Allen vs Tulsa NYE Preview, Tonight's Lineup, All-Time NYE Results, One Special NYE Game, Division Standings and More

 

It has been a while since the Allen Americans played a hockey game. It was, in fact, on December 21 in Kansas City when Allen had its five-game win streak snapped by the Mavericks. Since that last game, there has been a Christmas break, an ECHL strike, and several roster changes. The Americans restart the hockey season tonight (6:10 pm CST) against Tulsa, aiming to improve on their 7-3-0-0 record over the last 10 games, which currently ranks as the fourth-best in the ECHL. Here is the current Allen roster:

 

Goalies

• #33 - Marco Costantini  
• #32 - David Tendeck 

Defensemen

• #86 - Andre Anania
• #22 - Anthony Costantini
• #21 - Jackson Decker 
• #25 - Trevor LaDonne 
• #28 - Troy Murray
• #8 - Ty Prefontaine 
• #43 - Matt Register 
• #23 - Sam Sedley
• #6 - Braidan Simmons-Fischer 
• #2 - Quinn Warmuth 

Forwards

• #26 - Spencer Asuchak 
• #18 - Harrison Blaisdell 
• #11 - Thomas Caron
• #67 - Hank Crone
• #91 - Michael Gildon
• #14 - Kevin Gursoy 
• #7 - Colton Hargrove
• #9 - Danny Katic 
• #19 - Chase Maxwell 
• #92 - Colby McAuley 
• #77 - Brad Morrison 
• #29 - Brayden Watts

 

Here is the lineup tonight. David Tendeck gets the start in goal after his 42-save shutout in his last outing against Tulsa (December 20). Coach Martinson always talks about having four lines that can all score. That is definitely the case with this lineup. 

 

Forwards

9 Katic - 19 Maxwell - 77 Morrison 

26 Asuchak - 29 Watts - 18 Blaisdell  

67 Crone - 91 Gildon - 11 Caron    

92 McAuley - 7 Hargrove - #14 Gursoy 

 

Defense

86 Anania - 23 Sedley  

8 Prefontaine - 2 Warmuth  

25 LeDonne - 6 Simmons-Fischer

 

32 Tendeck

33 Costantini (backup)

 

 

 

- The game tonight will be the seventh of 15 games against Tulsa this season. The teams have split the six previous games, Tulsa winning the first three and Allen winning the last three. Here are the head-to head stat totals:

• Allen outscored Tulsa 22-17.
• Shots were almost even 203-204.
• Allen was 0-13 on the power play in the first 3 games, 3-10 (30%) in the last 3 games.
• Tulsa was 1-9 (11.1%) in the first three games, 1-5 (20%) in the last three games. 

 

 

- Here are some comparison stats between Allen and Tulsa:

• Allen is 7-3-0-0 over the last 10 games, Tulsa is 2-8-0-0.
• Allen is 7-4-1-0 at home, Tulsa is 4-7-0-0 on the road.
• Allen's goal differential is +4 (85-81), Tulsa's is -36 (67-103).
• Allen's team plus/minus is +1, Tulsa's is -158.
• Allen's team save percentage is .917, Tulsa's is .892.

 

- Here is the more traditional statistical comparison between the two teams.

• Goals scored average: Allen (3.3) - Tulsa (2.6)
• Goals allowed average: Allen (3.1) - Tulsa (4.0)
• Shots for average: Allen (31.7) - Tulsa (33.4)
• Shots against average: Allen (37.6) - Tulsa (36.5)
• Power play percentage: Allen (17.2%) - Tulsa (22.4%)
• Penalty kill percentage: Allen (87.3%) - Tulsa (78.1%)

 

- Special teams are always a big key to any series, but the contrast between Allen and Tulsa is striking when you look at the stats above. Allen has the ECHL's #1-ranked penalty kill; Tulsa's is ranked #23. The power play stats are the opposite. Tulsa is ranked #5, while Allen is ranked #21. In their six head-to-head match up, Allen was 3-23 (13.0%) on the power play, Tulsa was 2-14 (14.3%). Both teams will have power play opportunities tonight. Allen is ranked #9 in penalty minutes (364) and has taken 122 minor penalties. Tulsa is ranked #5 in penalty minutes (379) and has taken 117 minor penalties. Tulsa actually has more five-minute major penalties than Allen (13-10). 

 

- Both teams are below average in scoring the first goal of the game. Allen has scored first in only 42% of its games (11-26), but has an excellent record when they do score first, 8-1-2-0 (.818). Tulsa has scored first in 38% of its games and has a record of 6-4-0-0 (.600) when scoring first.

 

- The keys to the game for Allen are continuing to play like they did before the Christmas break. The Americans gave up six goals against Kansas City in their last game, but that is understandable after playing four games in five days, including three games in three different cities in three days. In the five games before the Kansas City loss, the Americans gave up a total of six goals (1.2) per game. In those same five games, Allen scored 25 goals (5.0 per game. 

A good start, speed through the neutral zone, and special teams excellence will get the Americans back on the winning track tonight.    

 

- The two Allen players who have been outstanding in the six games against Tulsa are Danny Katic (5G, 6A), averaging 1.83 points per game, and Brayden Watts (6G, 2A), averaging a goal per game, including a hat trick.

 

- The game tonight will be a one-referee game, which will be worked by Brendan Schreider (#12). The linesmen will be Antoine Bujold-Roux (#72) and Trent Williams (#38). According to my records, Schreider has not worked an Allen game this season.  

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- The new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the ECHL and PHPA was made official yesterday. Both organizations issued press releases. There was a hefty increase in the salary cap, which, from what I understand, is now in effect. The new CBA has not been published yet, but that should be available soon, and when it is, I will provide the details.  

 

-  A New Year's Eve game at home is a tradition in Allen. I say tradition because in 15 of the 17 years since the franchise was established (counting tonight), the Americans have played a New Year's Eve (NYE) game at home. In 2009-10, Allen played on the road, and in 2015-16, they did not play on NYE, but every other season, the Americans have played at home, including a 6-2 loss to Idaho last year. In the first seven NYE games, Allen was 7-0. The next four years, the Americans were 0-4. The overall NYE record is 9-6. Here are the all-time NYE results: 

• 2024-25 - Lost to Idaho at home 6-2 
• 2023-24 - Beat Idaho at home 5-4
  
• 2022-23 - Lost to Wichita at home 7-3
• 2021-22 - Beat Idaho at home 4-1 
• 2020-21 - Lost to Wichita at home 7-2
• 2019-20 - Lost to Idaho at home 6-5
• 2018-19 - Lost to Tulsa at home 3-1
• 2017-18 - Lost to Wichita at home 4-2
• 2016-17 - Beat Utah at home 8-4
• 2015-16 - Did Not Play
• 2014-15 - Beat Rapid City at home 5-3
• 2013-14 - Beat Wichita at home 5-3
• 2012-13 - Beat Quad City at home 4-0
• 2011-12 - Beat Laredo at home 3-2
• 2010-11 - Beat Tulsa at home 10-1
• 2009-10 - Beat Wichita on road 3-1

 

- It is always fun to get in the "way back machine" and remember games from the past. Wouldn't it be nice to replicate the 2010 NYE game tonight, which was a 10-1 drubbing against Tulsa. Here are some highlights from that game:

• Allen outshot Tulsa 47-19
• Dave Bonk had six points, including a hat trick (3G, 3A).
• Judd Blackwater also has six points (1G, 5A).
• In the second period, Tulsa coach Bruce Ramsay, (currently the coach in Wichita) received a bench minor for disputing a call, followed by a game misconduct for abuse of officials. 
• The lone goal by Tulsa in that game was scored by one of the three players who have their numbers retired in the rafters in Allen, Chad Costello. Also on that Tulsa team was one of the other players with his number retired in Allen, Gary Steffes. If that isn't enough Allen greats playing in that NYE game, Jack Combs was also on that team. 

