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Everett Silvertips’ Austin Lotz makes 65 saves in overtime loss: Wednesday’s 3 Stars

Neate Sager

No. 1 star: Austin Lotz, Everett Silvertips (WHL)

Silvertips players might be forbidden from peppering their food in Lotz's presence for the next few days for fear the goalie might start having bad flashbacks. There might not be any words for how the 17-year-old Lotz stood up to the Kamloops Blazers like that lone viking at Stamford Bridge, as he made a club-record 65 saves and withstood 12 power plays in a 4-3 overtime loss. Cole Ully's penalty-shot goal gave the 'Loops the OT win.

Everett was vulnerable, with defencemen Austin Adam and Connor Cox out with injuries. Kamloops smelled blood and levelled 29 shots at Lotz in the first period, yet fell behind 2-0. The offensively potent Blazers didn't score until their 36th shot. The shots on goal disparity kept mounting. The Blazers had a season high for shots by the end of the second period, when the tally was 50-11.

But Lotz kept his team in the game and flat-out stole a point. Ully had to be good to convert his backhand move on the penalty shot, which he was awarded after being pulled down on a breakaway by defenceman Ben Betker. Blazers radio voice Jon Keen described Lotz, a St. Adolphe, Man., native, as looking completely spent after allowing the winning goal. The Kamloops supporters played him off the ice with a standing ovation.

No. 2 star: Rock Régimbald, Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)

Overager Régimbald (3G, +1, 15-of-20 on faceoffs) was paramount for the 'Piques, who handed the Baie-Comeau Drakkar their first regulation loss since December with a 4-2 road win. Gatineau, which is 12th overall in the 18-team QMJHL, probably produced its best 20 minutes in the second period, when it scored four goals in a 7:03 span to put Baie-Comeau on the business end of a three-goal deficit.

Régimbald scored two power-play goals in the first seven minutes of the second period, each from setups by 19-year-old Adam Chapman. Gatineau's promising NHL draft prospect Martin Reway followed up by scoring 26 seconds after Régimbald got the 2-1 marker, then the veteran from Hull, Que., struck again a few minutes later. Olympiques rookie goalie Eric Brassard, making his first appearance in three weeks, made that stand up as he recorded a personal-best 47 saves.

No. 3 star: Spencer Martin, Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)

Martin was the stopped the struggling Steelheads need, stopping 36-of-38 saves in the 4-2 win over the Sarnia Sting that snapped Missy's seven-game losing streak. The NHL draft prospect who co-authored the first shutout in CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game history last week seemed to just grow more astute and aware with heavier activity, as he stopped 14-of-15 second-period shots and all 16 Sting attempts during the final period, when he was protecting a one-goal lead. The outcome was in doubt until Steelheads veteran Riley Brace (2G, +2) capped off a night where he was honoured for setting a team record for career games played by getting a last-minute empty-netter.

Honourable mention: Griffin Reinhart, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)

Come on, Oil Kings, can't you let the Saskatoon Blades have anything? You're worse than that construction worker in that Family Guy episode who made fun of a co-worker whose son got into Devry. Come to think of it, a lot of haters would apply that line ("what did he do ... open a door?") to the Blades having the host berth for the MasterCard Memorial Cup. But not us. Jealousy is terrible.

Anyway, Reinhart (2G, +2) played perhaps his best game since returning to the Oil Kings from the New York Islanders training camp, leading Edmonton to a 4-2 win over the Blades. On a night when all four Oil Kings goals came from sons of former NHLers, Reinhart scored a power-play goal in the first period that opened a 3-0 cushion. Saskatoon, which has not beaten Edmonton in three tries this season, made a game effort, but Reinhart jumped into the attack with 4:58 to play to score again and put the game out of reach. Overall, for the Oil Kings, it was a solid effort in the building they hope to return to in May for the MasterCard Memorial Cup. It also means Reinhart will have a happier 19th birthday on Thursday.

Potent notables — Seventeen-year-old Adam Helewka (2G, +2) and Mitch Holmberg (3A, +2) helped Spokane earn a second successive win over WHL-leading Portland with a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winterhawks, who have lost four in a row (two in shootouts). St. Louis Blues prospect Ty Rattie (2G) recorded his 300th WHL point ... Jaedon Descheneau (3A, +1) factored into all of Kootenay's scoring in its 3-2 win over Medicine Hat. The once last place Ice are within four points of a playoff berth ... Dallas Stars selection Mike Winther's goal with 7:03 left capped Prince Albert's 3-2 comeback road win at Prince George ... St. Louis Blues goaltending prospect Jordan Binnington had his OHL-best sixth shutout with 25 saves in Owen Sound's 3-0 win over rival Barrie ... Vancouver Canucks late first-rounder Brendan Gaunce scored twice (giving him 12 points in eight games this month) as Belleville bounced Oshawa 4-1 to retake the East Division lead ... Draft prospect Stephen Harper had a two-goal night for Erie in its shootout loss to Saginaw ... Russian rookie Sergey Tolchinsky (1G-1A, +2) scored the OT winner for Sault Ste. Marie, whose 5-4 win at Sudbury pulled it within two points of West Division pacesetter Sarnia ... In the QMJHL, Yannick Veilleux had a hat trick in Moncton's 6-1 grounding of the P.E.I. Rocket ... Anthony DeLuca's second two-goal game in a row lifted the Rimouski Océanic to a 4-3 road win over Victoriaville.

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.