Allen Loses 5th Straight to Idaho, Game Recaps, Video Highlights, Martinson Comments, Streaks, Stats, Attendance Update and More

 

The good news is Allen managed to earn a point in Idaho last night. The bad news is the Americans lost 6-5 just 20 seconds into overtime. Here is how bad the weekend went for the Americans in Boise:

• Allen lost twice and has still not beaten Idaho this season, 5 straight losses.
• Allen has lost three straight games for the first time since November 21.
• Allen gave up 12 goals in the two games in Idaho.
• Allen had a total of two power play opportunities, went 0-2, and allowed a shorthanded goal.  
• Allen's great penalty kill faltered, with a 50% penalty kill, giving up three goals in six attempts.
• To add insult to injury, the team's flight home was cancelled. They won't leave Boise until Monday afternoon.

 

- Despite the loss, there were some positives out of the game last night. 

• Allen scored five goals.
• Allen scored the first goal of the game. 
• Allen led 1-0 after the first period.
• Allen scored 23 seconds after Idaho took a 2-1 lead in the second period.
• Allen led 3-2 after the second period.
• Allen scored to tie the score 5-5 late in the third period, 19 seconds after Idaho took the lead. 
• Allen earned one point.

 

- Goal scorers for Allen were Spencer Asuchak (9), Hank Crone (10), Michael Gildon (10, 11), and Colby McAuley (14). Colton Hargrove had two assists in the game. Here are the video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/allen-americans-vs-idaho-steelheads-jan-24-2026

 

- Here is the goal-by-goal game recap from both teams:

• Allen Americans - "Americans Earn a Point in OT Loss" - https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/01/americans-earn-a-point-in-ot-loss 
• Idaho Steelheads - "Pearson's OT Goal Lifts Steelheads to 6-5 Win Over Americans" - https://idahosteelheads.com/news/2026/01/pearsons-ot-goal-lifts-steelheads-to-6-5-win-over-americans 

 

- Next up for the Americans are seven straight home games, starting with a 3-in-3 against Rapid City on Friday. Saturday and Sunday. The following week, Norfolk visits the CUTX Event Center on February 4, 6, and 7. This will be a chance for Allen to get back on the winning track.

 

- I had a chance to talk to Coach Martinson this morning. He is spending the day putting video together to use at practice when the team returns, and also videos of penalties that weren't called. Here are some of his thoughts:

"We score plenty of goals to win games. It is hard for a coach to produce more offense, but we have that covered. It is our defensive play that is killing us. There are no excuses for some of the defensive lapses we have."  

"I know we have a core group of guys that can win in the playoffs. I know I have to add some guys to make us stronger, but we also need the guys who are creating offense to be better defensively. And you can't say I will do it in the playoffs, we have to do it now."

"Our defensive play cost us three points this weekend. Guys we are counting on need to be better defensively. If we are going to have success defensively, it has to be led by our established players."

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Some streaks continued last night:

• Overall Player Streaks 
• Hank Crone - six-game assist streak.
• Harrison Blaisdell - six-game assist streak.
• Sam Sedley - eight-game point streak.

• Road Player Streaks
• Hank Crone - seven-game assist streak.
• Harrison Blaisdell - six-game assist streak.
• Hank Crone - seven-game point streak.

• Home Player Streaks
• Sam Sedley - six-game assist streak.
• Danny Katic - seven-game point streak.
• Colby McAuley - seven-game point streak. 

 

- Allen players with 10 or more points in the last 10 games:

• 16 points (4G, 12A) - Hargrove  
• 15 points (3G, 12A) - Crone   
• 14 points (5G, 9A) - Watts      
• 13 points (3G, 10A) - Sedley     
• 11 points (1G, 10A) - Blaisdell  
• 10 points (8G, 2A) - McAuley
• 10 points (8G, 2A) - Katic 

 

-  Andre Anania led Allen last night with a +3. Here is the updated list of leaders in plus/minus:

• +13 - Sam Sedley
• +11 - Andre Anania
• +8 - Colton Hargrove
• +7 - Ty Prefontaine
• +7 - Danny Katic
• +7 - Michael Gildon 

As a team, Allen's plus/minus is +13. These six players are a combined +53.

 

 

DID YOU KNOW:  Here is the average attendance change from last season to this season for each ECHL team.

Keep in mind the 2025-26 season is only 50% complete, and averages typically go up in the last half of the season. Also, remember that teams that sell out a lot will never show big year-over-year attendance increases

.

The six teams averaging over 7000 per game in 2025-26 are marked with an asterisk:

 

+474: Greenville

+430: Allen

+407: Wichita

+399: Cincinnati*

+378: Orlando

+295: Atlanta

+171: Tahoe

+142: Bloomington

+85: Kansas City

+36: Norfolk

+16: Rapid City

+16: Toledo*

0: Savannah*

-14: Jacksonville*

-24: Maine

-59: Idaho

-136: Adirondack

-152: ECHL Average

-194: Iowa

-194: Wheeling

-284: South Carolina

-309: Worcester

-373: Florida

-486: Trois Rivières

-538: Fort Wayne*

-551: Reading

-552: Tulsa*

-763: Indy

-894: Kalamazoo

-959: Utah

 

  

 

 

Late Christmas Gifts Spell Defeat, Game Recaps, Video Highlights, Martinson Comments, Tonight's Preview and Lineup, ECHL Shorthanded Goal Stats and More

 

Allen lost to Idaho 6-4 last night. To say a slow start cost the Americans a win last night is a big understatement. Idaho scored twice in the first 75 seconds of the game, added a third at the 8:38 mark, and sealed Allen's fate. The Steelheads started the game with an 8-1 shot advantage.

 

- To the Americans' credit, they did fight back and had a realistic shot to win the game. Allen cut the score to 3-2 just 41 seconds into the second period, but surrendered a short-handed goal 36 seconds later to give Idaho its two-goal lead back, 4-2.

