There were several top performances for Canada West and Canada East on Wednesday when each team posted a victory during day three of the 2012 World Junior A Challenge in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

Chris Edwards, NHL Central Scouting

Troy Stecher's power-play goal 1:22 into overtime gave Canada West a 4-3 win over Russia on the final day of preliminary-round play of the tournament, clinching first place in Group A for Canada West. Dalen Hedges scored twice to give Canada East its first victory of the tournament, 4-3 over Switzerland.

NHL Central Scouting's Chris Edwards, who is in Yarmouth scouting the event and taking names, provided NHL.com his daily top three stars of the night.

First star: Jonah Imoo, Canada West -- The 6-foot-1, 170-pound goalie turned back 37 of 40 shots as Russia outshot Canada West, 40-19. Imoo is in his second season in the British Columbia Hockey League with Powell River. He sports a 7-7-0 mark with a 2.33 GAA this season.

"He faced 40 Russian shots and he played very well," Edwards said. "Not only did he keep the West in the game, but he made several great saves to prevent a loss. He battled hard at the top of the crease and did a good job controlling rebounds."

Second star: Dalen Hedges, Canada East -- The 5-7, 168-pound center connected for two goals in his team's victory over Switzerland. Hedges, who plays for the Nepean Raiders in the Central Canada Hockey League, has 15 goals and 36 points in 18 games this season for his junior team.

"[Hedges] and his linemates Brent Norris and Marly Quince played with great energy all night," Edwards said. "They created other good scoring chances. Dalen gave a solid two-way effort in this game that the East could not afford to lose. They stepped up and manufactured a solid effort."

Third star: Wade Murphy, Canada West -- This is the second straight night that Edwards has named Murphy one of his three stars. He had a goal and two assists, setting up the overtime winner, against Russia on Wednesday. Murphy, who stars for the Penticton Vees in the BCHL, has 10 goals and 26 points in 15 games this season.

"His goal looked like a replay from the one he scored in Game 1," Edwards said. "It was a one-timer from the top of the circles. He played with an edge tonight."

Edwards' top three from Monday

Edwards' top three from Tuesday

Follow Mike Morreale on Twitter at: @mike_morreale