It is easy to say all victories are the same as they are all worth just two points but some are sweeter than others. Yesterday afternoon Allen beat Arizona 3-2 when Greger Hanson scored the game winner one minute and nine seconds into overtime. So what was the sweet part? It came against what coach Martinson describes as a "yappy" team that likes to talk but not back it up, it was the rubber match of a three game series, the Americans scored with nine seconds left in regulation to tie the game, it was in front of a MLK crowd of 4119 including a large number of cheering school kids, and the win moved Allen into a tie for first place in the CHL. Now that is sweet!!
MARTINSON POST GAME COMMENTS:
- That would have been a tough one if we had lost the game today. After you play the same team three times in a row you get to dislike them and really want to win. I'm sure they thought they had the win so it was a great ending. It is a fun way to win a game.
- The power play was pretty frustrating this weekend as it disappeared completely (the Americans were 1-14 in the three games). That is why the scores were so close this weekend.
- Defensively I think we played pretty good. They had that four on three goal. The Sundogs have a skilled set of forwards and you don't want to give them a four on three with five minutes to go in the game. It is difficult for our guys as they don't know what a penalty is most of the time because of the inconsistent calls by the referee.
- We got five out of six points on the weekend and are tied for first place with Rapid City. They obviously have games in hand on us but they will have to win those games in hand.
- We stayed healthy over the weekend which is important. We have the two long term injuries (Lukin & Trevor Ludwig) but otherwise have stayed healthy.
- I think we have the best young team in the CHL. They are getting better and better especially in the defensive zone. Our offense has picked it up and this weekend we did a good job on defense holding down Arizona's shots on goal. I think we are the most physical team in the league and when you combine physical play with the offense we have it makes for entertaining hockey. Our goal is to win and play a style of hockey that is fun to watch. I'm proud of our team being a physical team, winning games, scoring goals and being a fun team to watch.
- The player that I am bringing in is Jon Zion. Zion played for me in Chicago (2011-2012). He is a weight lifter, he is in shape, he has been skating at home. Whether we put him in the line up Friday night I don't know, we might, we will see how he looks when he gets to Allen. He is one of those guys that is a fitness guy so I am not worried about what kind of shape he is in. He is like Brett Skinner on the power play. He gets to the middle of the ice, he has great vision, he makes plays and he passes the puck. Of all of the AA guys I have had that didn't play much in the AHL he is the best. He was the best power play point guy in the ECHL the year I had him in Chicago. He is a left shot who I expect to get to the middle of the ice and lay passes over to Tyler Ludwig for his one timer. I think we will have a better power play once I get Zion in the lineup. I tried real hard to get Jon last summer but he went to Europe and didn't like the play so came home. He is not a fighter but has trained for years in mixed martial arts.
- Greger Hanson made a great shot on the overtime goal. He never stops moving his feet, he is like the energizer bunny. He just keeps moving his feet, he is feisty, he hits and he competes really hard all of the time. He never takes a shift off and is not happy if he is not scoring.
- Adding Hanson along with Brian McMillin has helped our team. McMillin has helped our penalty kill and is good at taking faceoffs in our defensive zone. I am happy with where the team is at right now.
- Bootland has been in a scoring drought but he is that kind of player that is streaky. We saw that last year. What he needs to do when he is not scoring is do what he did tonight and be physical. He has to be finishing checks and be hard to play against. As long as he is doing that he is helping the team even if he isn't scoring. I thought he was great tonight.
OTHER COMMENTS:
- The three stars of the game were #1 Hanson, #2 Klotz, & #3 McMillin.
- Special teams are usually telling in hockey games and Allen had the advantage over Arizona in both the power play and penalty kill going into this series. One of the reasons all three games went to overtime was Allen could not capitalize on their special teams advantage. The Americans power play was 1-14 or 7.1%. The penalty kill allowed three goals in fifteen attempts for a penalty kill percentage of 80%.
- When Brett Skinner left for the AHL last year I came up with a stat called PPASL (power play after Skinner left) because the power play was very low after he left but the overall percentage still looked pretty good. With Jon Zion added to the mix I will compute a PPAZA (power play after Zion arrived) to see the impact. Stay tuned.
- Rapid City lost to Denver last night (5-2) so Allen and Rapid are now tied for first place in the CHL with 50 points, four points ahead of third place Missouri. The Rush have two games in hand over the Americans. Allen has caught Rapid City quickly as the Americans are 9-0-2 in the last eleven games while the Rush are 5-6.
- Saw this from the CHL and it reminded me how much I have missed Bill McDonald around the AEC this year. Bill is back home in Thunder Bay. Ontario as the head coach at Lakehead University. Bill's team is 14-6 in conference play and in the hunt for the championship.
Wichita Head Coach Kevin McClelland has 319 wins in his
CHL career tying him with Bill McDonald for sixth on the all-time wins
list. The two-time CHL Coach of the Year has won 132 games with
Wichita, won 100 games with Mississippi and 87 games with Colorado.
McClelland will look to pass McDonald on Tuesday night when the Thunder
play in Tulsa.
- Congrats to Mike Berube who played in his 200th game as an Allen American in the game yesterday.
