Brown’s five points powers Otters; wild barn burner in Shawinigan yields big nights: Friday’s 3 Stars

No. 1 star: Connor Brown, Erie Otters (OHL)

Captain Brown propelled the Otters to the Midwest Division lead with five points in a 6-3 road win over the Sudbury Wolves. Brown’s performance in the game moved him to the top of the OHL scoring list with eight points in the early stages.

The 2012 fifth-rounder of the Toronto Maple Leafs had four assists and sealed the game with an empty netter in the final minute to give the Otters their second win of the young season. The Wolves dropped to 1-1-0-0. Both teams scored twice with the man advantage in the contest.

Brown and linemates Dane Fox and Connor McDavid combined for 12 points in the win. Fox added two goals and two assists for the Otters, while super-prospect McDavid added a goal and two helpers.

Nikolay Goldobin scored twice and added an assist in the loss. Anthony DeAngelo and Daniel Nikandrov both chipped in with a pair of helpers.

It was Dansk party time for the Otters, as Oscar Dansk stopped 33-of-36 shots in the win. Brodie Barrick faced 43 shots in the loss, stopping 38.

No. 2 star: Frédéric Gaudreau, Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)

The Cataractes can score with the best of them, but are still searching for their elusive first win of the season.

Gaudreau outscored everyone else in a high-scoring affair, netting six points in a 10-9 loss to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies at Centre Gervais Auto. Gaudreau had a hat-trick and added three apples in a pinball nail-biter. The game moved captain Gaudreau to the top of league scoring. Miraculously, Gaudreau was even in plus/minus in the game, despite his six points.

Matthew Boudreau also scored a hatty for the Cataractes, who dropped to 0-5-1-0 and are the only remaining winless team.

Marcus Power, who, like Gaudreau, moved to second in league scoring after the game, had two goals and three assists for the winners. Jean-Sébastien Dea added a pair for the Huskies, who improved to 2-3-1-0 on the year. Rouyn had eight players dent the twine.

Carl Hojzan reluctantly took the win in net, stopping a mediocre 10-of-15 shots, relieving Alexandre Bélanger. Storm Phaneuf took the loss in relief of starter Marvin Cupper. Both Cataractes goalies steered aside 16 shots.

No. 3 star: Andrew D’Agostini, Peterborough Petes (OHL)

D’Agostini was sharp and he needed to be to steal the game for his Petes. The five-year OHL veteran played with the poise of a veteran, making 54 saves in a 5-4 come-from-behind victory for Peterborough over the hometown Kitchener Rangers.

The Rangers outshot the visiting Petes 58-28, including a 23 shot barrage in the second stanza. D’Agostini was able to stop 21 shots in the second period shooting gallery. The Petes improved to 3-1-0-0 on the year.

Nick Ritchie had two goals and an assist for the Petes, and Nelson Armstrong had two assists. Brent Peterson had a goal and an assist for the Rangers, who dropped to 1-1-0-0. Fellow overager Tyson Teichmann took the loss in goal.

Honorable mention: Carson Perreaux, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)

Shawinigan and Rouyn-Noranda weren’t the only CHL teams engaging in video-game-style high scores. Perreaux had a hat trick and added in assist in the Raiders’ 8-6 win over the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. Prince Albert hung on to the win after crusing to a 6-1 lead early in the second period.

Captain Josh Morrissey had two goals and an assist for Prince Albert, who remain undefeated at 3-0-0-0. Shane Danyluk had three assists, while Leon Draisaitl had a goal and two helpers.

Defenceman Eric Roy had a goal and two assists in the loss, while Colton Waltz, Jayce Hawryluk, Rene Hunter, Richard Nejezchleb and Tim McGauley each had a pair of points.

Honorable mention: Jared McCann, Sault St. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)

McCann broke a 1-1 draw with just nine seconds to go to give the Greyhounds the 2-1 win over the North Bay Battalion in the Sault.

McCann added an assist on Sergei Tolchinsky’s second period goal to tie the score. Tolchinsky had an assist on the winner.

McCann has scored five of the Greyhounds 12 goals so far this season, who’ve started the season 2-0-0-0. The Battalion dropped to 2-2-0-0. Matt Murray earned the win in net, while Brendan O’Neill took the loss.

Honorable mention: Jaedon Descheneau, Kootenay Ice (WHL)

Descheneau chipped in with three assists and scored the winner as the Ice defeated the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes 4-3 in a shootout. Descheneau set up the shootout by taking a charging penalty in the last two minutes of the third period, allowing the Hurricanes to score the tying goal on the ensuing powerplay.

Descheneau was the only shooter to beat a goaltender, scoring on Hurricanes’ netminder Corbin Boes as the sixth shooter for the Ice.

Sam Reinhart, slated to go top-two in the upcoming NHL entry draft, helped his case with a goal and two assists in the victory. Remi Laurencelle had two assists in the loss.

Mackenzie Skapski stopped 29 shots in the win, while Boes made 44 saves in the loss.

Honorable mention: Dominik Kubalik, Sudbury Wolves (OHL)

Kubalik had two goals, including the winner and added two assists in the Wolves’ 5-3 comeback win over the Barrie Colts. The Wolves scored four goals in the third period to win the game going away, sending the fans home happy.

Kubalik scored with just under a minute to go to snap a 3-3 tie and give Sudbury their first win of the season. Connor Crisp had two goals and a helper for the winners, while center Jacob Harris chipped in with four assists and a team-leading +5.

Franky Palazzese earned the win in net, steering aside 31 shots. Daniel Gibl took the loss, making 18 saves.