 

- It is a busy schedule around the ECHL tonight with 12 games on the schedule. Seven of eight Mountain Division teams will be in action; Idaho is idle. Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews. https://echl.com/news/2025/12/echl-today-dec-31     

 

 

 

-  Carter Savoie, whom Coach Martinson traded to Greenville to acquire Hank Crone, has left the Swamp Rabbits to play in Europe. Savoie was Greenville's leading scorer. He has been suspended by the team to protect his ECHL rights.

 

 

 

- If you track transactions in Ottawa, you saw the Senators' top goalie, Linus Ullmark, is taking an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons. Leevi Merilainen, who played 13 games in Allen (2023-24), will be stepping in as the primary goaltender. Hunter Shepard was recalled from Belleville to serve as backup in Ottawa. That leaves Belleville with two goalies, one of them being Jackson Parsons. Bottom line is don't look for Parsons to be loaned to Allen anytime soon.  

 

 

- Here are the ECHL standings as 2026 approaches. Games played are in parentheses. The division remains very tight, especially from third place to seventh place. 

 

• .692 - Kansas City (26 games)
• .672 - Idaho (29 games)
• .586 - Tahoe (29 games)
• .558 - Allen (26 games)
• .500 - Wichita (26 games)
• .481 - Rapid City (27 games)
• .481 - Utah (27 games)
• .346 - Tulsa (26 games) 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about players with the highest percentage of their team's goals. Allen's leader is Brayden Watts, who has scored 12.9% of Allen's goals. 

ECHL players with the highest percentage of their team’s goals this season: 

 

21.7% - Spencer Kersten, Orlando*

17.9% - Easton Armstrong, Tulsa

16.9% - Brandon Hawkins, Toledo

16.1% - Reed Lebster, Utah

15.9% - Jack O’Brien, Iowa

15.7% - Eddie Matsushima. Bloomington

15.5% - Ryan Kirwan, Cincinnati

15.2% - Brendan Hoffman, Idaho

 

*Kersten has scored 15 of Orlando’s 69 goals.

 

Sticks Down, Wallets Up - ECHL Hockey Hits the Brakes

 

I am sure many of you have spent the last two days reading everything you can find about the strike that has ground the ECHL to a halt. It is challenging to distinguish fact from fiction and opinion, and I certainly don't have the answers. I am not sure where to start, so this information may be rambling, but here goes.

 

- In my opinion, the reason both sides are at a stalemate in reaching an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is that the owners have decided their best and final offer is just that, and the financial viability of some teams in the league is at risk. The PHPA, representing the players, feels just as strongly that the owners' offer is not enough. That difference of opinion is what has led to this strike. 

 

- Here is the latest public statement from the ECHL on the negotiations: https://echl.com/CBA 

- Here is the public statement from the PHPA on negotiations: https://phpa.com/news/3215   

  

- In addition to working on the agreement for a new CBA, the ECHL teams are in the process of putting together teams to continue playing. From what I understand, these teams could be a combination of NHL/AHL contracted players assigned to the ECHL, and replacement players from Europe, SPHL, FPHL or free agents. The unknown factor is how many, if any, players from current rosters will decide to continue playing. 

Here are more details from my ECHL Stats post today: The ECHL intends to play as many scheduled games as possible during this players’ strike. If two scheduled teams can roster enough players (minimum 13 skaters & 2 goalies), games will be played as scheduled. If not, games will be postponed. Based on this approach, you can expect most, if not all, games scheduled today will be postponed. ECHL coaches/general managers are scrambling to sign enough replacement players to supplement rostered players who choose to play, to avoid postponing games. There are 69 games on the ECHL schedule over the next eight days.

According to the ECHL website, all 15 scheduled games today have been postponed.

 

- One question I have seen asked several times, but can't find an answer to, is whether the players have voted on the latest offer from the ECHL. I know the players voted a while back to give the PHPA the right to call a strike. That is a different question than whether the players have voted on the "last and final" offer from the owners. 

 

- Another topic of conversation that I see discussed concerning the striking players is vacating their housing. What I have heard (not confirmed) is that all striking players received a letter telling them they must vacate their housing. However, this is complicated because state laws vary significantly in how quickly striking employees can be removed from company housing. It can be as few as three days in low-protection states, to as high as months in high-protection states. As you might expect, Texas falls into the low-protection category.

 

- Coach Martinson has been busy during the Christmas break talking to players about coming to Allen. He will sign some players who will be on the roster after the strike is over, and others who will compete for jobs after the strike is over. He will also get some help from all his contacts in the FPHL and some fill-in local players if necessary. Martinson has a tough task as he does not have the base of NHL/AHL contracted players that many other teams have. Allen is scheduled to play Tulsa at home on New Year's Eve, and Martinson expects to field a team for that game. Martinson also expects Tulsa will be able to field a team on Wednesday, so the NYE game should be played. 

 

- Obviously, the best-case scenario is that the ECHL and PHPA come to an agreement today or tomorrow, and all of this contingency planning is unnecessary. It doesn't mean there won't be some residual effects from the strike. I will take the optimistic view that somehow and someway a deal gets done. The fans and all the businesses/employees that rely on ECHL games deserve that outcome.                     

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: This is technically not the first strike in the history of the ECHL. In the summer of 1994, the players' association went on strike over wages and benefits. The strike was resolved when the ECHL and its players reached an agreement on a new CBA in September, just before the new season was about to begin.  

Allen Win Streak Snapped, Game Recap, Video Highlights, C'MON MAN, Allen's Record Against Division, Hat Trick Sunday and More

 

I don't think it was a surprise to anyone that Allen ran out of gas on Sunday afternoon and lost to the Kansas City Mavericks 6-2. The loss snapped the Americans' five-game winning streak as the team heads into the Christmas break. Allen is not scheduled to play again until Friday when they visit Wichita.

 

- It wasn't just the four games in five days that made this week the most brutal stretch of games all season. It was the fact that Allen played three games in three days in three different cities. Friday night in Allen, Saturday night in Tulsa, and Sunday afternoon in Kansas City. Saying four games played in five days is a misnomer. The Americans actually played four games in under four days. From puck drop on Wednesday (7:10 pm) until the final horn on Sunday (6:39 pm) was less than four days, it was 95 hours and 25 minutes.

 It is even more ridiculous if you look at the three games over the weekend. From the opening puck drop in Allen on Friday night (7:21 pm) until the final horn on Sunday (6:39 pm) in Kansas City is actually less than two days (47:18), with 500 miles of bus time added in for good measure. Three games in 48 hours, in three cities, including nine hours of bus time, is cruel and unusual punishment, C'MON MAN!

 

- There wasn't much to like about the 6-2 loss in Kansas City, but there were a couple of bright spots. Here is a mix of the good and mostly bad from the stat sheet:

• Allen gave up the first goal for the 15th time in 26 games (58%)
• Allen was outshot 11-4 and outscored 1-0 in the first period.
• Allen fell behind 3-0 early in the 2nd period.
• Allen showed some fight, scoring two goals in the 2nd period (Hargrove's 4th and Asuchak's 7th) to cut the score to 3-2 going into the third period.
• Kansas City scored three goals in the third period, two of them 34 seconds apart, to blow the game open for a final score of 6-2.
• Allen was outshot in every period for a total of 41-27.
• Allen scored two power play goals (2-3) for the first time since November 1st. Allen's power play percentage improved to 17.7%.
• Allen's penalty kill surrendered two power play goals (2-6) for the first time in a month. The penalty kill remains the best in the league, but the percentage has dropped to 87.3%.
• Allen trailed 3-2 after the second period. Kansas City's record when leading after the second period is a perfect 13-0-0-0. 

