Mississauga Majors’ Brandon Maxwell tops Thursday’s 3 Stars with 43-save shutout

No. 1 star: Brandon Maxwell, Mississauga-St. Michael's Majors (OHL)

The Majors owe their playoff position largely to the job Maxwell has done since he came east from Sarnia for JP Anderson in a deadline swap of graduating goalies. The overager frustrated the prolific Niagara IceDogs, making 43 saves, including 19 in the second period alone, to help the Majors upset a conference-leading 2-0 on the road. The draft pick-heavy IceDogs generated a ton of chances in the opening two periods, with the likes of world junior forwards Freddie Hamilton and Ryan Strome getting plenty of chances. Maxwell was locked in all night, looking both strong on his angles and rebound control. With the shutout, he has a 2.75 goals-against average and .926 save percentage since joining Mississauga.

No. 2 star: Jack Campbell, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)

Campbell came on top in a goaltenders' duel against the young man who replaced him in Windsor, Jaroslav Pavelka, making 31 saves in Sault Ste. Marie's 2-1 overtime victory. The night ultimately didn't settle much in the playoff race since both teams earned at least one point, but Campbell was on his game, matching Pavelka save for save and getting some help from the posts on chances by Windsor's Michael Clarke and Nick Czinder in the third period. Clarke later tied the game off a great centring feed from Zack MacQueen and Windsor had momentum, but the difference in the 'Hounds of late is that they don't recoil from a challenge. Campbell held the fort down until Brett Findlay finished off a 2-on-1 in OT to give Campbell one of his most satisfying wins of his career.

"I played in the world juniors and I won that gold medal [with Team USA in 2010]," Campbell told TV Cogeco Windsor. "But tonight I wanted this game more than anything I've ever wanted. To finish it off in overtime just made it sweeter ... Tonight was a good start as far as making the playoffs goes, but we still have five more games."

Think Campbell was composed tonight?

No. 3 star: Marek Hrivik, Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)

The overager had two goals and one assist, helping the Wildcats down the Halifax Mooseheads 7-1. Hrivik put Halifax behind the eight-ball early by scoring goals 1:59 apart midway through the opening period. He also factored into a big response goal in the second period, getting in on an Alex Saulnier marker that re-opened a three-goal spread just 40 seconds after Halifax had got on the board and was perhaps thinking about getting back in the game. All told, Hrivik and the Saulnier twins, Alex and Allain, combined for eight points to help move the Wildcats up to 11th overall in the Quebec league. If the playoffs were starting right now, they would now be playing Halifax.

Honourable mention: Jared Knight, London Knights (OHL)

The Boston Bruins prospect gave the Knights a charge, factoring into their first three goals in the 4-1 home win over Guelph that snapped a two-game mini-slide. Knight (two goals, one assist) pretty much took the wind out of the Storm's sails when he showed nice touch to deflect a flip pass from linemate Greg McKegg past Guelph goalie Garret Sparks, restoring a two-goal margin right when the Storm seemed to be seizing momentum in the game. That rush was started with a nice lead pass ahead to McKegg by Max Domi, so for those keeping score at home, you had Knight, taken with a pick Boston acquired in the Phil Kessel trade, scoring on a Toronto Maple Leafs-drafted goalie with assists from a Leafs pick and the son of a former Leaf. Really.

Potent notables — Winnipeg Jets first-rounder Mark Scheifele (2G-1A) and Bruins choice Anthony Camara helped Barrie slam Sudbury 7-0 ... New York Rangers draft pick Andrew Yogan had two goals to give him 37 on the season, but the Peterborough Petes lost 3-2 at home to Brampton and are all but eliminated from the playoffs (five points out with three games to play) ... In the QMJHL, New York Islanders prospect Kirill Kabanov (two assists) was the first star in Shawinigan's win over Rouyn-Noranda. Moncton defenceman Myles McGurty, a native of Weehawken, N.J., got his first major junior goal.

(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: Mississauga St. Michael's Majors).