DID YOU KNOW: The highest power play percentage in the CHL in the last ten years belongs to the 2009-2010 Odessa Jackalopes at 27.25%. The highest percentage the Americans have ever had is 23.85% which led the league in 2010-2011.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Monday, January 20, 2014
Americans Come to Terms With Defensman Jonathan Zion
 |
| Jonathan Zion |
Regular season (22 games): 20 points (6 goals, 14 assists)
Playoffs (13 games): 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists)
Jonathan, who is 32, played his junior career with the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey League. His team won the prestigious Memorial Cup (Canada's junior hockey championship) in 1999. Zion was the fourth round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1999 NHL draft, 110th overall. He has played in 44 AHL games, 228 ECHL games and his hockey resume includes time in Finland, Austria, Denmark, Norway, England. Poland and The Netherlands.
Zion's hockeydb information is below. This does not include his time in Poland last year and a couple of games in The Netherlands this year. He has not played recently but always stays in great shape. Zion should arrive in Allen sometime this week and may play this weekend depending on his conditioning. Nothing will be decided until he arrives in Allen and practices with the team. Steve Martinson had this to say about Zion, "Jon played for me in Chicago and he is a weightlifter, he is in shape and has been skating. He is like Brett Skinner on the power play. He gets to the middle of the ice, has good vision and passes the puck. Of all of the AA players I have had that have not played a lot of games in the AHL he is the best. He was the best in the ECHL on the point the year I had him in Chicago. He is a left shot so he can get to the middle of the ice and get the puck to Tyler for the one timer. I feel confident we will have a better power play once Zion gets in the lineup."
 |
| Jonathan Zion Played 35 Games for Allen in 2010-2011 - photo by SceneByKimberly.com |
Jonathan Zion
Defense -- shoots L
Born May 28 1981 -- Nepean, ONT
[32 yrs. ago]
Height 6.01 -- Weight 205
Born May 28 1981 -- Nepean, ONT
[32 yrs. ago]
Height 6.01 -- Weight 205
| Regular Season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1996-97 | Nepean Raiders | CJHL | 47 | 8 | 26 | 34 | 14 | ||||||
| 1997-98 | Ottawa 67's | OHL | 53 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 20 | 13 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 2 | |
| 1998-99 | Ottawa 67's | OHL | 60 | 8 | 33 | 41 | 10 | 25 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| 1999-00 | Ottawa 67's | OHL | 66 | 7 | 52 | 59 | 16 | 24 | 11 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 8 |
| 2000-01 | Ottawa 67's | OHL | 59 | 22 | 51 | 73 | 38 | 22 | 20 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 18 |
| 2001-02 | Ottawa 67's | OHL | 52 | 16 | 31 | 47 | 60 | 11 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 5 |
| 2002-03 | Richmond Renegades | ECHL | 58 | 14 | 38 | 52 | 46 | -4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2002-03 | Cincinnati Mighty Ducks | AHL | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2002-03 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2003-04 | Reading Royals | ECHL | 29 | 6 | 22 | 28 | 12 | -7 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2003-04 | Manchester Monarchs | AHL | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2003-04 | Greenville Grrrowl | ECHL | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | -9 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2003-04 | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2004-05 | Utah Grizzlies | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2004-05 | Idaho Steelheads | ECHL | 65 | 7 | 30 | 37 | 54 | -1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 2005-06 | Idaho Steelheads | ECHL | 25 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 50 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2005-06 | Iowa Stars | AHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2005-06 | HIFK Helsinki | SM-liiga | 17 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 28 | -3 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| 2006-07 | Vienna | Austria | 28 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 32 | -7 | |||||
| 2007-08 | Esbjerg EfB Ishockey | Denmark | 30 | 15 | 20 | 35 | 66 | ||||||
| 2009-10 | Oskarshamn IK | Swe-1 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 18 | -2 | |||||
| 2009-10 | Sheffield Steelers | EIHL | 23 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 6 | ||||||
| 2010-11 | Nottingham Panthers | EIHL | 32 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 22 | ||||||
| 2010-11 | Allen Americans | CHL | 22 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 18 | 4 | 13 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 10 |
| 2011-12 | Chicago Express | ECHL | 40 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 29 | -2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Zion
was a fourth round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 1999 NHL
Entry Draft, 110th overall. He has yet to play in the National Hockey
League. Jonathan played pro in North America from 2002-03 to 2005-06 in
the AHL and ECHL. He returned to the western hemisphere for the last
half of the 2010-11 season, playing for the Allen Americans of the
Central Hockey League. He then played the full 2011-12 season with the
Chicago Express of the ECHL before returning to Europe.
His hockey resume includes time in Finland’s SM-Liiga, Austria’s EBEL, Denmark’s AL Bank Ligaen, Norway’s Get Ligaen, Sweden’s Allsvenskan, England’s EIHL and the Poland elite league. 2012-13 was spent with GKS Tychy in Poland. He played 14 regular season games as the team finished third in the eight team league. He then played an additional 12 games in the post season and Tychy won the bronze medal game.
