Individual & Team Statistical Leaders, Pucks-N-Paws, Veteran Appreciation Weekend, Kip Brennan Update

It seems like the Allen Americans hockey season just started but by the end of this weekend it will already be 20% completed. The Americans started the season 3-0, then lost five games in a row and have now gone 2-1 in their last three games. This weekend, when Allen plays three home games against Idaho (Friday & Saturday) and Tulsa (Sunday), it should go a long way in knowing if the team is back on track.


- After 11 games the Allen record stands at 5-4-2-0. As a reminder, last season after 11 games the Americans record was 4-7. 


-  Here is how the Americans rank in the ECHL in some critical statistical categories:

Goal differential - 6th (+6)
Average PIMS per game - 5th (20.73)
Power play - 21st (13.0%)
Penalty kill - 5th (89.6%)
Shorthanded goals for - 2nd (3)
Shorthanded goals against - 24th (3)
Ave. goals scored - 13th (3.36)
Ave. goals against - 6th (2.82)
Ave shots for per game - 7th (35.27)
Ave shots against per game - 23rd (36.55)
Shooting percentage - 20th (9.3%)
Save percentage - 2nd (.923)


- The last two stats above were the most surprising to me. Earlier in the season Allen was leading the league in shooting percentage at 15.9% and they are historically one of the best shooting percentage teams in the league. To see the shooting percentage now ranked #20 (9.3%) shows the trouble the team has had recently putting the puck in the net. The other big surprise to me was the save percentage as the three Allen goaltenders (Gill, Williams, Brodeur) have combined for the second best save percentage in the league at .923. Only Wichita (.931) is better.



 
INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS


- Below are the team leaders in various statistical categories with the league rank in parentheses:

Points:
14 - Casey Pierro-Zabotel (3rd)
13 -  Zach Pochiro (7th)
8 -   Jonathan Lessard (55th)

Goals:
7 - Zach Pochiro (3rd)
5 - Jonathan Lessard (13th)
4 - Casey Pierro-Zabotel (39th)

Assists:
10 - Casey Pierro-Zabotel (4th)
6 -  Zach Pochiro (30th)
5 -  Eric Roy (53rd)
5 - David Makowski (53rd)

Plus/Minus:
+7 - Joel Chouinard  (10th)
+7 -  Zach Pochiro (10th)
+6 - Casey Pierro-Zabotel (24th)

Penalty Minutes:
27 - Tanner Eberle (17th)
24 - Josh Thrower (24th)
23 - Vincent Arseneau (26th)
23 - Dalton Thrower (26th) 

Shots On Goal:
45 - Zach Pochiro (3rd)
32 - Spencer Asuchak (26th)
30 - David Makowski (37th)
30 - Jonathan Lessard (37th)
30 - Eric Roy (37th)

Points by Defenseman
8 - Eric Roy (8th)
7 - David Makowski (12th)
5 - Joel Chouinard (27th)
5 - Dalton Thrower (27th)

Save Percentage
.930 - Stephon Williams (11th)
.930 - Jeremy Brodeur (11th)
.915 - Riley Gill (21st)



If you can draw any conclusion from the individual stats it would be the need for more offense from up and down the line up. Pierro-Zabotel and Pochiro are ranked #3 and #7 in points in the ECHL but there is no other player in the top 50.


OTHER COMMENTS

- I was talking to Aaron Burg who is one of the account executives for the Americans about the 4th Annual Pucks and Paws Night which takes place this Sunday (November 12) when the Americans play the Tulsa Oilers. A chance for Allen fans to enjoy a game with their dog. Aaron tells me there will be dogs riding the Zamboni during the first intermission and during the second intermission you can participate in the the chuck-a-puck clean up with your dog and there will be a canine costume contest on the ice following chuck-a-puck. It is a fun night but also highlights the importance of pet adoptions. Operation Kindness will be on the concourse holding live adoptions from puck drop through the 2nd period. Contact Aaron Burg (972-912-1017 or ABurg@AllenAmericans.com) for tickets (dog seats are $5) and all of the details. I know you must provide vaccination records. Here is a link if you want to order your tickets online. http://allenamericans.com/pucksnpaws/

Kyle Follmer (left) & Patrik Valcak with friends showing off Pucks-n-Paws specialty jersey in 2015

 

- The ECHL announced several fines and suspensions yesterday. According to the ECHL press release Allen coach Steve Martinson was fined as a result of his actions at the end of the Wichita game on Saturday and Wichita coach Malcolm Cameron was fined as result of comments he made on social media. Here is a link to the ECHL press release: https://www.echl.com/echl-announces-fines-suspension-27


- The Allen Americans will be honoring Veterans this weekend with discount tickets for all three games (Friday, Saturday & Sunday) as part of Veterans Appreciation Weekend. Here are the details: http://allenamericans.com/militaryoffer/


- Being a Vietnam Veteran myself I would like to offer one pair of center ice seats to veterans for the game on Saturday against Idaho (7:05 pm) and Sunday against Tulsa (4:05 pm). In addition, Fairview Town Center has graciously provided four tickets in their suite for each night (Friday, Saturday & Sunday). If you are a veteran or know a veteran that would like to attend an Allen Americans game  all you need to do is send me an email with your name and which game or games you are interested in attending. I will have a drawing on Thursday afternoon for the game on Friday night and a drawing Friday afternoon for the games on Saturday and Sunday. I will notify the winners and leave the tickets at will call. My email address is janssenfamily@msn.com. Good luck!


DID YOU KNOW: Yesterday I provided an update on a few former Allen Americans that are playing overseas this season.  At the end of the update I invited readers to let me know if they had a favorite player from the past that they would like to hear about. Andrew took me up on the offer and asked what ever happened to Kip Brennan? Kip played in Allen in parts of two seasons (2010-2011 & 2012-2013). He last played professionally in 2013-14 in Kazakhstan. From the research I have been able to do Kip is now living in Canada (near Calgary) and is the Canadian Vice President for a company by the name of Ladder Lockdown which produces a ladder safety device that prevents a ladder from slipping out on any surface including on ice. Here is a video from earlier this year where Kip is demonstrating the Ladder Lockdown on ice.

You can't have a Kip Brennan update without one of his classic fights. This was one of the best. It was on January 12, 2013 against Justin Sawyer of Rapid City with the call by the voice of the Allen Americans, Tommy Daniels.