Submitted by KIJHL
Castlegar Rebels goalie Ethan Lawczynski was named one of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League’s three stars of the week for the period ending Jan. 15.
Ethan MacDuff (Fernie Ghostriders) and Scott Sinclair (Fernie Ghostriders) made up the rest of the trio.
Lawczynski was recognized as the top goalie for helping his hometown Rebels earn a 3-2 win against the Nelson Leafs by stopping 44 of 46 shots for a .957 save percentage.
Lawczynski turned aside all 17 shots he faced in the third period. In 25 games, the 6-4, 170-pound goalie has seven wins with a 3.73 GAA and a .902 SP.
MacDuff was named the top forward. The Lloydminster, Alberta product had four goals and five assists in three games as the Ghostriders won two of their three games last week. MacDuff had a goal in their 4-2 loss to Creston Valley. In a 12-1 win over Chase, MacDuff had two goals and three assists, netting the first goal in that game. In a 3-0 win against Golden, MacDuff netted the winner and added two assists. MacDuff is fifth in the KIJHL with 52 points in 36 games.
Sinclair was named top defenceman. The Fort McMurray, Alberta product had a goal and six assists in three games for the Ghostriders. He registered an assist in their 4-2 loss to Creston Valley, a goal and three assists in their 12-1 win against Chase and collected two assists in their 3-0 win against Golden. Sinclair is fourth among KIJHL defencemen with 25 points in 35 games.
The Castlegar Rebels have seven games left in the regular season.
In this week’s KIJHL Notebook, interim head coach-GM Nick Headrick said their biggest strength when they are playing well is their work ethic and compete.
“I think the nights where we struggle is when we don’t have the effort, but if we show up and we compete, I think we have a good chance to win for sure,” he said.
Heading into the final stretch, Headrick wants to see the team continue growing as a group and build their confidence. It’s about trying to win games and get better. Over the last two weeks, Headrick said their goaltending has been strong.
“Matteo Hueston and Ethan Lawcyznski have been really, really good,” he said. “It was good to see Ethan Lawczynski play his A game in Nelson. He always plays well in Nelson. He definitely stole that one for us.”
In three games, Hueston has a 2.35 GAA and a .935 SP.
Headrick added that Calgary product Ravnoor Randhawa has made big steps in the last few weeks. He also praised Daytn Kulynych.
“We rely a lot on Daytn Kulynych for sure, he’s a big part of our team,” said Headrick.
The Rebels play at home on Saturday, Jan. 28 and Tuesday, Jan. 31.
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