 

- Allen wasn't done with the comeback. The Americans scored two goals in less than a minute in the third period (13:39 & 14:29) to tie the score 4-4. Once again, it didn't take long for Idaho to respond. Less than two minutes later (16:25), the Steelheads scored the game-winner. An empty net goal with one second remaining in the game made the final score 6-4. 

 

- Other than the first eight minutes of the game, the Americans outscored Idaho (4-2) and outshot them (34-27). The even-strength puck possession percentages favored Allen in the final two periods:

• 1st period - 50% to 50%  
• 2nd period - 53% to 47% 
• 3rd period - 55% to 45% 

 

- Special teams often are the difference maker, and that was the case last night. There weren't many power plays, but the advantage went to Idaho. The Steelheads were 1-2 on the power play and scored a shorthanded goal on Allen's lone power play opportunity. 

 

- Goal scorers for Allen were Sedley (5), McAuley (13), Hargrove (9), and Prefontaine (4). Blaisdell, Crone, and Watts each had two assists. Here are the video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/allen-americans-vs-idaho-steelheads-jan-23-2026   

 

- Here are the game recaps from both teams with the goal-by-goal descriptions: 

• Allen Americans - "Americans Fall Short in Idaho" - https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/01/americans-fall-short-in-idaho 
• Idaho Steelheads - "Steelheads Stave Off Americans in 6-4 Triumph" - https://idahosteelheads.com/news/2026/01/steelheads-stave-off-americans-in-6-4-triumph 

 

 TONIGHT'S PREVIEW

- It won't take much for Allen to turn things around tonight and come away with a win. They gave up three early goals, a power-play goal, a short-handed goal, and an empty-net goal last night. A better start and winning the special teams battle are all that is needed, plus tightening up on some of the defensive breakdowns.  

 

- The referee tonight will be the same as last night, #47 Ian Rapp. Based on last night, where he for the most part let the players play, you might expect the same tonight. He only called five penalties, and two were coincidental minors for roughing. 

 

- Here is the lineup for tonight. The only change from last night is that Parsons will start in goal: 

Forwards

92 McAuley - 7 Hargrove - 67 Crone

26 Asuchak - 29 Watts - 18 Blaisdell

14 Gursoy - 91 Gildon - 9 Katic

10 Spitserov - 19 Maxwell - 77 Morrison

 

Defense

86 Anania - 22 Costantini 

8 Prefontaine - 23 Sedley

21 Decker - 2 Warmuth

 

Goalies

31 Parsons

32 Tendeck (backup)

 

 

 

STEVE MARTINSON'S COMMENTS

 

"The game was frustrating all the way around. Special teams, a 3-0 start, and weak defensive plays. We gave them four late Christmas gifts in that game."

 

"We had momentum after making the score 3-2 with a power play, and gave up a shorthanded goal."  

 

"We tied the game 4-4 and then gave up a soft goal."

 

"You have to take the positives from the game. We came back to tie the score after falling behind 3-0 and could have won the game."  

 

"I will pull some video of the defensive breakdowns and show the guys. There is no reason we can't win game two tonight."  

 

  

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Idaho has owned Allen for the last few years. You have to go back to Steve Martison's final year in Allen in 2021-22 to find a winning record against Idaho (6-1-1-0). If you look at the regular season, the Americans have now lost 13 straight games to Idaho:

• 2025-26 - Idaho is 4-0-0-0 against Allen
• 2024-25 - Idaho was 6-0-0-0 against Allen
• 2023-24 - Idaho won its last three games against Allen

 

- Here is Allen's record against Idaho in each of the last five seasons:

• 0-3-1-0: 2025-26 
• 0-6-0-0: 2024-25
• 3-7-1-0: 2023-24
• 0-8-0-0: 2022-23
• 6-1-1-0: 2021-22

 

- Even with the loss last night, the Americans are still solidly in fourth place in the Mountain Division. Here are the standings by points percentage, with points in parentheses:

• .784 - Kansas City (58 points)
• .671 - Idaho (51 points) 
• .603 - Tahoe (47 points)
• .581 - Allen (43 points)
• .500 - Wichita (35 points) 
• .486 - Rapid City (35 points)
• .419 - Utah (31 points)
• .343 - Tulsa (24 points) 

 

- Kansas City has now won 13 straight games and leads the ECHL in points percentage (.784) and points (58). As they have done for the last three seasons, the Mavericks lead the league in road record. Kansas City's road points percentage is .875 (13-1-1-1), which is higher than any home points percentage in the league.

 

- It is another busy night in the ECHL with 13 games on the schedule. After tonight, all but five teams will have completed 50% or more of the season. Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews: https://echl.com/news/2026/01/echl-today-jan-24  

 

- Last night, Ty Prefontaine scored his fourth goal since joining Allen 11 games ago and was a +3. He has already cracked the top five in plus/minus:

• +13 - Sam Sedley
• +8 - Andre Anania
• +7 - Colton Hargrove
• +6 - Ty Prefontaine
• +6 - Danny Katic

 

- DID YOU KNOW: Here is some info on shorthanded goals:

Shorthanded goals can change momentum in a game. Here are the net shorthanded goals (shorties scored minus allowed) for each ECHL team. Toledo has scored 12 shorthanded goals and allowed none to led the pack. 

 

+12: TOL

+6: ATL, SAV

+5: GSO, KC

+3: TAH, GVL

+2: WOR, FLA, CIN, NOR, REA

+1: WHL, UTA

0: JAX

-1: WIC, TUL, TR

-2: KAL, MNE, FW

-3: BLM, IDH, RC

-4: IA, ALN, ADK

-6: IND, ORL

-7: SC

 

Toledo is on pace for one of the highest shorthanded goal totals in ECHL history. The Walleye have 12 shorthanded goals in half a season. Here are the all-time leaders. Note the last time a team joined this list was 2006-07:

 

24 - Louisiana, 1998-99

22 - South Carolina, 2006-07

22 - Jacksonville, 1995-96

22 - Johnstown, 1992-93

21 - Florida, 2006-07

21 - Fresno, 2006-07

21 - Richmond, 1998-99

 

Allen vs Idaho Series Preview, Tonight's Lineup, CBA Dates, Shootouts Increasing, Mountain Division Shoots A Lot, Allows A Lot and More

 

The Allen Americans left for Boise, Idaho, yesterday for arguably the most important two games of the season thus far. I say that because, thus far, the Americans have not shown they can compete with the top three teams in the Mountain Division, Kansas City, Idaho, and Tahoe. 