 

- If you are interested in more details, here is the game recap issued by the  Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2025/12/game-recap-americans-fall-on-sunday-in-kc  

 

- Here are the video highlights with all of the goals and some great saves by both goalies: https://echl.com/videos/allen-americans-vs-kansas-city-mavericks-dec-21-2025  

 

 OTHER COMMENTS

- The Allen season is now 36% complete, and the Americans are in fourth place in the Mountain Division by points (29) and points percentage (.558). Allen has played 26 games so far. The Americans got off to a poor start. Allen's record in the first 13 games was 4-6-3-0 (.423). In the last 13 games, Allen's record was 9-4-0-0 (.692). Here is Allen's record against the other Mountain Division teams:

• 2-0-0-0: Wichita
• 4-1-1-0: Rapid City
• 4-2-0-0: Utah
• 3-2-1-0: Tulsa
• 0-0-0-0: Tahoe
• 0-2-1-0: Idaho
• 0-3-0-0: Kansas City

You can see there is a clear demarcation in the record of the three teams ahead of Allen in the standings (0-5-1-0) versus those teams below Allen in the standings (13-5-2-0). Going forward, Allen will have to do better against the top teams in the division. Also, remember nine of the Americans' final 20 games in the season will be against teams outside the Mountain Division (Norfolk, South Carolina, and Greensboro). This is another group Allen will have to play well against. 

 

- Here are the Allen players who show up as stat leaders on the ECHL Daily Report:

• Brayden Watts - #12 overall in points (25)
• Sam Sedley - #1 overall in power play assists (12)
• Sam Sedley - #4 overall in power play points (12)
• Sam Sedley - #8 in points by a defenseman (18)
• Andre Anania - #12 in points by a defenseman (15) 
• Marco Costantini - #1 in minutes played (1002)
• Marco Costantini - #1 in saves (556)   

 

- Only four ECHL teams have won seven or more of their last 10 games, and they come from just two divisions. Here are the top teams over the last 10 games:

• 9-1-0-0: Florida
• 8-1-1-0: Idaho
• 8-2-0-0: Atlanta
• 7-3-0-0: Allen 

 

- Not very often do you find a defenseman as a team's leading scorer. Here are four that currently lead or are tied for the team lead in scoring.  

• Jalen Smereck, Fort Wayne: 22 points (4G, 18A)
• Marcus Crawford, Kansas City: 26 points (4G, 22A)
• Ben Zloty, Norfolk: 20 points (4G, 16A)
• Dennis Cesana, Savannah: 17 points (3G, 14A) 

 

- Unless there is some breaking news regarding the ECHL/PHPA contract negotiations, the next blog post will be on Friday. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Before yesterday, 6% of ECHL games this season included a hat trick. There were 23 hat-tricks in 383 games. Yesterday defied all of the odds as it was a hat-trick Sunday! There were six games on the schedule, and four of them (67%) included a hat trick. And some of the hat tricks were special. Here are the details:

 

- Spencer Kersten scored all four goals in Orlando’s 4-0 road win over South Carolina.

 

- Louis Boudon scored all three goals in Atlanta’s 3-1 win over Greenville. 

 

- Justin Taylor, the ECHL’s all-time leader in games played, scored a hat trick in Adirondack’s 7-3 win over Norfolk.

 

Danny Dzhanyiev scored his second hat trick of the season in Utah’s 7-4 road win over Tulsa.

 

 

In addition to the four hat tricks, three players scored two goals:

 

Hudson Elynuik - Florida

Evan Friesen - Utah

Justin Janicke - Kansas City

 

Some great performances as the ECHL heads into its Christmas break. No games are scheduled from today until Friday (26th).

  

Allen Sweeps Tulsa With Shutout, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson Comments, Allen vs KC Preview, Allen's Past Win Streaks, Plus/Minus Stats and More

  

It didn't take long for the Allen Americans to dispatch the Tulsa Oilers last night before a big crowd of 10,322 at the BOK Center. Three first-period goals and the game was essentially over. The Americans added three more goals in the second period to add insult to injury. The only question remaining was what the final score would be, and whether the team would preserve a shutout for David Tendeck, who was making his first start since December 11. The final score was 6-0.

 

- Here are some statistical highlights:

• David Tendeck had a 42-shot shutout. It was the second-highest shot total in an ECHL shutout this season. 
• Allen's 6-0 shutout was the highest scoring shutout in the ECHL this season.  
• Spencer Asuchak scored the game-winning goal. His third game-winning goal in the last four games.
• Chase Maxwell scored his first professional goal.
• Sam Sedley had a goal and an assist to extend his point streak to seven games. It is the longest active point streak in the league.
• Brayden Watts scored a goal to extend his point streak to six games. Watts has scored five goals in the last eight games. His six-game streak is the third longest in the ECHL right now.
• Allen won its fifth straight game. That is the second-longest active streak in the league right now. Toledo leads with six.
• Allen's penalty kill was 0-1 and remains the #1 penalty kill unit in the league at 88.5%.
• Allen swept a series for the first time this season. In the three wins, the Americans outscored Tulsa 16-5.

 

- Goal scorers for the Americans were Spencer Asuchak (6), Brayden Watts (11), Trevor LeDonne (2), Chase Maxwell (1), Sam Sedley (2), and Danny Katic (9). Harrison Blasidell, Hank Crone, and Michael Gildon each had two assists. Here are the video highlights with all of the goals: https://echl.com/videos/allen-americans-vs-tulsa-oilers-dec-20-2025

 

- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans with all the details and several quotes: https://allenamericans.com/news/2025/12/americans-sweep-oilers-with-shutout-victory  

 

COACH'S COMMENTS

I had the opportunity to exchange messages with Coach Martinson after the win last night. Here is what he had to say. The first quote is from the Americans' post-game press release: 

"Every line contributed offensively and defensively, and everyone on the team finished a plus. David Tendeck was outstanding in the net. Chris Johansen is doing an outstanding job with our goalies, helping them to maximize their potential."  

"I have said all along that when we start getting offensive production from all lines, we will be tough to beat. That is what has been happening during this winning streak."

"It was pretty cool when I looked at the box score after the game and noticed all 18 skaters had a positive plus/minus. That is very rare." (FYI, as a team, Allen was +25 in the game last night. A month ago, the team plus minus was -63. After last night the team plus/minus is +21).  

 

ALLEN VS KANSAS CITY PREVIEW

- After the game last night, Allen had to bus to Kansas City, where they will take on the Mavericks at 4:05 PM CST this afternoon. The Americans are playing their fifth game in four days, with travel to Tulsa and Independence, MO. thrown in for good measure. Meanwhile, Kansas City has played three games in three days, but all have been at home. The game this afternoon will be a gut check for the Americans. The team arrived at their hotel at 3:00 am. 

 

- The game this afternoon will be the third of 10 games between Allen and Kansas City this season. Allen's home opening weekend was against the Mavericks. The Americans lost to Kansas City 4-2 and 4-1. In addition to being outscored 8-3, Allen was outshot 80-48.  

