Weekend Recap and Other Stuff - 2/11/13

 Schaafsma had 7 points this weekend photo by SceneByKimberly

The Americans had a successful weekend as they ended the long losing streak and garnered two victories with one loss at Wichita.

- Jamie Schaafsma led the way with four goals and three assists over the three games.

- Schaafsma has six goal over the last six games and now is tied for the team lead in goals (19) with Darryl Bootland

- Today is Jamie's 30th birthday. And yes, if you look at the roster page on the Americans web site it has his birthday incorrect. Instead of 2/11 they show 11/2.

- Adam Pineault continues his hot streak having scored a goal in all three games since returning from his injury.

- With his goal in the 5-1 victory over Tulsa Tyler Ludwig is the CHL points leader (40) among defensemen.

- Tyler's 32 assists are the most by a defenseman and 9th overall in the league.

- An oddity of the game in Tulsa had Brian McMillin with two penalties after having only one penalty in his previous 37 games this year.

- Saw on Twitter that when the team got to their rooms in Tulsa early Sunday morning (3:00 am) some rooms only had one bed. Hope they got to pick their roommate. How cozy!!

- Darryl Bootland did not play Saturday or Sunday because of an "upper body" injury. I noticed he fell awkwardly after a check along the boards Friday night and skated off the ice.

- Bootland and Maiani are tied for the team lead with 43 points.

- Mike Berube is up to a team leading +14 on plus minus and is fourth in the league amongst defensemen. He is the only defenseman that leads his team in plus/minus.

- Even though he only played in 22 games before signing his AHL contract, Scott Howes is still ranked sixth in the CHL in goals scored and his 21 goals would still be leading the Americans.

- Brett Skinner got a goal and an assist is a losing cause as Grand Rapids lost to Oklahoma city on Saturday.

- Colton Yellow Horn got an assist and was +1 in his first AHL start for the Manchester Monarchs.

- The three members of this years Americans teams currently in the AHL are all with good teams. The Springfield Falcons (Howes) and Grand Rapids Griffins (Skinner) lead their divisions while Houston Aeros (Grantham) are in third place.

- Former Americans coach Dwight Mullins has his team playing well after a tough period as they are 6-4 in their last ten games. They have moved into second place in the division but the way the playoffs work in the ECHL they are right at the cutoff for making the playoffs.

- I know Tulsa is having financial problems and the visiting team provides rooms for the visiting team. Does that explain why the Americans had to drive home after the game on Sunday only to turn around and drive back to Tulsa on game day (Tuesday)?

Player Profile - Mike Montgomery 2.0

photo by chlphotos.com

The first in depth player profile I completed after I started this blog was with Mike Montgomery. I wasn't sure how my approach to getting to know the players both professionally and personally would work out so I purposely asked Mike for an interview thinking we would have something in common having both grown up in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. In retrospect, I realize now how kind Mike was to endure my mumbling, fumbling, rookie interview. Hopefully, I have improved since that day in November at the Dr. Pepper arena in Frisco.

Since I originally posted this story in November it is has been an up and down year for Mike. On the up side he has had  three different call ups to the Houston Aeros. On the down side he suffered a concussion in a game against Ft. Worth on December 8th and was out of the lineup for over a month. He returned for one game after his injury and got the news his grandfather had unexpectedly passed away back in Minnesota. He returned from bereavement leave to the longest losing streak in the history of the team.

Mike has been playing well the last few weeks as evidenced by his +7 in plus minus which  ranks him second among defensmen on the team. He also has great support at home from his girlfriend, Ashley. I had the chance to meet and talk to Ashley at the recent season ticket holder get together at Top Golf and what a lovely young lady she is.


Mike's story is one that has application to any endeavor one might undertake. Life's ups and downs, perseverance, willingness to change, never giving up, growing into becoming a leader are all life lessons one can take from Mike's story. I have told many Americans fans, other hockey players and the coaches about Mike's story and it always has people interested. Since this was originally posted when the blog was new and had few followers Mike's player profile was not seen by many Allen Americans fans so I thought I would repost it so more people would have a chance to read it. Mike is not a big social media guy so I need your help (Email, Facebook, Twitter) to get the word out about this story. Here it is. Mike Montgomery 2.0


MIKE MONTGOMERY #23
Birthdate: 10/10/1986
Birthplace: Lino Lakes, Minnesota
6' 3" 210 lbs.