Here is Allen's record against the top three this season:

• 0-3-0-0: Kansas City
• 0-2-1-0: Idaho
• 1-2-0-0: Tahoe
• 1-7-1-0: TOTAL

 

- The Americans are much better than when they were swept by Idaho in November. Allen has won 12 of its last 16 games. However, three of the four losses during these 16 games were against Kansas City (1) and Tahoe (2). The Americans must come away from this two-game series with a minimum of two points to demonstrate they can now compete with the top teams.

 

- Here are some comparison stats between Allen and Wichita:

• Allen's record is 20-13-3-0 (.597), Idaho's is 23-11-3-0 (.662). 
• Allen is 7-3-0-0 over the last 10 games, Idaho is 6-4-0-0.
• Allen is 10-9-2-0 on the road, Idaho is 13-7-0-0 at home.
• Allen's goal differential is +14 (129-115), Idaho's is +19 (135-116).
• Allen's team plus/minus is +12, Idaho's is +90.
• Allen's team save percentage is .913, Idaho's is .902.

 

- Here are more statistical comparisons between the two teams.

• Goals scored average: Allen (3.6) - Idaho (3.6)
• Goals allowed average: Allen (3.2) - Idaho (3.1)
• Shots for average: Allen (32.5) - Idaho (35.1)
• Shots against average: Allen (36.7) - Idaho (32.1)
• Power play percentage: Allen (21.2%) - Idaho (17.7%)
• Penalty kill percentage: Allen (85.6%) - Idaho (80.0%

 

- Here are some other relevant stats to this series:

• Allen is the #4 ranked team in penalty minutes (534), Idaho is ranked #2 with 591 minutes.
• Allen has scored first in 47% of games with a record of 13-2-2-0 (.824).
• Idaho has scored first in 51% of games with a record of 15-3-1--0 (.688).
• Allen has been involved in 5 overtime games with a record of 0-3 in OT and 2-0 in shootouts. 
• Idaho has been involved in 7 overtime games with a record of 2-3 in OT and 2-0 in shootouts. 
• Allen is 14-0-0-0 when leading after the 2nd period, Idaho is 14-0-1-0. 
• Allen is 3-10-1-0 when trailing after the 1st period,  Idaho is 4-9-0-0.
• Conclusions from these stats tell you that the team that scores first has a big advantage, and neither team plays well from behind.  

 

- Special teams, as always, will be key against Idaho. Allen has the #4 ranked power play and #5 ranked penalty kill in the league. Idaho is ranked #19 on the power play and #20 on the penalty kill. If the Americans can win the special teams battle, it will go a long way to earning points in this series. The Americans have scored at least one power play goal in 14 of their last 15 games. 

 

- Four players are not with the team in Idaho. Trevor LeDonne and Braidan Simmons-Fischer are still on injured reserve. Goalie Marco Costantini and defenseman Mike Greco stayed home. Quinn Warmuth, who missed the last five games, and Chase Maxwell, who missed the last six games, will be available and are in the lineup tonight. Here is the lineup:

 Forwards

92 McAuley - 7 Hargrove - 67 Crone

26 Asuchak - 29 Watts - 18 Blaisdell

14 Gursoy - 91 Gildon - 9 Katic

10 Spitserov - 19 Maxwell - 77 Morrison

 

Defense

86 Anania - 22 Costantini 

8 Prefontaine - 23 Sedley

21 Decker - 2 Warmuth

 

Goalies

32 Tendeck

31 Parsons (backup)

 

 

- If you are looking for the Allen players to watch in Idaho, look no further than these six players, who are averaging over a point per game in the last 15 games.

• 19 points (13G, 6A) - Katic (1.27) 
• 19 points (7G, 12A) - Watts (1.27)  
• 18 points (5G, 13A) - Hargrove (1.20)   
• 18 points (3G, 15A) - Sedley (1.20)    
• 18 points (3G, 15A) - Crone (1.20) 
• 17 points (9G, 8A) - McAuley (1.13) 

In the three head-to-head games in November, Allen's leaders were Hank Crone (1G, 3A), Michael Gildon (2G, 1A), and Sam Sedley (0G, 2A).

 

- Players to watch for Idaho include #9 Brendon Hoffmann. The 6'3" 223-pound forward leads the league with 21 goals, and #17 Ty Pelton-Byce, who leads Idaho with 15 assists. 

 

- The game tonight will be a one-referee game. The referee will be Ian Rapp (#47). I have no record of Rapp ever refereeing an Allen Americans game.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Here are some streaks that could be extended tonight;

• Hank Crone has a four-game assist streak.
• Harrison Blasidell has a four-game assist streak.
• Sam Sedley has a six-game point streak. 
• Hank Crone has a five-game road assist streak 
• Harrison Blaisdell has a four-game road assist streak.

 

- There are 14 games on the ECHL schedule tonight. Feature games between top teams include Atlanta at South Carolina and Tahoe at Kansas City. Here is ECHL Today, with reviews of all 14 games. https://echl.com/news/2026/01/echl-today-jan-23

 

 

- The AHL and the PHPA have ratified their new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Details have not been made public. The new ECHL/PHPA CBA has not been made public as well. Here are the time frames of the CBAs:

• NHL CBA - effective September 16, 2026, through September 15, 2030 (four years)
• AHL CBA -  ratified January 21, effective through August 31, 2030 (5 years).
• ECHL CBA - ratified on December 30, effective through June 30, 2030 (5 years). 

  

 

- The number of ECHL shootouts has increased substantially over the last three seasons and is on pace to do so again in 2025-26. Many hockey purists describe shootouts as a skills competition, not hockey.