 

- Here is a stats comparison between Allen and Kansas City:

• Goals scored average: Allen (3.3) - Kansas City (3.3)
• Goals allowed average: Allen (3.0) - Kansas City (2.8)
• Shots for average: Allen (31.9) - Kansas City (35.0)
• Shots against average: Allen (37.5) - Kansas City (25.8)
• Power play percentage: Allen (15.6%) - Kansas City (15.9%)
• Penalty kill percentage: Allen (88.5%) - Kansas City (86.6%)
• Record last 10 games: Allen (7-3-0-0) - Kansas City (6-2-1-1) 

 

- Special teams are very close between Allen and Kansas City. They both have mediocre power plays (ranked #22 & #23), but excellent penalty kills (ranked #1 & #3). One thing to watch out for is shorthanded goals. The Mavericks have scored five shorthanded goals and allowed none. Allen has scored one shorthanded goal and allowed three. 

 

- Both teams are excellent when they score first. Allen has scored first in 44% (11 of 25) of its games with a record of 8-1-2-0 (.818). Kansas City has scored first in 56% (11 of 14) of its games with a record of 11-2-1-0 (.821). The first goal will be critical today.

 

- Kansas City has had the best road record in the ECHL the last three seasons. This season, the Mavericks' road record is 9-1-1-1 (.833). However, they are not as good at home. The Mavericks are 7-6-0-0 (.538) at home this season.     

        

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- How does Allen's five-game win streak compare to the win streaks in the past? Here are the longest win streaks over the last six years:

• 2025-26 - 5 game win streak
• 2024-25 - 3 game win streak
• 2023-24 - 6 game win streak
• 2022-23 - 4 game win streak (3 times)
• 2021-22 - 5 game win streak
• 2020-21 - 6 game win streak (3 times)

 

- Here are some other memorable win streaks.

In 2016-17, Allen came from way behind to win the Mountain Division regular season championship. The Americans' record from January 29 to the end of the season was 22-2-2-0 (.885). In addition to an eight-game win streak to end the season, the Americans had a seven-game and a five-game win streak down the stretch. What kept Allen from winning its final 16 games of the season was a 3-2 overtime loss in Kansas City.

In 2014-15, Allen's first season in the ECHL, the Americans had a nine-game win streak and an eight-game win streak on the way to their first Kelly Cup.  

 

-  I get asked many questions every day about the possibility of a strike. There is a lot of public information available, and that would be your best source of information. A simple search with your favorite search engine will link you to several stories. From everything I read and hear, no decision has been made to strike, but that could happen after the Christmas break. Will the season continue if there is a strike? Yes, as with any sports league that has a strike, you can expect replacement players to be signed, and the season to continue. Let's hope a strike can be averted.

 

DID YOU KNOW: Is plus/minus a good stat? It is okay as a rough indicator, but it is not reliable on its own for judging team quality. Plus/minus ignores special teams (power play and penalty kill), which are huge parts of team success. Here are the top and bottom ECHL plus/minus teams with their current points percentage. 

 

Top

+156: Florida (.731)

+113: Wheeling (.759)

+112: Atlanta (.750)

+99: Fort Wayne (.692)

 

Bottom

-172: Iowa (.346)

-137: Tulsa (.360)

-131: Greensboro (.400)

-125: Norfolk (.308)

 

 

Here are two examples of a good and a bad team that didn’t make the list: 

 

- Toledo is the #4-ranked team in the ECHL with a .708 points percentage. Their team plus/minus is +73.

 

- Orlando is the #27-ranked team in the ECHL with a .380 points percentage. Their team plus/minus is -80.

   

Katic Hat Trick Leads to Victory, Game Recap, Video Highlights. Martinson's Comments, Tonight's Preview, Why Juggle the Lines, ECHL Hat Tricks and More

 

The Allen Americans beat the Tulsa Oilers 5-3 last night to extend their winning streak to four games, the longest of the season. A crowd of 6144, on Teddy Bear Toss night, watched Harrison Blaisdell cause the Teddy Bears to rain down in the first period, after Tulsa had taken a 1-0 lead.

 

- The game was close for two periods, with the teams trading goals. Tulsa scored the first goal of the game midway through the opening period, before Blaisdell scored his eighth goal of the season at the 15:02 mark on the power play. The first period ended with a 1-1 tie. Allen had a 14-12 edge in shots.

 

- The back and forth continued in the second period. Tulsa scored a power play goal 81 seconds after puck drop to take a 2-1 lead. Allen responded just 45 seconds later, tying the score 2-2 on Danny Katic's sixth goal of the season. That was the end of the second period scoring. Allen had a 14-11 advantage in shots.

 

- The Americans took control of the game in the third period, thanks to two more Katic goals (7, 8) at 6:38 and 8:00 to take a 4-2 lead. Tulsa pulled its goalie, which led to a Brayden Watts empty-net goal, his team leading 10th goal of the season. It looked like Katic could have scored the empty net goal for his fourth of the game, but unselfishly opted to pass the puck to Watts. It was disappointing to see Allen give up a late goal after they took a 5-2 lead. Costantini deserved a better defensive effort than giving up a 2-on-1 goal with a three-goal lead and 102 seconds left in the game. With that said, Costantini has won six straight games, stopping 188 of 198 shots for a .950 save percentage. Marco will get a rest tonight, David Tendeck will get the start in Tulsa.

 

- Here is the game recap from the Americans and the video highlights

• Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2025/12/game-recap-americans-beat-oilers-5-3
• Video Highlights: https://echl.com/videos/tulsa-oilers-vs-allen-americans-dec-19-2025   

 

TONIGHT'S PREVIEW

-  Allen has had a lot of firsts recently:

• First four-game win streak
• First four straight series wins.
• First time with point percentage above .550 (.563)
• First time with a positive goal differential (+2, 77 GF, 75 GA)

 

- The Americans have already won this series against Tulsa, but they have a chance to meet another milestone with a win tonight. Allen has not swept a series all season. Allen has outscored Tulsa 10-5 in the first two games. A win tonight will be another first.

  

 

 

- Every player will go on this road trip; nobody stays home. The Americans have only 21 players on the roster, so just one extra player on the trip. I would expect you won't see any changes to the Allen lineup or lines tonight, other than David Tendeck will get the start in goal. A couple of players were dinged up in the game last night, so there is always a chance one of them will sit out, but don't count on it. 

 

 

- Here is the game day preview issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2025/12/game-day-americans-at-tulsa-705-pm 

 

 

- There will be two referees working the game tonight. Camden Fraser (#58) worked the game in Allen last night. He will be joined by Cameron Fleming (#27). As a reminder, each team will have two referees for half of their regular-season home games. (18 of 36).   

 

 

 STEVE MARTINSON'S POST-GAME COMMENTS

"It is good to see the scoring coming from all over the lineup like we have seen recently. It was fun to see that line get some goals tonight, as they have been a little frustrated lately. A key to our success is getting scoring from all of the lines as we have recently."

"I felt bad for our goalie giving up that 2-on-1 goal at the end of the game. That really pissed me off."

"Games are a lot more fun now, wouldn't you agree? We got some good hits in the game."

"It was nice to get a power play early, but then we fell asleep on our power play chances. We are not shooting the puck enough on the power play. We need the fans to start chanting shoot. shoot, shoot, so I am not the only one yelling to shoot."

"We bus up to Tulsa tomorrow, and we have to win another game before finishing the four games in five days in Kansas City on Sunday afternoon."  

