The Allen Americans finally made it to the Christmas break with an extraordinary 3-2 loss in overtime to the Wichita Thunder last night. An exhausted and shorthanded Americans team came back from a 2-0 deficit to force overtime and earn a point. If you are an Allen Americans fan all you can do is marvel at what this team has accomplished all season but especially in December. The Americans have already taken December trips to Tulsa, Idaho, Adirondack, Brampton, Worcester and Wichita and they still have another trip to Idaho before the end of the month. A ton of travel, no time to practice, injuries, loans to the AHL, and nine of 12 games on the road. With all of these obstacles Allen's record in December is 8-2-2-0. Job well done!
- Though it was disappointing to lose in overtime last night after the team busted their butts to come back from being down 2-0, Allen fans have to be proud of this never quit team that was playing their third game in less than 48 hours with two players short. The fact that the winning goal was scored by Wichita on a power play made it all the more disappointing. Goalie Zach Sawchenko was given a penalty for closing his hand on the puck, a call that confused many including coach Martinson. Here is the wording from the rule book on the rule cited (67.2) in the official box score. FYI, this rule does not distinguish between goalies and other players. Here is the wording, "A player shall be permitted to catch the puck out of the air but must immediately place it or knock it down to the ice. If he catches it and skates with it, either to avoid a check or to gain a territorial advantage, a minor penalty shall be assessed for "closing his hand on the puck."
- The goal scorers for Allen were Jordan Topping (10) and Tyler Sheehy (14). Here are the video highlights with all of the goals and many quality saves by both goalies.
- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans which includes this quote from coach Martinson about the game and the penalty call in overtime. "It was a great comeback by our group. We have been playing shorthanded all week. Today we played with eight forwards and six defensemen. It was a great show of character by our group. As far as the call on Sawchenko, I have never heard of that rule. I am still waiting on an explanation from the league." Here is the complete quote and press release: https://allenamericans.com/americans-extend-point-streak-to-four-games-with-ot-loss-in-wichita/
- Tyler Sheehy factored in both Allen goals (1G, 1A) to extend his points streak to 12 games and his multiple point game streak to 10. Sheehy has played in 29 games this season and has been held scoreless just six times. The last time Tyler didn't have a point in a game was November 30. He has a point in 15 of his last 16 games. To put this in perspective, this rookie is breaking Chad Costello records. His 10 straight games with multiple points is an all time Allen record. In the last 10 games Tyler has 23 points (8G, 15A) for a point per game average of 2.30. For the entire season his points per game average is now up to 1.38.
- Allen enters the Christmas break with 48 points, three more points than second place South Carolina and a nine point lead in the Mountain Division. How much improvement has there been from last season at the Christmas break? The Americans are +32 points better than last season at Christmas break (48 points versus 16 points).
- Coach Martinson was upfront during the summer about the risk he was taking this season by recruiting more players than normal that could play in the AHL but were not under contract with any AHL team. Players that were free agents and susceptible to being loaned to any AHL team. He had hoped Iowa would sign some of his players and they have done that with Olivier Archambault, Alex Breton and Josh Atkinson. Others like Matt Register and Jake Doty have been with AHL clubs all season on tryout contracts and could still get signed to AHL deals. Then you have players like Les Lancaster, Turner Ottenbreit, Gabe Gagne and Brett Pollock who have excelled in Allen and are now getting looks by AHL teams. It remains to be seen how many Allen players will be loaned to AHL teams after the New Year and for how long. It also remains to be seen how many players will be assigned to Allen by the Wild organization. Injuries have caused the number of players assigned to be fewer than expected. Hopefully, all of these moving parts will allow the Americans to have a full roster without having to bring in players from elsewhere.
- I am sure many of you have seen the most recent video update from Wade and Karly MacLeod. I wanted to include the update video in the blog for those that aren't on social media and may not have seen it.
Wade played in Allen during the 2016-17 season after he recuperated from his second brain surgery. Here is some background from his GoFundMe page that was set up just over a year ago and has raised over $125,000.
We would like to start by telling you about this incredible young man, Wade MacLeod and his beautiful young family.
Wade is 31 years old and has spent his entire life dreaming of being a husband, and father while playing in the NHL. This dream almost came true 5 years ago, but while playing for Springfield Falcons in the AHL, Wade suffered a grand mal seizure on the ice, which led to the discovery of the first tumor. Wade returned to the game a year later, after undergoing brain surgery to remove the tumor. Following surgery, Wade lost the ability of speech and spent 3 months undergoing speech therapy. His dream of being a husband and father has come true with a beautiful wife, Karly and 11 month old baby girl, sweet Ava James. Wade’s courage and unwavering determination to be a loving husband and father and still play the game he loves so much has been an inspiration to us all. Since then, Wade’s tumor has relentlessly grown back 3 times. Each time, Wade returned to the game but his dream of playing in the NHL was over.
Wade was going to return to playing hockey in Dresden, Germany, this August. That dream was dashed as our dear friend Wade MacLeod is now preparing to have his 4th brain surgery in less than 5 years.
He has a Grade 3 Glioblastoma tumor and it has come back, once again, with a vengeance, after going through surgery only 2 months ago!
Here is the update with what has happened in the last year plus. As I said when I posted the video on Twitter yesterday, a Christmas gift to everyone who has followed the MacLeods through the trying times. Grab a tissue and immerse yourself in a sea of love, positivity and gratitude.
- Finally, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. You won't hear from me again until after the New Year. Yes, I am heading out on my last hunting trip for the year. Going pheasant hunting in cold, windy, North Dakota one more time. I want to thank all of you for your support over the years and look forward to a prosperous and productive New Year for the Allen Americans.
DID YOU KNOW: If Allen can continue their current pace, which is a tough ask, they can approach the all time record for points improvement from one season to the next which is held by the Toledo Walleye who went from 49 points in 2013-14 to 107 points in 2014-15, a +58 point increase. A +43 point improvement would crack the top 10 all time.
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