It’s time to look at changing overtime rules to decrease the number of shootouts. Here are the number of ECHL shootouts the last three seasons:

 

110: 2024-25

91: 2023-24

74: 2022-23

 

Possible rule changes:

1. Create an over-and-back rule similar to basketball using the redline to avoid regrouping. Once a team crosses the redline, they cannot go back over it with possession.

2. Extend the length of the overtime period to 10 minutes.

3. Escalating player reduction. Go from 3-on-3 to 2-on-2 after five minutes of overtime.

4. Shot clock/ possession limit - take a shot within a set time, 30-45 seconds.

 

Your thoughts?

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Here is the ECHL Stats post from today. FYI, Allen is #7 in the league in average shots per game (32.47) and #28 in average shots allowed (36.69). 

 

The Mountain Division has always been elite at generating shots and equally elite at allowing them. Case in point:

 

- Six of the top seven ECHL teams in average shots for are from the Mountain Division (Idaho, Kansas City, Wichita, Utah, Tulsa, Allen).

 

- The bottom five teams in shots allowed are from the Mountain Division (Rapid City, Tahoe, Allen, Tulsa, Wichita).

 

- There is only one Mountain Division team (Kansas City) in the top 19 in average goals allowed. 

 

- The Mountain Division has the #1 team in average goals scored (Tahoe - 3.66) and the #30 team in average goals allowed (Tulsa -3.86).

 

- The Mountain Division has the #1 team in average shots for (Idaho - 35.11) and the #30 team in average shots allowed (Rapid City - 39.23).

  

  

All-Star Game Recap, Riley Gill Enters Hall of Fame, Phil Pritchard - The Keeper of the Stanley Cup and More

 

The ECHL All-Star game last night was one for the ages. If you like seeing lots of goals, it was the game for you. The Stripes team defeated the Stars team 17-12 to blow away the all-time record for combined goals, which was 19. 

 

- There was a lot of entertainment, great stick handling, slick passes, and filthy goals, but for hockey purists, it was a three-quarters speed, defense optional, no backchecking allowed, goalies on their own, pure offense showcase.  

 

- I won't bore you with all of the details, but here are some of the highlights:

• Allen players scored the first five goals in the game: Crone, Sedley, Asuchak (2), McAuley.
• Of the Allen players, Colton Hargrove, captain of the winning Stripes team, led with four points (2G, 2A).
• Brayden Watts was the top Allen scorer on the Stars team with four points (1G, 3A).
• Brannon McManus, the game's MVP, had a hat trick plus two assists for the winning Stripes team.
• Brandon Hawkins was the leading scorer for the Stars team with five points and a hat trick.
• Allen players finished #1 and #2 in the fastest skater skills event. Harrison won with a time of 13.81, and Brad Morrison finished second with a time of 13.81. 
• Danny Katic finished second in the shooting accuracy event with a time of 13.9 seconds.

 

- You can count Coach Martinson in the category of those who found the game boring. He understands an All-Star game is different, but what bothered him was the players not skating. He implored them to skate. He felt so strongly about this after the second period that he put all the cash he had in his wallet ($50) on the table for the player who scored the winning goal. His Stripes team outscored the Stars team 8-1 in the third period to win the game 17-12. 

 

- The Stripes' comeback win might have had more to do with their third-period goalie than Martinson putting up the $50. Goalies never get recognition in these shooting gallery types of games.  However, Will Cranley from the Florida Everblades was beyond outstanding in the third period for the Stripes team.  He stopped 15 of 16 shots, and they were all grade "A" chances, many at point-blank range. Here are the save percentages for the six goalies last night. You can see how extraordinary Cranley's performance was:  

• .938 - Cranley
• .765
• .750
• .696
• .688
• .600

 

- A sold-out crowd watched Riley Gill enter the ECHL Hall of Fame at a luncheon before the All-Star game yesterday. There was a big contingent of Allen fans at the luncheon to honor Riley. His stats speak for themselves, and he excelled in the playoffs. He won three Kelly Cups in four years (2013, 2015, 2016). He is #1 all-time in playoff games (90) and #2 in playoff wins (53). His regular season stats include #6 all-time in wins and #3 in shutouts. When you consider that over 900 goalies have played in the ECHL you can see the extent of his accomplishments. 

Here is a sample of what Riley shared with the audience. He thanked his pro coaches and had a story to tell about each of them, but it was his introspection on his career and love for his family that struck me: 

"It is an incredible honor to stand here today as a member of the ECHL Hall of Fame. I am honored to be here and join such a distinguished group of players, coaches, and builders of the league. It is truly humbling."

"This isn't anything I could have imagined when I first laced up my skates as a young kid in Northfield, Minnesota." 

"I have been lucky enough to live out my dream in a league that taught me so much, not just about hockey, but about life, hard work, and resilience."

"To my wife Angie, you mean more to me than words could ever express. Thank you for being the backbone of our family, taking care of our kids when I was on the road, and being the guidance I needed throughout those tough years."

"Thank you to our three boys, Jackson (10), Hudson (7), and Sutton (11 months). They keep us on our toes with hockey, baseball, football, golf, fishing, and hunting, but we love every minute of it."

"To my parents, Tom and Virginia, it seems like yesterday I was still playing high school hockey in Minnesota. Thank you for the love, support, and sacrifices you made that allowed me to play hockey. I will be forever grateful to you."

"To my brother Brent, thank you for kicking my butt in karate and taekwondo. You made me a tougher man, and I thank you for that."

"For those that don't know my story, my career ended when I was stretchered off the ice with a head injury (2017), and I never put the pads on again. While that was an extremely difficult time in my life, it opened the door to my next chapter. I now run my own Construction Company in the Dallas area, built on the knowledge, work ethic, and experience passed down by my dad, who was a custom home builder back in Minnesota."

"Hockey has given me more than I ever imagined. The ECHL gave me a chance to chase my dreams, win championships, and create friendships that will last forever. Thank you to the ECHL and everyone who has been a part of this journey. I am proud of what I have accomplished and honored to forever be part of this league's history." People ask me all of the time if I miss the game, and the answer is yes, but what I miss most is all of the little things that happened along the way. Thank you! 