Spend five minutes with Mike Montgomery and it is obvious he is cut from a different cloth than most professional hockey players. He didn't start skating until he was eight and played forward until he was a sophomore in college when he switched to defense. A very thoughtful, introspective guy who leads by example. It wasn't an easy road to become a professional hockey player but Mike paved it with fortitude, hard work & determination.

From Lino Lakes, Minnesota, hockey held no interest for Mike until age eight when his cousin started playing. He was close friends with his cousin so he asked his parents if he could sign up as well. One of his earliest hockey memories is warming up his feet by soaking them in warm water after skating outside in the cold Minnesota winters.

Success has followed Mike since  he played on a Minnesota state championship peewee team. He scored the lone goal in the finals of the 2004 Minnesota State High School tournament as his team claimed the state title.

Mike's high school coach says this, "Mike had a NHL body, and could always skate like the wind. And he was one of the nicest kids you could meet."

After high school Mike didn't attract the attention of college recruiters so he joined the Southern Minnesota Express of the North American Hockey League for two years. After two good but not great years with the Express Mike was getting no interest from college teams so he decided to give up hockey and go to college. He applied to and was accepted at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) with no intent of playing hockey.

Things changed when Mike's coach from the Express called the UMD hockey coach and recommended him. Mike got a walk on offer with no promises. As a freshman forward he played in nine games with no goals and one assist. However, his future was starting to take hold as the team had a rash of  injuries at defense so Mike started filling in on defense at practices. He focused on being a defenseman during the summer and when he came back for his sophomore year he asked the coaches to put him at defense.The rest is history.

By the time Mike was a senior he was selected as the captain of the team and led them to their first NCAA championship. Ironically, the finals of the NCAA tournament were at the same arena (XCel Energy Center) in St. Paul, MN where he scored the winning goal for his high school team in the state championship game.

Here are  quotes from some of Mike's coaches that gives you insight into the type of player he is:
- The guys have a lot of respect for him in that room
- He's one of those guys who does everything well
- He does the smart things, the simple things
- He is an even keel guy who, when he talks people listen
- He is a big body who can get the puck up the rink


PeeWee Champion, High School Champion, College Champion, let's add CHL champion this year.

As interesting as his hockey story is we also wanted to get to know Mike off the ice so we asked him a few questions. He graduated from UMD with a Business Administration degree with a major in finance. He and Ashley (see below) met at UMD.

Family:
 Girlfriend (Ashley) works at Lululemon - North Park
 Dad (Bob) is a partner in a printing company
Mom (Brenda) works for the Minnesota Court of Appeals
Sister (Kelsey) is a student at the University of Minnesota Duluth
Brother (Derek) works with Bob at the printing company

Favorite Music: Classic Rock is usually on the radio and The Black Keys have been a favorite for a long time

Something people would be surprised to learn about you: I enjoy cooking and visiting Whole Foods to shop. I also enjoy tennis in the off season. 

A chore you hate to do: Washing my car

Something you have that is great value to you but of no value to anyone else: My college & high school championship rings and memories

Who do you admire as a leader: Dalai Lama

If you could live in another country for two years where would it be: Australia or France

If you could do anything besides being a pro athlete what would it be: Business owner

Who is the funniest guy on the team: Bootland is the most talkative & funny but Lukin is funny in a more passive way.

When was the last time you were lost: Since the advent of GPS I don't get lost

What do you like to do to kill time on the bus: I have a kindle so I read a lot but I also play cards and watch movies

Favorite motto or saying: The harder you work the luckier you get.

Favorite TV shows: The Newsroom, Family Guy, Homeland, & Dexter


As with all of the Allen Americans players, as we get to know them we want them to stay all year but the real goal is to move up the the AHL and never see them in an Americans jersey again. Mike has had several call ups already to the Houston Aeros so while we would hate to see him go let's hope the next call up is for the rest of the year.

Martinson Post Game Comments - 2/8/13

Lukin Returned To The Line Up With Two Assists - Photo by SceneByKimberly.com

There are lots of cliche headlines to use like they stopped the bleeding, they got the monkey off their backs, they snapped the losing streak, they turned up the heat but whatever it was it sure felt good. A 5-1 victory over the Missouri Mavericks that included the return to the line up of Jarret Lukin and Adam Pineault, a short handed goal, and an empty net goal. Almost every fan I talked to after the game took credit for the victory as they had done something different to end the streak. I include myself in that group as I broke out the first year jersey that had been retired forever after going 0-7 and wearing it worked.

Here are a few of the comments made by coach Martinson after the game:

- It was so nice to have a good third period as that has been our downfall for the last couple of weeks.

- Pineault's shorthanded goal was a big play.

