ALLEN SECURES PLAYOFF SPOT, MISSOURI GAME PREVIEW AND PLAYER PROFILE

*Please note: While Barry is on vacation, the views below do not reflect those of Barry or the Allen Americans Organization.

Well here we go again.  Allen meets the Mavericks in Independence for their last two regular season games.  Two big questions that have arisen are:  which Allen Americans team will show up on the ice, and which goalie is not on the bus?  We attended a couple of practices where we saw a very hard working team. Coach Martinson was emphasizing speed and defense in our end. All three goalies were at practice and stopping many pucks being hurled at them.  Now it is just a matter of wait and see who wants the points.  Hopefully it will be Allen. We can secure the #4 spot, with just a few more wins. The 5th seed is shaping up to be quite a battle between Colorado, Utah, and Cincinatti. If playoffs were to start today, we would be facing Colorado in the first round. 

Missouri still has the opportunity to set or tie ECHL records for most points in a season, most wins in a season, and most home wins in a season.  Hopefully Allen does not help them achieve these.

Expecting their third child is Chad Costello and his wife, delivery is expected today. 

A defenseman has been added to the Allen roster and will be making the trip to Missouri. Thomas Carr is 26 yrs old from Edmonton Alberta, 6 ft tall and weighs about 187 lbs.  Prior to joining the Allen Americans, Thomas played for the University of Alberta in the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport).  Prior to the CIS he played for Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL (Western Hockey League). We will try and get a player profile for one of next weeks blogs.

Game Preview:

• And again, we must score first and maintain the lead. as we did in the March 26th game.  That type of play will be hard to beat.
• Puck possession, we must keep play in their end.  Letting the Mavericks have too much time in our end has proven disastrous. We need to keep the passing to a minimum and pepper their goalie.  It is amazing what happens when Allen actually shoots the puck.  
• Avoid unnecessary penalties, MO has proven they can and will be dangerous on the power play.  While most statistics are about the same as our previous meeting, one noteworthy item is Allen's advantage on the power play,  (23.3% vs 18.6%), which could prove significant.
• Chad Costello will be looking to extend his 14 game assist streak which is currently tied for 5th longest streak in ECHL history.  The ECHL record is 18. 
• Maverick goalie Josh Robinson has been loaned to Stockton of the AHL, expect to see either Parker Milner or Steven Summerhays in net.

It is not known, at this time, if Trevor Ludwig, Mavs leading scorers Tyler Barnes or Andrew Courtney will be in the lineup for the Mavericks in this two game series, but we are sure that C.J. Ludwig will not as he is still serving his suspension.  MO boasts a 29-3-0-1 home record and will be all the more difficult to beat at home since Allen has a 17-14-1-2 record when on the road.  

Meet Kyle Neuber:  

On March 20th, Kyle signed with the Allen Americans.  He is 6'1" and weighs 250 lbs.  He was drafted by the Columbus Bluejackets in 2009 draft.  Kyle comes to the Americans after playing in the CIS.  Kyle has also played in the AHL playing 50 games with the Springfield Falcons in 2010-11 and Toronto Marlies in 2011-12.   His ECHL experience consists of 20 with the Reading Royals (2011-12).  

Kyle grew up in Ontario, primarily in Sarnia. Sarnia is just below the tip of Lake Huron 65 miles NE of Detroit.

Kyle Neuber (courtesy of scenebyKimberly.com)

To go along with Kyle's bio we asked him the following questions:

Tell us a little about your family - my parents are still in Sarnia, My father is in the security business and my mother is an interior decorator.  I have an older sister who is currently teaching school in England.  My younger brother is a financial service representative.   

Did you have a pet growing up - always had dogs, usually golden retrievers, my parents just got a Yorkie mix, with a golden retriever as a playmate they are pretty adorable together.

Describe your training regimen - nothing formal, mainly stretching and maintenance to maintain flexibility.  

What is your favorite number - No real favorite, I wore 24 in juniors, and 39 in professional career, and 17 while playing in college.  I do like 39 the best since it was my number while playing in the AHL.

Do you have a nickname - Neubs

Hockey Hero - no one in particular, got to know some of the Ottawa Senators while living in the area.  

Earliest hockey memory - in the second grade I entered a shoot out and won at the Corel Centre in Ottawa at intermission of one of the Senators game.

Age started skating - 2 yrs.

What is your style of play - physical, hard on the puck, win a lot of battles

Favorite type of music - like most everything, currently listening to Pink Floyd

One thing people would be surprised to learn about you - I am educated, not just a fighter

What chore do you hate to do - folding clothes

What do you have of great value to you but little value to anyone else - my CIS championship ring  

Where is the most interesting place you have ever visited - Armstrong Canada, just north of Thunder Bay, went canoeing - beautiful scenery and a lot of wildlife

If you could be anything besides a pro hockey player what would you be - Professional baseball player 

Who is your number 1 fan - my parents : they have been supportive of me throughout my hockey career 

Favorite motto or saying  -  "If it's to be, it's up to me"

Favorite TV show - Breaking Bad

Do you know anyone on the team -  Reggie Traccitto and Riley Gill

What do you like to do away from the rink - golf and spectator sports, I follow the Toronto Blue Jays and the NFL.

What have you been told about the Allen fans - they are very supportive, and they provide excellent goodie bags for the bus (we explained that the goodie bags are courtesy of the Americans Fan Club)

How did you get to Allen - Coach Martinson contacted me directly.

The next blog will be Saturday.

Did you know:  In 2013 in a February game the Evansville Icemen managed to sneak past the Florida Everblades with 5-4 shoot-out victory.  The shoot-out lasted 21 rounds with a total of 42 shooters tying the ECHL record.  Remarkably, only 5 of those 42 shooters actually scored a goal.