 

OTHER COMMENT

- If you follow the Allen lineup closely, you have noticed there have been a lot of line changes over the first part of the season. Many factors play into line combinations. Coach Martinson has told me it is no fun for him to juggle lines, as it is tough to keep track of who goes with whom. Here are some of the factors Martinson considers when he decides the lines:

• Home games, where the coach has the last change, call for different line combinations than road games.
• Early in the season, Martinson juggles lines in an attempt to get the most out of each player.
• Some players are best when they play with the right people.
• Some players are capable of playing on any line.
• If an opposing team loads up the best players on one line, it changes how Martinson puts his lines together. At home, he will load up a line to play against that top line.  
• If an opposing team spreads out its best scorers, the lines can change.
• The more complete a player is, the more likely they can play with anybody. Duarte is in the AHL because he is that type of player.
• Sometimes on the road, a team is matching up against one of our lines, so Martinson will break that line up. 
• Another factor in line combinations is something Martinson has always talked about. He believes whoever is going gets the ice time. If a player is having an off night and his two linemates aren't, that player will get moved.
• Martinson has always said he tries to keep two players together who have chemistry.
• Other factors in line combination are trying to have a puck carrier, a playmaker, and a net front guy on every line. Toughness on every line is also a consideration, as is speed.   

 The goal is to have lines that stay together, and if you noticed, last night was the first game all season where there were no line changes from the previous game. In Coach Martinson's words, "we are getting closer," and I read that to mean you will see lines staying together more in the future, but for all the reasons above, there will always be exceptions.  

  

- The pure hat trick by Katic was Allen's fifth hat trick of the season (Blaisdell, Duarte, Watts, Crone). Katic had a four-point game and leads the team in points per game (1.29), which ranks him #4 in the ECHL in points per game (minimum 10 games played). 

 

- The odd stat of the day is Allen's five hat tricks represent 24% of all the hat tricks in the ECHL this season. There has been a total of 21 hat-tricks thus far, and the Americans have five of them. A total of 16 teams do not have a single hat trick.  

The Americans are just a third of the way through the season and already rank #4 in most hat tricks in a season, since Allen joined the ECHL in 2014-15. Here is the list of the most hat-tricks in a single season.

• 2022-23 - 8 hat tricks
• Crone (3)
• Hargrove (2)
• Finlay (2)
• Novak 

• 2021-22 - 6 hat tricks
• Troock (2)
• Costello
• Gould
• Winquist
• Henman

• 2014-15 - 6 hat tricks
• Combs (2)
• Costello
• Hanson
• Follmer
• Abeltshauser 

• 2025-26 - 5 hat tricks
• Blaisdell
• Duarte
• Watts
• Crone
• Katic 

 

 

- The Allen Americans won their seventh home game last night (7-4-1-0). The seven home wins match Allen's total for the entire season last year (7-24-4-1). 

 

Allen has won eight of its last 11 games. One year ago, Allen was in the midst of a losing streak that saw the team lose 13 of 14 games.     

 

 

 

- A few of the streaks from yesterday's post stayed alive last night:

• Marco Costantini has won six straight games. 
• Colby McAuley has 2 goals and 3 assists in the last 3 games.  
• Sam Sedley has a 6-game point streak (1G, 5A). 
• Brayden Watts has a 5-game point streak (3G, 4A).  

 

 

- Allen gained some ground on a couple of teams ahead of them last night. The top two teams in the division lost at home last night. Utah beat Kansas City 7-4, and Rapid City beat Idaho 4-3. The teams play again tonight. Here are the Mountain Division standings by points percentage. Notice the discrepancy in games played, which varies from 24 to 28:

 

• .667 - Kansas City (24 games)
• .661 - Idaho (28 games)
• .571 - Tahoe (28 games)
• .563 - Allen (24 games)
• .520 - Wichita (25 games)
• .500 - Rapid City (26 games)
• .480 - Utah (25 games)
• .375 - Tulsa (24 games) 

 

- It is another busy night around the ECHL with 14 games on the schedule. All eight Mountain Division teams are in action, playing the same teams as last night. The only change is that the Allen vs Tulsa game switches to Tulsa: 

• Allen at Tulsa
• Utah at Kansas City
• Rapid City at Idaho
• Wichita at Tahoe 

 Here is the ECHL Today with previews of all 14 games: https://echl.com/news/2025/12/echl-today-dec-20 

DID YOU KNOW: Here are the best home and road teams in the ECHL:

•  Best Home Teams
• .909 - South Carolina (10-1-0-0)
• .864 - Wheeling (9-1-1-0)
• .833 - Atlanta (10-2-0-0

• Best Road Teams
• .833 - Kansas City (9-1-1-1)
• .750 - Florida (10-3-1-0)
• .750 - Fort Wayne (11-3-2-0)

 

- So much for home ice advantage. The three teams with the best road record all have a better road record than home record, and one isn't even close. Here is a comparison:

• Kansas City - .833 road, .500 home
• Florida - .750 road, .682 home
• Fort Wayne - .750 road, .611 home 

      

Allen vs Tulsa Preview, Current Player Streaks and Stats, Teams on Pace for 100 Points, Christmas Waiver/Trade Freeze and More

 

The Allen Americans have a chance tonight to win a fourth straight game and a fourth straight series as they take on Tulsa in game two of three games. Game three will be in Tulsa tomorrow night (Saturday).  

 

- The key to victory tonight will be more of the same from Allen's 5-2 win on Wednesday. 

• A good start - Allen scored two goals in the first five minutes of the game and never trailed. The Americans' record when they score first is 7-1-2-0.
• Great defense - Allen has won three straight games and allowed  0, 1, and 2 goals. Allen's record this season when allowing two or fewer goals is 8-0-1-0. 
• Great goaltending - Marco Costantini has been in goal during this three-game winning streak. He has saved 111 of 114 shots in the three wins for a save percentage of .974. Costantini will be in goal again tonight.
• Special teams - Allen's #1 penalty kill was 0-2 on Wednesday, and the power play was 1-3. If the Americans can win the special teams battle tonight, odds are they will win the game. 

 

- There were some defensive lapses on Wednesday, especially at the end of the first period, that will have to be cleaned up, but the team defense has been excellent recently. There have been very few odd-man rushes given up by the Americans in recent games. Earlier in the season, that was commonplace. Allen has a very young group of defensemen. Matt Register's 13 years of ECHL experience are more than the rest of the defensemen combined. Having Register behind the bench (home and away) has been a big plus for the Americans.

 

- I won't get the official lineup until later today, but based on the results on Wednesday, I expect you will see the same lineup tonight as the Wednesday lineup. 

 

- Here are Allen's leading scorers in the four games against Tulsa this season:

• 6 points (4G, 2A) - Brayden Watts
• 6 points (1G, 5A) - Danny Katic
• 3 points (1G, 2A) - Andre Anania
• 3 points (1G, 2A) - Thomas Caron 

 

- Sometimes, home vs road special teams tell a different story than overall percentages. The gaps between Allen and Tulsa are even wider when comparing home and away. Allen's home power play percentage is 9.8% (4-41), Tulsa's road percentage is 17.9% (5-28). Allen's home penalty kill percentage is 91.7% (4-48), Tulsa's road percentage is 69.4% (11-36).  

 

- The game tonight will be a one-referee game. The referee will be Camden (Cam) Fraser (#58). He has never worked an Allen game, from what I can tell. Fraser worked his first pro game (ECHL) last season. The linesmen will be Aaron Schaat (#51) and Michael Miggins (#47).