- I thought we could have had more goals as we had lots of opportunities in the second period but their goalie was outstanding.

- A big difference in the game was we had more speed in the line up so we could put speed on every line.

- It is nice to have a line that can skate and play against the other teams top line. Having Lukin back in the line up allowed us to do that.

- Even though we didn't score on the power play I thought it was better than it has been lately.

- I'm going to add some power play defensemen from Europe that may be here in March. There will be no announcements when they are signed. It is like putting names in a "secret drawer" and the announcement will only happen if and when they arrive.

- Doyle has good upside but needs to get into better shape. He can score, he will finish his checks, he plays smart and he can move the puck.

- With everyone healthy we can now have seventeen skaters so if you are not getting the job done or have a bad game you might have to be a healthy scratch.

Adam Pineault Returned to The Line Up With A Shorthanded Goal - Photo by SceneByKimberly.com

Skinner Signs SPC, Top Golf Party & Other Stuff

Brett Skinner Signs With Grand Rapids Griffins photo by SceneByKimberly.com

- Not much new this morning but heard last night and confirmed on AHL transactions that Brett Skinner has signed a Standard Players Contract (SPC) with the Grand Rapids Griffins so most likely we will not see him back in Allen this year. Grand Rapids is definitely playoff bound as they currently lead their division.

- Scotty Howes, who signed a SPC with the Springfield Falcons on January 31st is currently out of action with a concussion. He missed games here in Allen with a concussion earlier in the year.

- We now have had seven players  move up to the AHL for at least one game. In addition to Howes and Skinner we have had Mike Montgomery, Trevor and Tyler Ludwig, Ryley Grantham and Jamie Schaafsma play in the AHL this year.

- What a great time for Colton Yellow Horn getting the first call up to the AHL of his career. His has made the long trek from California to New Hampshire to suit up with the Manchester Monarchs. They have back to back games Saturday night and Sunday afternoon so let's hope Yellow gets to play and plays well.

- Adam Pineault will be in the line up tonight against Missouri.

- A great night last night at Top Golf where the full season ticket holders got to mingle with the players and their families. I have attended many of these events over the years and from what I observed last night this was a real hit. Mix players, fans, golf and food and you have a winner. Not sure what player would win a team golf tournament but heard votes for McMillin and Penner.

- No home games for two weeks after tonight but the team will be in town more than it might appear on the schedule. Not positive this is the schedule but I think the team will leave after the game tonight return home on Sunday after the afternoon game in Tulsa, drive to Tulsa on game day next Tuesday and then return to Allen after the game.They are then in town until after the game with Ft. Worth next Friday when the take off for a game with Missouri and two with Wichita (one is the make up from the weather cancelled game). You gotta embrace the bus!!!!

- Have heard all kinds of things folks have done to break this losing streak including changing what they wear to the game, what food they eat on game day, and even where they sit at the AEC. Even some of the coaching staff are sitting in different suites to break the streak. I'm not one to predict but I'm saying tonight is the night. I'm so confident I am going to wear the Americans jersey the season ticket holders received the first year. I have said I would never wear the jersey again as it has a lifetime record of 0-7. DREAD THE RED!! TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT!!!

Yellow Horn Gets AHL Call Up

02/07/2013

Monarchs Sign Yellow Horn

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MANCHESTER, NH – The Manchester Monarchs, the primary affiliate of the 2012 Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings, have signed left wing Colton Yellow Horn to a professional tryout agreement, Monarchs Director of Hockey Operations Hubie McDonough announced today.

Yellow Horn, 25, has registered 36 goals and 22 assists for 58 points and 28 penalty minutes for the ECHL’s Ontario Reign. The Brocket, Alberta native’s 58 points currently lead all ECHL skaters.  The 5-foot-9, 190 pound left wing recorded his first professional hat trick against the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears on November 28, 2012.  In parts of three seasons in the ECHL, Yellow Horn has registered 43 goals, 36 assists and 79 points in 87 games between the Elmira Jackals, Stockton Thunder and Reign.  Yellow Horn played three seasons with the Canadian Hockey League’s Allen Americans, registering 67 goals and 111 assists for 178 points and 130 penalty minutes.  Yellow Horn turned pro at the start of the 2008-09 season in Austria with EC Red Bull Salzburg and had three points (1-2=3) in 11 games.

The Monarchs return home for their third annual Pink In The Rink game against the Providence Bruins at the Verizon Wireless Arena on Saturday, February 9 at 7:00 p.m.  Catch all the play-by-play action of Monarchs hockey with Ken Cail on the Monarchs Radio Network WTPL 107.7 The Pulse, WGIR.com and at www.manchestermonarchs.com, presented by Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.

