Allen vs Tahoe Series Preview, Stats on Last Game of Series, ECHL 10 and 15 Goal Scorers and More

 

It's game day for the Allen Americans as they begin yet another three games in three days. Unlike the last 3-in-3 when the Americans played in three different cities, the team will be nice and cozy all weekend in their hotel and casino, right by the Tahoe Blue Event Center.

 

- The Tahoe Knight Monsters are in their second ECHL season and have been a success from the get-go. In season one (2024-25), Tahoe finished #3 in the Mountain Division and beat Wichita 4-0 in the first round of the Kelly Cup playoffs, before losing to Kansas City in round two. This season, the Knight Monsters are in third place in the division with 35 points and a points percentage of .583. Allen is in fourth place with 31 points and a points percentage of .574. Allen has three games in hand over Tahoe.

 

- Another dynamic in play in this series is Zawyer Sports consults on operations for the Tahoe Knight Monsters. Tim Tebow, former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner, is a minority owner of the Tahoe franchise. Given Allen's history with Zawyer Sports, you know owner Myles Jack would love to see the Americans win this series. 

 

- The game tonight will be the first of five games against Tahoe this season. After the three games in Tahoe this weekend, the Americans won't see Tahoe again until they visit Allen at the end of the season (April 10 & 11).

 

 

- Here are some comparison stats between Allen and Tahoe:

• Allen's record is 14-10-3-0, Tahoe's is 16-11-1-2. 
• Allen is 7-3-0-0 over the last 10 games, Tahoe is 3-5-0-2.
• Allen is 6-6-2-0 on the road, Tahoe is 8-6-0-1 at home.
• Allen's goal differential is +8 (93-85), Tahoe's is +9 (108-99).
• Allen's team plus/minus is +20, Tahoe's is +13.
• Allen's team save percentage is .916, Tahoe's is .913.

 

- Here are more statistical comparisons between the two teams.

• Goals scored average: Allen (3.4) - Tahoe (3.6)
• Goals allowed average: Allen (3.1) - Tahoe (3.3)
• Shots for average: Allen (31.7) - Tahoe (32.7)
• Shots against average: Allen (37.4) - Tahoe (37.4)
• Power play percentage: Allen (18.9%) - Tahoe (24.7%)
• Penalty kill percentage: Allen (85.8%) - Tahoe (81.9%)

 

- Allen might catch a break in this series. Tahoe's top player, Sloan Stanick, has been recalled to the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL) and may miss this series. Stanick is the reigning ECHL Rookie of the Year, and leads Tahoe in points (34), goals (15), assists (19), points per game (1.17), shots (119), shorthanded goals (2), and first goals (6). He will definitely be missed if he isn't available. Tahoe played shorthanded in Rapid City on New Year's Eve, with only 15 skaters, and also used an EBUG. They could be playing shorthanded again tonight.

 

 

- Based on the outcome of the game on Wednesday, I expect Allen's lineup to be the same tonight except for Marco Costantini in goal. Marco leads the ECHL in games (17), minutes played (1002), and saves (601). I will post the lineups on Facebook and X later this afternoon.   

 

 

- Scoring first is key to any game, as the team that scores first wins almost 75% of the points. Allen is at the low end of the league, scoring first in 44% of its games. Tahoe is at the top of the league, scoring first in 63% of its games. However, the results when they score first are very different. Allen has scored first 12 times and has a record of 9-1-2-0 (.833). Tahoe has scored first 19 times and has a record of 10-7-1-1 (.579). 

 

 

- A good start will be key in this series. Neither team has a good record when trailing, but Tahoe doesn't trail as much as Allen. Goals by period are very telling. Allen has a negative goal differential in the first period (-5), scoring 23 goals and allowing 28. Tahoe has a first-period goal differential of +13, scoring 34 goals and allowing only 21. Tahoe has a -7 goal differential in the third period, scoring 31 goals and allowing 38. Allen has a +7 third-period goal differential, scoring 33 goals and allowing 26. The first period will very likely tell the story of this game. Can Allen avoid having to play from behind? If they weather the storm in the first period, the Americans will be fine. Tahoe has led after the first period in over half of its games. Allen's record when trailing after the first period is 1-9-1-0. 

 

 

- Allen's power play has been much better recently. even though the team is ranked #13 (18.9%). The Americans have a power play goal in their last five games, going 7-16 (43.8%). The penalty kill has been much worse recently than the team's #5 ranking of 85.8%. How bad has the penalty kill been? From October 31 to December 17, Allen gave up seven power-play goals. In the last three games, the Americans have given up five power-play goals, going 5-12, a penalty kill percentage of 58.3%.

 

 

- Allen's penalty kill will be challenged in this series. Tahoe has the second-ranked power play in the league (24.7%) and has scored 24 power play goals in 30 games. You add in the six shorthanded goals Tahoe has scored (Allen has just one), and the Knight Monsters average one special teams goal per game. 

 

 

- If you are looking for players to watch in this series, you could name half of the Allen players. The Americans have won six of their last seven games. In those six wins, Allen never scored fewer than five goals and averaged 5.5 goals per game. For Tahoe, players to watch include Sloan Stanick (#92) if he gets reassigned back to Tahoe (which I doubt). Devon Paliani (#65) has five points (3G, 2A) and 23 shots in his last three games, so he is on fire. Defenseman Seth Myers (#95) leads all ECHL defensmen with eight goals.  

 

 

 

- Tahoe has struggled after a great start to the season, and Allen is just the opposite, struggling early but has been much improved recently. Here are the December records for both teams:  

 

Tahoe: 3-5-0-2 (.400)

Allen: 8-3-0-0 (.727)

 

Allen has won four straight series, and if they continue playing the way they have in December, the Americans will have a great chance to win this series. 

 

 

 

- The game tonight will use the two-referee system. Brendan Schreider (#12) worked the Allen game solo on New Year's Eve. He will be joined by Sydney Harris (#16) tonight.  

 

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 

- I have heard Coach Martinson talk recently about how the impact of being in top shape shows up at the end of a series.  How has Allen done in these situations?

