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London Knights, Bo Horvat find second wind for series-tying win: finals weekend’s 3 stars

neate sager

No. 1 star: Bo Horvat, London Knights (OHL)

Horvat (1G-1A, +2) helped give London the swift kick it needed to handle the Barrie Colts 4-1 for a series-knotting win in the OHL final. The Horvat-Tyler Ferry-Seth Griffith trio hit the ice roaring for the second period, combining for two goals in the frame's first 75 seconds to put the Colts back on their heels.

The 18-year-old Horvat started the rally by teeing up the sure-handed Griffith (2G-1A, +3) for the game's first goal just 18 seconds into the period. Less than a minute later, Horvat seized on the dangerous combo of a turnover and a badly timed line change, as he beat Barrie's Zach Hall wide and got hauled down but scored while sliding on his stomach. Horvat's checking and faceoff work also helped the Knights neutralize Winnipeg Jets first-rounder Mark Scheifele, who was blanked for only the third time in 17 playoff games.

No. 2 star: Oliver Bjorkstand, Portland Winterhawks (WHL)

Bjorkstrand (1G, +1) copped first-star honours during the Winterhawks' extremely thorough 3-0 win over the Edmonton Oil Kings on Saturday that squared the WHL final 1-1. With former Winterhawks star Sven Baertschi in attendance, the import who now wears No. 27 for the 'Hawks brought a mix of grit and elegance, generating chances throughout the night. Bjorkstrand's goal with 1:15 left in the second period was a beaut that iced the game with 20 minutes to spare. He hopped over the boards to join a developing rush, then found an opening to take a pass from Pittsburgh Penguins first-rounder Derrick Pouliot before whistling a shot by goalie Laurent Brossoit.

No. 3 star: Stefan Fournier, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)

Fournier was also named first star Saturday after scoring his club-record 15th goal of playoffs during Halifax's 4-3 Game 2 win over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the President's Cup final. The Mooseheads captain got a beauty with a nice backhand-to-forehand move. Fournier also endeared himself to the crowd of 10,595 by fighting Baie-Comeau's Gabriel Verpaelst in response to a rough check on Nathan MacKinnon.

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 (video: Halifax Mooseheads).