 

The Gill Family

  - One of the things I did at the Fan Fest on Sunday was get a photo with the Stanley Cup. I post it here not because of me, but because I took the photo with Phil Pritchard, the famed "Keeper of the Cup." I am sure many of you know his story, but if you don't, check out the videos below the photo. The first is Phil arriving at the CUTX Event Center with the Stanley Cup, greeted by ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin. The second video is Paul's history with the Stanley Cup, in his own words, dating back to 1988:

 

 

 

 

   

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL All-Star game last night was one for the record books. A total of 29 goals shattered the all-time record for combined goals, which was 19 set in 2010. Here are the records for the most combined goals in an All-Star game by league:

 

ECHL - 2026

29 goals

17-12

 

AHL - 2015

26 goals

14-12

 

NHL - 2015

29 goals

17-12

 

Award winners from the ECHL All-Star game last night:

 

MVP - Brannon McManus (Adirondack), 3 goals, 2 assists

Fastest Skater - Harrison Blaisdell (Allen), 13.58 seconds

Hardest Shot - Charles Martin (Trois Rivières) 94 MPH

Accuracy Shooting - McManus, 10.5 seconds

 

 

Win Streak Snapped, Game Recap, Unusual Hat Trick, All-Star Weekend and More

 

The Tulsa Oilers snapped the Allen Americans' six-game winning streak last night, with a come-from-behind 5-2 victory. Two empty net goals made the score look more one-sided than it was. The game started just like Friday night, with no scoring in the first period, and Allen scoring the first goal in the second period. Brayden Watts scored his 16th goal of the season to give Allen the lead. Unlike Friday night, Tulsa tied the score at 16:29 of the second period, and the teams went into the intermission tied 1-1.   

 

- When Allen took a 2-1 lead on the power play at the 7:23 mark of the third period on Sam Sedley's fourth goal of the season, it looked like Allen was headed for a win. The Americans have been rock solid when leading in the third period. FYI, Sedley's goal was his 19th power play point, which leads the ECHL.

 

- Tulsa got life, scoring the tying goal on a mistake by Jackson Parsons. He went behind the net to clear the puck, lost it, and could not get back before Tulsa put the puck in the net. A couple of minutes later, a defensive breakdown allowed Tulsa to take the lead. Allen pulled Parsons to try to tie up the game, which resulted in two empty net goals.

 

- It was a disappointing end to Allen's win streak. The official stats show Allen was 1-4 on the power play, but Allen had plenty of missed opportunities. The Americans started the second period with a two-minute power play, added a four-minute power play at 5:35, and another two minutes at 6:36. With all that power play time, including two minutes of 5-on-3, Allen was held scoreless.  In the third period, Allen got another four-minute power play, took a penalty to negate two of the four minutes, but still couldn't score. 

 

- Here are the game recaps:

• Allen Americans - "Americans Six Game Winning Streak Halted" -https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/01/game-recap-americans-six-game-winning-streak-halted 
• Tulsa Oilers - - Cade McNelly Nets 1st, 2nd, 3rd Pro Goals to Power Tulsa Past Americans" - https://tulsaoilers.com/news/2026/01/cade-mcnelly-nets-first-second-and-third-professional-goals-as-his-hat-trick-powers-oilers-past-americans 

 

- Tulsa defenseman Cade McNelly beat Allen single-handedly last night with a hat trick, according to the Tulsa press release recapping the game. Before last night, McNelly had played 58 professional games, all in Tulsa, and had zero goals. He led Tulsa in penalty minutes per game last year and is second this season. He is a tough guy who doesn't score but fights. Before his three goals last night, McNelly had zero points in 24 games, but he has already had six fights this season, four against Allen. He has fought Murray, Morrison, and Simmons-Fischer twice. It is a kick in the butt to get beaten by a player who had never scored a pro goal. It shows you how hard work, some luck, and will over skill can make a difference.   

 

- The Americans bused back to Allen after the game last night and will be busy with All-Star activities and the game today and tomorrow. The official All-Star break is next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (20-22). The Americans will not take these days off. Allen will take their three-day break later in the season. Steve Martinson has always had that agreement with the players. They just had a bunch of days off with the Christmas break, plus the strike, so giving the players three days off later in the season when they need to rest makes a lot of sense.  

 

- The Americans will play only two official games between today and their next home game on January 30, when they start a three-game series against Rapid City. Allen visits Idaho for two games next week on Friday and Saturday. It will be a big test for the resurgent Americans, who have won 12 of their last 16 games. Remember, dating back to last season, Allen has lost nine straight games to Idaho. At a minimum, Allen needs to split this two-game series to show they can now compete with the top three teams in the Division (Kansas City, Idaho, Tahoe). Thus far, the top three teams' record against Allen is 8-1-0-0.

 

-  Here is the update of point-per-game scorers over the past 15 games:

• 19 points (13G, 6A) - Katic (1.27) 
• 19 points (7G, 12A) - Watts (1.27)  
• 18 points (5G, 13A) - Hargrove (1.20)   
• 18 points (3G, 15A) - Sedley (1.20)    
• 18 points (3G, 15A) - Crone (1.20) 
• 17 points (9G, 8A) - McAuley (1.13) 

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen lost ground to a couple of the Mountain Division leaders last night. Kansas City and Tahoe won while Idaho lost. Here are the updated standings: 

• .771 - Kansas City (54 points)
• .662 - Idaho (49 points 
• .618 - Tahoe (47 points)
• .597 - Allen (43 points)
• .500 - Rapid City (35 points)
• .500 - Wichita (35 points)
• .414 - Utah (29 points)
• .343 - Tulsa (24 points) 

 

- Allen's power play could have scored more last night, but it went 1-4 and improved the power play percentage to 21.2%. The Americans have a power play goal in 14 of the last 15 games. In the last five games, the Americans have scored eight power-play goals. 

