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Kosmachuk’s 4 points helps Storm Jet out to 2-0 lead over Erie: Friday’s 3 Stars

No. 1 star: Scott Kosmachuk, Guelph Storm (OHL)

Kosmachuk (2G-2A, +3), Columbus Blue Jackets first-rounder Kerby Rychel (2G-1A, +3) and Minnesota Wild signing Zack Mitchell (2G-1A, +3, including an unassisted shorty) each had a double during the 7-2 blowout of Erie that opened a 2-0 lead in the OHL semifinal. The former was given first-star honours at the Sleeman Centre. Kosmachuk, a Winnipeg Jets signing, manoeuvred into the slot to snap in the opening goal 9:33 into the contest, then made a slick entry past to set up Rychel for the 2-0 goal three minutes later.

Erie made a half-push to pare Guelph's edge to 4-2 late in the second. Kosmachuk promptly finished off a give-and-go with Tyler Bertuzzi to reopen a three-goal lead, then broke away 2-on-1 to set up Mitchell's second of the night early in the third.

No. 2 star: Tyson Baillie, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)

Baillie (1G-2A, +1) was first star and Rockets teammate Justin Kirkland (also 1G-2A, +1) came up just as large as during the 5-4 comeback win over the defending champion Portland Winterhawks in the opener of the WHL Western Conference final. The 'Hawks looked powerful early, as 50-goal man Oliver Bjorkstrand scored off the rush 33 seconds into the game before Portland cashed in two power plays for a quick three-goal advantage.

On the shift after the 3-0 goal, however, Rockets goalie Jordon Cooke caught Portland on a line change and passed ahead to the stretch guy, Kirkland, who head-manned to Baillie for a shot that knuckled and dipped by Brendan Burke. That got the Rockets off the deck and energized the Prospera Place crowd of 6,218.

[Scott Sepich: Kelowna's 'best crowd since ’09' helps Rockets
erase three-goal deficit and earn 5-4 Game 1 victory over Portland
]

Baillie, perhaps smarting from the fact he had been in the penalty box for the second Winterhawks goal, came back and assisted on both of the decisive third-period tallies. The 18-year-old Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., native got the secondary helper on Kirkland's equalizer 4:17 into the frame. A whole 1:42 later, Baillie teed up fellow Albertan Jesse Lees for his first WHL playoff goal to give the Rockets their only lead, and the last laugh. Until Game 2, at least.

No. 3 star: Daniel Altshuller, Oshawa Generals (OHL)

The Carolina Hurricanes-drafted goalie lowered his playoff average to 1.45 and improved his save percentage to .947 in the process of suffering his first post-season loss. Altshuller made a career-high 50 saves in the 1-0 loss to North Bay in the opener of the OHL Eastern final, keeping the Generals extant as they were outskated while playing without suspended superstar Scott Laughton, who will be back for Game 2 on Sunday night. The Nepean, Ont., native was faultless; the only goal came when Nick Paul got behind the defence and put a shot under Altshuller's blocker.

Honourable mention: Antoine Bibeau, Val-d'Or Foreurs, (QMJHL)

A Leafs pick came out on top of a Montreal Canadiens pick to earn a road win, so there is that. Bibeau copped first-star honours after stopping 29-of-31 shots to help the Foreurs win 5-2 over the Halifax Mooseheads and Zach Fucale (18 saves on 22 shots) in Game 1 of the Quebec League semifinal.

The 19-year-old, who endured a few shellings from Halifax during his P.E.I./Charlottetown tenure, set a tone with a big save on Darcy Ashley and stopped 15 of the first 16 Mooseheads shots. That helped Val-d'Or, led by Louick Marcotte (1G-2A, +3) and Detroit Red Wings first pick Anthony Mantha (1G-1A, +3), build a three-goal lead by early in the third period.

Honourable mention: Curtis Lazar, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)

Half a dozen Oil Kings had multi-point evenings during the wasn't-that-close 8-3 declawing of the Medicine Hat Tigers. Lazar (1G-1A, +1), the Ottawa Senators first-rounder from 2013, was named first star after scoring 32 seconds into the contest and getting a helper on a Brett Pollock tally that opened a four-goal spread barely four minutes into the middle stanza.

Potent notables — Bjorkstand's two-goal effort for Portland gives him 21 points in 10 playoff games, most among active WHL players ... Medicine Hat's Curtis Valk leads the WHL with 12 goals in the playoffs ... Jake Smith had a 24-save shutout for North Bay ... Baie-Comeau's Philippe Cadorette made 21 saves for his fourth career playoff shutout.

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