Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Practice and Roster Update, Allen & NHL Plus/Minus Records, Free Ticket Trivia, Dell's Latest Blog & More

There seems to be a pattern to the Allen practices in the recent past that includes a day off after weekend games and then a light practice on Monday. That is what practice appeared to be yesterday, not too long, not too hard and a cross ice scrimmage at the end. I did notice some faceoff practice taking place. Winning faceoffs, especially in critical situations, has been a problem the last few games.


- The two roster changes that will impact the game tomorrow night are the return of Greger Hanson and the loss of Tanner Eberle. Greger is back from Charlotte (AHL) and Tanner has been placed on the 21 day injured reserve. You will see Tanner with a cast on his hand and he will be out longer than 21 days. Best case scenario is Eberle could be back for the second round of the playoffs.


- Bryan Moore is still day to day so when he returns to the lineup is uncertain. I know coach Martinson wants to make sure he is 100% before he puts him in the lineup. Spencer Asuchak has not played in the last three games in Providence (AHL). He has an injury and will stay in Providence until he is cleared to play again. Then it will be decided if he stays in Providence or gets sent back to Allen. My guess is this should all be decided by the end of the week.


- There will be a complete Allen vs Missouri game preview tomorrow but the Americans can expect a fired up Missouri team as they are fighting for a playoff spot. The Mavericks are on a three game win streak including a 3-2 overtime win over Allen last Wednesday. The game will also be important for Allen as they try to catch Colorado for the top spot in the division. This game may come down to want and will more than skill.


- If you haven't seen Aaron Dell's latest blog post you need to check it out. He talks about his recent visit to Dallas with the Sharks and the tattoo he got while he was in town. He also relives the championship he won with the Allen Americans: https://www.nhl.com/sharks/news/worlds-okayest-blog-new-ink--championship-memories/c-288145874


- Here is a story written by my friend Mike Stern about the Allen Americans: http://www.insidehockey.com/krushelnyski-a-crucial-addition-as-depleted-americans-prep-for-playoffs-and-a-fifth-straight-post-season-cup


- There is no doubt Chad Costello will win the ECHL scoring title for the third straight year but his former teammate, Casey Pierro-Zabotel has closed the gap recently and is having an outstanding year. Casey had nine assists in a three game span last week. Chad leads the ECHL in scoring with 110 points and Casey is second with 87 points. Chad's lead is down to 23 points after having been in the mid-thirties just a couple of weeks ago. Have to believe Pierro-Zabotel is one player coach Martinson wishes general manager Martinson had re-signed for this season.


-  I have two free tickets for the game on Thursday in section 100, in the fifth row, aisle seats. The tickets are at the end of the rink where the Americans are on offense twice. These tickets are for those that like to do research into the past. The first person that emails me at janssenfamily@msn.com the correct answer to the following questions gets the tickets. It will require you to go to more than one source to get the answers. I need five different names to answer these questions about Allen defensemen. Here goes:

Tyler Ludwig is the all-time leader in goals scored by a defenseman, who is number two?
Tyler Ludwig is the all-time leader in assists by a defenseman, who is number two?
Who were the first three defensemen that scored goals for the Allen Americans in 2009-10?



DID YOU KNOW: Joel Chouinard leads the ECHL in plus/minus with a +38. He has a chance to set the all-time single season record in Allen which is held by Chad Costello at +43. Did you know Bobby Orr has the NHL single season plus/minus record at +124 (1970-71). Orr has three of the top ten all time in single season plus/minus records. Orr's top four plus/minus seasons were +124, +86, +84 and +80.

4 comments:

  1. Just saw where Josh Brittain has been suspended for one game for his supposed spearing in Saturday night's game. He won't play in the 1 April game against Tulsa.

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  2. QUESTION: Why isn't the ECHL posting the Americans highlight reels? The Friday or Saturday night games still isn't on their site.

    Is it just me or does anyone else seem to feel like the ECHL doesn't want to see us win another Kelly Cup or am I just being paranoid??

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    Replies
    1. Pretty sure Barry said in yesterdays blog Allen hadn't put it out yet. Pretty sure the team puts those out not hte league.

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  3. With some frequency, the officiating makes me think this!

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