Regular Season Ends, Playoffs Begin, Game Recap, Playoff Roster, ECHL Playoff Schedules, Overseas Playoffs and More

 

The Allen Americans finished the regular season yesterday with a 4-1 loss in Tulsa. Not going to spend much time recapping the game that was meaningless for the Americans and very important to Tulsa. With the win the Oilers claimed the final playoff spot in the Mountain Division and eliminated Utah.

 

- Allen managed to score the first goal of the game at the 8:12 mark of the opening period on a power play goal by Blake Murray, his 21st goal of the season. Liam Finlay and Hank Crone had the assists. Unfortunately that was the extent of Allen's offense for the game. 

 

-  If I told you Crone had two thirds of a Gordie Howe hat trick in the meaningless last game of the season and the third he was missing was a goal, most would be very surprised. In the third period Hank had his second professional fight, his first was in Reading last season. Not sure if it was part of the plan, but by fighting right off a faceoff, Crone not only earned a five minute major but a game misconduct based on the new fighting rule that prohibits fighting immediately before or right after a faceoff. 

- Here is the recap from the Allen Americans if you want more details about the game: https://allenamericans.com/news/2024/04/americans-fall-in-the-regular-season-finale

 

- I am sure it took very little time after the game for Chad Costello to switch from coach Costello to general manager Costello. That is because by 2:00 pm this afternoon (Allen time) Costello has to submit his playoff roster which will require some tough decisions. There can be 24 players on the playoff roster which includes 20 on the active roster that must fit under the salary cap and four players on reserve. FYI, players can move back and fourth between the active roster and reserve at any time. Here are the details:

• By my count there are 25 players on Allen's current roster that could be placed on the playoff roster.
• If Costello wants to save roster spots for the two players in Belleville (Meriläinen & Fizer) who are qualified for the ECHL playoffs, he can only put 22 of the 25 players on the current roster on the playoff roster.   
• Because the roster Costello submits today is set for the entire playoffs one consideration is how many defensemen and forwards should be on the playoff roster. If you remember, last year in Idaho injuries caused Allen to play with four and sometimes three defensemen. That experience could mean you will see eight defensemen on the playoff roster.
• My opinion is you have to save two roster spots for the Belleville players. The AHL regular season is over on Saturday (20th) and Allen's first playoff game is the following Monday (22nd). Currently Belleville is in fifth place in the seven team AHL North Division, but five of the seven teams make the playoffs. Belleville has three games remaining, two against Laval, the team in sixth place in the standings. If Bellevile loses twice to Laval and its third game against Syracuse (#1 team in the division) the Senators would miss the playoffs and you could see Meriläinen and Fizer join Allen before the start of the playoffs. If Belleville does make the playoffs the first round is best of three.
• The bottom line is when the playoff roster is released there will be some players missing that have helped Allen get to the playoffs. Some tough decisions for Chad Costello today.  

 

- If you haven't seen the 2024 Kelly Cup Playoff schedule here is the complete list. All series in the playoffs will be best-of-seven series.

North Division Semifinals

#1 Adirondack Thunder (43-18-11) vs. #4 Maine Mariners (32-32-8)
Game 1 – Friday, April 19 at 7 p.m. ET at Adirondack
Game 2 – Sunday, April 21 at 5 p.m. ET at Adirondack
Game 3 – Friday, April 26 at 7:15 p.m. ET at Maine
Game 4 – Saturday, April 27 at 6 p.m. ET at Maine
Game 5 – Sunday, April 28 at 3 p.m. ET at Maine (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Tuesday, April 30 at 7 p.m. ET at Adirondack (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Wednesday, May 1 at 7 p.m. ET at Adirondack (If Necessary)
 
#2 Norfolk Admirals (41-21-7) vs. #3 Trois-Rivières Lions (31-30-8)
Game 1 – Wednesday, April 17 at 7 p.m. ET at Trois-Rivières
Game 2 – Friday, April 19 at 7 p.m. ET at Trois-Rivières
Game 3 – Saturday, April 20 at 7 p.m. ET at Trois-Rivières
Game 4 – Wednesday, April 24 at 7:05 p.m. ET at Norfolk
Game 5 – Saturday, April 27 at 7:05 p.m. ET at Norfolk (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Sunday, April 28 at 7:05 p.m. ET at Norfolk (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Wednesday, May 1 at 7:05 p.m. ET at Norfolk (If Necessary)
 