 

- The Americans are idle today on a light Sunday ECHL schedule. Only six games are being played this afternoon, one in the Mountain Division (Kansas City at Utah). Here are the previews: https://echl.com/news/2026/01/echl-today-jan-18 

 

- I have never understood why the ECHL schedules regular-season games on the same day as the All-Star game. I will try to get the commissioner's take on the history and reasoning behind this. Here are the games scheduled tomorrow:

• Jacksonville at Orlando
• Greensboro at Reading
• Greenville at Atlanta
• Kalamazoo at Cincinnati

 

- The Hall of Fame Luncheon tomorrow is sold out. I hope to see a lot of Allen fans in attendance to honor Riley Gill as he enters the Hall of Fame. I will have a full report on Tuesday.

 

DID YOU KNOW: Here is the ECHL Stats post from today. I was trying to point out that a lot of top players don't make the All-Star team because there is a player selected from each team. I doubt it will ever happen, but it would be great to have the best players from each conference meet in an All-Star game. I am sure cost would be a major factor in selecting twice as many All-Stars. Anyway, here is how the players originally selected, and the replacement players currently rank by points/save percentage:

Since each ECHL team is represented on the All-Star team, where the selectees rank among all of their peers vary widely. A player could lead his team in points, but be ranked way down the list compared to all the other players. 

 

Here is where the All-Star players are ranked. For example, the top two goalies in save percentage did not make the All-Star team, but the 29th-ranked goalie did. Numbers are repeated on the forwards list because players were tied in points.

 

Goalies - Save percentage

3, 4, 6, 10, 13, 29

  

Defensemen - Points

1, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 17, 23

 

Forwards - Points

1, 3, 3, 8, 8, 12, 12, 15, 17, 25, 33, 42, 58, 70, 70, 79, 121, 121

Katic Hat Trick Leads Allen to Win, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson Comments, PP% Progress, Hat Trick History, Allen Players on the Leaderboard

 

The Allen Americans won their sixth straight game last night, defeating Tulsa on the road by a score of 4-1. The win, combined with a Tahoe loss in Wichita, moved the Americans into third place in the Mountain Division (by points percentage).

 

- The Americans scored the first goal of the game, but it took until there were nine seconds left in the second period. Danny Katic scored his 16th goal of the season on the power play to give Allen a 1-0 lead after the second period. The Katic goal was a great sign for two reasons. Allen's record when scoring first is 13-1-2-0 (.875). Even better, Allen's record when leading after the second period is a perfect 14-0-0-0.

 

- Allen broke the game open in the third period. Danny Katic scored his second goal of the game and 17th of the season at the 9:34 mark. Hank Crone gave Allen a 3-0 lead at 11:56 on the power play, his ninth goal of the season. After Tulsa scored to make the score 3-1, Danny Katic scored into an empty net for his hat trick and the team leading 18th goal of the season. Katic is scoring at a pace that would give him over 50 goals if he played all 72 games in Allen. Danny is #3 in the league in goals (2 behind the leaders), even though he missed nine games when he was called up to Belleville. 

 

- Allen's special teams shone again. The Americans' power play was 2-3, which raised the power play percentage to 21.1%, ranked #4 in the ECHL. The penalty kill was perfect (0-2), which raised the penalty kill percentage to 85.5%, ranked #5 in the ECHL. If you add the two percentages together, the total is 106.6%. A total above 105% is considered excellent special teams play. Only three other ECHL teams (Toledo, Tahoe, South Carolina) meet this standard.

 

- Here are the game recaps from both teams and the video highlights:

• Allen Americans - "Americans Win Sixth Straight" - https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/01/americans-win-sixth-straight 
• Tulsa Oilers - "Oilers Spoil Shutout Late But Unable to Complete Comeback Against Americans" - https://tulsaoilers.com/news/2026/01/oilers-spoil-shut-out-late-but-unable-to-complete-comeback-against-americans 
• Video Highlights: https://echl.com/videos/allen-americans-vs-tulsa-oilers-jan-16-2026 

 

- Here is the lineup tonight. The only change from last night is in goal. Parsons gets his first start for Allen since October 24th. Costantini will be the backup:

Allen’s lineup tonight vs Tulsa:

 

Forwards

92 McAuley - 7 Hargrove - 67 Crone

26 Asuchak - 29 Watts - 18 Blaisdell

77 Morrison - 91 Gildon - 9 Katic

10 Spitserov - 14 Gursoy - 28 Murray

 

Defense

86 Anania - 23 Sedley

8 Prefontaine - 22 Costantini

21 Decker - 3 Greco

 

Goalies

31 Parsons

33 Costantini (backup)

 

 

- It would be nice to end the first half of the season and go into the All-Star break with a win. Allen has six straight wins, and if they get the seventh tonight, it will be the first seven-game win streak since the 2016-17 season. 

 

 

MARTINSON COMMENTS

"The way Katic is scoring, we need to get him the puck more. He is so good around the net because the puck isn't on his stick very long around the net."

"We had several great chances in the first period with open nets or breakaways, but just couldn't convert."

"Watts got a high stick from behind, and the referees said they didn't see it, so no penalty. Watts went down as soon as he was hit, needed stitches, and chipped a tooth. It was definitely one of those marginal high sticks. He missed the third period.

"Things are going good, but we still need to work on avoiding odd man rushes and breakaways."

"I look at puck possession, and if you are getting outshot, but have the advantage in puck possession, that is not an issue. Also, when you are scoring five or six goals, you are not getting rebound shots."   

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Here is the odd stat of the day. Allen has beaten Tulsa five straight games, outscoring the Oilers 28-10, but the Americans been outshot by Tulsa in all five games. The Americans have more wins (15) than any team in the league, when they are outshot by their opponents. Allen has been outshot in 63% of its games (22 of 35), with a record of 15-5-2-0 (.727). So much for the idea that you have to take more shots. 

