Another Big Loss for Allen, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Coach's Comments, Tonight's Lineup, Inconsistency by the Numbers, Top Goalies and More

 

If someone had told me before the game against Wichita last night the Allen Americans would accomplish the following, I would expect a victory would be certainly be the likely outcome:

• Set a season record for shots on goal (45).
• Hold Wichita to under 30 shots (28).
• Outshoot Wichita in all three periods (16-13, 18-9, 11-6).
• Have the largest shot differential of the season (+17).
• Outshoot an opponent for just the fifth time all season.
• Take fewer penalties than Wichita (4 vs 6).
• Have more power play opportunities than Wichita (6 vs 4).
• Have more power play goals than Wichita (1 vs 0).
• Start Dylan Wells in goal with a save percentage of .957, .969, .952 his last three games.

 

-  Allen not only didn't win the game the Americans were never in the game. Wichita scored first and often taking a 4-0 first period lead and never looked back. The Thunder took a 5-0 lead early in the second period before Allen got on the scoreboard but it was too little, too late. Every time Allen would score Wichita would respond. The Thunder had leads of 5-0, 6-1 and 7-2 before a late Americans goal made the final score 7-3. 

 

- With the loss and wins by Rapid City in Idaho and Utah in Tulsa, the Allen Americans went from a tie for the "Best of the Rest" to all alone as the "Worst of the Rest" in one night. These three teams are so close Allen could be back on top with a win tonight. Current standings with points behind a playoff spot in parenthesis:

• .409 - Rapid City (18 points)
• .398 - Utah (19 points)
• .386 - Allen (20 points)

 

- It is no secret Allen has struggled against the top five teams in the Mountain Division. The Americans have 13 wins in 44 games played. Eight of the wins have come against Utah and Rapid City. Allen's combined record against these two teams is 8-3-1-0 (..692). Against the top five teams in the division Allen's record is 5-18-5-0 (.268). If you add the games outside the division to the top five in the division, Allen's record is 5-20-6-0 (.258). 

 

- Allen has no games remaining against Rapid City and four remaining against Utah (three of them on the road). For the Americans to make up any ground in the standings they will have to do it against the better teams with point percentages of .698 (KC), .630 (TAH), .630 (TUL), .620 (JAX), .600 (WIC), .589 (IDH), .511 (WOR). A tall task for sure.

 

- The loss last night was a combination of great play by Wichita and numerous defensive breakdowns by the Americans. That led to odd man rushes and players being left alone in front of Dylan Wells. Michal Stinil, who scored Wichita's first goal showed why he leads the entire league in average points per game (1.33). The Thunder had six different players score goals.

 

- Goals scorers for Allen were Mark Duarte (17), Harrison Blaisdell (2) and Spencer Asuchak (18). Here are the video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/wichita-thunder-vs-allen-americans-feb-7-2025

 

- If you are interested in a goal by goal recap of the game with plenty of detail checkout this game recap issued by the Wichita Thunder: https://wichitathunder.com/news/2025/02/big-first-period-lifts-thunder-past-americans  

 

- Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2025/02/americans-fall-to-wichita-7-2

COACH'S COMMENTS

"We got punched in the mouth early. I actually liked our recovery after we got down 2-0. We were coming and coming and had some good chances, but the next thing you know a bad decision, poor puck management and the puck is in the back of our net to go down 3-0."

"At the end of the first period we go to sleep and puck management gets us in trouble again. We talked last week about puck battles taking place all over the ice. We didn't win enough of them in the first period."

"We were a little off tonight and seven ended up behind our goalie and that is not ideal. We had a goal of 30+ shots and we hit it. We had a goal of giving up less than 30 shots and we hit that. That is hockey. 
We will be ready to go tomorrow night. There are a lot of pissed off hockey players in the locker room."

"We will come back with Wells again tomorrow. He deserves it for how he has been playing to have a response to tonight. I am not a goalie, but I think there are some of those goals he would want back."

