Comeback win keeps Petes in playoff hunt – Thursday’s 3 Stars

No. 1 Star - Jonatan Tanus, Peterborough Petes (OHL)

The Peterborough Petes have been on a surprising run as of late. There are seven games to go in the OHL's regular season, and all of a sudden the Petes are just 2 points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. At one point before the start of Jody Hull's tenure in late December, the Petes were 16 points out.

But they're still two out after a 4-3 shootout win against Ottawa on Thursday, and the Frontenacs have a couple of games in hand. The Petes got two late shorthanded goals to come all the way back from a 3-0 deficit to tie to the game 3-3 in front of 2560 fans at the Memorial Centre. It was the first year Finnish import, Jonatan Tanus, who tied the game with Michael Clarke in the box for cross-checking with just 1:01 on the clock.

Things aren't rosy for the 67s, and you can forgive a team for not playing well with the lead when they haven't had too many on the season, but the comeback (the other shorthanded goal, scored earlier in the third, came from Nick Ritchie) could prove instrumental. Tanus scored the only goal in the shootout for the win. It's worth noting that down 3-0 by the end of the first, the Petes peppered the Ottawa net with shots. Clint Windsor, the journeyman backup and—by name merits—future news anchor, stopped 43 of 46 in the loss, and two of three in the shootout.

No. 2 Star - Olivier Archambault, Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)

Not a lot of action in the CHL tonight with just nine games cross-country, and few of them meant much. The contest between the Voltigeurs and the Saguenéens was important for Drummondville because leap-frogging a team or two in the stretch run means getting to play P.E.I. or Rouyn-Noranda in the first round of the playoffs rather than Moncton or Québec.

Notably, the 18-year-old Jerome Verrier scored a hat-trick in the 6-0 win for Drummondville, but Montreal Canadiens prospect Olivier Archambeault was the offensive catalyst with two goals and two assists, factoring in on all three even strength goals the Volts scored. Drummondville also got three points from first-time NHL draft-eligible Nikolas Brouillard and the rookie goalie Louis-Philip Guindon recorded his third QMJHL shutout this season.

No. 3 Star - Dylen McKinlay, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)

Just one game in the WHL Thursday. The Kelowna Rockets picked up a 4-1 win over the Seattle Thunderbirds to get them closer to securing the B.C. Division title with the team now seven up on Kamloops with just eight games to go for both teams. Overager Dylan McKinlay scored twice and added an assist. His 22nd on the year came just :16 seconds into the first period, and he added a shorthanded tally midway through the second.

Potent Notables: Overage Zach O'Brien scored the tying goal with 8:29 left in the third period, his 43rd of the season and two back of Shawinigan's Anthony Mantha. Acadie-Bathurst would go on to lose the shootout 4-3 to Victoriaville, however … Tampa Bay prospect Cedric Pacquette scored the 3-2 winner with 1:04 to go for Blainville-Boisbriand against Baie-Comeau … in the "O", Garrett Meurs scored two goals in Plymouth's 7-1 blowout over Niagara … Ryan Rupert had a pair for London in their win against Windsor. The Knights out-shot the Spits 41-23 … Andreas Athanasiou had a goal and an assist for Barrie in a big 4-2 win over Owen Sound.