Martinson Post Game Comments - 2/4/13

2-1 Shoot Out Loss, Is The Glass Half Full or Half Empty

If you are a glass half full type of person the headline from last night is "Americans In First Place, Extend Lead To Two Points" but if you look at the glass half empty the headline would include the following numbers:

 1 - the number of shoot out goals we have scored in the last 14 attempts (Schaafsma last night)
 3 - the number of shoot out games we have lost in the last week
 6 - the number of overtime games we have lost in a row
 8 - the number of home games we have lost in a row
 11 - the number of games we have lost in a row
 30 - the number of days since our last victory

As the guys from ESPN football would say: COME ON MAN

I have to give coach Martinson credit as it would be easy to send someone else to the after game press conference as we have certainly seen assistant coaches or players show up in the past after tough losses. Martinson is always there, he gives his analysis of the game, takes all of the questions and is open and honest with his answers. I know as fans we don't always agree with the answers but that is the nature of sports. I find it amazing we are still in first place.

 I don't think most people are pleased with anything at this point but that comes with losing so hopefully things get worked out soon. Enough rambling by me, here are the coaches comments after the game:

- Defensively I thought we were good in the first period but we are not generating much offense.

- In the third period we had a lot of turnovers at the blue line, we didn't get the puck in deep, we didn't make them go the full 200 feet to eat up the clock.

- It is frustrating getting down to the last couple of minutes and then having the game come down to a 6 on 4 power play.

- We were better defensively tonight but we weren't good offensively. We keep finding different ways to lose. The biggest thing in the third period was losing battles for the puck. Fort Worth has some of the smaller guys on defense but they were winning the battles for the puck.

- I expect Pineault and Lukin to play by the weekend which will give us more speed, experience, and leadership . We need to get back to blue collar hockey.

- I thought Hendrikx made some good plays but I have been concentrating on the forwards so I can not say much.

- I thought we fore checked better tonight but some of our player changes  caused a problem.

- I am still spending time on the phone, shaking the bushes, as we may need to sign another scorer.

- We worked on shoot outs yesterday and it looks like we need to continue to work on them based on the results. Howes and Skinner were a our best shoot out guys and we have missed them.

Bruce Graham - Where Are They Now

London, Whitney, Harper & Bruce Graham

Bruce Is The Americans All Time Leader In Goals Scored With 91

When you talk Allen Americans all time greats all you have to do is look at career offensive statistics to get your answer. Bruce Graham is the all time leader in goals, assists, points, power play goals, game winning goals and plus/minus. I get lots of requests for an update on how Bruce is doing  so I wanted to feature him along with his wife, Whitney, and their two daughters (Harper just turned two & London who is about to be one) in this months, "Where Are They Now" feature. Thanks to Bruce and Whitney for taking the time to answer some questions about their lives since leaving North Texas after last season.

Bruce is playing for the Nottingham Panthers of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) in Great Britain. It is a ten team league with four teams including Nottingham based in England, four teams from Scotland, and one each from Wales and Northern Ireland. Nottingham is currently in first place with a record of 30-8. Bruce has 50 points (28 goals & 22 assists) in 43 games which is second on the team. Bruce started out slow as he had only one goal in the first eight games but he had a great December with 11 goals in 12 games. He has had six goals in the last five games including a hat trick Saturday night.

Whitney, tell us a little about your summer? 
We went back home to Moncton, New Brunswick. Moncton is a small city (138,000 in the metro area) but growing rapidly. We actually  just bought a house at the end of last season.  It is so nice to finally have a place to call home since we move around so much.  We weren't able to move in as soon as we made the long trek home from Allen so we had to live out of suitcases for a couple weeks.  I feel like we are always on some kind of  reality show with hidden cameras.  When we got home the first week was bitterly cold, it was awful since we had just been lounging by the pool in Allen the week before.  The past summer I didn't work and stayed home with the girls.  In the past I had served at a steakhouse that I have worked at every summer for 4 years. Bruce usually spends a lot of time training for the next season and then works odd jobs here and there.  

Bruce, how did you end up in Nottingham?
I know the coach, Cory Nielson, who is from New Brunswick and had been in contact 
with Cory for 2 or 3 years.  It is something Whitney and I always talked about as we really wanted to experience hockey in Europe.  We figured with the girls being so young it would be a good time to experience hockey and life in a different culture.   