 

• December 17-21 - lost to Kansas City after winning the first three games of a 4-in-5.
• December 11-13 - beat Rapid City in game three after splitting the first two games.
• December 3-6 - lost to Utah in game three after winning the first two games. (at home)
• November 26-29 - lost to Utah in game three after winning the first two games. (road games).
• November 18-21 - lost to Idaho in game three after losing the first two games.

It will be interesting to see how the Americans fare in the final game of this series against Tahoe and next week when Allen plays Wichita four games in five days. 

 

 

 

- Here is the game preview issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/01/game-day-preview-americans-open-2026-in-nevada  

 

 

 

- There are 14 games scheduled around the ECHL tonight. I would say the highlight game will be Fort Wayne, the #2 team in the Central Division, visiting Kansas City, the #2 team in the Mountain Division in a cross-division rivalry. 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about 10 and 15 goals scorers:

 

Here are the number of players who have scored 10 or more goals this season for each ECHL team:

 

4: ATL, IDH, SC, TAH

3: ALN

2: BLM, FW, ORL, RC, TOL

1: CIN, FLA, IA, KAL, KC, REA, TUL, UTA, WIC

0: ADK, GSO, GVL, IND, JAX, MNE, NOR, SAV, TR, WHL, WOR

 

 

If you look at players with 15 or more goals, that club is very small, just five members:

 

16 goals - Brendan Hoffman, Idaho

15 goals - Brandon Hawkins, Toledo

15 goals - Sloan Stanick, Tahoe

15 goals - Spencer Kersten, Orlando

15 goals - Reed Lebster, Utah

 

 

  

 

Allen Comes Back from 3-1 Deficit, Wins 8-4, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson Comments, PIMs Down Again, Stats and More

 

Allen Americans fans got to witness a rarity at the CUTX Event Center last night in Allen's 8-4 win over Tulsa. The last time the Americans scored eight goals at home was over five years ago. You would think an 8-4 game would be a one-sided affair, but quite the contrary. It looked like rust winning out over rest (Allen hadn't played a game in 10 days), when Tulsa took a 3-1 lead early in the second period. 

 

 The game changed when Chase Maxwell left the ice in pain in the second period after being checked on a play where there was no call by the referee. This happened shortly after Tulsa took a 3-1 lead. From that point to the end of the second period, the Americans outshot Tulsa 13-2 and scored four goals. (9:46, 15:33, 16:51, 18.40). Allen took a 5-3 lead into the third period, and a win was pretty much assured. The Americans haven't lost a game all season when leading after the second period (10-0-0-0), and Tulsa hasn't won a game all season when trailing after the second period (0-14-0-0).

 

Here are what the stats say about the game:

• 12 Allen players had points in the game, 7 had goals, and 10 had assists.
• Colton Hargrove, Hank Crone, and Colby McAuley each had a goal and two assists.
• Allen scored the 1st goal and improved its record when scoring 1st to 9-1-2-0 (.833).
• Allen was 2-2 on the power play and has power-play  goals in the last five games. The Americans have improved their power play percentage to 18.9% (ranked #13).
• Allen was 2-4 on the penalty kill and has given up five power play goals (5-12) in the last three games. Allen has had the top penalty kill percentage for weeks, once averaging over 90%. After last night, the penalty kill has lost its #1 spot. The power play percentage is down to 85.8%, and is ranked #5.
• Sam Sedley had two assists in the game to extend his assist streak to six games and point streak to nine games. Both are the longest streaks in the league this season.
• Brayden Watts had an assist to extend his points streak to eight games, the second-longest streak in the league.
• With the win, Allen has now won 6 of the last 7 games, 8 of the previous 11, and 10 of the previous 14 games. The Americans' points percentage has improved from .423 to .574 in the last five weeks. 

 

- Goals scorers for Allen were Hargrove (5), Katic (10), Blaisdell (9, 10), McAuley (6), Prefontaine (1), Crone (7), Warmuth (4). Here are the video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/tulsa-oilers-vs-allen-americans-dec-31-2025   

 

- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2025/12/game-recap-americans-blast-oilers-8-4   

 

- Next up for the Americans is a three-game series against the Tahoe Knight Monsters on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The team didn't have much time to celebrate the win or New Year's Eve, as the bus was leaving for the airport around 9:30 am this morning. It will be a challenging three games for the Americans against a team ahead of them in the standings. Allen has won every series they have been in since Thanksgiving. If the Americans can take two of three games in Tahoe, they will pass the Knight Monsters in points percentage. 

 

- Coach Martinson's post-game chat with season ticket holders was one of those you had to be there type chats. He covered several topics, both serious and light-hearted, not meant for the blog. Here is some of what Martinson had to say about the win:

"It was nice to have a little fun on the bench tonight after all that has gone on the past week."

"When we were down 3-1 and getting outshot almost 2 to 1, I was thinking, how can this week get any worse. It was a nice comeback and great to see a bunch of guys contributing and all the lines involved." 

"It was fun seeing all those guys score tonight, and we had some good hits as well. Anania and LaDonne both had some nice checks."

"Murray has a nagging injury that has been bothering him, so he will stay home. Otherwise, everyone will go on the trip to Tahoe."  

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- I haven't heard or seen any information about the ECHL rescheduling the 41 games that were postponed during the strike. From what I can tell, no teams have announced rescheduled games. It makes you wonder if the season might need to be extended to fit in all of these games. 

 

- Since Allen's turnaround started 14 games ago, one of the reasons is more balanced scoring. Here are the leading goal scorers over the last 14 games. Goals scored in the last four games are in parentheses:

• 7 goals - Katic (5)
• 7 goals - Blaisdell (3)
• 6 goals - Asuchak (2)
• 6 goals - Watts (2)
• 6 goals - McAuley (1)
• 5 goals - Crone (1)
• 4 goals - Hargrove (2)  

   

- Allen's team plus/minus is +20, but that hides how good the plus/minus has been recently. Last night, the plus/minus was +19. In the 6-0 win in Tulsa just before the Christmas break, the team's plus/minus was +25. A month ago, it was -63. 