- See more at: http://www.ohlalumnicentral.com/jonathan-zion-tilburg-trappers/#sthash.FuBiycAl.dpuf
His hockey resume includes time in Finland’s SM-Liiga, Austria’s EBEL, Denmark’s AL Bank Ligaen, Norway’s Get Ligaen, Sweden’s Allsvenskan, England’s EIHL and the Poland elite league. 2012-13 was spent with GKS Tychy in Poland. He played 14 regular season games as the team finished third in the eight team league. He then played an additional 12 games in the post season and Tychy won the bronze medal game.
- See more at: http://www.ohlalumnicentral.com/jonathan-zion-tilburg-trappers/#sthash.FuBiycAl.dpuf
Zion
was a fourth round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 1999 NHL
Entry Draft, 110th overall. He has yet to play in the National Hockey
League. Jonathan played pro in North America from 2002-03 to 2005-06 in
the AHL and ECHL. He returned to the western hemisphere for the last
half of the 2010-11 season, playing for the Allen Americans of the
Central Hockey League. He then played the full 2011-12 season with the
Chicago Express of the ECHL before returning to Europe.
His hockey resume includes time in Finland’s SM-Liiga, Austria’s EBEL, Denmark’s AL Bank Ligaen, Norway’s Get Ligaen, Sweden’s Allsvenskan, England’s EIHL and the Poland elite league. 2012-13 was spent with GKS Tychy in Poland. He played 14 regular season games as the team finished third in the eight team league. He then played an additional 12 games in the post season and Tychy won the bronze medal game.
- See more at: http://www.ohlalumnicentral.com/jonathan-zion-tilburg-trappers/#sthash.FuBiycAl.dpuf
His hockey resume includes time in Finland’s SM-Liiga, Austria’s EBEL, Denmark’s AL Bank Ligaen, Norway’s Get Ligaen, Sweden’s Allsvenskan, England’s EIHL and the Poland elite league. 2012-13 was spent with GKS Tychy in Poland. He played 14 regular season games as the team finished third in the eight team league. He then played an additional 12 games in the post season and Tychy won the bronze medal game.
- See more at: http://www.ohlalumnicentral.com/jonathan-zion-tilburg-trappers/#sthash.FuBiycAl.dpuf
Zion
was a fourth round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 1999 NHL
Entry Draft, 110th overall. He has yet to play in the National Hockey
League. Jonathan played pro in North America from 2002-03 to 2005-06 in
the AHL and ECHL. He returned to the western hemisphere for the last
half of the 2010-11 season, playing for the Allen Americans of the
Central Hockey League. He then played the full 2011-12 season with the
Chicago Express of the ECHL before returning to Europe.
His hockey resume includes time in Finland’s SM-Liiga, Austria’s EBEL, Denmark’s AL Bank Ligaen, Norway’s Get Ligaen, Sweden’s Allsvenskan, England’s EIHL and the Poland elite league. 2012-13 was spent with GKS Tychy in Poland. He played 14 regular season games as the team finished third in the eight team league. He then played an additional 12 games in the post season and Tychy won the bronze medal game.
- See more at: http://www.ohlalumnicentral.com/jonathan-zion-tilburg-trappers/#sthash.FuBiycAl.dpuf
His hockey resume includes time in Finland’s SM-Liiga, Austria’s EBEL, Denmark’s AL Bank Ligaen, Norway’s Get Ligaen, Sweden’s Allsvenskan, England’s EIHL and the Poland elite league. 2012-13 was spent with GKS Tychy in Poland. He played 14 regular season games as the team finished third in the eight team league. He then played an additional 12 games in the post season and Tychy won the bronze medal game.
- See more at: http://www.ohlalumnicentral.com/jonathan-zion-tilburg-trappers/#sthash.FuBiycAl.dpuf
MLK Stats & Quotes, Will Ludwig & McMillin Star Today, AHL Call Ups, Minor League Attendance
It should be a fun afternoon today at the Allen Event Center as the place will be hopping with school kids making lots of noise as the Allen Americans take on the Arizona Sundogs in the traditional Martin Luther King Day game called "Kid's Day Out." There might be plenty of noise on the ice as well as Allen and Arizona will be playing for the third straight game and that always is the formula for physical play. Puck drop is 1:05 pm.
- This will be the fourth time in five years Arizona has been the opponent for MLK day. Allen won in 2010 (4-2) and 2011 (4-3). Arizona won the game last year (3-2) when they scored the winning goal with 2:22 left in the game.
- The only time Allen didn't play Arizona on MLK day (2012) they played Tulsa and lost 5-4.
- With a 1:05 start time players routines are changed which is a big thing for many of them. So who might play well in this day game? Two players to keep an eye on today are Tyler Ludwig who has a goal and three assists in the last two MLK games and Brian McMillin who had two goals and was the #1 star in the 2012 game.
On this MLK day many of Martin Luther King's famous quotes apply to hockey as well as life:
- “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way”
- “Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great, because greatness is determined by service.”
- “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
- “There is no gain without struggle.”
- “Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase.”
