Allen vs Idaho Preview, Team Stats Tell the Story, Martinson's Keys to the Game, Who's Hot and Who's Not and More

 

It is game day for the Allen Americans as they play Idaho tonight in the second of a three-game series. Allen is in the midst of a four-game losing streak and has five more road games in front of them. In the last two weeks, the Americans have seen their point percentage drop from .643 to .455.

 

- What does Allen have to do to stop the bleeding? This morning, I will review some team statistics that may help answer that question. Let's start by looking at what is working and what isn't.

• Goals scored - Allen is ranked #23 in the league in goals scored (2.64). If you exclude the two games in which they scored six goals, in Allen's other nine games, they have averaged just 1.55 goals per game. 
• Shooting percentage - Shots haven't been the problem, as the Americans are ranked #8 in shots per game (32.18). They have outshot the opponent in their last four losses. What has been a problem is converting shots into goals. There are only five teams in the ECHL with a shooting percentage below 8% and Allen is one of them. Allen's team shooting percentage is 7.9% and five top forwards are below the team average. 
• Scoring first - Allen's record when scoring first, 2-0-1-0 (.833), is excellent, but Allen has scored first in only three of 11 games (27%). The league average is 50% and the top team (Tahoe) is at 80%. 
• Goals allowed -  I wrote this about goals allowed at the end of October. While the offense has struggled, the defense has allowed only 12 goals in four games, resulting in a 3.00 goals per game average, ranking #12 in the league. Three of the 12 goals allowed were empty-net goals. Not including them, Allen's goals allowed average is 2.25 goals per game. If you look at Allen's last five games, they have allowed 19 goals, an average of 3.8 goals per game.
• Allen's record when scoring three or more goals is 4-0-1-0 (.900). When they score less than three goals, the Americans' record is 0-5-1-0 (.083).
• Special teams - Allen has one of the best penalty kills in the league, ranked #3 at 91.1%. Allen's power play is ranked #25 at 13.0% despite scoring its only goal on the power play in the 3-1 loss to Idaho on Wednesday.
• Goaltending - Allen's goaltending has been a strength, despite Marco Costantini having to carry the load by himself recently. He has played every minute in goal in the last nine games, since Jackson Parsons was recalled to Belleville. Marco's save percentage is .919, Parsons' save percentage in the two games before he was recalled was .931.

 

  - If you look at the stats above, it is clear what will lead to victory tonight. Some of these are easier said than done, but if the team works hard and minimizes mistakes, they can be accomplished:

• Score the first goal of the game.
• Score a minimum of three goals.
• Take 35+ shots.
• Convert on 10% or more of the shots.
• Minimize shots against and achieve a .919 save percentage.
• Win the special teams battle. 

 

- What are Coach Martinson's keys to the game tonight? I asked him that question early this morning, and this is what he had to say. He plans to have a video review with the team before the pregame skate this morning. 

 "We need to cut down on the number of turnovers at the blue line, trying to make low-probability plays. Lack of speed through the neutral zone and poor positioning contribute to the turnovers."

"Sometimes our structure is undisciplined, which makes it difficult to create offense off the rush."

"When we have puck support, we have success going into the zone. When we have a poor structure, too often it results in a broken play, a turnover, and a shot against." 

"To solve our lack of offense, we need better rushes that create more pressure on the puck as we enter the zone. Even if you don't have success, if you have good positioning and structure, you have a better chance at recovering the puck if you have to chip it in." 

"Another focus will be on getting pucks from high to low, D to D, traffic in front of the net, and getting off a good shot. Identifying when the defense is collapsing and getting the puck to the point is key." 

Martinson won't make lineup decisions until later in the day, but I would expect you will see the same lines as on Wednesday. I also assume both goalies will get a game this weekend, with Costantini going tonight and Tendeck tomorrow. I will post the lineup here and on social media later today.

 

- The game tonight will be a two-referee game. Tyler Hascall (#8) and Eliot Grauer (#59), who worked the game on Wednesday, will be the referees again. They let a lot go on Wednesday, calling only four minor penalties. I would expect you will see more penalties in the game tonight, and it will be more physical.

 

 - Here is the game day preview issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2025/11/game-day-preview-americans-at-idaho-810-pm-cdt 

 

 

 OTHER COMMENTS 

- There are 13 games on the ECHL schedule tonight. All eight Mountain Division teams will be in action, with two playing inter-divisional games (Wichita at Toledo, Savannah at Tahoe). Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews: https://echl.com/news/2025/11/echl-today-nov-21 

 

- If you are on YouTube, check out the latest video on the Allen Americans Blog YouTube Channel. Team President Jonny Mydra, talks about the ECHL All-Star Classic and Fan Fest that Allen will be hosting in January. If you aren't already subscribed to the channel, please do so, and you will be notified whenever a new video is posted.

 

- Here is the odd stat of the day. It is over a month into the ECHL season, and here are some home game stats:

• Two teams are undefeated at home: South Carolina (5-0-0-0) and Wheeling (4-0-0-0).
• One team hasn't won at home, Orlando (0-4-0-0)
• One team has yet to play a home game: Fort Wayne plays at home tonight after playing its first 11 games on the road because of rink renovations. Despite 11 straight road games, the Komets lead the Central Division with a record of 8-3-0-0 (.727). Their .727 point percentage is the second-best in the ECHL.

 

DID YOU KNOW: Who is hot and who is not in the ECHL. Records over the last 10 games:

 

HOT

9-1-0-0: Wheeling

7-3-0-0: South Carolina

7-3-0-0: Atlanta

7-3-0-0: Fort Wayne

7-3-0-0: Tulsa

 

NOT HOT

1-9-0-0: Orlando

2-7-1-0: Iowa

3-6-1-0: Wichita

3-5-2-0: Allen

3-5-2-0: Norfolk