 

- Allen's goal scoring has improved recently. The Americans have averaged 5.00 goals per game over the last seven games. Some Allen players are among the league leaders in points: 

• Brayden Watts is #13 in the league in points (26 points)
• Sam Sedley is #6 among defensemen in points (20 points) 
• Andre Anania is #15 among defensemen in points (15 points) 

 

- There are 36 ECHL players with 10 or more goals, led by Brendan Hoffman (Idaho) with 16. Allen has three: Brayden Watts (11), Danny Katic (10), and Harrison Blaisdell (10). Only three teams have more 10+ goal scorers than Allen. Atlanta, Idaho, and Tahoe have four players with 10 or more goals. FYI, there are 11 ECHL teams with no 10-goal scorers.

 

- Here is the odd stat of the day. Allen scored eight goals at home last night for the first time in over five years, but the Americans have scored eight goals on the road many times. Here are all of the eight-goal games since Allen scored eight goals at home. Plus, the dates of back-to-back eight-goal games against Kansas City.

• 12/31/2025: 8-4 win over Tulsa at home
• 03/02/2024: 8-4 win at Wichita
• 02/24/2023: 8-5 win at Utah
• 02/04.2023: 8-1 win at Utah
• 03/18/2022: 8-5 win in Wichita
• 01/16/2022: 8-0 win in Tulsa
• 01/20/2020: 8-0 win over Kansas City at home
• 01/18/2020: 8-2 win in Kansas City 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats page today is about penalty minutes. FYI, in 2014-15, when Allen won its first Kelly Cup, the Americans led the ECHL with 1644 penalty minutes, averaging 22.83 minutes per game. 

 

402 games (37%) into the 2025-26 season, and average penalty minutes per game are down again, ranging from 15.33 (Trois Rivières) to 9.00 (Toledo): Here are the ECHL average penalty minutes over time:

 

12.36: 2025-26

12.63: 2024-25

13.06: 2023-24

13.98: 2022-23

16.07: 2014-15

18.50: 2009-10

21.45: 2006-07

 

 

In 2006-07, there were 25 teams in the ECHL. 16 of the 25 teams averaged over 20 penalty minutes per game. Penalty minutes ranged from 27.67 (Alaska) to 16.72 (Johnstown).

The least penalized team in 2006-07 averaged more penalty minutes (16.72) than the most penalized team in 2025-26 (15.33).

 

Allen vs Tulsa NYE Preview, Tonight's Lineup, All-Time NYE Results, One Special NYE Game, Division Standings and More

 

It has been a while since the Allen Americans played a hockey game. It was, in fact, on December 21 in Kansas City when Allen had its five-game win streak snapped by the Mavericks. Since that last game, there has been a Christmas break, an ECHL strike, and several roster changes. The Americans restart the hockey season tonight (6:10 pm CST) against Tulsa, aiming to improve on their 7-3-0-0 record over the last 10 games, which currently ranks as the fourth-best in the ECHL. Here is the current Allen roster:

 

Goalies

• #33 - Marco Costantini  
• #32 - David Tendeck 

Defensemen

• #86 - Andre Anania
• #22 - Anthony Costantini
• #21 - Jackson Decker 
• #25 - Trevor LaDonne 
• #28 - Troy Murray
• #8 - Ty Prefontaine 
• #43 - Matt Register 
• #23 - Sam Sedley
• #6 - Braidan Simmons-Fischer 
• #2 - Quinn Warmuth 

Forwards

• #26 - Spencer Asuchak 
• #18 - Harrison Blaisdell 
• #11 - Thomas Caron
• #67 - Hank Crone
• #91 - Michael Gildon
• #14 - Kevin Gursoy 
• #7 - Colton Hargrove
• #9 - Danny Katic 
• #19 - Chase Maxwell 
• #92 - Colby McAuley 
• #77 - Brad Morrison 
• #29 - Brayden Watts

 

Here is the lineup tonight. David Tendeck gets the start in goal after his 42-save shutout in his last outing against Tulsa (December 20). Coach Martinson always talks about having four lines that can all score. That is definitely the case with this lineup. 

 

Forwards

9 Katic - 19 Maxwell - 77 Morrison 

26 Asuchak - 29 Watts - 18 Blaisdell  

67 Crone - 91 Gildon - 11 Caron    

92 McAuley - 7 Hargrove - #14 Gursoy 

 

Defense

86 Anania - 23 Sedley  

8 Prefontaine - 2 Warmuth  

25 LeDonne - 6 Simmons-Fischer

 

32 Tendeck

33 Costantini (backup)

 

 

 

- The game tonight will be the seventh of 15 games against Tulsa this season. The teams have split the six previous games, Tulsa winning the first three and Allen winning the last three. Here are the head-to head stat totals:

• Allen outscored Tulsa 22-17.
• Shots were almost even 203-204.
• Allen was 0-13 on the power play in the first 3 games, 3-10 (30%) in the last 3 games.
• Tulsa was 1-9 (11.1%) in the first three games, 1-5 (20%) in the last three games. 

 

 

- Here are some comparison stats between Allen and Tulsa:

• Allen is 7-3-0-0 over the last 10 games, Tulsa is 2-8-0-0.
• Allen is 7-4-1-0 at home, Tulsa is 4-7-0-0 on the road.
• Allen's goal differential is +4 (85-81), Tulsa's is -36 (67-103).
• Allen's team plus/minus is +1, Tulsa's is -158.
• Allen's team save percentage is .917, Tulsa's is .892.

 

- Here is the more traditional statistical comparison between the two teams.

• Goals scored average: Allen (3.3) - Tulsa (2.6)
• Goals allowed average: Allen (3.1) - Tulsa (4.0)
• Shots for average: Allen (31.7) - Tulsa (33.4)
• Shots against average: Allen (37.6) - Tulsa (36.5)
• Power play percentage: Allen (17.2%) - Tulsa (22.4%)
• Penalty kill percentage: Allen (87.3%) - Tulsa (78.1%)

 

- Special teams are always a big key to any series, but the contrast between Allen and Tulsa is striking when you look at the stats above. Allen has the ECHL's #1-ranked penalty kill; Tulsa's is ranked #23. The power play stats are the opposite. Tulsa is ranked #5, while Allen is ranked #21. In their six head-to-head match up, Allen was 3-23 (13.0%) on the power play, Tulsa was 2-14 (14.3%). Both teams will have power play opportunities tonight. Allen is ranked #9 in penalty minutes (364) and has taken 122 minor penalties. Tulsa is ranked #5 in penalty minutes (379) and has taken 117 minor penalties. Tulsa actually has more five-minute major penalties than Allen (13-10). 