"I thought about changing goalies after the first period, but I also know he gives us a chance to win. I have seen the fight we have on our team the last 10-12 games. There was belief on that bench and in that dressing room that we were going to get one goal and then two goals and then things can happen. I really felt there was belief. Then in the second period we had a terrible pinch by a defenseman and an unfortunate circumstance of the center having a broken stick. It ended up with a 2-on-1 and a goal. Their second goal that period was a bad pinch that ended up in another 2-on-1 and goal."

"Our recipe is there to score more. On our last goal Spencer scores it because he is standing in front of the goalie, the point shot gets through and he bangs home the rebound. On our goal off the rush by Blaisdell we crashed the net. It was actually J.C Brassard, a defenseman trying to be involved in the offense. He drives the net hard and puts pressure on the goalie and it ends up in the back of the net. So our recipe is there. We need to capitalize on more of our chances and keep a few more out of our net."

 

LINEUP TONIGHT

The only change from last night is defenseman Mike Van Unen replacing Kenny Johnson:

Forwards

#16 Crnkovic-#26 Asuchak-#92 Watts

#25 Westcott-#89 Polino-#8 Duarte

#14 Guy-#17 Jacobs-#9 Isaacson

#11 Nault-#84 Gorman-#24 Blaisdell

 

Defensemen

#5 Wilson-#82 Fraser

#3 Powell-#23 Brassard

#21 Van Unen-#66 Kulakov

 

Goalies

#39 Wells 

#35 Thornton (backup)

- It will be back to one referee tonight. #10 Anthony O'Rourke will call the game. The linesmen with be #76 Daniel Barnes and #48 Trent Williams. 

- Here is a game preview from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2025/02/game-day-preview-oreilly-mcdonalds-night-in-dfw

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Inconsistency has been a hallmark of Allen's season and the last five games prove the point. Yes, some can be attributed to the opponents, but it is more than that. In the three home games against Rapid City,  Allen never allowed more than two goals in a game and outscored the Rush 10-4. In the two games since Allen has been outscored 12-3, giving up five goals to Tulsa and seven to Wichita.

 The Americans have scored the fewest goal in the division (113), 50 goals fewer than the top teams. The defense isn't any better. Allen has allowed 180 goals, 68 more than division leading Kansas City. In the last six games the Americans have allowed two or fewer goals three times which is great, but the other three games gave up eight, five and seven goals. Inconsistency personified.

 

- Kansas City is starting to inch away from the pack for the Mountain Division lead. The Mavericks only have a two point lead over Tahoe and Tulsa (60 vs 58), but Kansas City has three games in hand. 

 

- It will be another full schedule in the ECHL tonight with 14 games on tap. Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews: https://echl.com/news/2025/02/echl-today-feb-8 

 

- Rapid City has only 14 wins all season, five of them have come against Idaho, all on the road. The Rush have played eight games in Idaho with a record of 5-1-2-0 (.750). The teams play for the last time this season tonight in Idaho.

 

- Hank Crone has been back in the lineup the last four games for Idaho since missing a month due to injury. He has seven points (2G, 5A) in the four games. Colton Hargrove leads Florida in assists (20) and is second in points (29). Florida is so deep in its effort to four-peat. The Everblades have eight players with 20+ points and have overcome a bunch of injuries. Florida has had six or seven players on the 14 day IR for the last several weeks, but has the second best point percentage (.733) in the league.  

DID YOU KNOW: Stick taps to the five qualified ECHL goalies (840+ minutes played) who have save percentages above .925:

 

.931 - Luke Cavallin, Trois Rivières*

.930 - Cam Johnson, Florida*

.927 - Alexis Gravel, Orlando

.926 - Garin Bjorklund, South Carolina

.926 - Mark Sinclair, Bloomington

 

*Trois Rivières (.750) and Florida (.733) are the top two ECHL teams by point percentage.