Medicine Hat's Cole Sanford (Marissa Baecker, Getty Images)No. 1 star: Cole Sanford, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) <\/p>\n
Now that's a reversal of future: Sanford (4G-2A, +4) pulled a Sam Reinhart, or a Jaedon Deschaneau if you need your reference to be obscure, by scoring six points during Medicine Hat's series-extending 9-2 win over the Kootenay Ice on Saturday. The 18-year-old Vernon, B.C., native who had 33 goals in the regular season had been flummoxed by Ice goalies during the Tigers' two losses in Kootenay that put it one loss from elimination. But everything Sanford and Trevor Cox (1G-3A, +4) sent toward the goal \"just seemed to be going into the net\" as the Tigers went from trailing 2-1 at the game's midpoint to winning by a touchdown. <\/p>\n
Sanford redirected a shot into the net for his second of the night to level 2-2 with 6:31 left in the second period. That caused the Ice to sag and Medicine Hat scored just 97 seconds later to take lead. In the third period, Sanford threw the floodgate open with a power-play goal 5:43 into the frame. The rest was cake. <\/p>\n
Game 6 of the series is on Monday, back in Cranbrook, B.C. <\/p>\n
No. 2 star: Nicolas Aub-Kubel, Val-d'Or Foreurs (QMJHL) <\/p>\n
Aub-Kubel (2A, +2) made special plays on a special day, assisting on the icebreaker tally and series-winner as Val-d'Or eliminated Drummondville with a 3-2 Game 6 road win on Sunday. The Sorel, Que., native got the Foreurs, who will face defending champion Halifax inthe semifinal, off to a good start by setting up the 18-year-old Anthony Beauregard (2G, +2) just 1:50 into the contest. In the third, the 17-year-old Aub-Kubel did some more inspired work to create a chance and earned the second assist on a Beauregard marker that opened a 3-1 lead and also stood up as the margin of victory. <\/p>\n
With the win, it will be Anthony Mantha's team against Joanthan Drouin's team in the Quebec League semifinal. Baie-Comeau awaits the Blainville-Boisbriand-Rimouski victory. <\/p>\n
No. 3 star: Ben Thomson, North Bay Battalion (OHL) <\/p>\n
Thomson (2G, +1) did what an overage forward is supposed to do in a closeout game by getting two decisive markers of the 3-2 Game 6 win at Barrie that sets up a North Bay-Oshawa Eastern Conference final. <\/p>\n
Jake Smith made 13 of his 29 saves in the opening 20 minutes to allow the Battalion, which came in just 1-4 on the road in the playoffs, to regroup in the room while tied 1-1. On the first shift of the second, the Colts had a defensive breakdown, with Nick Paul (1G-1A, +1) cutting off the puck at the half-wall and whipping a pass by Aaron Ekblad to an unmarked Thomson. That 2-1 lead began to look larger and larger with each passing minute, especially after Colts defenceman Jake Dotchin hit the side of the goal on a wide-open chance in the second. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Here is the original post: <\/p>\n
Medicine Hats Cole Sanford gets 6 points to force Game 6: weekend 3 Stars<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Medicine Hat's Cole Sanford (Marissa Baecker, Getty Images)No. 1 star: Cole Sanford, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) Now that's a reversal of future: Sanford (4G-2A, +4) pulled a Sam Reinhart, or a Jaedon Deschaneau if you need your reference to be obscure, by scoring six points during Medicine Hat's series-extending 9-2 win over the Kootenay Ice on Saturday. The 18-year-old Vernon, B.C., native who had 33 goals in the regular season had been flummoxed by Ice goalies during the Tigers' two losses in Kootenay that put it one loss from elimination Continue reading