- “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
- One of the many recruiting points Coach Martinson uses when pursuing players to come to Allen in addition to the ownership, community, facility, apartments on a golf course, weather. etc. is his history of having players called up to the AHL. This year Allen has only had one call up when Alex Lavoie played one game for the Oklahoma City Barons. Still plenty of time for additional call ups as last year most of the call ups were later in the season. Here are the call ups for the CHL thus far this season:
Denver - 11
Quad City - 7
St. Charles - 2
Allen - 1
Arizona - 0
Brampton - 0
Missouri - 0
Rapid City - 0
Tulsa - 0
Wichita - 0
- Was recently looking at some data related to attendance which showed across the entire spectrum of minor league hockey (SPHL, CHL, ECHL, AHL) attendance is down this year 2.81%. Of the 72 teams in these four leagues there are only two averaging below 2000 per game and they are both in the CHL (St. Charles 1956 & Denver 1371). Allen's average attendance (4189) ranks them #39 of the 72 minor league teams.
- Average attendance by league:
AHL: 5004
ECHL: 4487
CHL: 3512
SPHL: 2891
- The top two drawing teams in minor league hockey are the Hershey Bears (AHL) at 9301 and the Ontario Reign (ECHL) at 7820.
- Weekly power rankings should be interesting this week. Was working on my input and a couple of things stood out. Arizona and Wichita, who have languished at the bottom of the CHL standings, are slowly closing the gap with the teams ahead of them. Wichita has the current longest winning streak in the league (4) and Arizona has won five of six games. Missouri (0-2), Denver (0-2), Quad City (0-1), and Tulsa (0-1) were all winless last week. Brampton has four games at home this week starting today against St. Charles with a chance to make a move in the standings.
- DID YOU KNOW: Rapid City leads the CHL standings by two points with the worst special teams in the league. Their power play is ranked #8 and penalty kill is ranked #10.
- This will be the fourth time in five years Arizona has been the opponent for MLK day. Allen won in 2010 (4-2) and 2011 (4-3). Arizona won the game last year (3-2) when they scored the winning goal with 2:22 left in the game.
- The only time Allen didn't play Arizona on MLK day (2012) they played Tulsa and lost 5-4.
- With a 1:05 start time players routines are changed which is a big thing for many of them. So who might play well in this day game? Two players to keep an eye on today are Tyler Ludwig who has a goal and three assists in the last two MLK games and Brian McMillin who had two goals and was the #1 star in the 2012 game.
On this MLK day many of Martin Luther King's famous quotes apply to hockey as well as life:
- “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way”
- “Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great, because greatness is determined by service.”
- “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
- “There is no gain without struggle.”
- “Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase.”
- “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
- One of the many recruiting points Coach Martinson uses when pursuing players to come to Allen in addition to the ownership, community, facility, apartments on a golf course, weather. etc. is his history of having players called up to the AHL. This year Allen has only had one call up when Alex Lavoie played one game for the Oklahoma City Barons. Still plenty of time for additional call ups as last year most of the call ups were later in the season. Here are the call ups for the CHL thus far this season:
Denver - 11
Quad City - 7
St. Charles - 2
Allen - 1
Arizona - 0
Brampton - 0
Missouri - 0
Rapid City - 0
Tulsa - 0
Wichita - 0
- Was recently looking at some data related to attendance which showed across the entire spectrum of minor league hockey (SPHL, CHL, ECHL, AHL) attendance is down this year 2.81%. Of the 72 teams in these four leagues there are only two averaging below 2000 per game and they are both in the CHL (St. Charles 1956 & Denver 1371). Allen's average attendance (4189) ranks them #39 of the 72 minor league teams.
- Average attendance by league:
AHL: 5004
ECHL: 4487
CHL: 3512
SPHL: 2891
- The top two drawing teams in minor league hockey are the Hershey Bears (AHL) at 9301 and the Ontario Reign (ECHL) at 7820.
- Weekly power rankings should be interesting this week. Was working on my input and a couple of things stood out. Arizona and Wichita, who have languished at the bottom of the CHL standings, are slowly closing the gap with the teams ahead of them. Wichita has the current longest winning streak in the league (4) and Arizona has won five of six games. Missouri (0-2), Denver (0-2), Quad City (0-1), and Tulsa (0-1) were all winless last week. Brampton has four games at home this week starting today against St. Charles with a chance to make a move in the standings.
- DID YOU KNOW: Rapid City leads the CHL standings by two points with the worst special teams in the league. Their power play is ranked #8 and penalty kill is ranked #10.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Shootout Win, Martinson Post Game Comments Including New Defenseman, Military Specialty Jersey, Bus Video
In a reversal of fortune Allen turned the tables on Arizona last night and came away with a 4-3 shootout victory. The game was the mirror opposite of the Friday night game as Arizona had a 2-1 lead going into the third period and the percentages were with them as the had a perfect 5-0 record on the season when leading after two periods while Allen was 1-9 when trailing after the second period. The Americans played great in the third period, out shot the Sundogs 15-11, came from behind twice on goals by Alex Lavoie and Brian McMillin and sent the game to overtime. After a scoreless overtime period Allen won the game in a shootout on goals by Darryl Bootland and the game winner by Kale Kerbashian. The Americans climbed on the bus immediately after the game for the long 17-20 hour drive home. The two teams will play the rubber game of this three game series on Monday (1:05 puck drop) in Allen. The game on Monday should be an interesting one as Tommy Daniels reported on the broadcast last night the game got really "chippy" and playing a team three times in a row usually ends up with the third game being very interesting. Tommy also had this to say, "We fought hard for those points. In the end we wanted it more. Every point is critical these days with such a tight race at the top of the standings."
