The Hot In The KI 3 Stars of the week (Nov. 18-24) are Summerland Steam forward Cody Swan, Fernie Ghostriders forward Dylan Defosse and Kamloops Storm goalie Jakob Drapeau.
Swan, of Williams Lake, scored five goals and seven points in games against the Osoyoos Coyotes and Kelowna Chiefs. The Steam captain was named the game star in both games. He picked up two goals in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Coyotes, then netted a hat-trick and five points in a 6-3 win over the Chiefs.
“It was nice. We weren’t happy with the result in Osoyoos. We wanted to come out and have a big night in Kelowna. I’m thankful that we did and my teammates helped me play good,” says Swan. “I played pretty good. I think there is always room for improvement.”
On Nov. 2 against the Chase Heat, Swan surpassed Paulsen Lautard to become the franchises all-time leading scorer with his 149th career point. He then hit 150, saying it is pretty crazy.
“Coming into the league, you just kind of try and make it and contribute in any way you can,” says Swan, who now has 161 career KIJHL regular season points in 124 games, that includes four with the 100 Mile House Wranglers. “To hit something like that … it’s kind of tough to put into words.”
Swan says it’s awesome to be the franchise leader in points.
“It still hasn’t really sunk in,” says Swan. “I owe it all to my teammates, to be able to play with such great ones that help me put up those points.”
In 25 games this season, Swan has 14 goals and 35 points.
Defosse, a Calgary native, earned the second star as he racked up nine points in three games – all wins (6-4 over Nelson, 7-4 over Castlegar and 8-3 over Spokane).
Defosse scored a goal and added four assists against the Spokane Braves to close out the weekend. One of his assists led to the winning goal by Seamus Keith against the Braves.
“I thought I played well. I was mostly focussed on playing smart hockey and working together with my linemates trying to create a cycle game and set the pace,” says Defosse. “The last game, details could’ve been better, however, the five-point night in front of my dad was a nice way to end the weekend.”
In 22 games, Defosse has 11 goals and 32 points.
Drapeau, a Prince George native, earns the third star for picking up back-to-back wins against Spokane (3-2) and Castlegar (6-4). Drapeau stopped 54 of 60 shots, for a .900 save percentage and 3.00 goals against average.
He is 6-7-0 on the season with a 2.68 GAA and .917 SPCT.
“I thought I had an OK weekend. We had a hard-working win over Spokane and I had a decent game,” says Drapeau. “Against Castlegar, I had a shaky first, but I had a decent third and the boys brought it together for an amazing third period come back. We came back from a 4-2 deficit to win 6-4
“I was proud of our team this weekend,” Drapeau continued. “All the hard work we have been putting in during practice finally showed this weekend and I’m glad I got to help the team earn two wins in a row.”