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- The Christmas waiver/trade freeze starts on Monday (12/22) at 3:00 p.m. ET. and runs through noon on Friday (12/26). It is always difficult to get waived or traded three days before Christmas, but such is life in the ECHL. A year ago, there were only a handful of players traded or waived just before the deadline, but a lot of  NHL/AHL contracted players were recalled or assigned to ECHL teams. Players can be recalled or assigned during the freeze.

 

- It is a big Friday night around the ECHL with 28 of 30 teams in action. All eight Mountain Division teams are playing.

• Tulsa at Allen
• Utah at Kansas City
• Rapid City at Idaho
• Wichita at Tahoe 

Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews: https://echl.com/news/2025/12/echl-today-dec-19   

 

- Some current Allen streaks and stats:

• Marco Costantini has won five straight games.
• Spencer Asuchak has a 3-game point streak, a 2-game goal streak, and the game-winning goal in the last 2 games.
• Colby McAuley has 2 goals, 2 assists in the last 2 games. 
• Andre Anania has a 3-game point streak (2G, 2A). 
• Sam Sedley has a 5-game point streak (1G, 4A). 
• Brayden Watts has a four-game point streak (2G, 4A).
• Michael Gildon has not had a plus/minus in minus territory in the last 10 games.
• Quinn Warmuth has 3 points (2G, 1A) in the last 2 games.  

 

- Here is the game preview issued by the Allen Americans for tonight's Teddy Bear Toss game: https://allenamericans.com/news/2025/12/game-day-teddy-bear-toss-night-in-allen 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Last season, three ECHL teams finished with 100+ points. None won the Kelly Cup. Trois Rivières (98 points) won the Kelly Cup in 2025. Here is how the 100-point teams fared in the 

playoffs:

 

109 - South Carolina (lost in 1st round)

106 - Florida (lost in 3rd round)

103 - Kansas City (lost in 3rd round)

 

 

This season (2025-26), five teams are currently on a 100+ point pace. 

 

112 - Wheeling

108 - Florida

105 - Atlanta

102 - Fort Wayne

100 - Kansas City

 

 

Since 2014-15, a total of 23 teams have reached 100+ points in the regular season. Only two have gone on to win the Kelly Cup.

 

2018 - Colorado (102 points)

2015 - Allen (106 points)

 

Allen Extends Win Streak, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments, Leading Goals Scorers Last 10 Games and More

 

The Allen Americans beat the Tulsa Oilers 5-2 last night to extend their winning streak to three games, which is the longest of the season. The Americans had one other three-game win streak earlier in the season. With the win, Allen's record moved to 11-9-3-0 (.543), the first time all season the Americans are two games above .500. 

 

What the stats say:

• During this three-game win streak, Allen has outscored its opponents 14-3.
• Allen is 7-3-0-0 (.700) in the last 10 games.
• Allen averaged 1.83 goals per game (11 goals in 6 games) during the six-game losing streak. In the games since, the Americans have averaged 3.90 goals per game (39 goals in 10 games).  
• Allen's has moved into the top 10 in the league in goals scored per game (3.18).
• Allen has allowed three or fewer goals in 8 of the last 10 games; they have allowed two or fewer goals in six of the 10.
• Spencer Asuchak has scored the game-winning goal in the last two games.
• Allen hasn't allowed a power play goal in the last four games, and the Americans' league-leading penalty kill percentage is up to 89.2%.
• Allen's goal differential is back to even, after being negative from the start. The Americans have scored and allowed 72 goals. 

 

- Last night, Allen got off to a great start, scoring twice in the first five minutes of the game. Defensemen Quinn Warmuth and Andre Anania led the way with great shots. It was the third goal of the season for both players. Midway through the first period, Allen had a 12-5 shot advantage and a 2-0 lead. The good start was thwarted late in the period when Tulsa took over offensively and scored two goals in less than a minute (17:06 & 18:01). At the first intermission, the score was tied 2-2. Allen had the shot advantage 15-12.

 

- Tulsa outshot Allen 16-10 in the second period, but thanks to some outstanding goaltending by Marco Costantini, the only goal of the period was scored by Spencer Asuchak, his fifth goal of the season. Allen took a 3-2 lead into the second intermission, and that was about as much of a statistical lock for a win as you could have. Allen is undefeated this season when leading after the second period (8-0-0-0), and Tulsa is winless when trailing after the second period (0-12-0-0).

 

- Allen added two third-period goals, both by Colby McAuley (4 &5), to make a tight game into a 5-2 win for the Americans. The teams will resume play Friday night before heading to Tulsa for game three of the series Saturday night. 

 

- Here are the game recaps and video highlights:

• Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2025/12/game-recap-americans-put-the-oilers-away-in-the-third-period-for-a-5-2-win   
• Tulsa Oilers: https://tulsaoilers.com/news/2025/12/oilers-fall-to-americans-for-first-time-this-season
• Video Highlights: https://echl.com/videos/tulsa-oilers-vs-allen-americans-dec-17-2025    

 

COACH'S COMMENTS

"It was a good start with a couple of nice shots by our defensemen, but it was kind of irritating with a few of the shifts late in the period that let them back in the game."

"It is nice to get some more guys we are counting on to score goals. Some of those guys have been frustrated. This will be a big boost for Colby."

"We are getting balanced scoring from three lines, and the fourth line had some good opportunities tonight.

"With four games in five days, it is important to spread the ice time around, and we were able to do that tonight."

"Marco was great again tonight. He has been making it look easy since he returned to the lineup."

"It has been fun, and we are feeling good about ourselves, but we have to keep it going on Friday."

"It was nice that Murray had a fight tonight in Springfield, and they won 3-1. He had some good hits and a scoring chance." 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Coach Martinson mentioned Allen was getting more balanced scoring, and some of the guys that the team is counting on to score have started scoring more. In the last 10 games, here are the Americans' leading goal scorers:

• 5 goals - McAuley
• 4 goals - Watts
• 4 goals - Asuchak  
• 4 goals -  Crone
• 4 goals - Blaisdell

 

- The Mountain Division standings by points percentage:

• .696 - Kansas City
• .685 - Idaho
• .556 - Tahoe
• .543 - Allen
• .480 - Rapid City
• .458 - Utah
• .391 - Tulsa

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about the ECHL points per game leaders. The only Allen player averaging a point per game is Danny Katic at 1.08. Brayden Watts is close at .96. 

 

16 ECHL players are averaging more than a point per game (minimum 10 games played). Here are the six players averaging 1.20 or more points per game:

 

1.50 - Hudson Elynuik, Florida

1.41 - Brandon Hawkins, Toledo

1.30 - Kyle Jackson, Bloomington

1.24 - Jalen Luypen, South Carolina

1.21 - Jaxon Nelson, Iowa

1.20 - Kevin Lombardi, Indy

 

 

 

  

Allen vs Tulsa Series Preview, Americans Sign Defenseman Ty Prefontaine - Player Profile, Allen's Top Special Teams and More

 

The Allen Americans begin a three-game series against last-place Tulsa tonight. The teams will play in Allen again on Friday and then travel to Tulsa for game three on Saturday. Don't let Tulsa's last place fool you. The Americans have played Tulsa three times this season and have yet to win a game. Here are the results of the three games: 

• November 7: 4-1 loss in Tulsa
• November 9: 4-3 overtime loss in Tulsa (Brayden Watts scored all 3 goals)
• November 15: 4-2 loss in Allen 

 

- The common denominator in the three losses was Tulsa's NHL contracted goalie, Vyacheslav Buteyets, who won all three games against Allen, stopping 87 of 92 shots for a .946 save percentage. Buteyets was recalled to the San Diego Gulls after the game against Allen on November 15. Tulsa lost nine straight games after he was recalled. Buteyets spent a month away from Tulsa and is one of those rare players who have played in the ECHL, AHL, and NHL this season. He made his NHL debut with the Anaheim Ducks on December 3, but had a rough night (9.00 GAA, .769 save percentage). Buteyets was just assigned to Tulsa on Saturday and won his first start, beating Tahoe 3-2. He has won his last five starts for Tulsa, and you can expect the Americans will see a lot of him in this series. 