South Division Semifinals
 
#1 Greenville Swamp Rabbits (44-23-5) vs. #4 Orlando Solar Bears (38-24-10)
Game 1 – Sunday, April 21 at 3:05 p.m. ET at Greenville
Game 2 – Monday, April 22 at 7:05 p.m. ET at Greenville
Note: Dates for games 3-5 in Orlando will be announced on Monday, pending NBA Playoffs schedule
Game 6 – Tuesday, April 30 at 7:05 p.m. ET at Greenville (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Wednesday, May 1 at 7:05 p.m. ET at Greenville (If Necessary)
 
#2 Jacksonville Icemen (42-23-7) vs. #3 Florida Everblades (40-23-9)
Game 1 – Thursday, April 18 at 7 p.m. ET at Jacksonville
Game 2 – Sunday, April 21 at 3 p.m. ET at Jacksonville
Game 3 – Wednesday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Florida
Game 4 – Friday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Florida
Game 5 – Saturday, April 27 at 7 p.m. ET at Florida (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Tuesday, April 30 at 7 p.m. ET at Jacksonville (If Necessary)
Game 7 –Wednesday, May 1 at 7 p.m. ET at Jacksonville (If Necessary)
 
Central Division Semifinals

#1 Toledo Walleye (48-14-9) vs. #4 Kalamazoo Wings (38-30-4)
Game 1 – Friday, April 19 at 7:15 p.m. ET at Toledo
Game 2 – Saturday, April 20 at 7:15 p.m. ET at Toledo
Game 3 – Wednesday, April 24 at 7 p.m. ET at Kalamazoo
Game 4 – Friday, April 26 at 7 p.m. ET at Kalamazoo
Game 5 – Saturday, April 27 at 7:15 p.m. ET at Toledo (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Tuesday, April 30 at 7 p.m. ET at Kalamazoo (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Wednesday, May 1 at 7:15 p.m. ET at Toledo (If Necessary)
 
#2 Indy Fuel (39-25-8) vs. #3 Wheeling Nailers (38-28-5)
Game 1 – Friday, April 19 at 7 p.m. ET at Indy
Game 2 – Saturday, April 20 at 7 p.m. ET at Indy
Game 3 – Monday, April 22 at 7:10 p.m. ET at Wheeling
Game 4 – Tuesday, April 23 at 7:10 p.m. ET at Wheeling
Game 5 – Saturday, April 27 at 7 p.m. ET at Wheeling (If Necessary) *
Game 6 – Monday, April 29 at 7 p.m. ET at Indy (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Tuesday, April 30 at 7 p.m. ET at Indy (If Necessary)
 
* - Game 5 is at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, Pa.
 
Mountain Division Semifinals
 
#1 Kansas City Mavericks (54-12-6) vs. #4 Tulsa Oilers (30-33-9)
Game 1 – Wednesday, April 17 at 7:05 p.m. CT at Kansas City
Game 2 – Thursday, April 18 at 7:05 p.m. CT at Kansas City
Game 3 – Friday, April 19 at 7:05 p.m. CT at Tulsa
Game 4 – Monday, April 22 at 7:10 p.m. CT at Tulsa
Game 5 – Thursday, April 25 at 7:05 p.m. CT at Tulsa (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Friday, April 26 at 7:05 p.m. CT at Kansas City (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Sunday, April 28 at 4:05 p.m. CT at Kansas City (If Necessary)

#2 Idaho Steelheads (48-20-4) vs. #3 Allen Americans (33-35-4)
Game 1 – Monday, April 22 at 7:10 p.m. MT at Idaho
Game 2 – Wednesday, April 24 at 7:10 p.m. MT at Idaho
Game 3 – Friday, April 26 at 7:10 p.m. CT at Allen
Game 4 – Saturday, April 27 at 4:10 p.m. CT at Allen
Game 5 – Sunday, April 28 at 4:10 p.m. CT at Allen (If Necessary)
Game 6 – Tuesday, April 30 at 7:10 p.m. MT at Idaho (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Wednesday, May 1 at 7:05 p.m. CT at Idaho (If Necessary)

- A couple of things to note in the schedules above. Series are typically 2-3-2 but other factors cause changes:

• #2 Norfolk vs #3 Trois Riviéres (North Division) will be a 3-4 series with Norfolk starting on the road.
• #1 Toledo vs #4 Kalamazoo (Central Division) will be a 2-2-1-1-1 series because the teams are in close proximity to each other (150 miles).
  