 

- Both teams are below average in scoring the first goal of the game. Allen has scored first in only 42% of its games (11-26), but has an excellent record when they do score first, 8-1-2-0 (.818). Tulsa has scored first in 38% of its games and has a record of 6-4-0-0 (.600) when scoring first.

 

- The keys to the game for Allen are continuing to play like they did before the Christmas break. The Americans gave up six goals against Kansas City in their last game, but that is understandable after playing four games in five days, including three games in three different cities in three days. In the five games before the Kansas City loss, the Americans gave up a total of six goals (1.2) per game. In those same five games, Allen scored 25 goals (5.0 per game. 

A good start, speed through the neutral zone, and special teams excellence will get the Americans back on the winning track tonight.    

 

- The two Allen players who have been outstanding in the six games against Tulsa are Danny Katic (5G, 6A), averaging 1.83 points per game, and Brayden Watts (6G, 2A), averaging a goal per game, including a hat trick.

 

- The game tonight will be a one-referee game, which will be worked by Brendan Schreider (#12). The linesmen will be Antoine Bujold-Roux (#72) and Trent Williams (#38). According to my records, Schreider has not worked an Allen game this season.  

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- The new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the ECHL and PHPA was made official yesterday. Both organizations issued press releases. There was a hefty increase in the salary cap, which, from what I understand, is now in effect. The new CBA has not been published yet, but that should be available soon, and when it is, I will provide the details.  

 

-  A New Year's Eve game at home is a tradition in Allen. I say tradition because in 15 of the 17 years since the franchise was established (counting tonight), the Americans have played a New Year's Eve (NYE) game at home. In 2009-10, Allen played on the road, and in 2015-16, they did not play on NYE, but every other season, the Americans have played at home, including a 6-2 loss to Idaho last year. In the first seven NYE games, Allen was 7-0. The next four years, the Americans were 0-4. The overall NYE record is 9-6. Here are the all-time NYE results: 

• 2024-25 - Lost to Idaho at home 6-2 
• 2023-24 - Beat Idaho at home 5-4
  
• 2022-23 - Lost to Wichita at home 7-3
• 2021-22 - Beat Idaho at home 4-1 
• 2020-21 - Lost to Wichita at home 7-2
• 2019-20 - Lost to Idaho at home 6-5
• 2018-19 - Lost to Tulsa at home 3-1
• 2017-18 - Lost to Wichita at home 4-2
• 2016-17 - Beat Utah at home 8-4
• 2015-16 - Did Not Play
• 2014-15 - Beat Rapid City at home 5-3
• 2013-14 - Beat Wichita at home 5-3
• 2012-13 - Beat Quad City at home 4-0
• 2011-12 - Beat Laredo at home 3-2
• 2010-11 - Beat Tulsa at home 10-1
• 2009-10 - Beat Wichita on road 3-1

 

- It is always fun to get in the "way back machine" and remember games from the past. Wouldn't it be nice to replicate the 2010 NYE game tonight, which was a 10-1 drubbing against Tulsa. Here are some highlights from that game:

• Allen outshot Tulsa 47-19
• Dave Bonk had six points, including a hat trick (3G, 3A).
• Judd Blackwater also has six points (1G, 5A).
• In the second period, Tulsa coach Bruce Ramsay, (currently the coach in Wichita) received a bench minor for disputing a call, followed by a game misconduct for abuse of officials. 
• The lone goal by Tulsa in that game was scored by one of the three players who have their numbers retired in the rafters in Allen, Chad Costello. Also on that Tulsa team was one of the other players with his number retired in Allen, Gary Steffes. If that isn't enough Allen greats playing in that NYE game, Jack Combs was also on that team. 

 

- It is a busy schedule around the ECHL tonight with 12 games on the schedule. Seven of eight Mountain Division teams will be in action; Idaho is idle. Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews. https://echl.com/news/2025/12/echl-today-dec-31     

 

 

 

-  Carter Savoie, whom Coach Martinson traded to Greenville to acquire Hank Crone, has left the Swamp Rabbits to play in Europe. Savoie was Greenville's leading scorer. He has been suspended by the team to protect his ECHL rights.

 

 

 

- If you track transactions in Ottawa, you saw the Senators' top goalie, Linus Ullmark, is taking an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons. Leevi Merilainen, who played 13 games in Allen (2023-24), will be stepping in as the primary goaltender. Hunter Shepard was recalled from Belleville to serve as backup in Ottawa. That leaves Belleville with two goalies, one of them being Jackson Parsons. Bottom line is don't look for Parsons to be loaned to Allen anytime soon.  

 

 

- Here are the ECHL standings as 2026 approaches. Games played are in parentheses. The division remains very tight, especially from third place to seventh place. 

 

• .692 - Kansas City (26 games)
• .672 - Idaho (29 games)
• .586 - Tahoe (29 games)
• .558 - Allen (26 games)
• .500 - Wichita (26 games)
• .481 - Rapid City (27 games)
• .481 - Utah (27 games)
• .346 - Tulsa (26 games) 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about players with the highest percentage of their team's goals. Allen's leader is Brayden Watts, who has scored 12.9% of Allen's goals. 

ECHL players with the highest percentage of their team’s goals this season: 

 

21.7% - Spencer Kersten, Orlando*

17.9% - Easton Armstrong, Tulsa

16.9% - Brandon Hawkins, Toledo

16.1% - Reed Lebster, Utah

15.9% - Jack O’Brien, Iowa

15.7% - Eddie Matsushima. Bloomington

15.5% - Ryan Kirwan, Cincinnati

15.2% - Brendan Hoffman, Idaho

 

*Kersten has scored 15 of Orlando’s 69 goals.

 

Sticks Down, Wallets Up - ECHL Hockey Hits the Brakes

 

I am sure many of you have spent the last two days reading everything you can find about the strike that has ground the ECHL to a halt. It is challenging to distinguish fact from fiction and opinion, and I certainly don't have the answers. I am not sure where to start, so this information may be rambling, but here goes.

