HUBERDEAU NAMED SECOND STAR

Jonathan Huberdeau has been recognized for his solid play of late, being named the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Telus second star of the week this afternoon.

Huberdeau has led Saint John in scoring for the majority of the season and has collected 34 goals and 80 points in 51 contests. The draft-eligible forward sits just seven points back of Gatineau’s Philip-Micahel Devos for the top spot in the QMJHL’s scoring race.

This past week was a good one for the 17-year old. In Wednesday’s win over Bathurst he had two goals, in Friday’s game in Moncton he also scored a pair, and then rattled off a goal and two helpers in the Sea Dogs win in Halifax on Saturday.

Huberdeau has only been help pointless three times since the calendar changed.

This is the second time this season the second-year Sea Dog has been named a star of the week. He picked up third star honours in December.

Dave Labrecque and Andrey Markarov were the first and third stars, respectively. From a QMJHL release:

Shawinigan Cataractes forward Dave Labrecque is the first star after collecting two goals and seven assists in three games. Labrecque played his best game on Thursday versus the Screaming Eagles, recording four points while remaining perfect in the face-off circle (8/8) en route to an 8-0 win. Moreover, he tallied three assists in a 4-3 shootout victory over the Gatineau Olympiques. Finally, he posted a +4 rating.

Lewiston MAINEiacs backstop Andrey Makarov is the third star after posting a 2-0 record along with a 1.00 goals-against-average and .969 save percentage. Makarov stopped 37 shots in an impressive 4-2 win over the Shawinigan Cataractes and then pushed away 25 attempts in a 6-0 shutout victory over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. He warranted a star in each of his two starts.

HUBERDEAU NAMED THIRD STAR

For the third straight week, a Saint John Sea Dogs forward has picked up one of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Telus Three Star awards.

Zach Phillips was the first star two weeks ago and second star last week. This week, Jonathan Huberdeau has been named the third star for his play over the past seven days.

In four games this past week, the Sea Dogs forward scored four goals and added four helpers while posting a +1 rating. His best game came yesterday against the Halifax Mooseheads when he netted two markers and added two assists in Saint John’s not-so-great 5-3 victory.

Currently playing on a line with Phillips and Steven Anthony, Huberdeau leads the Sea Dogs in scoring with 52 points in 33 games so far this season. Of those 52 points, 24 of them are goals, placing him third in league goal scoring behind Ondrej Palat (25) and Etienne Brodeur (27).

Palat of the Drummondville Voltigeurs was named the first star of the week while Shawinigan Cataractes netminder Gabriel Girard picked up the second star.

Photo Credit: Sports Junior

PHILLIPS NAMED SECOND STAR

Zach Phillips continued his sizzling pace over the past week.

After picking up Quebec Major Junior Hockey League first star honours a week ago, Phillips was named the league’s second star today for the week of November 29 to December 5.

“For a second week in a row,” states a rather cheesy QMJHL press release, “he shines within the stars!”

The Sea Dogs won all three of their contests this week with every game being against above .500 opponents. Phillips helped Saint John to a 7-2 road win last Wednesday in Bathurst, a 6-2 victory over the Lewiston MAINEiacs on Friday, and a 5-2 win against the Gatineau Olympiques Saturday night.

In those three games, the Fredericton native recorded two goals and seven helpers for a total of nine points while keeping a +1 rating.

Last week, Phillips was named both the QMJHL’s first star and Canadian Hockey League Player of the Week.

Charles Hudon of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens and Vincent Arseneau of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan were named the first and third stars of the week, respectively.

Photo Credit: Marc Henwood Photography

PHILLIPS EARNS FIRST STAR HONOURS

A sensational weekend by Saint John Sea Dogs forward Zach Phillips has earned him Telus First Star honours this week. The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League made the announcement this aftermoon.

Phillips scored two goals in each contest he played in this weekend, helping the Sea Dogs defeat the Acadie-Bathurst Titan 6-3 on Friday night and the Halifax Mooseheads 7-1 on Sunday afternoon.

Along with his four goals, Phillips added two assists and was a +3. He was named first star in both contests.

The Fredericton native now has a team high 19 goals this season while also producing 14 assists in the 26 matches he has played in. In his rookie campaign last season, Phillips had 16 goals and 28 assists in 65 games.

It was a good month for Phillips. He recorded eight goals and seven assists in eight November games including six goals in his past two games.

The second star goes to the Val-d’Or Foreurs right-winger Jonathan Hazen. The veteran recorded 3 goals and 2 assists for a total of 5 points while posting a +1 rating in two wins over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. Furthermore, in a loss to the P.E.I. Rocket on Monday, he registered 2 helpers and was named the third star of the game. He collected seven points in three games last week.

Finally, Drummondville Voltigeurs left-winger Ondrej Palat is this week's third star. The Czech forward scored four goals and added two helpers in two games. He was named first and third stars on Friday and Sunday respectively. On Friday night, the Drummondville Voltigeurs were playing their 1000th home game. They glided to a 5-3 win over the Victoriaville Tigres.

- With files from the QMJHL website

BOURRET NAMED QMJHL'S FIRST STAR

Gabriel Bourret isn’t exactly known for his offensive output.

In 37 games as a rookie with the Saint John Sea Dogs last year, the defenseman registered three goals and seven assists under limited playing time.

But this season, Bourret has seen an increase in ice time and point production. In 21 games with the league leading Sea Dogs, he has four goals and 12 assists – including six helpers in his last two games.

His hot streak has earned him first star honours in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Telus Three Stars of the Week.

“The young blue-liner led the Sea Dogs with six points - all assists - and also posted an excellent +5 rating in victories over two of the best teams in the QMJHL: The Acadie-Bathurst Titan and the Quebec Remparts,” noted the QMJHL website. “Furthermore, he was named the first star in both contests.”

Bourret was solid in both Saint John’s 5-3 win over Bathurst Saturday and on Sunday when the Sea Dogs blew out the Quebec Remparts 6-0. The 18-year old recorded four assists in yesterday’s match along with a +3 rating while only recording one shot on goal.

The native of Laprairie, Quebec was also named Buzzing The Net’s first star yesterday out of the entire Canadian Hockey League for his beast-like efforts.

Montreal Juniors goaltender Jean-Francois Berube, who played in Monday’s Subway Super Series game at Harbour Station, was named the second star of the week. Benjamin Casavant of the Shawinigan Cataractes was named the third star.