Avalanche Farm Report: May 9
by Ryan Boulding @rboulding / ColoradoAvalanche.com
Colorado Eagles (ECHL)
The Colorado Eagles had a chance to wrap up their Western Conference Semifinal series against the Allen Americans on home ice over the weekend, but the club was unable to close out the set after going 1-2 at Budweiser Events Center in Loveland.
After taking the first two games on the road in Texas, the Eagles returned home to win Game 3 on Wednesday as well. Colorado started the scoring in the first period and finished it in the third, taking a 4-2 victory to extend the series lead.
Jake Marto recorded his third goal of the postseason at the 10-minute mark of the first period, but the Americans countered at the end of the frame to even it up 1-1. Colorado pushed the lead again early in the second with Alex Belzile registering his ninth of the playoffs, which Colorado Avalanche prospect Mason Geertsen assisted on, but Allen responded again to start the third period.
After that, Luke Salazar potted the eventual game-winner and Belzile added an empty-netter with less than a minute remaining to bolster the lead. Geertsen picked up his second helper of the night on the final marker.
The win was Colorado's seventh straight since dropping Game 1 of the first-round series against the Idaho Steelheads, which ties the 2009 squad for the most consecutive playoff wins in team history, according to the Eagles.
On Thursday, the high-powered Colorado offense was quieted in a 4-1 loss. Avs prospect Julien Nantel opened the scoring just 3:28 into the contest, registering his fourth goal of the postseason and the only Eagles marker of the match.
The Americans countered with two tallies in the second and another two in the third to take their first win of the semifinals. The game featured a running log of penalties, with a total of 121 minutes accrued by the final buzzer. Geertsen finished with 15 minutes of penalty time, including a fighting major.
Looking to end the series against the defending champions, the Eagles dropped Sunday's match 4-0.
Allen scored once in the first and thrice in the third while goaltender Riley Gill remained perfect between the pipes, turning away 35 shots to force Game 6 in Texas on Tuesday. Geertsen and Boikov did not play in the loss.
Upcoming Games:
Game 6 - Tuesday at Allen Americans
Game 7 - Wednesday at Allen Americans - If Needed
San Antonio Rampage
The San Antonio Rampage finished 27-42-7 in the Pacific Division and closed out the 2016-17 campaign on a winning note, defeating the Texas Stars 6-3 in Cedar Park on April 15.
Among the highlights from the season include recording the franchise's 500th win on Jan. 27 over the Ontario Reign and finishing ninth in the league in fan attendance.
Right wing Rocco Grimaldi led the team in points (55), goals (31) and assists (24) in 72 games played. His goals scored are the second most in a single season in franchise history and finished tied for third in the league. The Anaheim, California, native moved up to eighth place in scoring in franchise history. Grimaldi also collected one helper during his four-game stint with the Colorado Avalanche. He was named CCM/AHL Player of the Week for his play from Jan. 22-29, after he scored four goals, including two game-winners, and added an assist for five points in three games.
Off the ice, Rampage forward A.J. Greer won the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award as the AHL's Man of the Year. The honor is awarded to a player for outstanding contributions to his community and charitable organizations. Some of Greer's contributions included working with local children's hospitals and raising awareness about childhood cancer. On the ice, the forward finished second on the team in goals (15), points (38) and assists (23-tied) after 63 competitions.
Greer and goaltender Spencer Martin were named to the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic and competed in the round-robin tournament from Jan. 29-30 at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
The Rampage saw 20 player-recalls to the Avalanche this season, including 12 different skaters, six of whom made their NHL debuts. Sam Henley recorded his first NHL goal during his debut on Nov. 2 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. J.T. Compher made his league debut on March 2 at the Ottawa Senators and finished out the last 21 games with the Avs, recording three goals and two assists. The center tallied 13 goals and 17 assists in 41 games with the Rampage.
Brendan Ranford made a noticeable impact after he was acquired from the Arizona Coyotes on March 1 at the NHL Trade Deadline. The left wing recorded 17 points (four goals and 13 assists) in 21 contests with the Rampage.
OHL
Travis Barron (Ottawa 67's): The Ottawa 67's were knocked out of the OHL Playoffs after losing their first-round series in six games to the Mississauga Steelheads. Barron left Game 4 with an upper-body injury after an incident with Mississauga's Nicolas Hague, who was suspended indefinitely by the league for the play. Barron did not compete in the final two playoff games. The forward scored one goal in four postseason contests. Barron recorded 13 goals and 21 assists in 59 competitions during the regular season as Ottawa finished seventh in the Eastern Conference (26-34-8).
QMJHL
J.C. Beaudin (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies): The Huskies were eliminated in the second round of the QMJHL Playoffs after falling in seven games to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. J.C. Beaudin scored a marker in Game 7 and recorded 20 points (eight goals and 12 assists) in 13 playoff games. The forward put up 30 goals and 50 assists in 65 regular-season outings.
Nicolas Meloche (Charlottetown Islanders): The Charlottetown Islanders were eliminated in the QMJHL Semifinals after dropping four of five contests to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. Meloche finished the playoffs with seven points (three goals, four assists) in 13 matches after posting 47 points (16 goals, 31 assists) in 61 games during the regular season. Meloche began the year with the Gatineau Olympiques before being acquired in a trade with Charlottetown on Dec. 22.