• #2 Indy vs #3 Wheeling (Central Division) will be a 2-3-2 series but one of Wheeling's games will be played at the Pittsburgh Penguins practice facility in Cranberry, PA with attendance capacity of under 1000. 

- I have had several questions about Allen's home games in the playoffs. Specifically, the early start time on Saturday (4:10 pm vs 7:10 pm) and the later than normal start time on Sunday (4:10 pm vs 2:10 pm). Here are the answers from team president Jonny Mydra:

• Saturday: "We had much better attendance from families and kids when our Saturday games started at 4:00 pm instead of 7:00 pm this season. We are looking into all Saturday games starting at 4:00 pm next season, so wanted to get another data point on a 4:00 pm start."
• Sunday: "The Sunday game we felt since the teams won't travel back to Boise until Monday, we might as well give the players a little extra time Sunday morning since it will be the third game in as many days."
      

 

OTHER COMMENTS
 

- The ECHL averaged 4981 fans per game this season, an increase of 352 per game over last season. According to the ECHL the average attendance this season is the highest since the 1997-98 season.

 

- In Great Britain the first round of the EIHL playoffs took place over the weekend. Eight teams took part and the final four were determined by aggregate goals over two games. The aggregate scores ranged from 13-5 to 3-2. The final four teams advance to a single elimination tournament next weekend in a neutral site (Nottingham). On Saturday it will be the Sheffield Steelers vs the Guildford Flames and the Cardiff Devils vs the Belfast Giants. The two winners play for the championship on Sunday. The playoff champion will have played four games in a week on the way to the title. Much different than the slog in the ECHL that could take 28 games over a six week period. Here are the former Allen Americans in the final four:

• Sheffield:
• Colton Saucerman (2022-23)
  
• Brett Neumann (2020-21)
  
• Dominic Cormier (2020-21)

• Belfast:
• J.D. Dudek (2021-22)

 

 - Scores of Allen players have played in the EIHL over the years. The league is similar to the style of play in the ECHL and each team is allowed 15 imports (non-homegrown players) on the roster which is much higher than other European leagues. Bruce Graham, Matt Register and Josh Lammon are just three examples of former Allen players that won championships in the EIHL.

- Josh Winquist is another former Allen player (2021-22) with a chance to win a championship in Europe. Josh plays in Denmark and his team (Esbjerg) is in the finals with the best of seven series tied 1-1. Josh has 15 points (7G, 8A) in 16 playoff games. During the regular season he had 50 points (18G, 32A) in 42 games. 

- Here are the Allen Americans players that finished in the top five in ECHL stats during the regular season:

 

• Mikael Robidoux: 5th in PIM (176)
• Colby McAuley: 4th in power play goals (12)
• Kris Myllari: 5th in power play assists (22)
• Gavin Gould: 2nd in shorthanded goals (4)
• Hank Crone: 1st in points per game, 20+ games (1.38)
• Kris Myllari: 2nd in power play goals, defensemen (6)
• Kris Myllari: 4th in power play assists, defensemen (22)
• Kris Myllari: 2nd in power play points, defensemen (28)
   

 

DID YOU KNOW: Four teams from each ECHL division make the playoffs. That means the points percentage for the playoffs teams varies widely by division. Here are the spreads this season:

North: .674 - .500

South: .646 - .597

Central: .739 - .556

Mountain: .792 - .479

 

- The best team to miss the playoffs this season, with a .590 points percentage, is South Carolina who had the 11th best points percentage in the league. Tulsa had the lowest points percentage of any playoff team. The Oilers point percentage of .479 is ranked #19 in the league.

 

- Just four times since 2013-14 teams with losing records made the playoffs, two of the four are this season:

 

2023-24

.479 - Tulsa

.486 - Allen

 

2017-18

.479 - Atlanta

 

2013-14

.333 - Las Vegas*

 

*In 2013-14 in the five team Pacific Division, San Francisco folded mid-season, so the four remaining teams all made the playoffs. That meant the worst team in the league, Las Vegas, with a .333 points percentage and record of 22-44-4-4 made the playoffs. Las Vegas was swept 4-0 in the first round by Alaska, the eventual Kelly Cup champion.