A .933 save percentage by Allen goalie David Tendeck was not good enough last night as the Utah Grizzlies doubled up Allen in shots (45-22), scored a late third period goal, and beat the Americans 3-2.
- Allen earned four of six points in the series, which is great, but to let the sweep get away last night was disappointing, especially when you consider these stats:
- Allen scored the first goal of the game at the 10:34 mark of the first period when Spencer Asuchak scored from the goal mouth. Assists went to Decker and Simmons-Fischer.
- Allen took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. Before last night, the Americans were 2-0-1-0 when leading after the first period, and Utah was 0-4-1-0 when trailing after the first period.
- Allen won the special teams battle. The Americans were 1-2 on the power play and 0-3 on the penalty kill. Danny Katic's power play goal late in the second period (18:02) tied the score after Utah took a 2-1 lead.
- What didn't go well for Allen:
- Allen was outshot in all three periods. In the third period, with the score tied 2-2, the Americans allowed 19 shots while generating only seven.
- After taking a 1-0 lead, the Americans surrendered two second-period goals in 88 seconds to the Grizzlies.
- The game-winning goal was scored with 88 seconds remaining in the game. It was one of those shot to the net with traffic in front type of goals. Unfortunately, the player parked in front of the goalie was Utah's leading scorer, who jammed the puck into the net. The Utah player was definitely in the crease when he scored the goal, and the replay showed his skate may have interfered with Tendeck, but after the referee reviewed it, he ruled it a good goal. Allen had a couple of chances at the end of the game with an extra attacker, including off a faceoff with .9 seconds remaining, but could not get the puck in the net.
- It was the ninth time in 16 games (56%) that Allen has scored two or fewer goals. The Americans' record in those nine games is 0-7-2-0. When the Americans have scored three or more goals, their record is 6-0-1-0. Consistent goal scoring remains an issue. On the just-completed six-game road trip, Allen scored 1, 2, 2, 4, 4, 2 goals and returned home with a record of 2-4-0-0.
- The Americans will get more of Utah next week as the Grizzlies visit Allen for games on Wednesday (10:30 am), Friday, and Saturday. Another great opportunity for Allen to sweep a series.
- Here are the game recaps from both teams and the video highlights:
- Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2025/11/game-recap-americans-fall-in-series-finale-3-2
- Utah Grizzlies: https://utahgrizzlies.com/news/2025/11/grizzlies-win-3-2-thriller-on-reed-lebsters-game-winner
- Video Highlights: https://echl.com/videos/allen-americans-vs-utah-grizzlies-nov-29-2025
OTHER COMMENTS
- Belleville lost 6-3 to Providence at home last night. The Senators are in fourth place in the seven-team North Division with a record of 10-9-2-0 (.524). Mark Duarte hasn't missed a game since being loaned on November 11. In nine games, Mark has three points (2G, 1A). His plus/minus is +4, which leads the team.
I asked Mark about his time in Belleville, and specifically the penalty kill. This is what he had to say, "I have gotten a good amount of time on the penalty kill. It's been a great opportunity, and I have enjoyed it a lot."
Hard to believe Belleville hasn't signed Duarte to an AHL deal. Belleville plays Providence again this afternoon (3:00 pm EST).
- Danny Katic has played in only nine games with the Americans, but has had quite the impact. Here is how he ranks statistically despite the few games played:
- #1 - points per game (1.33)
- #1 - plus/minus (+3)
- #1(tied) - power play goals (2)
- #1(tied) - game-winning goals (1)
- #4 - goals (4)
- #5(tied) - points (8)
- #6 (tied) - assists (4)
- #21 - games played (9)
- How much can the standings change in the tight Mountain Division in one night? Here is how many positions each team moved in the standings after last night's results. The current place in the standings is in parentheses (by points percentage)
- +3 Wichita (5th)
- +2 Utah (4th)
- +1 Tahoe (1st)
- 0 Idaho (3rd)
- -1 Rapid City (8th)
- -1 Kansas City (2nd)
- -2 Allen (6th)
- -3 Tulsa (7th)
- There are eight games on the ECHL schedule today, all with early starts. Tulsa at Tahoe is the only Mountain Division game. Here are the previews: https://echl.com/news/2025/11/echl-today-nov-30
DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about goal differential. Allen's goal differential after the loss last night is -8:
If you listened to the broadcast last night, you heard Tommy Daniels mention several times an Early Black Friday sale taking place through the Americans Team Store. Youth and Adult Military Night and Wizard Night Jerseys are 30% off bringing the cost down to $80.50 for the youth jerseys and $109.20 for the adult jerseys. The sale started on Friday and goes through tomorrow (Sunday). Here is the link if you are interested: 