How have Harper and London adapted? Has it been difficult having young ones in a new place?
It not only took a while for the girls to adjust but it also took us a long time too.  After being in Allen for 3 years in a row, that kind of became home for us.  We loved it there so much and continue to miss it on a daily basis.  When we first got to Nottingham, it just seemed as though nothing could go right.  The girls got sick, we got sick, the girls got our colds and it was just a vicious cycle. It lasted for about 6 weeks until things finally started falling into place.  We actually weren't able to get our own internet here until October 31. That was literally 2 months without it. Luckily our neighbors kindly gave us their connection  and we were able to get internet in  one room of our place.  That was the saving grace as we were able to Skype with family and friends.   

Bruce, are you used to living a long way from home yet? What do you guys do when you have time off, if you have any?
We are definitely use to living so far from home. This would be the 8th year/season we've been away.  Whitney usually is able to go home once every year to visit our families but with two kids now, she was unable to travel home.  When I do get some time off we usually just try to find something kid-friendly to entertain the girls.  We go to a lot of parks and take a lot of walks. We seem to get a little bit of 'cabin-fever' if we sit at home all day. 

How do you find hockey different there versus the CHL? Does they style of play fit you better?
The caliber is very similar to the CHL or the ECHL.  The one big difference I found was the size of the ice surface (rinks in Europe are Olympic size which are about 13 feet wider).  I was actually looking forward to playing on the different size ice and thought it would be an advantage for me but I found it harder to play and took me a while to adjust to the different size.  Now that I've played 5 months on the Olympic size ice I really enjoy it and find I have more time to make plays and use my body to protect the puck.   

Are you pleased with your point production (50 points in 43 games) and have you stayed healthy?
 I had an extremely slow start which was so frustrating.  Late November I finally got the feel of it and have been having a good season since. Health-wise I have had a good season just a few bumps and bruises.  

Looks like the team is doing great and the league championship playoffs will be held in Nottingham. I know when I read about how the playoffs work it was a little confusing. Can you clarify?
Whitney - I still don't understand it.
Bruce - There are 3 titles during the season.  The main title is the league championship.  The challenge cup is a tournament that is basically spread throughout the season. Play-offs are a max of 4 games with the semi final and final game being a single game elimination.  It set up like professional soccer in England.

Have you had many family or friend visits?
Bruce - My parents visited us for 2 weeks at the end of November.  It was so nice to have them here.  The kids were so excited to have Grandma & Grampy visit!  We were also just as excited and it gave us a few nights out with the team.  Unfortunately we haven't had any other visitors but luckily we are able to Skype with all our family who aren't able to make the trip!

Any funny stories about the girls, language, customs you could share?
Whitney - If we started telling funny stories about the girls we would keep you way to long. They are so entertaining and keep us on our toes every single minute.  They sure know how to put a smile on our faces.  
When we first moved here we didn't think understanding England English would be any different.  The first week here I think when we spoke to people it just kind of went in one ear and out the other. We found they spoke fast and their terms and saying are different.  One of the wives asked me "Do the girls get on?".  The look I gave her she must have known I had no clue what she meant.  What she meant was "Do the girls get along?".  The other one that we noticed was "You alright?" which means " How are you doing?"  but when people respond they say "You alright?" ..... I still don't get it!
Bruce - Whitney things England English is hard to understand, try Scotland. haha

What were some of the challenges of moving from Allen to Nottingham?
Bruce - Driving on the wrong side of the road, the wrong side of the car and where people park just about anywhere. We also found moving away from Allen hard after being there for 3 years.  We were comfortable, we knew the area, we had friends all around and the weather was perfect! 
 
What do you miss about the North Texas Area & the Allen Americans?
Bruce- Brio, Mooyah, Cowboy Chicken, Chipotle, Paradise Cafe, Blue Fish.  We've definitely saved money from not eating out.  The restaurants there are unreal.  I miss the friendships with the guys since we were there for 3 years.  We met some great people while we played in Allen.  Whitney misses drive-thru Starbucks, Target and the great people she met! 
 
Anything else you would like to share or any message for your friends here in Texas?
Bruce - We hope to make a trip back to Allen to visit our very supportive adoptive family the McClures.  We speak to them on a weekly basis and miss them very much!   Also, good luck to the team, looks like this is their year!   

I am sure everyone joins me in wishing Bruce, Whitney and the family good luck the rest of the season in England. They sure are missed in Allen as it was always fun seeing the little ones at the AEC. And with the current slump the team is enduring wouldn't it be nice to have those 30-35 goals per year in the line up.