QMJHL three Stars of the week

QUEBEC CITY , P.Q. — Shawinigan left winger Anton Zlobin, Cape Breton Jonathan Brunelle and Val-d’Or Foreurs right winger Nicolas Larocque-Marcoux earned the QMJHL Telus Players of the week for the period between October 31^st and November 6^th 2011.
 
By ending the week with 7 points scoring 5 goals and cumulating a record of plus/minus of plus 2, the Shawinigan Cataractes left winger, Aton Zlobin earned the distinction of been nominated the Telus first star in the QMJHL.
 
Zlobins’ week began with a confrontation against the Quebec Remparts where he ended his game with 2 shots on goal and a plus/minus record of plus 2 in a 4-3 win.
 
Playing against the Victoriaville Tigres the Cataractes left winger collected his third hat trick of the regular season being named the third star of that game. In a 7-1 win against the Prince Edward Island Rockets, the Moscow native ended the game with 4 points. Zlobin’s second goal allowed him to be the first 20 goal scorer in the QMJHL in 2011-12 regular seasons.
 
Cape Breton Screaming Eagles left winger Jonathan Brunelle has been named the Telus second star of the week, also ending his week with 7 points scoring 2 goals and a plus/minus of plus 2.
 
Playing two games against the Val-d’Or Foreurs the Screaming Eagles left winger ended the first contest with 3 points (1 goal) getting 8 of total of 46 shots on goal in a 6-5 win. In second game on Friday, Brunelle scored 1 goal adding 2 assists for a plus/minus of plus 2 earning the third star of the game.
 
Finally the Val-d’Or Foreurs right winger Nicolas Larocque-Marcoux has been selected the Telus third star with 7 points (2 goals) and a plus 1 in the plus/minus category. Playing all three games on the road the Foreurs first two stops were in Cape Breton where the right winger ended Thursday’s game with 3 points (1 goal).
 
In second game on Friday Larocque-Marcoux scored the game winning goal with 15 minutes to play in the third period already adding an assist in a 5-3 win. On Sunday the team went to Halifax where he registered two assists against the Mooseheads.
 
QMJHL news and Notes: The Victoriaville Tigres and Gatineau Olympiques made a trade, the Olympiques sent veteran defenseman 20 year old Hubert Labrie to Victoriaville in return for a fifth round pick in 2012. 
 
A draft selection of the Dallas Stars, Labrie played with the Idaho Steelheads of the East Coast Hockey League. Playing sporadically with the Stellheads, the former Gatineau defenseman could come back in the QMJHL and if so, Labrie could become a very good acquisition for the Tigres especially after being eliminated the last two years by the Saint John Sea Dogs.
 
CHL Subways Super Series: This series of six games (two against the QMJHL, two against the OHL and two others against the WHL) against an All-stars team from Russia is a series that regroup the best players from three major junior league to help Team Canada personel to complete the selection of Team Canada that will compete in the World Junior Championship.
 
In first of two games against the QMJHL team in Victoriaville on Monday November 7 2011, the Russian team came out on top winning by shutout 2-0 even if Team QMJHL dominated in shots on goal department 42-12. The Russian team scored their two goals with shots number 3 and 4 of the game, the Russian teams third shots coming with 3:57 remaining in first period.
 
Dominated 14-4 in first period, the Russian team broke the ice with their first goal on their third shot at 16:43. Kirill Rasskazov beat QMJHL netminder Maxime Lagace on blocker side.
 
Coming out with same energy in second period, Team QMJHL continued to dominate with 16 shots on Russian netminder. As solid as he was in first period, Sergey Kostenko stood in front of his net, closing the door on QMJHL All-Star Team. The Russian Team shot only 3 times in the second.    
 
Left uncovered on Lagaces’ left side, Bogdan Potekhins’ one-timer didn’t leave any chance for the QMJHL goaltender with 6:58 gone in middle frame. Team QMJHHL ended 0-in-4 with a man advantage, the Russian Team 0-in-2.
 
The young 16 year old and QMJHL first selection in last QMJHL entry Draft Nathan McKinnon earned the distinction of being selected the QMJHL best player. Russian netminder Kostenko got same honor on the Russian Team. Both teams will face each other in Quebec on November 9^th.
 
Team Russia will travel to Ottawa on November 10 facing an OHL all-Star Team on Thursday. Following that first game against the OHL Team on Thursday night, both teams will transfer in Sault-St-Marie Ontario for their second game.
 
After their two confrontations against Team Ontario, the Russian team will complete the Subways Super Series with two other games against an All-Stars Team from the Western Hockey League in Regina on November 16^th and on November 17, Team Russia will end the series against WHL All-Star Team in Mosse Jaw Saskatchewan.
  Contact the author at: serge.poulin@prohockeynews.com