Everett Silvertips carry on after Khaira’s hat trick, Volts’ Gaudreau scores 5 in clincher: Friday’s 3 Stars

No. 1 star: Jujhar Khaira, Everett Silvertips (WHL)

Quiet offensively through Everett's three losses to start the series, the Edmonton Oilers pick came alive with a hat trick in the 6-1 that helped the Silvertips force Game 5 against the Seattle Thunderbirds. The skilled 6-foot-4, 215-pound centre has nights where he's almost untouchable, and Friday was just that as he scored his fourth hat trick of the season. The 19-year-old made a power move and beat Seattle's Taran Kozun, who's been taxing the 'Tips throughout the series, just 1:27 in to give Everett a desperately needed early lead.

Everett built off that to get out to a 3-0 edge. It was up by two coming into the final third period, where Khaira (3G-1A, +2) bagged two power-play goals on setups from 17-year-old Dawson Leedahl (2A, -1)

No. 2 star: Frédérick Gaudreau, Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)

Perhaps a five-goal game should be automatic first-star timbre, but Khaira helped Everett avoid elimination whereas Gaudreau (5G, +3) was helping Drummondville vanquish the Victoriaville Tigres. The overage's 'Drummondville solo' lifted the Volts, a popular darkhorse pick to win the President's Cup, to a 5-4 series-clinching Game 5 win. Gaudreau, who was part of the Shawinigan Cataractes' 2012 Memorial Cup win, opened the scoring just 61 seconds in on a setup from recent Calgary Flames signing Ryan Culkin (2A, +2). The Bromont, Que., native completed the hat trick by the six-minute mark of the second, and then scored twice more that period. His linemates, Jérome Verrier (4A, +3) and Joey Ratelle (3A, +2), also had big nights.

Gaudreau's seven goals in the series give him the QMJHL playoff lead.

No. 3 star: Michael Bunting, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)

The former undrafted free agent scored a power-play hat trick during the Soo's 6-1 win over the spent Owen Sound Attack that sent the Greyhounds to the OHL's 'elite eight' for the first time since 2008. The 18-year-old Bunting, whose promising season was briefly halted by a knee injury, did all his work from his office in front of the net. He rapped home a centing pass from rookie Blake Speers (3A, +1), then became the carom czar, scoring his next two after picking ricocheting pucks out of midair. Don't discount what Bunting did to get rebounding position.

(Elite eight? Rebounding position? What sport was this alleged writer watching on Friday night?)

Honourable mention: Josh MacDonald, Peterborough Petes (OHL)

MacDonald (2G, +1) was the epitome of 'because it's the playoffs,' scoring 16:15 into overtime as the Petes evaded elimination for the second time by beating the Kingston Frontenacs 6-5. The London, Ont., native spent the second intermission getting repairs after being cut. In OT, Greg Betzold (3A, +2) sprung him with a rinkwide pass that MacDonald let carom off the boards, putting him in the clear to go top shelf over goalie Matt Mahalak. The Petes host Game 6 on Sunday as they vie to be the first OHL team since the 2010 Windsor Spitfires to come back from a 3-0 series deficit.

Potent notables — Dallas Star pick Nick Paul (2G, +2) helped North Bay beat Niagara 3-2 to force a Game 6 on Sunday in the IceDogs' house ... Barrie's Mackenzie Blackwood had his first OHL playoff shutout as Barrie excised Sudbury with a 7-0 Game 5 win .. In the QMJHL, Minnesota Wild-drafted goalie Alexandre Bélanger's 28 saves helped Rouyn-Noranda beat 6-2 to finish a five-game win over the Quebec Remparts. Mikhail Grigorenko, sent down by the Buffalo Sabres at midseason, had only one goal but eight assists in the series.

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