 

- In my opinion, the reason both sides are at a stalemate in reaching an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is that the owners have decided their best and final offer is just that, and the financial viability of some teams in the league is at risk. The PHPA, representing the players, feels just as strongly that the owners' offer is not enough. That difference of opinion is what has led to this strike. 

 

- Here is the latest public statement from the ECHL on the negotiations: https://echl.com/CBA 

- Here is the public statement from the PHPA on negotiations: https://phpa.com/news/3215   

  

- In addition to working on the agreement for a new CBA, the ECHL teams are in the process of putting together teams to continue playing. From what I understand, these teams could be a combination of NHL/AHL contracted players assigned to the ECHL, and replacement players from Europe, SPHL, FPHL or free agents. The unknown factor is how many, if any, players from current rosters will decide to continue playing. 

Here are more details from my ECHL Stats post today: The ECHL intends to play as many scheduled games as possible during this players’ strike. If two scheduled teams can roster enough players (minimum 13 skaters & 2 goalies), games will be played as scheduled. If not, games will be postponed. Based on this approach, you can expect most, if not all, games scheduled today will be postponed. ECHL coaches/general managers are scrambling to sign enough replacement players to supplement rostered players who choose to play, to avoid postponing games. There are 69 games on the ECHL schedule over the next eight days.

According to the ECHL website, all 15 scheduled games today have been postponed.

 

- One question I have seen asked several times, but can't find an answer to, is whether the players have voted on the latest offer from the ECHL. I know the players voted a while back to give the PHPA the right to call a strike. That is a different question than whether the players have voted on the "last and final" offer from the owners. 

 

- Another topic of conversation that I see discussed concerning the striking players is vacating their housing. What I have heard (not confirmed) is that all striking players received a letter telling them they must vacate their housing. However, this is complicated because state laws vary significantly in how quickly striking employees can be removed from company housing. It can be as few as three days in low-protection states, to as high as months in high-protection states. As you might expect, Texas falls into the low-protection category.

 

- Coach Martinson has been busy during the Christmas break talking to players about coming to Allen. He will sign some players who will be on the roster after the strike is over, and others who will compete for jobs after the strike is over. He will also get some help from all his contacts in the FPHL and some fill-in local players if necessary. Martinson has a tough task as he does not have the base of NHL/AHL contracted players that many other teams have. Allen is scheduled to play Tulsa at home on New Year's Eve, and Martinson expects to field a team for that game. Martinson also expects Tulsa will be able to field a team on Wednesday, so the NYE game should be played. 

 

- Obviously, the best-case scenario is that the ECHL and PHPA come to an agreement today or tomorrow, and all of this contingency planning is unnecessary. It doesn't mean there won't be some residual effects from the strike. I will take the optimistic view that somehow and someway a deal gets done. The fans and all the businesses/employees that rely on ECHL games deserve that outcome.                     

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: This is technically not the first strike in the history of the ECHL. In the summer of 1994, the players' association went on strike over wages and benefits. The strike was resolved when the ECHL and its players reached an agreement on a new CBA in September, just before the new season was about to begin.  

Allen Win Streak Snapped, Game Recap, Video Highlights, C'MON MAN, Allen's Record Against Division, Hat Trick Sunday and More

 

I don't think it was a surprise to anyone that Allen ran out of gas on Sunday afternoon and lost to the Kansas City Mavericks 6-2. The loss snapped the Americans' five-game winning streak as the team heads into the Christmas break. Allen is not scheduled to play again until Friday when they visit Wichita.

 

- It wasn't just the four games in five days that made this week the most brutal stretch of games all season. It was the fact that Allen played three games in three days in three different cities. Friday night in Allen, Saturday night in Tulsa, and Sunday afternoon in Kansas City. Saying four games played in five days is a misnomer. The Americans actually played four games in under four days. From puck drop on Wednesday (7:10 pm) until the final horn on Sunday (6:39 pm) was less than four days, it was 95 hours and 25 minutes.

 It is even more ridiculous if you look at the three games over the weekend. From the opening puck drop in Allen on Friday night (7:21 pm) until the final horn on Sunday (6:39 pm) in Kansas City is actually less than two days (47:18), with 500 miles of bus time added in for good measure. Three games in 48 hours, in three cities, including nine hours of bus time, is cruel and unusual punishment, C'MON MAN!

 

- There wasn't much to like about the 6-2 loss in Kansas City, but there were a couple of bright spots. Here is a mix of the good and mostly bad from the stat sheet:

• Allen gave up the first goal for the 15th time in 26 games (58%)
• Allen was outshot 11-4 and outscored 1-0 in the first period.
• Allen fell behind 3-0 early in the 2nd period.
• Allen showed some fight, scoring two goals in the 2nd period (Hargrove's 4th and Asuchak's 7th) to cut the score to 3-2 going into the third period.
• Kansas City scored three goals in the third period, two of them 34 seconds apart, to blow the game open for a final score of 6-2.
• Allen was outshot in every period for a total of 41-27.
• Allen scored two power play goals (2-3) for the first time since November 1st. Allen's power play percentage improved to 17.7%.
• Allen's penalty kill surrendered two power play goals (2-6) for the first time in a month. The penalty kill remains the best in the league, but the percentage has dropped to 87.3%.
• Allen trailed 3-2 after the second period. Kansas City's record when leading after the second period is a perfect 13-0-0-0. 

 

- If you are interested in more details, here is the game recap issued by the  Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2025/12/game-recap-americans-fall-on-sunday-in-kc  

 

- Here are the video highlights with all of the goals and some great saves by both goalies: https://echl.com/videos/allen-americans-vs-kansas-city-mavericks-dec-21-2025  

 

 OTHER COMMENTS

- The Allen season is now 36% complete, and the Americans are in fourth place in the Mountain Division by points (29) and points percentage (.558). Allen has played 26 games so far. The Americans got off to a poor start. Allen's record in the first 13 games was 4-6-3-0 (.423). In the last 13 games, Allen's record was 9-4-0-0 (.692). Here is Allen's record against the other Mountain Division teams:

• 2-0-0-0: Wichita
• 4-1-1-0: Rapid City
• 4-2-0-0: Utah
• 3-2-1-0: Tulsa
• 0-0-0-0: Tahoe
• 0-2-1-0: Idaho
• 0-3-0-0: Kansas City

You can see there is a clear demarcation in the record of the three teams ahead of Allen in the standings (0-5-1-0) versus those teams below Allen in the standings (13-5-2-0). Going forward, Allen will have to do better against the top teams in the division. Also, remember nine of the Americans' final 20 games in the season will be against teams outside the Mountain Division (Norfolk, South Carolina, and Greensboro). This is another group Allen will have to play well against. 

