Halifax Mooseheads' Nikolaj Ehlers scores hat trick, shootout winner: Wednesday's 3 Stars

No. 1 star: Nikolaj Ehlers, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)

The Dashing Dane put on a display in front of his NHL GM, the Winnipeg Jets' Kevin Cheveldayoff. Ehlers (3G-1A, +4) scored the decider in the Mooseheads' 5-4 shootout verdict over the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, which came after he figured into all of Halifax's scoring during regulation time.

The hat trick goal was part of a cliffhanger finish. The 18-year-old Ehlers bobbed and weaved through the top of the Titan zone and inveigled centre Aaron Kerr into screening his goalie before wristing a shot home on the glove side with 29 seconds left. Former Moosehead Andrew Ryan (2G-2A, +1), however, scored with one second left to force overtime. That just meant that Ehlers had to re-win the game.

No. 2 star: Conor Garland, Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)

The reigning Canadian Hockey League player of the week is not one to rest on his laurels. Garland (2G-2A, +5) had four points across the final 21 minutes of the Wildcats' 7-5 comeback road win over the reeling Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

The Eagles, who have now lost in seven in a row, were poised to take a two-goal lead into the final stanza. The 18-year-old Garland struck with 12 seconds left in the second, however, and then everything just mushroomed. Eagles coach-GM Marc-André Dumont yanked goalie François Brassard after the 3-3 goal 1:24 into the third. Garland and friends greeted backup Miguel Sullivan rather rudely, as Garland put the 'Cats ahead to stay and had a primary assist on fellow 18-year-old Will Smith's tally that opened a 5-3 lead with 11 minutes to play. Garland's last point came on an empty-netter,

No. 3 star: Carter Popoff, Vancouver Giants (WHL)

Popoff (2G, +3) scored goals 36 seconds apart in the second period, helping the Giants beat the Tri-City Americans 6-2 to halt a three-game slide. The Ams, by league rule, were unable to use Winnipeg Jets goalie prospect Eric Comrie since he played in Subway Super Series games the previous two nights. The Giants needed all of 10 seconds for 17-year-old call-up Johnny Wesley to score on Ams backup Evan Sarthou. It was still 1-0 late in the second when Popoff scored from in front of the net. On the next shift, the left wing took advantage of Sarthou being deep in his net and scored again for his ninth of the season.

Brennan Menell also scored his first WHL goal for the Giants.

Honourable mention: Paval Padakin, Regina Pats (WHL)

Padakin (2G-2A, +4) packed a lot into the second period of the Pats' 8-3 pounding of Prince Albert. The Ukrainian overage had a single helper in the opening 20 minutes to help the Queen City kids forge out to a 2-1 lead. In the second, Padakin scored the first and assist on the third and fifth tallies as the Pats scored six times in a little more than 11 minutes to make the game a laugher. Padakin might have been even more prolific, but he missed the final third of it after getting in a fight with P.A.'s Mackenze Stewart.

The fight meant Padakin completed a single-period Gordie Howe hat trick, with an extra assist, completed in fewer than 13 minutes of game time.

Potent notables — Sixteen-year-old Brett Howden (1G-1A, +2) helped Moose Jaw sink Seattle 6-2 ... Brett Welychka had the third-period tying goal and the decider in the breakaway relay to help the Belleville Bulls earn a 3-2 shootout win over Kingston in the lone OHL game ... In the QMJHL, Callum Booth had a 26-save shutout in Quebec's 3-0 win that snapped Saint John's seven-game point streak.

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