to take over the Telus West division lead and No. 3 playoff seed ... Cape Breton's Julien Pelletier set a club rookie record by scoring his 24th of the season during a road win over Moncton ... Jacob Brennan's 36 saves helped Acadie-Bathurst clip Charlottetown 3-1 ... The Q regular season ends Saturday.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet. Please address any questions, comments or concerns to btnblog@yahoo.ca.