 

- Here are some comparison stats between Allen and Tulsa:

• Allen is 6-4-0-0 over the last 10 games, Tulsa is 2-8-0-0.
• Allen is 5-4-1-0 at home, Tulsa is 4-5-0-0 on the road.
• Allen's goal differential is -3 (67-70), Tulsa's is -22 (58-80).
• Allen's team plus/minus is -24, Tulsa's is -91.
• Allen's team save percentage is .914, Tulsa's is .900.

 

- Here is the more traditional statistical comparison between the two teams.

• Goals scored average: Allen (3.0) - Tulsa (2.6)
• Goals allowed average: Allen (3.2) - Tulsa (3.6)
• Shots for average: Allen (31.7) - Tulsa (32.6)
• Shots against average: Allen (37.2) - Tulsa (36.5)
• Power play percentage: Allen (13.8%) - Tulsa (20.0%)
• Penalty kill percentage: Allen (89.0%) - Tulsa (78.8%)

 

- Special teams are always a big key to any series, but the contrast between Allen and Tulsa is striking when you look at the stats above. Allen has the ECHL's #1-ranked penalty kill; Tulsa's is ranked #24. The power play stats are the opposite. Tulsa is ranked #8, while Allen is ranked #25. In their three head-to-head matchups, Allen was 0-13 on the power play, Tulsa was 1-9. Both teams will have power play opportunities in this series. Allen is ranked #6 in penalty minutes (325) and has taken 105 minor penalties. Tulsa is ranked #7 in penalty minutes (314) and has taken 97 minor penalties. Tulsa actually has more five-minute major penalties than Allen (12-9). 

 

- Both teams are below average when scoring first. They have identical records, scoring first in only 9 of 22 games (41%). Allen's record when scoring first is 6-1-2-0 (.778). Tulsa's record when scoring first is 6-3-0-0 (.667). With that said, scoring first will be another key in this series. The odds say the team that scores first will win two of the three games.

 

- This series will likely come down to goalie play. I assume Marco Costantini and Vyacheslav Buteyets will play two, if not all three of the games. Two outstanding goalies with almost identical save percentages, .926 and .930. Marco has won four straight games with save percentages of .929, 917, 1.000, and .978. Buteyets has won five straight games with save percentages of .933, .971, .920, .939, and .941. It could be quite the show tonight. 

 

Ty Prefontaine

- Allen signed defenseman Ty Prefontaine yesterday. - He is a 26-year-old,  6''3", 210-pound, left-shot defenseman from Saskatoon, SASK. He played his junior hockey in the Western Hockey League and just graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a double degree in Education and Kinesiology.

 In 255 WHL games, Ty had 70 points (10G, 60A) and 193 penalty minutes. During his college career, he played 108 games, tallying 34 points (10 goals, 24 assists) and 134 penalty minutes.   

What kind of player is Prefontaine? He was the captain of his junior team (Lethbridge Hurricanes) in his final WHL season (2019-20) and led the team in plus/minus with a +43. The next highest was +28. He had 28 points (3G, 25A) and 45 penalty minutes. In his last full season in college (2024-25), he wore an "A" and was second on the team in plus/minus at +19. Steve Martinson's quote to me, "Prefontaine is big, strong, and tough. To me, he is like the prototypical shutdown defenseman." 

Prefontaine is a rookie as a professional, but he has played five years of junior hockey and five years of college hockey. He is four years older than Sedley and Anania. This signing reminds me of Allen's 2016 championship team, when two seasoned college guys who had played in the OHL (Jordan Rowley and Thomas Carr) signed late in the regular season and were key players in shutting down Wheeling's top line. Ty could end up being that same type of player, a shutdown defenseman against the opponent's top line. 

Here is an interview with Ty from last season, which talks about his hockey and his education. You get a good understanding of what the Allen Americans are getting with Ty Prefontaine. 

 

 

- Prefontaine will not be in Allen's lineup tonight. Martinson's roster does not have any extra players with Murray on loan to the AHL and Ty not in the lineup. If there are no other changes today, Allen could still have a full contingent of 18 skaters tonight.

 

- Tulsa has been riddled with injuries this season. As of yesterday, the Oilers had nine players on the 14-day injured reserve, which includes four NHL/AHL contracted players. Tulsa should still have at least five contracted players in the lineup tonight. 

 

- The game tonight will be a one-referee game. Tyler Spott (#32) will be the referee. The linesmen will be Aaron Schacht (#51) and Michael Miggins (#47).

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- There are 10 games on the ECHL schedule tonight. Six Mountain Division teams will be in action. Here is the ECHL today with all of the previews: https://echl.com/news/2025/12/echl-today-dec-17     

 

-  The Allen Americans currently have the #1 penalty kill percentage in the ECHL. I went back to see if the Americans have ever finished a season as the #1 team, either on the power play or penalty kill. It has happened just once. Here are the seasons the Americans finished in the top five since joining the ECHL in 2014-15:

• 2022-23: #4 PP - #5 PK
• 2020-21: #2 PP
• 2016-17: #3 PP - #5 PK
• 2015-16: #1 PP - #3 PK

FYI, in 2016, on the way to their second  Kelly Cup, Allen also had the #1 power play in the playoffs at 27.2%. The Americans scored 80 goals in 24 playoff games, and 35% of them (28) were scored on the power play.

 

DID YOU KNOW: One way to judge the overall strength of each ECHL division is to look at the points percentages of the bottom three non-playoff teams. 

 

NORTH

.500 Worcester

.386 Greensboro

.304 Norfolk

 

SOUTH

.500 Jacksonville

.452 Savannah

.364 Orlando 

 

CENTRAL

.457 Indy

.432 Kalamazoo

.391 Iowa 

 

MOUNTAIN

.500 Rapid City

.458 Utah

.409 Tulsa

 

FYI, the last time a team with a points percentage below .500 made the Kelly Cup playoffs was in 2023-24. Two Mountain Division teams, Allen (.486) and Tulsa (.479), made the playoffs. Both teams lost in the first round of the playoffs. Tulsa lost 4-0 to Kansas City, and Allen lost 4-1 to Idaho.

     

  

Allen Americans Update, Costantini Selected ECHL Goalie of the Week, Martinson's Comments, All-Time Stats Leaders, Allen's #1 PK and More

 

 The Allen Americans returned home on Sunday after a successful road trip to Rapid City, where they won two of three games against a Rush team that came into the series having just swept three games in Tahoe and beaten #1 Idaho two of three games. After Allen lost game one of the Rush series 7-3, it looked like it might be a long weekend, but the Americans bounced back with 4-0 and 5-1 victories to win the series. Goalie Marco Costantini returned to the lineup after missing five games with an injury. Marco was the difference maker in the two wins against Rapid City, stopping 75 of 76 shots for a .987 save percentage. For his effort, Marco was named ECHL Goalie of the Week: https://echl.com/news/2025/12/allens-costantini-named-warrior-hockey-echl-goaltender-of-the-week

 

- The Americans have been playing better hockey for a while now. On November 22, the Americans lost to Idaho 5-2, marking their sixth consecutive loss. Since then, Allen has won three straight series, two of them on the road. Allen's record over the last nine games is 6-3-0-0 (.667). The Americans' points percentage since November 22 has gone from .423 to .523. They are now in fourth place in the division in points percentage.

