Pats’ Morgan Klimchuk pulls off rare hat-trick – Wednesday’s 3 Stars

No. 1 Star - Morgan Klimchuk, Regina Pats (WHL)

A natural hat-trick is three consecutive goals, but do they all have to be in the same period, or directed at the same net? I always forget. A lot of people seem to have differing definitions on this one. Either way, Morgan Klimchuk, one of the Calgary Flames' first round picks from June scored three goals in a row—at 15:43 of the first, 18:16 of the first and 4:18 of the second—in a four-point effort that saw him wind up as the first star in a 5-2 Regina win over reeling Lethbridge.

Even more amazing is that Klimchuk hit for the cycle. His first goal was shorthanded, his second came at 5-on-5 and his third was on the powerplay, which has to be a pretty rare occurrence. Defenceman Jesse Zgraggen, playing his first game with the Pats after being traded by the Calgary Hitmen last week, had a fine debut. He opened the scoring just 3:46 into the game. He also added two assists later on in the contest.

Klimchuk's four-point effort means he now has 24 points in 19 games this season. After a red-hot start with 16 points in his first 10 games, Klimchuk had just four in his last eight before Wednesday night.

No. 2 Star - Brian Williams, Tri-City Americans (WHL)

It was a heavy night in the WHL. Heading into Wednesday's night's meeting at the Moda Center in Portland, the Winterhawks had won 11 straight contests and Tri-City hadn't lost in regulation in six, last being beaten against Portland 8-1 back on October 19 at home in Kennewick.

We also like the little guys here at Buzzing the Net, and while it was Parker Bowles that scored with 26.6 seconds left on the clock to give the Americans a hard-fought 3-2 upset victory, the assist was made by the diminutive Brian Williams. The 5'8" Williams went undrafted this past June but has played very well at the start of this season, with 22 points in 21 games after a one-goal, one-assist performance against Portland. Williams assisted on the winning goal, scored the tying goal with one second left in the second period, and was a +3 rating (plus-minus isn't perfect, but it's fun in certain contexts) in a game that his team won 3-2. Not a bad night for Williams.

No. 3 Star - Louick Marcotte, Val-d'Or Foreurs (QMJHL)

A quiet night for QMJHL leading scorer Anthony Mantha, who only recorded two assists in the Foreurs 5-2 win over Victoriaville (the slacker!) but the goals were picked up by his teammates. Mantha's linemate Louick Marcotte, a former first round pick of the P.E.I. Rocket, was the difference with his two-goal effort. He now has 28 points in 20 games. Turns out all you need to get going in the Q is play on the same line as the league's most dominant player.

Marcotte opened the scoring with his 11th on the year at 7:24 of the first, and provided some insurance early in the third on a Foreurs powerplay, one of the team's two powerplay goals on the night. Also notable is Val-d'Or firing 51 shots at Tigres keeper Brandon Whitney. Seven different Foreurs players, including Marcotte, registered at least four shots on goal.

Honourable Mention - Zachary Fortin, Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL) - The feature game in the QMJHL Wednesday was likely between Chicoutimi and Rimouski, and Oceanic backup Zachary Fortin got the start in place of Philippe Desrosiers. He turned aside 32 of 33 shots and was likely the difference in his team's 3-1 win over their division rivals, opening up some space between Rimouski and Chicoutimi in the Telus East Division standings.

Potent Notables: Rookie import Ilya Zinoviev scored twice in a rare win for Shawinigan over Quebec 5-3… Three-point night for Swift Current overager Graham Black, including the 4-3 OT winner in Prince Albert… A goal and two assists for Phoenix Coyote prospect Henrik Samuelsson in Edmonton's 5-0 win, with Tristan Jarry making 21 stops in the shutout… One goal and two assists for New Jersey Devils prospect Damon Severson in Kelowna's 6-2 win.