SUDBURY – The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League announced Monday that goaltender Victor-Olivier Courchesne of the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners, Soo Eagles stopper Justyn Gillis and Rayside-Balfour Canadians netminder MacKenzie Savard have been named the Eastlink TV 3 Stars of the week for the period ending Sept. 18.
VICTOR-OLIVIER COURCHESNE, (G) KIRKLAND LAKE GOLD MINERS – In two starts last week for the 18-year-old Quebec City, Que., product, he allowed just one against in each game backstopping the Gold Miners to a pair of victories.
Courchesne began by turning in an impressive 52-save performance as Kirkland Lake edged previously unbeaten Powassan 3-1 this past Monday.
He followed that up with another 20 stops in a 6-1 triumph over Iroquois Falls on Friday.
The Gold Miners netminder is 3-0 to start the year and boasts a solid 1.33 goals-against average along with a stingy .957 save percentage.
JUSTYN GILLIS, (G) SOO EAGLES – The first NOJHL win for Eagles goalkeeper Gillis was an impressive one and it was also his team’s initial triumph of the season as they handed the rival Soo Thunderbirds their opening setback of the year in the process.
Saturday night at Pullar Stadium, Gillis kept his side in it throughout as he faced 51 shots by the defending champion T-Birds and stopped 48 of them in a well-earned 4-3 decision.
The 19-year-old Novi, Mich., native is in his first season with the Eagles.
MACKENZIE SAVARD, (G) RAYSIDE-BALFOUR CANADIANS – A couple of solid starts by Savard helped the Canadians efforts in picking up five of a possible six points in a three-game road trip over the weekend.
The 19-year-old from Sudbury began by making 43 stops in a double overtime setback vs. the high-scoring Cochrane Crunch Friday.
The following night he kept his club in it by saving 31 attempts allowing Rayside-Balfour time to rally for a win at Iroquois Falls.
In three appearances to begin 2016-17, Savard has gone 2-0-1-0 with a 2.89 average and .927 save mark.