MARTINSON POST GAME COMMENTS:
- We had success going high against Engelage. Both of the shoot out goals were good high shots.
- It will be nice to be back home on Monday against Arizona where we will have better match ups because we will get last change.
- The power play took the night off again tonight going 0-6. I have signed a power play defenseman that should help.
- There is some bad blood between these two teams which will probably carryover to the game on Monday. Arizona has a few "yappy" players.
- We have to make teams work harder for their scoring chances. We have way to many instances where we hand the opponents good scoring chances.
- Garrett Klotz had two good games. His mom was in town and it was nice to see him have a good weekend with a couple of points.
OTHER COMMENTS:
- Kale Kerbashian's game winning goal was his fifth of the season which leads the team. He is tied for third in the CHL in game winning goals. Kale was selected the #1 star of the game for the sixth time and now leads the Oakley Three Star points standings.
- Over the last ten games the Americans are 8-0-2 and have scored an average of 3.67 goals per game. The best part about this streak is the number of players who have been contributing offensively. There are six players scoring over a point a game with positive plus/minus numbers:
Alex Lavoie: 14 points (5 goals 9 assists) +8
Tyler Ludwig: 13 points (7 goals 6 assists) +8
Jamie Schaafsma: 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists) +10
Kale Kerbashian: 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists) +8
Jonathan Lessard: 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists) +3
Greger Hanson: 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) +4
- Mark Guggenberger stopped 36 of 39 shots and has now won his last five games.
- Garrett Klotz has not only score points in three of the last four games he has taken over the league lead in penalty minutes at 130.
- It is good to see Charles Lachance back in the CHL. After being released by Allen after just three games he had been playing for the Mississippi RiverKings (SPHL). Charles was recently signed by St. Charles and had a goal and assist last night in a losing cause against Brampton.
- Rapid City won again last night against Denver. The game went to a shootout and Rapid City is unbeatable in shootouts which they proved again by scoring on two of three attempts while holding Denver scoreless in four attempts. The Rush improved to 6-0 in shootouts and have now scored on nine of thirteen attempts. After losing to Denver the first time they played this year Rapid City has won six times straight. Got a kick out of the press release headline from the Rush after the win on Friday, "Day Chief's Two Goals Helps The Rush Filet The Fish For The Fifth Straight Time."
- The Americans will be wearing and auctioning off a specialty military jersey on March 22. If you would like one of these jerseys but can't afford the auction prices the military jerseys will also be available for preorder purchase through Feb 15 in the team store and on the web(note the patches of the five branches arched over the logo). A portion of the proceeds will support the military charity that the team chooses. Here is what it will look like.
- If you are interested in how a hockey sleeper bus looks inside check out the YouTube video about the Rapid City bus. The Americans bus has a different layout in that the coaches quarters are in the very back of the bus but this video gives you a good perspective from a player how the team travels. Check it out by searching: "Rush 24/7 insider - Rapid City Rush bus tour with Riley Weselowski" on YouTube.
- Had to share this photo from my alma mater, the University of Minnesota who had the largest crowd in Minnesota hockey history on Friday night. The Gophers men's hockey team hosted the Hockey City Classic event at TCF Bank Stadium, home to the University of Minnesota's football team. Thanks to a goal by freshman Taylor Cammarata, the Gophers capped Friday's festivities with a 1-0 victory over Ohio State -- even despite the single-digit temperatures.
"Especially when you win, it's a smashing success," said Gophers head coach Don Lucia. "It seemed like everybody had a good time."
That included Minnesota's players, who were reminded of their days as youth hockey players skating on outdoor rinks. Even though the temperature dipped to five degrees by the time the puck dropped for Friday's game, the Gophers said the weather didn't play much of a factor.
Both teams had heated benches, and many players wore extra layers to keep warm. Minnesota had the added advantage of playing in front of 45,021 fans, which helped distract the Gophers from the elements.
DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans have been in seven shootouts this year and three times they have had back to back shootout games.
MARTINSON POST GAME COMMENTS:
- We had success going high against Engelage. Both of the shoot out goals were good high shots.
- It will be nice to be back home on Monday against Arizona where we will have better match ups because we will get last change.
- The power play took the night off again tonight going 0-6. I have signed a power play defenseman that should help.
- There is some bad blood between these two teams which will probably carryover to the game on Monday. Arizona has a few "yappy" players.
- We have to make teams work harder for their scoring chances. We have way to many instances where we hand the opponents good scoring chances.
- Garrett Klotz had two good games. His mom was in town and it was nice to see him have a good weekend with a couple of points.
OTHER COMMENTS:
- Kale Kerbashian's game winning goal was his fifth of the season which leads the team. He is tied for third in the CHL in game winning goals. Kale was selected the #1 star of the game for the sixth time and now leads the Oakley Three Star points standings.