 

- Here are the Allen players who show up as stat leaders on the ECHL Daily Report:

• Brayden Watts - #12 overall in points (25)
• Sam Sedley - #1 overall in power play assists (12)
• Sam Sedley - #4 overall in power play points (12)
• Sam Sedley - #8 in points by a defenseman (18)
• Andre Anania - #12 in points by a defenseman (15) 
• Marco Costantini - #1 in minutes played (1002)
• Marco Costantini - #1 in saves (556)   

 

- Only four ECHL teams have won seven or more of their last 10 games, and they come from just two divisions. Here are the top teams over the last 10 games:

• 9-1-0-0: Florida
• 8-1-1-0: Idaho
• 8-2-0-0: Atlanta
• 7-3-0-0: Allen 

 

- Not very often do you find a defenseman as a team's leading scorer. Here are four that currently lead or are tied for the team lead in scoring.  

• Jalen Smereck, Fort Wayne: 22 points (4G, 18A)
• Marcus Crawford, Kansas City: 26 points (4G, 22A)
• Ben Zloty, Norfolk: 20 points (4G, 16A)
• Dennis Cesana, Savannah: 17 points (3G, 14A) 

 

- Unless there is some breaking news regarding the ECHL/PHPA contract negotiations, the next blog post will be on Friday. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Before yesterday, 6% of ECHL games this season included a hat trick. There were 23 hat-tricks in 383 games. Yesterday defied all of the odds as it was a hat-trick Sunday! There were six games on the schedule, and four of them (67%) included a hat trick. And some of the hat tricks were special. Here are the details:

 

- Spencer Kersten scored all four goals in Orlando’s 4-0 road win over South Carolina.

 

- Louis Boudon scored all three goals in Atlanta’s 3-1 win over Greenville. 

 

- Justin Taylor, the ECHL’s all-time leader in games played, scored a hat trick in Adirondack’s 7-3 win over Norfolk.

 

Danny Dzhanyiev scored his second hat trick of the season in Utah’s 7-4 road win over Tulsa.

 

 

In addition to the four hat tricks, three players scored two goals:

 

Hudson Elynuik - Florida

Evan Friesen - Utah

Justin Janicke - Kansas City

 

Some great performances as the ECHL heads into its Christmas break. No games are scheduled from today until Friday (26th).

  

Allen Sweeps Tulsa With Shutout, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson Comments, Allen vs KC Preview, Allen's Past Win Streaks, Plus/Minus Stats and More

  

It didn't take long for the Allen Americans to dispatch the Tulsa Oilers last night before a big crowd of 10,322 at the BOK Center. Three first-period goals and the game was essentially over. The Americans added three more goals in the second period to add insult to injury. The only question remaining was what the final score would be, and whether the team would preserve a shutout for David Tendeck, who was making his first start since December 11. The final score was 6-0.

 

- Here are some statistical highlights:

• David Tendeck had a 42-shot shutout. It was the second-highest shot total in an ECHL shutout this season. 
• Allen's 6-0 shutout was the highest scoring shutout in the ECHL this season.  
• Spencer Asuchak scored the game-winning goal. His third game-winning goal in the last four games.
• Chase Maxwell scored his first professional goal.
• Sam Sedley had a goal and an assist to extend his point streak to seven games. It is the longest active point streak in the league.
• Brayden Watts scored a goal to extend his point streak to six games. Watts has scored five goals in the last eight games. His six-game streak is the third longest in the ECHL right now.
• Allen won its fifth straight game. That is the second-longest active streak in the league right now. Toledo leads with six.
• Allen's penalty kill was 0-1 and remains the #1 penalty kill unit in the league at 88.5%.
• Allen swept a series for the first time this season. In the three wins, the Americans outscored Tulsa 16-5.

 

- Goal scorers for the Americans were Spencer Asuchak (6), Brayden Watts (11), Trevor LeDonne (2), Chase Maxwell (1), Sam Sedley (2), and Danny Katic (9). Harrison Blasidell, Hank Crone, and Michael Gildon each had two assists. Here are the video highlights with all of the goals: https://echl.com/videos/allen-americans-vs-tulsa-oilers-dec-20-2025

 

- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans with all the details and several quotes: https://allenamericans.com/news/2025/12/americans-sweep-oilers-with-shutout-victory  

 

COACH'S COMMENTS

I had the opportunity to exchange messages with Coach Martinson after the win last night. Here is what he had to say. The first quote is from the Americans' post-game press release: 

"Every line contributed offensively and defensively, and everyone on the team finished a plus. David Tendeck was outstanding in the net. Chris Johansen is doing an outstanding job with our goalies, helping them to maximize their potential."  

"I have said all along that when we start getting offensive production from all lines, we will be tough to beat. That is what has been happening during this winning streak."

"It was pretty cool when I looked at the box score after the game and noticed all 18 skaters had a positive plus/minus. That is very rare." (FYI, as a team, Allen was +25 in the game last night. A month ago, the team plus minus was -63. After last night the team plus/minus is +21).  

 

ALLEN VS KANSAS CITY PREVIEW

- After the game last night, Allen had to bus to Kansas City, where they will take on the Mavericks at 4:05 PM CST this afternoon. The Americans are playing their fifth game in four days, with travel to Tulsa and Independence, MO. thrown in for good measure. Meanwhile, Kansas City has played three games in three days, but all have been at home. The game this afternoon will be a gut check for the Americans. The team arrived at their hotel at 3:00 am. 

 

- The game this afternoon will be the third of 10 games between Allen and Kansas City this season. Allen's home opening weekend was against the Mavericks. The Americans lost to Kansas City 4-2 and 4-1. In addition to being outscored 8-3, Allen was outshot 80-48.  

