Avalanche Farm Report - May 15

Colorado Eagles (ECHL)

Game 1 on Saturday required overtime, but it took less than five minutes of extra time for the Eagles to secure the 3-2 win. Michael Joly capped the night with a hat trick, as he scored his third goal of the game at 3:25 of OT. Colorado Avalanche prospect J.C. Beaudin picked up the lone assist on the tally for his fifth helper of the postseason. Beaudin is tied for fourth in playoff scoring with 13 points (eight goals, five assists) after 11 games. Joe Cannata was between the pipes for the Eagles and made 23 saves to earn his ninth win of the postseason, most among goaltenders.
Game 2 on Sunday was decided by a similar 3-2 score, but this time in favor of the Komets. A late third-period tally by Nicolas Meloche, his first of the postseason, wasn't enough for the Eagles to rally from a two-goal deficit, as the teams now head to Fort Wayne with the series even at one game apiece. Cannata was again in net and made 27 saves in the effort. Beaudin did not play in the contest.
Colorado plays its next three games at Fort Wayne, and if it manages to win at least one contest in Indiana, the team will return home to host Game 6 next Tuesday, May 22.
Upcoming Games:
Game 3 - May 16 at Fort Wayne Komets
Game 4 - May 18 at Fort Wayne Komets
Game 5 - May 19 at Fort Wayne Komets
\Game 6 - May 22 vs. Fort Wayne Komets
\Game 7 - May 23 vs. Fort Wayne Komets
\if necessary*

OHL

Conor Timmins (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds): The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds' championship bid came up short as the team fell 5-4 to the Hamilton Bulldogs in Game 6 on Sunday, dropping the OHL final series 4-2. Conor Timmins missed the game due to what is being reported as a concussion.
The Greyhounds entered the week down 2-1 in the series but evened things up in Game 4 on Wednesday with a 3-2 win in overtime. The series transitioned back to Hamilton for Game 5 on Friday, with the Bulldogs taking a 6-4 victory and a 3-2 series lead. The Greyhounds attempted to knot the series in Game 6 back home on Sunday but couldn't force a decisive seventh game.
Timmins was held off the scoresheet in the two games he played this past week, but he still finished tied for first among OHL defensemen in the postseason with five goals and 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in 23 games. The third-year Greyhound set a new career high for goals with eight and tallied a total of 41 points (eight goals, 33 assists) in 36 contests during the regular season. He averaged 1.14 points per game, the highest of his OHL career and fourth among all league blueliners.

Timmins was also a member of Team Canada during the 2018 World Junior Championship in December and January and helped his country capture the gold medal in the tournament. Timmins tied for fourth among all defensemen with five points (one goal, four assists) in seven games and led the entire World Juniors in plus/minus with a plus-15 rating. He was also named one of the three best players on Canada.
The Colorado Avalanche's 32nd pick in the 2017 draft signed his three-year, entry-level contract with the club on March 2 and is expected to compete for an NHL roster spot this fall.

WHL

Josh Anderson (Swift Current Broncos): Josh Anderson helped the Swift Current Broncos capture their first WHL championship in 25 years with a 3-0 victory over the Everett Silvertips in Game 6 on Sunday. Anderson appeared in all 26 postseason games for the Broncos and notched two helpers.
Despite splitting Games 1 and 2 at home, Swift Current managed to take both Game 3 and 4 in Everett with a 3-2 overtime win on Tuesday and a close 1-0 victory on Wednesday, grabbing a 3-1 series advantage. The Silvertips bounced back in Game 5 with a 6-3 score on Friday to send the series back to Swift Current at 3-2, but they couldn't force a Game 7 as the Broncos went on to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions.
During the regular season, Anderson recorded 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) and a plus-7 rating in 54 games split between the Prince George Cougars and Swift Current. The D-man ranked fourth among Broncos defensemen in total goals, assists, points and plus/minus. He began the season with Prince George and registered a goal and six assists in 25 games with the Cougars before being acquired by Swift Current in a trade on Jan. 8.
With the Broncos winning the WHL championship, the club is one of the four teams that will compete at the 2018 Memorial Cup in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Broncos open the round-robin tournament against the QMJHL's Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Saturday. Swift Current will also face the OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs on Monday and then play the host Regina Pats on Wednesday, May 23.
Swift Current's Memorial Cup Schedule:
May 19 vs. Acadie-Bathurst
May 21 vs. Hamilton
May 23 vs. Regina
Nick Henry (Regina Pats): Nick Henry and the Regina Pats' season resumes on Friday as the club hosts the OHL champion Hamilton Bulldogs to start the 2018 Memorial Cup. Regina has an automatic bid to the 100th Memorial Cup as it is hosting the Canadian Hockey League championship tournament. The Pats will also play the QMJHL's Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Sunday and then the WHL's Swift Current Broncos on Wednesday, May 23, in round-robin action.

The Pats' WHL postseason ended in the first round, as they lost in seven games to the eventual WHL champion Broncos in early April. Henry tallied four points (three goals, one assist) in the series, and he notched a total of 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists) in 53 regular-season contests.
Regina's Memorial Cup Schedule:
May 18 vs. Hamilton
May 20 vs. Acadie-Bathurst
May 23 vs. Swift Current

2018 IIHF World Championships

Pavel Francouz (Czech Republic): Goaltender Pavel Francouz won all three contests he started to help the Czech Republic to five wins this week during the preliminary round of the IIHF World Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark.
On Tuesday, Francouz stopped 25 shots and turned aside all five of Team Switzerland's skaters in the shootout to capture a 5-4 victory. The netminder was back in action on Friday and made 21 saves to shutout Belarus 3-0. It was his second career World Championship clean slate.

The Czech Republic wrapped up its preliminary round against Austria on Monday with a 4-3 victory. Francouz made 24 saves in the winning effort, bringing his record to 4-0 in the tournament with a 2.21 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage.
The Czechs also defeated Russia 4-3 in overtime on Thursday and France 6-0 on Sunday. They finished third in Group A and will now move on to the eight-team playoff after having a 3-3-0-1 record (15 points) in pool play.
The Czech Republic will face the United States, which finished second in Group B, in the quarterfinals on Thursday.