Sudbury’s Leivo extends Ottawa’s misery with hat trick: Sunday’s 3 Stars

No. 1 star: Josh Leivo, Sudbury Wolves (OHL)

A third-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2011, Leivo picked up his first hat trick since last Oct. 22 in the Wolves' 6-4 win over struggling Ottawa in the OHL's lone Sunday contest.

The 19-year-old from Innisfil, Ont., has seven goals in eight games this season after scoring 32 last year.

Leivo scored twice in the second period to help Sudbury build a 4-1 lead, but the 67's rallied to tie the game in the third period. Leivo, however, had the last word, scoring an unassisted goal at 9:23 of the frame that went as the game-winner.

The 67's fell to 1-5 with the loss, and have allowed at least four goals in all five defeats.

No. 2 star: T.J. Foster, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)

It's not often that a player from a losing team finds his way into the 3 stars, but Foster's four-goal effort in a 6-5 overtime loss to the rival Calgary Hitmen can't be ignored.

Foster scored the first four goals for the Oil Kings, and each tally was assisted on by different teammates. He gave Edmonton leads of 3-2 and 4-3, but things looked bleak when the Hitmen scored two goals midway through the third to go up 5-4.

Michael St. Croix salvaged a point for the Oil Kings with a power-play goal at the 19:20 mark of the third, but Spencer Humphries won it for Calgary at 4:11 of overtime.

Foster has seven goals in seven games this season as he looks to improve on a 75-point campaign a year ago.

No. 3 star: Anthony Mantha, Val-d'Or Foreurs (QMJHL)

Mantha scored three times as the Foreurs spanked Cape Breton 7-3 in a rematch of Saturday's 5-3 win by the Screaming Eagles.

Through two periods, the Foreurs had as many goals as Cape Breton had shots (five). Val-d'Or outshot the Screaming Eagles 53-15 for the game.

Mantha scored all three of his goals in a 13 minute span covering the second and third periods, and he has four on the season. The Foreurs won for just the second time in seven games, and sit 17th in the 18-team league.

Bronson Beaton scored all three goals for the Screaming Eagles, tripling his career output. Beaton came into Sunday's game with one goal in 60 career games in the Q.

Honourable mention: Shane Danyluk, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)

The Raiders were supposed to be one of the most improved teams in the WHL this season, but few (if any) predicted that Prince Albert would be 6-0-1 through seven games and sitting on top of the league standings.

Danyluk helped the Raiders keep things rolling, scoring twice and adding a helper in a 5-3 road win over Kootenay. Danyluk's first goal of the season gave Prince Albert a 4-0 lead midway through the second period, but the Ice scored three unanswered goals to make things interesting. Danyluk put an end to the comeback with his second of the night with 3:02 left in regulation.

Honourable mention: Tommy Giroux, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL)

Giroux's three-point night (one goal and two assists) helped the Armada knock Quebec from the ranks of the unbeaten, handing the Remparts a 4-2 defeat.

Honourable mention: Simon Desbiens, Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL)

The expansion Phoenix finally got their first point in team history, though they blew three-goal lead and lost 5-4 in a shootout to P.E.I.

Desbiens assisted on three straight goals that lifted Sherbrooke to a 4-1 advantage. They were the 17-year-old left winger's first QMJHL points.

Ultimately, the Phoenix couldn't hold off the Rocket, who scored three straight power-play goals to send the game to overtime.

Scott Sepich is a WHL contributor for Buzzing the Net. Follow him on Twitter @SSepich.