Following their team’s dominant win over the Castlegar Rebels on Feb. 2, a pair of Sicamous Eagles players cracked the Hot in the KI three star list for the week.
Rookie forward Jaxon Danilec and goaltender Reed McLennan made their mark on the 11-3 victory at opposite ends of the ice.
Danilec was a shoe-in for first star this week as he found the back of the net five times in the game against Castlegar. He played hard from the opening whistle, racking up a first-period hat trick and then two more goals and an assist later on.
“When I scored five goals in a game it was a bit weird because it didn’t really sink in until a couple hours after the game,” he said.
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The Prince George native said his teammates and the Eagles’ coaching staff are a supportive bunch and the decisive win was good for the team.
The Rebels were soundly beaten on the scoreboard, but that didn’t stop them from putting pressure on McLennan. The 16-year-old affiliate goaltender out of Vernon has dressed for five games with the Eagles this season. McLennan got the start in Castlegar and was promptly put through his paces as the home team fired 28 shots at him in the opening period. Although he gave up two goals under the onslaught, the young goaltender didn’t let it get to him and held up for a .946 save percentage after turning away 53 of 56 shots for the game.
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“I was nervous going into the game, but once I made the first save I was in it and on my game,” McLennan said.
“It was easy to stay confident because the boys kept putting goals up on the board for us. It was a great night and I won’t ever forget it.”
The solid work between the pipes earned McLennan the Hot in the KI third star for the week.
jim.elliot@saobserver.net
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