 

- Here is a stats comparison between Allen and Kansas City:

• Goals scored average: Allen (3.3) - Kansas City (3.3)
• Goals allowed average: Allen (3.0) - Kansas City (2.8)
• Shots for average: Allen (31.9) - Kansas City (35.0)
• Shots against average: Allen (37.5) - Kansas City (25.8)
• Power play percentage: Allen (15.6%) - Kansas City (15.9%)
• Penalty kill percentage: Allen (88.5%) - Kansas City (86.6%)
• Record last 10 games: Allen (7-3-0-0) - Kansas City (6-2-1-1) 

 

- Special teams are very close between Allen and Kansas City. They both have mediocre power plays (ranked #22 & #23), but excellent penalty kills (ranked #1 & #3). One thing to watch out for is shorthanded goals. The Mavericks have scored five shorthanded goals and allowed none. Allen has scored one shorthanded goal and allowed three. 

 

- Both teams are excellent when they score first. Allen has scored first in 44% (11 of 25) of its games with a record of 8-1-2-0 (.818). Kansas City has scored first in 56% (11 of 14) of its games with a record of 11-2-1-0 (.821). The first goal will be critical today.

 

- Kansas City has had the best road record in the ECHL the last three seasons. This season, the Mavericks' road record is 9-1-1-1 (.833). However, they are not as good at home. The Mavericks are 7-6-0-0 (.538) at home this season.     

        

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- How does Allen's five-game win streak compare to the win streaks in the past? Here are the longest win streaks over the last six years:

• 2025-26 - 5 game win streak
• 2024-25 - 3 game win streak
• 2023-24 - 6 game win streak
• 2022-23 - 4 game win streak (3 times)
• 2021-22 - 5 game win streak
• 2020-21 - 6 game win streak (3 times)

 

- Here are some other memorable win streaks.

In 2016-17, Allen came from way behind to win the Mountain Division regular season championship. The Americans' record from January 29 to the end of the season was 22-2-2-0 (.885). In addition to an eight-game win streak to end the season, the Americans had a seven-game and a five-game win streak down the stretch. What kept Allen from winning its final 16 games of the season was a 3-2 overtime loss in Kansas City.

In 2014-15, Allen's first season in the ECHL, the Americans had a nine-game win streak and an eight-game win streak on the way to their first Kelly Cup.  

 

-  I get asked many questions every day about the possibility of a strike. There is a lot of public information available, and that would be your best source of information. A simple search with your favorite search engine will link you to several stories. From everything I read and hear, no decision has been made to strike, but that could happen after the Christmas break. Will the season continue if there is a strike? Yes, as with any sports league that has a strike, you can expect replacement players to be signed, and the season to continue. Let's hope a strike can be averted.

 

DID YOU KNOW: Is plus/minus a good stat? It is okay as a rough indicator, but it is not reliable on its own for judging team quality. Plus/minus ignores special teams (power play and penalty kill), which are huge parts of team success. Here are the top and bottom ECHL plus/minus teams with their current points percentage. 

 

Top

+156: Florida (.731)

+113: Wheeling (.759)

+112: Atlanta (.750)

+99: Fort Wayne (.692)

 

Bottom

-172: Iowa (.346)

-137: Tulsa (.360)

-131: Greensboro (.400)

-125: Norfolk (.308)

 

 

Here are two examples of a good and a bad team that didn’t make the list: 

 

- Toledo is the #4-ranked team in the ECHL with a .708 points percentage. Their team plus/minus is +73.

 

- Orlando is the #27-ranked team in the ECHL with a .380 points percentage. Their team plus/minus is -80.

   

Katic Hat Trick Leads to Victory, Game Recap, Video Highlights. Martinson's Comments, Tonight's Preview, Why Juggle the Lines, ECHL Hat Tricks and More

 

The Allen Americans beat the Tulsa Oilers 5-3 last night to extend their winning streak to four games, the longest of the season. A crowd of 6144, on Teddy Bear Toss night, watched Harrison Blaisdell cause the Teddy Bears to rain down in the first period, after Tulsa had taken a 1-0 lead.

 

- The game was close for two periods, with the teams trading goals. Tulsa scored the first goal of the game midway through the opening period, before Blaisdell scored his eighth goal of the season at the 15:02 mark on the power play. The first period ended with a 1-1 tie. Allen had a 14-12 edge in shots.

 

- The back and forth continued in the second period. Tulsa scored a power play goal 81 seconds after puck drop to take a 2-1 lead. Allen responded just 45 seconds later, tying the score 2-2 on Danny Katic's sixth goal of the season. That was the end of the second period scoring. Allen had a 14-11 advantage in shots.

 

- The Americans took control of the game in the third period, thanks to two more Katic goals (7, 8) at 6:38 and 8:00 to take a 4-2 lead. Tulsa pulled its goalie, which led to a Brayden Watts empty-net goal, his team leading 10th goal of the season. It looked like Katic could have scored the empty net goal for his fourth of the game, but unselfishly opted to pass the puck to Watts. It was disappointing to see Allen give up a late goal after they took a 5-2 lead. Costantini deserved a better defensive effort than giving up a 2-on-1 goal with a three-goal lead and 102 seconds left in the game. With that said, Costantini has won six straight games, stopping 188 of 198 shots for a .950 save percentage. Marco will get a rest tonight, David Tendeck will get the start in Tulsa.

 

- Here is the game recap from the Americans and the video highlights

• Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2025/12/game-recap-americans-beat-oilers-5-3
• Video Highlights: https://echl.com/videos/tulsa-oilers-vs-allen-americans-dec-19-2025   

 

TONIGHT'S PREVIEW

-  Allen has had a lot of firsts recently:

• First four-game win streak
• First four straight series wins.
• First time with point percentage above .550 (.563)
• First time with a positive goal differential (+2, 77 GF, 75 GA)

 

- The Americans have already won this series against Tulsa, but they have a chance to meet another milestone with a win tonight. Allen has not swept a series all season. Allen has outscored Tulsa 10-5 in the first two games. A win tonight will be another first.

  

 

 

- Every player will go on this road trip; nobody stays home. The Americans have only 21 players on the roster, so just one extra player on the trip. I would expect you won't see any changes to the Allen lineup or lines tonight, other than David Tendeck will get the start in goal. A couple of players were dinged up in the game last night, so there is always a chance one of them will sit out, but don't count on it. 