- Over the last ten games the Americans are 8-0-2 and have scored an average of 3.67 goals per game. The best part about this streak is the number of players who have been contributing offensively. There are six players scoring over a point a game with positive plus/minus numbers:
Alex Lavoie: 14 points (5 goals 9 assists) +8
Tyler Ludwig: 13 points (7 goals 6 assists) +8
Jamie Schaafsma: 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists) +10
Kale Kerbashian: 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists) +8
Jonathan Lessard: 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists) +3
Greger Hanson: 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) +4
- Mark Guggenberger stopped 36 of 39 shots and has now won his last five games.
- Garrett Klotz has not only score points in three of the last four games he has taken over the league lead in penalty minutes at 130.
- It is good to see Charles Lachance back in the CHL. After being released by Allen after just three games he had been playing for the Mississippi RiverKings (SPHL). Charles was recently signed by St. Charles and had a goal and assist last night in a losing cause against Brampton.
- Rapid City won again last night against Denver. The game went to a shootout and Rapid City is unbeatable in shootouts which they proved again by scoring on two of three attempts while holding Denver scoreless in four attempts. The Rush improved to 6-0 in shootouts and have now scored on nine of thirteen attempts. After losing to Denver the first time they played this year Rapid City has won six times straight. Got a kick out of the press release headline from the Rush after the win on Friday, "Day Chief's Two Goals Helps The Rush Filet The Fish For The Fifth Straight Time."
- The Americans will be wearing and auctioning off a specialty military jersey on March 22. If you would like one of these jerseys but can't afford the auction prices the military jerseys will also be available for preorder purchase through Feb 15 in the team store and on the web(note the patches of the five branches arched over the logo). A portion of the proceeds will support the military charity that the team chooses. Here is what it will look like.
- If you are interested in how a hockey sleeper bus looks inside check out the YouTube video about the Rapid City bus. The Americans bus has a different layout in that the coaches quarters are in the very back of the bus but this video gives you a good perspective from a player how the team travels. Check it out by searching: "Rush 24/7 insider - Rapid City Rush bus tour with Riley Weselowski" on YouTube.
- Had to share this photo from my alma mater, the University of Minnesota who had the largest crowd in Minnesota hockey history on Friday night. The Gophers men's hockey team hosted the Hockey City Classic event at TCF Bank Stadium, home to the University of Minnesota's football team. Thanks to a goal by freshman Taylor Cammarata, the Gophers capped Friday's festivities with a 1-0 victory over Ohio State -- even despite the single-digit temperatures.
"Especially when you win, it's a smashing success," said Gophers head coach Don Lucia. "It seemed like everybody had a good time."
That included Minnesota's players, who were reminded of their days as youth hockey players skating on outdoor rinks. Even though the temperature dipped to five degrees by the time the puck dropped for Friday's game, the Gophers said the weather didn't play much of a factor.
Both teams had heated benches, and many players wore extra layers to keep warm. Minnesota had the added advantage of playing in front of 45,021 fans, which helped distract the Gophers from the elements.
 |
| Largest Crowd in Minnesota Hockey History - 45,021 |
DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans have been in seven shootouts this year and three times they have had back to back shootout games.
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Martinson Post Game Comments, Shootout Woes, Dell & McKenzie Shine & Stats
The bottom line is the Allen Americans lost to the Arizona Sundogs last night in a shootout by a score of 4-3 before a crowd of 2064 at the Tim's Toyota Center. The real story is how they lost the game as Allen was leading after the second period by a score of 3-2 and based on past history was in great position to win the game. Allen's record when leading by a goal after the second period was 13-1-2 while Arizona's record when trailing by a goal after the second period was 1-14-1. Past history didn't work as the Sundogs scored the only goal of the third period to tie the score and send the game to overtime. The game ended in a shootout as Arizona goalie Andrew Engelage stopped all five Allen skaters to secure the victory.
STEVE MARTINSON POST GAME COMMENTS:
- I thought their goalie was really good tonight. (The Americans stopped Andrew Engelage's consecutive minute scoreless streak 57 seconds into the second period. The scoreless minute streak for Engelage came to an end at 227:22, the second longest in league history. Mark Guggenberger still holds the record at 238:31).
- There were so many slashes in the game I thought someone was going to get a hand or arm broken.
- Another example of a big hit automatically being called a penalty as Rouleau has a great hit and then gets jumped after the whistle.
OTHER COMMENTS:
- The Americans goals were scored by Alex Lavoie (17), Jonathan Lessard (16) and Garrett Klotz (3). Scoring streaks that were kept alive in the game were Tyler Ludwig (8 games), Kale Kerbashian (5 games) and Jonathan Lessard (5 games).