 

- What have been the keys to Allen's recent success?

• More scoring - Allen averaged 1.83 goals per game (11 goals in 6 games) during the six-game losing streak. In the nine games since, the Americans have averaged 3.78 goals per game (34 goals in 9 games). 
• Better defense - Allen has allowed three or fewer goals in seven of the last nine games.
• Great penalty kill - Allen did not allow a power play goal against Rapid City and now has the #1 ranked penalty kill percentage in the ECHL at 89.0%. 
• Great goaltending - Marco Costantini has won his last four starts and hasn't had a save percentage below .917 in his previous six games. Even after missing five games with an injury, Marco is #5 in the league in minutes (822), #3 in saves (449), and #5 in save percentage (.930). 
• David Tendeck had a couple of tough outings in his last two starts with little defensive support, but carried the load after Costantini was injured. His save percentages were .933, .957, and .941 in the first three games he started after Marco's injury.   

 

- Here are the Allen stats leaders over the last nine games (minimum four points) with plus/minus numbers:

• Watts - 9 points (4G, 5A) 0
• Sedley - 8 points (1G, 7A) +7 
• Crone - 8 points (4G, 4A) +2 
• Blaisdell - 7 points (4G, 3A) +4
• Asuchak - 7 points (3G, 4A) +3 
• McAuley - 7 points (3G, 4A) +3 
• Katic - 6 points (2G, 4A) +1            (7 games)
• Warmuth - 5 points (2G, 3A), +1
• Hargrove - 5 points (2G, 3A), +4     (8 games) 
• Caron - 5 points (2G, 3A), +3 
• Anania - 5 points (1G, 4A) +7
• Gildon - 4 points (3G, 1A) +5 
• Decker - 4 points (1G, 3A) 0
• Simmons-Fischer - 4 points (0G, 4A) 0    (6 games) 

 

-  Next up for the Americans is another three-game series. This one is against Tulsa, with games in Allen on Wednesday and Friday before the teams head to Tulsa for game three on Saturday. Tulsa just snapped a nine-game losing streak with back-to-back home wins against Tahoe. I will have a series preview on Wednesday. Allen will finish the week with a game in Kansas City on Sunday. Four games in five days is always difficult, but four games in five days with travel to Kansas City after the Tulsa game on Saturday for an early start on Sunday (4:05 pm) is cruel and unusual punishment. Kansas City plays three games this week (Friday, Saturday, Sunday), but all are at home. 

 

- The Mountain Division continues to be the tightest of the four ECHL Divisions. Here are the points earned for each team in the last 10 games. The team's current points percentage is in parentheses:

• 16 points - Idaho (.673)  
• 16 points - Kansas City (.696)
• 13 points - Wichita (.522) 
• 12 points - Allen (.523)
• 12 points - Rapid City (.500) 
• 11 points - Tahoe (.577)
• 8 points - Utah (.458)
• 4 points - Tulsa (.409)  

 

COACH'S COMMENTS

- I had a chance to talk to Coach Martinson yesterday, and here is what he had to say:

  "We have been better recently, winning the last three series, but we are still not clicking on all cylinders. We are inconsistent defensively, as you saw in the Rapid City series. We lost the first game 7-3 and then won the next two 4-0 and 5-1. All month, we have played some good games and then have a terrible game." 

"Obviously, this is a big week for us. We need to continue climbing up the standings. Tulsa just got their #1 goalie (NHL contracted) back from San Diego."

"I plan on adding a defenseman to the roster in the next few days."

"Troy Murray has been loaned to Springfield (AHL). They are looking to add some toughness to their lineup, and it is a great opportunity for Troy."

"Patrick Moynihan was suspended to retain his ECHL rights. After initially expressing an interest in signing, he has apparently decided not to play in the ECHL."

"Brad Morrison will not be in the lineup on Wednesday, serving the third game of his three-game suspension."  

"I don't anticipate getting any players assigned by Ottawa/Belleville this week. That could change, but it is unlikely."  

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- It has been almost three years since an Allen Americans goalie has won ECHL Goalie of the Week honors. Here is a list of winners since Allen joined the ECHL:

• Riley Gill: December 5-11, 2016
• Antoine Bibeau: December 27 - January 2, 2022
• Luke Peressini: March 14-20, 2022
• Chase Perry: January 2022-23, 2023
• Marco Costantini: December 8-14, 2025  

 

 - Allen team's save percentage is up to .914, which is ranked #7 in the ECHL. It is even more impressive when you consider half the teams in the league have two NHL/AHL contracted goalies, and all but a couple of teams have one. The Americans have just two games played by a contracted goalie (Jackson Parsons). Here are the top seven ECHL teams in save percentage:

• .929 - Atlanta
• .928 - Wheeling 
• .921 - Florida
• .918 - Wichita 
• .916 - Maine
• .915 - Tahoe 
• .914 - Allen 

- Stick taps to Adirondack's  Justin Taylor, who became the ECHL's all-time leader in games played last Saturday. Here are the top five all-time in games played:

 

885 – Justin Taylor (2010-Present)

884 – Michael Pelech (2009-2023)

859 – Sam Ftorek (1998-2018)

789 – Cam Brown (1991-2006)

776 – Garet Hunt (2008-2024)

 

Here are Justin Taylor’s ECHL all-time ranking:

#1 - games played (885)

#1 - years played (16)

#8 - goals (296)

#13 - points (580)

#41 - assists (284)

#53 - PIMS (1084)

 

 

- FYI, Matt Register is #8 all-time in games played (687), and Spencer Asuchak is #40 all-time with 526 games played. Other players in the top 50 who spent time in Allen include #14 Casey Pierro-Zabotel (621) and #21 Mathieu Aubin (592).

 

 

- Looking at the last ten games, two teams stand out, one on the high side and one on the low side. Florida leads the pack, earning 19 of 20 points in the last 10 games for a points percentage of .950. Norfolk has been in a tailspin, earning just 2 of 20 points over the previous 10 games for a points percentage of .100.  

 

 

- Four ECHL teams have yet to play a game outside their division: Allen, Kalamazoo, Orlando, and Worcester. Allen won't play a game outside the Mountain Division until February 4, when Norfolk visits Allen. The Americans visit South Carolina (March 20-22). Allen's final series outside the division will take place from April 2-4, when Greensboro visits the CUTX Event Center.  

 

 

- Here is the weekly recap issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2025/12/americans-weekly-americans-take-two-of-three-in-rapid-city     

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: This was my ECHL Stats post yesterday, which lists the top 10 players all-time in years played in the ECHL. Five of the 10 are still active, and two of the five are Allen Americans: 

In the 38-year history of the ECHL, only 10 players have played 13 or more seasons; five of the 10 are still active:

 

16 years - Justin Taylor, Adirondack

13 years - Matt Register, Allen

13 years - Anthony Collins, Tahoe

13 years - Justin Vaive, Cincinnati

13 years - Spencer Asuchak, Allen

 

 

Here are the five retired players in the top ten all-time in number of years played. In parentheses are the first and last years each player played in the ECHL. They did not play in the ECHL in all of the intervening years:

 

15 years - Sam Ftorek (1998-2016)

14 years - Michael Pelech (2009-2023)

14 years - Ernie Hartlieb (2000-2019)

13 years - Cam Brown (1991-2006)

13 years - Garet Hunt (2008-2024)