WHL
Josh Anderson (Prince George Cougars): The Prince George Cougars were eliminated from the WHL Playoffs after losing in six games in the first round to the Portland Winterhawks. Prince George finished third in the Western Conference with a 45-21-6 record. Anderson competed in all six playoff matches, recording a plus-1 rating and 12 penalty minutes. He scored three tallies and contributed eight assists in 69 contests during the 2016-17 regular campaign.
NCAA
Will Butcher (University of Denver): Will Butcher and the University of Denver Pioneers won the 2017 NCAA National Championship. The Pioneers defeated Minnesota Duluth 3-2 in the final to bring home Denver's eighth national title. Butcher also won the 2017 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, given to college hockey's top player, and received first team All-American honors during his senior campaign. The defenseman recorded seven goals and led the team with 30 assists in 43 outings this year.
Tyson Jost (University of North Dakota): The University of North Dakota (21-16-3) concluded its season with a 4-3 double-overtime loss to Boston University in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Tyson Jost finished second on the team in points (35), goals (16-tied) and assists (19) in 33 contests. Jost, who was selected 10th overall in the 2016 NHL Draft, signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Colorado Avalanche on March 29. The forward made his NHL debut on March 31 and competed in the Avalanche's final six competitions. Jost scored his first NHL goal on April 6 against the Minnesota Wild at Pepsi Center.
Cam Morrison (University of Notre Dame): The University of Notre Dame finished the 2016-17 campaign with a 23-12-5 overall record. Cam Morrison and the team competed in the Frozen Four at the United Center in Chicago but lost 6-1 against the University of Denver in the national semifinals. Morrison scored the Fighting Irish's only goal in the semifinal match and finished the year with 11 goals and 12 assists in 39 contests.
Ben Storm (St. Cloud State University): St. Cloud State University finished the 2016-17 season 16-19-1 and lost in two games to North Dakota in the NCHC Quarterfinals. Ben Storm had one assist in the playoff seres and finished the season with a total of four helpers in 29 competitions. Storm signed an amateur tryout with the San Antonio Rampage on March 18 and made his professional debut on April 1.
Sweden
Gustav Olhaver (Rogle BK J20, Super Elit): Gustav Olhaver and Rogle BK concluded their season after losing their best-of-three playoff series 2-1 to HV71. Olhaver, who had one goal in the postseason, collected 15 goals and 23 assists in 38 contests during the regular season. He also played in 10 games with Rogle in the Swedish Hockey League, tallying an assist.
Adam Werner (Bjorkloven, Allsvenskan): Adam Werner and Bjorkloven did not make the playoffs after finishing the regular season in 11th place with a 20-26-6 record. Werner posted a 12-13 record and registered a 2.98 goals-against average, .892 save percentage and two shutouts in 25 matches this year.
Wilhelm Westlund (Timra IK, Allsvenskan): Wilhelm Westlund and Timra IK wrapped up the 2016-17 season after being eliminated from the Meca Hockey Race by IK Pantern. The defenseman finished with one tally and eight helpers during the regular season and had three points (one goal and two assists) in five postseason outings.
Slovakia
Maximilian Pajpach (HK Poprad, Slovak Extraliga): Maximilian Pajpach split time this season between HK Poprad of Slovak Extraliga and MHC Martin B in Slovakia's second-tier pro league. Pajpach had a 4.22 goals-against average and a .872 save percentage in nine games for Poprad. He also recorded a 7.05 goals-against average and a .828 save percentage in five contests with MHC Martin B and played in four games with Poprad's under-20 team, where he's registered a 3.41 goals-against average and .929 save percentage.
KHL
Denis Parshin (Salavat Yulaev Ufa): Denis Parshin and Salavat Yulaev Ufa finished the 2016-17 season with 88 points (27-20-13) and lost in five games against AK Bars in the East Conference Quarterfinals. Parshin had two assists in five postseason contests after recording 20 points (eight goals and 12 assists) in 53 regular-season outings.
Andrei Mironov (Dynamo Moscow): Andrei Mironov and Dynamo Moscow concluded the regular season with 112 points (39-16-5) and finished third in the West Conference. The club was eliminated from the KHL playoffs in four games by SKA Saint Petersburg in the West Conference Semifinals. Mironov had three assists in nine playoff games and scored one goal and three helpers in 18 regular-season matches.
High School
Nate Clurman (Culver Academy): Culver Academy went 3-1 in USA Hockeys U-18 Tier I National Championship. Nate Clurman registered a helper in the team's heartbreaking 3-2 loss to the Mid-Fairfield Chiefs in the semifinals. Clurman recorded six goals and 22 assists in 36 competitions this season.
Central Interior Hockey League
Luke Walker (Terrace River Kings): Luke Walker helped the Terrace River Kings win the Coy Cup in the Central Interior Hockey League in British Columbia. Walker led all players in postseason scoring with seven points (three goals and four assists) in five games after he recorded 24 points (12 goals and 12 assists) in 14 regular-season contests.