Thursday, March 21, 2013

Duffy, Fucale and Kucherov named the TELUS three stars of the month of March

Press Release

Ben Duffy, Zachary Fucale and Nikita Kucherov were named today the TELUS three stars of the month of March.

The first star is awarded to 20-year-old PEI Rocket veteran Ben Duffy who is finishing his tenure in the QMJHL this season. During the last month of the regular season, he tallied 7 goals for a total 17 points, including a winning goal, in 8 games with a +/- of +8. In his last career regular season game on March 17, he tallied at least one point for a 13th consecutive games. He ended up collecting 5 points during the contest, which ensured his spot as top scorer in the QMJHL with 110 points, 5 more than Jonathan Drouin of the Halifax Mooseheads. Duffy’s performances as well as those of his team helped them finish the season with 6 consecutive wins.

The second star goes to Zachary Fucale, the Halifax Mooseheads goaltender. In 7 games, he posted a 6-0-1 record along with a 2.07 goals-against-average and .933 save percentage. It is worth noting that Fucale hasn’t lost a game in regulation time since January 26. He made 49 saves in Val-d’Or on March 2nd in a 4-3 shootout win. Moreover, he registered his 45th win of the season in his last start. The win total places him 4th all-time in League history - the record belongs to Jacques Cloutier who won 58 games during the 1978-79 season with the Trois-Rivières Draveurs. He will certainly be worth keeping an eye on for the NHL Entry Draft in June.

Finally, the third star is handed out to Nikita Kucherov of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. In 7 games, he scored 9 goals, including two game-winners, for a total of 15 points and a +/- of +7. Kucherov played his best game against the Rimouski Oceanic on March 9th, collecting 5 points, including 3 goals, in an 8-2 win. He formed a formidable duo with Sven Andrighetto who tallied up just as many points as he did. In only 33 games in 2012-13, Kucherov scored 29 goals and registered 63 points.

 (Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)

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