Friday’s 3 Stars: Brown gets hatty for Otters; Martinook shows Howe it’s done

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

Hey, the Otters could get used to this winning concept. For the second time in a week, they won 7-4 on a hat trick from one of their youngsters, with 18-year-old Brown getting his first three-goal game in a comeback win over defensively stout Brampton Battalion.

The Battalion seemed to be headed toward one of their typical squeeze-the-life-outta-this-sucker wins, taking an early 3-0 lead. However, Brown got his first of the night midway through the second period by deflecting home a point shot from Kris Grant, who would be the undisputed pride of Wilton, Ont., (pop. 300) if not for those curds from the Wilton Cheese Factory. Grant set up a Stephen Harper tally 80 seconds later and Otters rolled from there. Brown later got the game-winner with 3:23 left by tapping in a sweet pass from Travis Wood and added the empty-netter, making it a seven-goal night in Erie's seventh win all season.

No. 2 star: Jordan Martinook, Vancouver Giants (WHL)

The Giants honoured hockey legend Gordie Howe, a part-owner of the team, before the game. Martinook extended the tribute during and after Vancouver's 7-5 win over the league-leading Kamloops Blazers with a Gordie Howe hat trick — two goals, one assist and a fighting major. The 19-year-old snapped a six-game goalless drought in the second period. It was a tight game down to the final 90 seconds, when Giants captain Brendan Gallagher returned from being shaken up to help set up Martinook for his 29th goal of the season.

After being named the first star, Martinook skated out and held his right elbow high in homage to the 83-year-old Howe. Gallagher, a Montreal Canadiens prospect, also had his 30th during the contest.

No. 3 star: Sam Reinhart, Kootenay Ice (WHL)

The hands-down pick for the Dub's rookie of the year scored his second goal of the night with one second left, helping the Ice cool off the Calgary Hitmen 2-1. With his brother, Calgary Flames prospect Max Reinhart, nursing an injury, 16-year-old Sam gave the Ice the modicum the offence they needed to get by the third-best team in their conference. Reinhart created a blueline turnover that led to him scoring the first Ice goal; he got the buzzer-beating winner by tipping in a Jagger Dirk shot.

Honourable mention: Ludvig Rensfeldt, Sarnia Sting (OHL)

The Chicago Blackhawks led the Nail Yakupov-less Sting to perhaps their biggest win of the season, a 4-1 thumping of the powerful Plymouth Whalers. Rensfeldt scored the first two Sarnia goals, poking in a first-period rebound and redirecting a Brett Thompson past through Scott Wedgewood's five-hole. The Sting were rarely challenged the rest of the way as they skated off with an impressive win.

Honourable mention: Dalton Thrower, Saskatoon Blades (WHL)

Thrower had two big goals in the game's first 22 minutes, as the Blades won their third consecutive game by routing provincial rival Moose Jaw 6-2. The 18-year-old offensive defenceman pinched down from the point to get the 3-0 tally in the first period and counted again early in the second stanza to give Saskatoon all the cushion it needed. Thrower is fifth in defenceman scoring in the WHL with 42 points and first among players in their first season of NHL draft eligibility. Please bear in mind, though, Brandon's Ryan Pulock (46 points) has his birthday three weeks after the cutoff.

Honourable mention: Andrew Fritsch, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)

What, Sudbury, no love for a player whose season once seemed to be over? Fritsch, a Phoenix Coyotes draft pick, played his first game since deciding against season-ending wrist surgery. The immediate return was great, as he scored two goals to help the 'Hounds lick the Sudbury Wolves 7-2 in the Battle of Northern Ontario. Detroit Red Wings second-rounder Ryan Sproul (one goal, one assist) and Philadelphia Flyers-drafted centre Nick Cousins (1G-2A) were the game's first two stars.

Honourable mention: Jonathan Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)

Halifax's 16-year-old Goal Dust twins each had one-goal, two-assist nights to lead the Herd over the Halifax Mooseheads 5-3. MacKinnon had a goal and helper in the second period when Halifax took the lead for the first time, while Drouin snapped in the deciding goal with 1:53 remaining.

Potent notables — With three points in Spokane's 6-5 win over Victoria, Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick Dominik Uher has 27 in 16 games since returning from the world junior championship ... Anaheim Ducks first-rounder Emerson Etem got his WHL-best 48th goal ... Seventeen-year-old Regina Pats goalie Adam Beukeboom had his first shutout in a 27-save blanking of Swift Current during a fight-filled game ... Mitch Moroz scored twice to lift Edmonton over Red Deer 3-2 ... In the OHL, top-ranked NHL draft goaltending prospect Malcolm Subban stopped 34-of-37 shots in his return from a groin injury to lead the Belleville Bulls to a 6-3 win at Kitchener. Winnipeg Jets draft pick Austen Brassard had two goals for Los Toros, who were 3-10-0-1 during Subban's absence ... Mark Visentin had his shutout skein snapped at 240 minutes, but had a brilliant 31-save effort to help the Niagara IceDogs shade league-leading London 3-2 ... Zack MacQueen's second goal of the game lifted the Windsor Spitfires to a 6-5 win at Owen Sound and within two points of the fifth-place Attack in the Western Conference race ... Sudbury's Nick Baptiste, 16, had his first two-goal game. He only has 17 points but this was his fifth multi-point night ... In the QMJHL, Yanni Gourde's four points gave the Victoriaville star a CHL-best 99 points in 53 games. Two seasons ago the league did not have a single 100-point man ... Montreal Canadiens prospect Michaël Bournival and Philadelphia Flyers prospect Michael Chaput had three points apiece in Shawinigan's 8-1 win over Val-d'Or. The Cataractes (35-11-2-3) can take over first overall if they beat Saint John (37-13-0-2) at home on Saturday ... Alexandre Mallet had four points in Rimouski's 9-3 rout of Quebec. Sixteen-year-old defenceman Samuel Morin had a season-high three assists for the Océanic.

(Game recaps available on the news page.)

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet (photo: The Canadian Press).