 

- If you have listened to Coach Martinson's pre-game interviews, he has mentioned a couple of times that the power play is better than the current percentage because of a poor start. I decided to break the season into three parts and compute the power play percentage. It shows steady improvement:

• 10.1% - 10 games from October 18 to November 15
• 14.7% - 11 games from November 19 to December 12
• 26.0% - 14 games from December 13 to January 16 

 

- The point a game club is still going strong, and of the six original members, four had points last night. Here is the latest, which is now up to points in the last 14 games: 

• 19 points (13G, 6A) - Katic (1.36) 
• 18 points (5G, 13A) - Hargrove (1.29) 
• 17 points (9G, 8A) - McAuley (1.21)
• 17 points (6G, 11A) - Watts (1.21)  
• 17 points (2G, 15A) - Sedley (1.21)    
• 17 points (3G, 14A) - Crone (1.21) 

 

-  Allen has won 12 of its last 15 games, and averaged 5.33 goals per game in the 12 wins. With all that offense, it is not surprising that Allen players are moving up the ladder of overall leaders in the league. Here is the list from the ECHL daily report:

• #1 - Katic leads the league in shooting percentage (30.0%).
• #1 - Sedley leads the league in power play points (18).
• #1 - Sedley leads the league in power play assists (18). 
• #3 - Katiic is #3 in goals (18)
• #3 - Sedley is #3 in assists (26) 
• #3 - Crone is #3 in power play assists (13)
• #4 - Crone is #4 in power play points (15)  
• #4 - Watts is #4 in points (35)
• #10 - Katic is #10 in points (32)
• #10 - Crone is #10 in points (32) 

 

- Danny Katic's hat trick last night was his second of the season; both were against Tulsa. Allen has a disproportionate share of the hat tricks this season. The Americans have almost 20% of the ECHL hat tricks (6 of 33).   

• Harrison Blaisdell  vs Rapid City (November 1)
• Mark Duarte vs Wichita (November 5)
• Brayden Watts vs Tulsa (November 9)
• Hank Crone vs Utah (December 3)
• Danny Katic vs Tulsa (December 19)
• Danny Katic vs Tulsa (January 16) 

Allen could shatter the all-time record for most hat tricks in a season. There is only one team with more than six. The 2022-23 team had a total of eight hat tricks, led by Hank Crone with three and Colton Hargrove with two. 

 

- It is a big Saturday night in the ECHL with all 30 teams in action. Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews: https://echl.com/news/2026/01/echl-today-jan-17 

 

- The Mountain Division standings continue to show the top four teams separating themselves from the bottom four teams. Here are the standings by points percentage, with points in parentheses:

• .765 - Kansas City (52 points)
• .681 - Tahoe (49 points)
• .615 - Allen (43 points)
• .608 - Tahoe (45 points)
• .515 - Rapid City (35 points)
• .500 - Wichita (34 points)
• .426 - Utah (29 points)
• .324 - Tulsa (22 points) 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW:  Here are the ECHL leaders in average goals per game (minimum 12 goals). In parentheses is the goal total for a full season (72 games) based on the player’s average, to give you an idea of the pace at which they are scoring goals:

.72 - Danny Katic, Allen (52 goals)

.63 - Brandon Hawkins, Toledo (45 goals)

.59 - Brendan Hoffmann, Idaho (42 goals)

.56 - Kaleb Pearson, Idaho (40 goals)

.54 - Spencer Kersten, Orlando (39 goals)

.52 - Sloan Stanick, Tahoe (37 goals)

Allen vs Tulsa Preview, NHL/AHL Contracted Players by the Numbers and Games Played, Retired Dyson Stevenson Averaging 5.1 PPG and More

 

The Allen Americans hit the road today for two games against the Tulsa Oilers, tonight and Saturday night. After these two games, Allen will be at the halfway point of the season. It was a tough start to the season for the Americans. Before Thanksgiving, Allen's record was 4-6-3-0 (.423). Since Thanksgiving, the Americans' record is 15-6-0-0 (.714). 

 

- Allen's record against Tulsa is similar to its overall record. Before Thanksgiving, the Americans lost all three games against Tulsa. Since Thanksgiving, the Americans have won four straight. Even more impressive is that in the four wins against Tulsa in December, Allen outscored Tulsa 24-9, averaging six goals per game.   

 

- Here are some comparison stats between Allen and Tulsa:

• Allen's record is 19-12-3-0, Tulsa's is 11-22-0-0 
• Allen is 7-3-0-0 over the last 10 games, Tulsa is 2-8-0-0.
• Allen is 9-8-2-0 on the road, Tulsa is 7-11-0-0 at home.
• Allen's goal differential is +14 (123-109), Tulsa's is -46 (83-189).
• Allen's team plus/minus is +29, Tulsa's is -192.
• Allen's team save percentage is .913, Tulsa's is .891.

 

- Here is the more traditional statistical comparison between the two teams. The league rank is in parentheses: 

• Goals scored average: Allen 3.6 (#4) - Tulsa 2.5 (#28)
• Goals allowed average: Allen 3.2 (#20) - Tulsa 3.9 (#30)
• Shots for average: Allen 32.9 (#6) - Tulsa 32.7 (#7)
• Shots against average: Allen 36.9 (#28) - Tulsa 35.8 (#27))
• Power play percentage: Allen 20.0% (#9) - Tulsa 20.7% (#7)
• Penalty kill percentage: Allen 85.3% (#5) - Tulsa 76.9% (#26) 

 

- Here are the cumulative stats from the four games against Tulsa, played from December 17-31:

• Allen outscored Tulsa 24-9
• Tulsa outshot Allen 150-131
• Allen was 41.7% on the power play (5-12)
• Tulsa was 33.3% on the power play (3-9)
• Allen scored 1st in 3 of the 4 games. 
• Allen took 18 penalties (27 minutes), Tulsa took 22 penalties (63 minutes)

 - The Americans have one of the best records in the ECHL when they score first, 12-1-2-0 (.867). When they trail after the first period on the road, Allen's record is 2-6-0-0. Allen has been unbeatable when leading after the second period (13-0-0-0). The bottom line is a good start, and not playing from behind will be key to this series.