 

 

- Here is the game day preview issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2025/12/game-day-americans-at-tulsa-705-pm 

 

 

- There will be two referees working the game tonight. Camden Fraser (#58) worked the game in Allen last night. He will be joined by Cameron Fleming (#27). As a reminder, each team will have two referees for half of their regular-season home games. (18 of 36).   

 

 

 STEVE MARTINSON'S POST-GAME COMMENTS

"It is good to see the scoring coming from all over the lineup like we have seen recently. It was fun to see that line get some goals tonight, as they have been a little frustrated lately. A key to our success is getting scoring from all of the lines as we have recently."

"I felt bad for our goalie giving up that 2-on-1 goal at the end of the game. That really pissed me off."

"Games are a lot more fun now, wouldn't you agree? We got some good hits in the game."

"It was nice to get a power play early, but then we fell asleep on our power play chances. We are not shooting the puck enough on the power play. We need the fans to start chanting shoot. shoot, shoot, so I am not the only one yelling to shoot."

"We bus up to Tulsa tomorrow, and we have to win another game before finishing the four games in five days in Kansas City on Sunday afternoon."  

 

OTHER COMMENT

- If you follow the Allen lineup closely, you have noticed there have been a lot of line changes over the first part of the season. Many factors play into line combinations. Coach Martinson has told me it is no fun for him to juggle lines, as it is tough to keep track of who goes with whom. Here are some of the factors Martinson considers when he decides the lines:

• Home games, where the coach has the last change, call for different line combinations than road games.
• Early in the season, Martinson juggles lines in an attempt to get the most out of each player.
• Some players are best when they play with the right people.
• Some players are capable of playing on any line.
• If an opposing team loads up the best players on one line, it changes how Martinson puts his lines together. At home, he will load up a line to play against that top line.  
• If an opposing team spreads out its best scorers, the lines can change.
• The more complete a player is, the more likely they can play with anybody. Duarte is in the AHL because he is that type of player.
• Sometimes on the road, a team is matching up against one of our lines, so Martinson will break that line up. 
• Another factor in line combinations is something Martinson has always talked about. He believes whoever is going gets the ice time. If a player is having an off night and his two linemates aren't, that player will get moved.
• Martinson has always said he tries to keep two players together who have chemistry.
• Other factors in line combination are trying to have a puck carrier, a playmaker, and a net front guy on every line. Toughness on every line is also a consideration, as is speed.   

 The goal is to have lines that stay together, and if you noticed, last night was the first game all season where there were no line changes from the previous game. In Coach Martinson's words, "we are getting closer," and I read that to mean you will see lines staying together more in the future, but for all the reasons above, there will always be exceptions.  

  

- The pure hat trick by Katic was Allen's fifth hat trick of the season (Blaisdell, Duarte, Watts, Crone). Katic had a four-point game and leads the team in points per game (1.29), which ranks him #4 in the ECHL in points per game (minimum 10 games played). 

 

- The odd stat of the day is Allen's five hat tricks represent 24% of all the hat tricks in the ECHL this season. There has been a total of 21 hat-tricks thus far, and the Americans have five of them. A total of 16 teams do not have a single hat trick.  

The Americans are just a third of the way through the season and already rank #4 in most hat tricks in a season, since Allen joined the ECHL in 2014-15. Here is the list of the most hat-tricks in a single season.

• 2022-23 - 8 hat tricks
• Crone (3)
• Hargrove (2)
• Finlay (2)
• Novak 

• 2021-22 - 6 hat tricks
• Troock (2)
• Costello
• Gould
• Winquist
• Henman

• 2014-15 - 6 hat tricks
• Combs (2)
• Costello
• Hanson
• Follmer
• Abeltshauser 

• 2025-26 - 5 hat tricks
• Blaisdell
• Duarte
• Watts
• Crone
• Katic 

 

 

- The Allen Americans won their seventh home game last night (7-4-1-0). The seven home wins match Allen's total for the entire season last year (7-24-4-1). 

 

Allen has won eight of its last 11 games. One year ago, Allen was in the midst of a losing streak that saw the team lose 13 of 14 games.     

 

 

 

- A few of the streaks from yesterday's post stayed alive last night:

• Marco Costantini has won six straight games. 
• Colby McAuley has 2 goals and 3 assists in the last 3 games.  
• Sam Sedley has a 6-game point streak (1G, 5A). 
• Brayden Watts has a 5-game point streak (3G, 4A).  

 

 

- Allen gained some ground on a couple of teams ahead of them last night. The top two teams in the division lost at home last night. Utah beat Kansas City 7-4, and Rapid City beat Idaho 4-3. The teams play again tonight. Here are the Mountain Division standings by points percentage. Notice the discrepancy in games played, which varies from 24 to 28:

 

• .667 - Kansas City (24 games)
• .661 - Idaho (28 games)
• .571 - Tahoe (28 games)
• .563 - Allen (24 games)
• .520 - Wichita (25 games)
• .500 - Rapid City (26 games)
• .480 - Utah (25 games)
• .375 - Tulsa (24 games) 

 

- It is another busy night around the ECHL with 14 games on the schedule. All eight Mountain Division teams are in action, playing the same teams as last night. The only change is that the Allen vs Tulsa game switches to Tulsa: 

• Allen at Tulsa
• Utah at Kansas City
• Rapid City at Idaho
• Wichita at Tahoe 

 Here is the ECHL Today with previews of all 14 games: https://echl.com/news/2025/12/echl-today-dec-20 

DID YOU KNOW: Here are the best home and road teams in the ECHL:

•  Best Home Teams
• .909 - South Carolina (10-1-0-0)
• .864 - Wheeling (9-1-1-0)
• .833 - Atlanta (10-2-0-0

• Best Road Teams
• .833 - Kansas City (9-1-1-1)
• .750 - Florida (10-3-1-0)
• .750 - Fort Wayne (11-3-2-0)

 

- So much for home ice advantage. The three teams with the best road record all have a better road record than home record, and one isn't even close. Here is a comparison:

• Kansas City - .833 road, .500 home
• Florida - .750 road, .682 home
• Fort Wayne - .750 road, .611 home