- The Americans shootout record is now at 3-3 but a closer look shows the team struggling to score in shootouts recently. Allen had four shootouts in the first seven games of the season but only two since. Since November 1st the two shootouts were last night when the Americans were 0-5 and December 7th when they were 0-4. For the entire season the team is 6-31 in shootout attempts. Interestingly, the player with the best percentage in shootouts, Tyler Ludwig who is two for three, didn't get a chance last night. Here are the seasonal totals on shootouts:
Jamie Schaafsma: 0/6
Alex Lavoie: 0/5
Kale Kerbashian: 2/5
Darryl Bootland: 1/4
Tyler Ludwig: 2/3
Jonathan Lessard: 0/3
John Snowden: 1/2
Jarret Lukin: 0/1
Phil Fox: 0/1
Greger Hanson: 0/1
- With the one point earned last night Allen maintained second place in the CHL standings even though both Rapid City and Missouri won their games. Here are the top four:
Rapid City: 48 points
Allen: 46
Missouri: 45
Denver: 42
- Allen is dealing with the same issue this weekend as last weekend against Denver and that is limiting the damage done by the Arizona top line ( Brandon Coccimiglio & David Rutherford). Didn't work too well last night as both players were involved in all three Arizona goals in regulation. Coccimiglio had two goals and an assist and Rutherford had three assists. Slowing them down will be key to winning the game tonight.
- In Allen's last five games the plus/minus leaders are Kale Kerbashian and Alex Lavoie with +6.
- In the last 10 games Mark Guggenberger is 4-0-0 with a 2.35 GAA while Bryan Pitton is 3-1-2 with a 3.02 GAA.
- A disappointing crowd of 2064 last night when you think about the way Arizona is playing (five game win streak) and goalie Andrew Engelage going for a CHL record. Saturday night crowds are always larger than Fridays so you should see an increase tonight. It does make one wonder about the financial viability of teams that draw fewer than 2500 fans per game. Owners typically do not stick around very long when loosing that much money. Even Arizona who has stayed around while averaging less than 2500 over the last five years has to be looking for light at the end of the tunnel. The average attendance in the CHL has been in decline the last three years from 4042 (2011-2012) to 3706 (2012-2013), to 3475 so far this year.
- The longer the league delays announcing the two new franchises the more likely there will be big changes happen in the off season. It takes many months to crank up a new franchise and the CHL is already past the optimal lead time for any new teams entering the league for next season.
- In the former player news from last night Aaron Dell had a shutout as his Utah Grizzlies (ECHL) beat Idaho 3-0. Aaron is now 9-3 on the season with a GAA of 2.21 and save percentage of .914. Jim McKenzie help his Iowa Wild (AHL) team defeat Lake Erie by a score of 6-1. Jim had two assists in that game.
DID YOU KNOW: The Rapid City Rush have been in three shootouts this season, they have won all three and have scored seven goals in ten attempts in the three shootouts.
STEVE MARTINSON POST GAME COMMENTS:
- I thought their goalie was really good tonight. (The Americans stopped Andrew Engelage's consecutive minute scoreless streak 57 seconds into the second period. The scoreless minute streak for Engelage came to an end at 227:22, the second longest in league history. Mark Guggenberger still holds the record at 238:31).
- There were so many slashes in the game I thought someone was going to get a hand or arm broken.
- Another example of a big hit automatically being called a penalty as Rouleau has a great hit and then gets jumped after the whistle.
OTHER COMMENTS:
- The Americans goals were scored by Alex Lavoie (17), Jonathan Lessard (16) and Garrett Klotz (3). Scoring streaks that were kept alive in the game were Tyler Ludwig (8 games), Kale Kerbashian (5 games) and Jonathan Lessard (5 games).
- The Americans shootout record is now at 3-3 but a closer look shows the team struggling to score in shootouts recently. Allen had four shootouts in the first seven games of the season but only two since. Since November 1st the two shootouts were last night when the Americans were 0-5 and December 7th when they were 0-4. For the entire season the team is 6-31 in shootout attempts. Interestingly, the player with the best percentage in shootouts, Tyler Ludwig who is two for three, didn't get a chance last night. Here are the seasonal totals on shootouts:
Jamie Schaafsma: 0/6
Alex Lavoie: 0/5
Kale Kerbashian: 2/5
Darryl Bootland: 1/4
Tyler Ludwig: 2/3
Jonathan Lessard: 0/3
John Snowden: 1/2
Jarret Lukin: 0/1
Phil Fox: 0/1
Greger Hanson: 0/1
- With the one point earned last night Allen maintained second place in the CHL standings even though both Rapid City and Missouri won their games. Here are the top four:
Rapid City: 48 points
Allen: 46
Missouri: 45
Denver: 42
- Allen is dealing with the same issue this weekend as last weekend against Denver and that is limiting the damage done by the Arizona top line ( Brandon Coccimiglio & David Rutherford). Didn't work too well last night as both players were involved in all three Arizona goals in regulation. Coccimiglio had two goals and an assist and Rutherford had three assists. Slowing them down will be key to winning the game tonight.
- In Allen's last five games the plus/minus leaders are Kale Kerbashian and Alex Lavoie with +6.
- In the last 10 games Mark Guggenberger is 4-0-0 with a 2.35 GAA while Bryan Pitton is 3-1-2 with a 3.02 GAA.
- A disappointing crowd of 2064 last night when you think about the way Arizona is playing (five game win streak) and goalie Andrew Engelage going for a CHL record. Saturday night crowds are always larger than Fridays so you should see an increase tonight. It does make one wonder about the financial viability of teams that draw fewer than 2500 fans per game. Owners typically do not stick around very long when loosing that much money. Even Arizona who has stayed around while averaging less than 2500 over the last five years has to be looking for light at the end of the tunnel. The average attendance in the CHL has been in decline the last three years from 4042 (2011-2012) to 3706 (2012-2013), to 3475 so far this year.
