Today's Future Flyers Report focuses on several prospects reaching third-round play in the CHL playoffs, while the Phantoms ended their season in dismal fashion and the Royals began their own playoff push.
Juniors:
All three Flyers prospects in the Western League have advanced to conference championship play, with Travis Sanheim, Radel Fazleev and the Calgary Hitmen taking on the Brandon Wheat Kings, while Tyrell Goulbourne's Kelowna Rockets will host Portland. Both series are set to begin on Friday. The Hitmen and Rockets each dispatched their opponents in a swift five games.
Meanwhile in the QMJHL, Samuel Morin and the Rimouski Océanic have advanced to the semi-final after a five-game dismantling of Gatineau. Morin finished the series scoreless with 18 penalty minutes, and his plus-9 rating in the playoffs so far places fifth in the league. The Océanic will face the winner of the Halifax/Moncton series, which will conclude with tonight's Game 7.
Nicolas Aubé-Kubel and the Val-d'Or Foreurs will close out their series with Baie-Comeau in Game 7 tonight on home ice, as the Foreurs have fought all the way from a 3-0 series deficit. Aubé-Kubel has a goal and three assists so far. A win in tonight's seventh game would pit the Foreurs against the Remparts in semi-final action.
American League:
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms sputtered in their final weekend of 2014-15 play, falling 4-2 to Norfolk on Friday, 5-1 to Hershey on Saturday and 5-1 to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Sunday. Friday's game — the team's last in Norfolk, due to the team's upcoming relocation to California — saw Nick Cousins and Scott Laughton score, with a 40-save performance by Rob Zepp.
Brett Hextall and Oliver Lauridsen each scored the team's lone goals on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, while Anthony Stolarz recorded a 39-save-on-44-shot effort in the loss to the Bears, while Zepp returned on Sunday to save 30 pucks on 35 shots.
Subsequently, the Phantoms ended their inaugural season in the Lehigh Valley at 33-35-7-1 with 74 points — finishing under the .500 mark for the third-consecutive season, and fifth time in the last six seasons. Akeson's 23 goals led the team, while Cousins took the overall lead in points with 56 (22 goals, 34 assists).
ECHL:
The Reading Royals are currently tied 1-1 in their first-round playoff series with South Carolina, falling 2-1 in double overtime on Friday and winning 4-2 on Saturday. Maxim Lamarche scored the team's lone goal in Friday's thriller, while Connor Knapp saved 37 of 39 pucks.
J0rdan Heywood scored twice in Saturday's win, while Brandon Alderson and Ryan Cruthers also scored. Returning to the crease, Knapp made 33 saves on 35 shots.
The series now shifts back to Reading, with Games 3, 4 and 5 scheduled for Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Friday's Future Flyers Report will keep you updated on the series' crucial third game.
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