 

- Special teams will also be key. Allen's penalty kill was not good against Tulsa in December, even though it is one of the best penalty kills in the league. Meanwhile, the power play has been outstanding, scoring at least one goal in 12 of the last 13 games. In the three games last weekend, the Americans scored five power-play goals. 

 

-  The Allen offense has been on fire lately. Here is the list of seven players who have averaged a point or more per game over the last 13 games. Can they all earn a point tonight? Allen's leaders in the seven games against Tulsa are Danny Katic (6G, 7A), Brayden Watts (6G, 3A), and Colby McAuley (3G, 4A).

• 17 points (9G, 8A) - McAuley (1.31)
• 17 points (6G, 11A) - Watts (1.31)  
• 16 points (5G, 11A) - Hargrove (1.23)
• 16 points (10G, 6A) - Katic (1.23)
• 16 points (2G, 14A) - Sedley (1.23)    
• 15 points (2G, 13A) - Crone (1.15)
• 13 points (5G, 7A) - Blaisdell (1.00) 

 

- Here are the Allen players who show up on the ECHL's list of current streaks:

• #1 - Sam Sedley has an assist in six straight home games. 
• #1 - Danny Katic has a point in seven straight home games.
• #1 - Colby McAuley has a point in seven straight home games  
• #2 - Colby McAuley has a goal in five straight games.
• #2 - Colton Hargrove has an assist in five straight games.
• #2 - Danny Katic has a goal in four straight road games.   

 

- I will post the lineup later today. I do know Troy Murray is going to Tulsa. Between spending time on loan to Springfield (AHL) and dealing with an injury, Troy hasn't played in an Allen game since December 13. LeDonne, Simmons-Fischer, and Maxwell are still out with injuries. 

UPDATE:

Allen’s lineup tonight vs Tulsa:

 

Forwards

92 McAuley - 7 Hargrove - 67 Crone

26 Asuchak - 29 Watts - 18 Blaisdell

77 Morrison - 91 Gildon - 9 Katic

10 Spitserov - 14 Gursoy - 28 Murray

 

Defense

86 Anania - 23 Sedley

8 Prefontaine - 22 Costantini

21 Decker - 3 Greco

 

Goalies

32 Tendeck

33 Costantini (backup)

 

 

- Tulsa made a goalie switch yesterday with its NHL affiliate, Anaheim. Vyacheslav Buteyets  (3.00 GAA & .913) was reassigned by Anaheim to Tulsa, and Tomas Suchanek (4.39 & .884) was reassigned by Anaheim from Tulsa to San Diego. Buteyets killed Allen early in the season (.971, .920, .939), but struggled against Allen recently (.853, .833, .892). He has been in goal for seven of Tulsa's 11 wins this season.   

 

-  The game tonight will be a two-referee game. Brendan Schreider (#12) and Tyler Hascall (#8) are scheduled to work the game. Allen has had both of these referees numerous times this season, but they haven't worked an Allen game as a duo.

OTHER COMMENTS

 - It is about the halfway point of the season, and the number of NHL/AHL contracted players that have played for each Mountain Division team (currently assigned, plus currently recalled) varies from two in Allen to 12 in Rapid City. Here is a breakdown for each Mountain Division team:

• Allen
• 2 players
• 26 games played

 

• Idaho
• 9 players
• 155 games played

 

• Kansas City
• 8 players
• 161 games

 

• Rapid City
• 12 players
• 275 games

 

• Tahoe
• 8 players
• 206 games

 

• Tulsa
• 11 players
• 153 games played

 

• Utah
• 11 players
• 182 games

 

• Wichita
• 8 players
• 178 games

 

- Here are the games played by NHL/AHL contracted players from high to low:

• 275 games - Rapid City
• 206 games - Tahoe
• 182 games - Utah
• 178 games - Wichita
• 161 games - Kansas City 
• 155 games - Idaho
• 153 games - Tulsa
• 26 games - Allen 

 

- It is another busy night around the ECHL with 14 games on tap. Two Mountain Division teams are playing outside the division. Here is the division lineup:

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

Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews: https://echl.com/news/2026/01/echl-today-jan-16 

 

 

- You want to hear some crazy stats. There is a senior-level recreational league in southwestern Saskatchewan called the WMHL, which stands for White Mud Hockey League. It is described as a popular senior league where players with various backgrounds (junior, college, pro) play competitive hockey for local pride. One of the teams in the league is the Shaunavon Badgers, home of Dyson Stevenson, who retired this season after playing pro hockey since 2012-13. To say Dyson is lighting up the WMHL would be a gross understatement. He has played 10 games for the Shaunavon Badgers and is averaging over five points per game. In 10 games, Dyson has 51 points (25G, 26A). He leads the league in points by 25 points. C'MON MAN!

       

- Nico Blachman, who played briefly for the Americans in 2022-23 (62 PIMs in 13 games), was just suspended for 12 games for a major boarding penalty in Fort Wayne's game against Toledo. It didn't take Fort Wayne long to react; they released Blachman the same day he was suspended. Blachman has played for nine different ECHL teams in the last six years. He has accumulated 788 penalty minutes in 165 games, an average of almost five minutes per game. 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Here are the total number of NHL/AHL contracted players, currently assigned, plus those recalled, for each ECHL team:

 

18: SC

16: WHL

15: SAV

13: ADK, CIN

12: FLA, IA, RC, TR

11: FW, REA, TUL, UTA

10: ORL, WOR

9: BLM, IDH, MNE

8: GVL, KAL, KC, NOR, TAH, WIC

7: GSO

6: IND

5: ATL, JAX, TOL

2: ALN

 

Looking at these total numbers shows a huge difference in games played by NHL/AHL contracted players:

 

- Allen is at the bottom of the list with two and has 26 games played by NHL/AHL contracted players:

 

- South Carolina is at the top of the list with 18 players and has 264 games played by NHL/AHL contracted players. The Stingrays already have 14 NHL/AHL contracted players who have played the minimum number of ECHL games (5) to qualify for the Kelly Cup playoffs.