SUDBURY, Ont. – The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League announced Monday that the Rayside-Balfour Canadians duo of forward Jacob Partridge and goaltender Brayden Lachance along with Cochrane Crunch netminder Shayne Battler have been named its Eastlink TV Playoffs 3 Stars of the Week for the period ending April 15.
JACOB PARTRIDGE, (F) RAYSIDE-BALFOUR CANADIANS – The Barrie, Ont., product, who turns 17 on Wednesday, was an offensive dynamo for Rayside-Balfour during the time frame.
Partridge began with a goal and two assists this past Monday as the Canadians finished off the West Division final with a win over the Soo Thunderbirds.
Moving on to the start of the NOJHL league championship series against Cochrane, the Peterborough Petes (OHL) prospect notched the game-winner in overtime, on a penalty shot, in the opener then proceeded to supply a natural hat trick in Game 2, that featured yet another game-deciding marker, as Rayside-Balfour took a 2-0 series lead on the Crunch.
With points in four straight as well as in six of his past seven contests, Partridge is now tied for second in NOJHL playoff scoring with a dozen points on six tallies and as many helpers.
BRAYDEN LACHANCE, (G) RAYSIDE-BALFOUR CANADIANS – In three starts last week, Lachance was almost unbeatable in nearly 188 minutes of playoff action.
The 20-year-old from Sudbury, Ont., allowed only three goals against while making 135 saves in all that featured a series-ending triumph over the Soo Thunderbirds along with a pair of stellar starts to commence the league finals with Cochrane.
In all, Lachance wrapped up the week with a stingy 0.91 goals-against average and an equally impressive .978 save percentage to help give his club the upper hand early in the NOJHL championship series vs. the Crunch.
His 10 playoff victories presently pace all league goalkeepers.
SHAYNE BATTLER, (G) COCHRANE CRUNCH – Battler did all he could for Cochrane in the opening two contests of the league championship series with a pair of solid road efforts at Rayside-Balfour.
Despite the setbacks, including one in overtime in the series opener, the Crunch goalkeeper finished with a combined 70 saves and a .933 save mark in the pair of outings.
Entering Game 3 of the NOJHL final on Thursday at Tim Horton Event Centre, the 20-year-old from Oshawa, Ont., continues to lead all league netminders in both goals-against average and save percentage at 1.43 and .951 respectively.
He’s also tied for the NOJHL lead in postseason shutouts with two.
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Eastlink TV 3 Stars
Playoffs
Week 1
Owen Robinson, (F) Blind River Beavers
Garret Boyonoski, (G) Blind River Beavers
Matthew Murray, (D) Blind River Beavers
Week 2
Wayne Mathieu, (F) Timmins Rock
Garret Boyonoski, (G) Blind River Beavers
Jared Hester, (D) Timmins Rock
Week 3
Derek Seguin, (F) Timmins Rock
Brayden Lachance, (G) Rayside-Balfour Canadians
Carter McPhail, (G) Soo Eagles
Week 4
Eric Schuch, (G) Soo Thunderbirds
Taylor Unruh, (G) Cochrane Crunch
Brayden Lachance, (G) Rayside-Balfour Canadians
Week 5
Kyle Liinamaa, (F) Rayside-Balfour Canadians
Shayne Battler, (G) Cochrane Crunch
Eric Jackson, (G) Timmins Rock
Week 6
Jacob Partridge, (F) Rayside-Balfour Canadians
Brayden Lachance, (G) Rayside-Balfour Canadians
Shayne Battler, (G) Cochrane Crunch