- The longer the league delays announcing the two new franchises the more likely there will be big changes happen in the off season. It takes many months to crank up a new franchise and the CHL is already past the optimal lead time for any new teams entering the league for next season.
- In the former player news from last night Aaron Dell had a shutout as his Utah Grizzlies (ECHL) beat Idaho 3-0. Aaron is now 9-3 on the season with a GAA of 2.21 and save percentage of .914. Jim McKenzie help his Iowa Wild (AHL) team defeat Lake Erie by a score of 6-1. Jim had two assists in that game.
DID YOU KNOW: The Rapid City Rush have been in three shootouts this season, they have won all three and have scored seven goals in ten attempts in the three shootouts.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Allen vs Arizona Preview, Hendrikx & Berube Milestones, PIM Records
The Allen Americans kick off the second half of the season tonight in Prescott Valley, Arizona (8:05 PM Allen time) against the Arizona Sundogs. Plenty of story lines in this series as both teams have been playing great hockey. Arizona has won four games in a row (all on the road) and have shut out their opponents in the last three games. Goalie Andrew Engelage goes for the all time record for consecutive minutes without allowing a goal. He is just over 32 minutes from passing Mark Guggenberger's record (238:31). Allen's only blemish in the last eight games is a come from behind overtime loss to Denver one week ago. The Americans have been the best team in the league the last few weeks. Throw in the Garrett Clarke incident the last time Allen was in Arizona, where he deliberately shot the puck into the Allen bench at the end of the game, and you have the makings for a great series. Here is a comparison of the two teams from the CHL:
- As is usually the case, Allen brings a special teams advantage into the series. Allen's power play is ranked #4 (18.7%) while Arizona is #6 (17%). Allen is #2 on the penalty kill (85.6%) and the Sundogs are #5 (82.7%). In the last five games the Allen power play has scored seven goals and has a success rate of 30%. Allen also has the best road penalty kill percentage in the CHL at 88.4%.
- Arizona has added two players since the last time Allen was in town that have increased offensive firepower. Brandon Coccimiglio has 14 points in eight game (8 goals, 6 assists) and David Rutherford has six points in five games (4 goals, 2 assists). Coccimiglio is currently on seven day IR but is eligible to come off today so he may be playing tonight.
- In the last 10 games Allen has five players scoring at a point a game clip:
Jamie Schaafsma: 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists)
Greger Hanson: 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists)
Tyler Ludwig: 11 points (7 goals, 4 assists)
Kale Kerbashian 11 points (3, goals, 8 assists)
Alex Lavoie 11 points (2 goals, 9 assists)
- Arizona has a home record of 5-9-1 and Allen always plays better on the road. Hope this combination holds true for the weekend.
- Based on the pattern used the last few series of rotating the goalies would expect Bryan Pitton to be in goal tonight.
- Tommy Daniels shared the following milestones the other day:
*Trevor Hendrikx is now the all time career leader in penalty minutes (275) surpassing Kip Brennan.
* Mike Berube will play in his 200th game as an Allen American on Monday.
- Former Allen American Jim McKenzie who plays for the Quad City Mallards was called up by the Iowa Wild (AHL) last week and has played in four games. Jim has an assist, a fight and is a +1.
- In other action around the CHL to keep an eye on Denver plays Rapid City in Rapid City. In their last five games the Rush are 1-4 while Denver is 4-1. This is a big series for both teams.
DID YOU KNOW: The career leader in penalty minutes in the NHL is held by Tiger Williams at 3966 minutes. The CHL record is held by Doug Lawerence (Tulsa Oilers) at 2109 minutes. Second place is held by former Brahma's coach Dan Wildfong with 1970 minutes. Justin Sawyer (Rapid City) is the active leader in penalty minutes with 1059.
COMPARISONS
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Arizona Sundogs Allen Americans
RESULT OF LAST GAME WIN 1-0 vs QDC WIN 6-5 vs TUL
GAMES PLAYED 33 34
RECORD 14-18-1 21-10-3
POINTS 29 45
HOME RECORD 5-9-1 10-5-3
AWAY RECORD 9-9-0 11-5-0
SHO RECORD 2-1 3-2
LAST 10 GAMES 7-3-0 7-2-1
LAST 5 GAMES 4-1-0 4-0-1
OCTOBER 1-4-1 5-0-1
NOVEMBER 6-6-0 7-6-0
DECEMBER 3-8-0 5-4-1
JANUARY 4-0-0 4-0-1
SCORING FIRST 9-10-0 12-3-2
LEADING AFTER 1ST 6-3-0 10-3-0
LEADING AFTER 2ND 5-0-0 13-1-2
TIED AFTER 1ST 6-6-1 6-2-2
TIED AFTER 2ND 8-4-0 7-0-1
TRAILING AFTER 1ST 2-9-0 5-5-1
TRAILING AFTER 2ND 1-14-1 1-9-0
WHEN OUTSHOOTING OPPONENT 6-12-0 10-6-1
1 - GOAL GAMES 9-8-1 10-2-3
GOALS FOR PER GAME 2.64 3.68
GOALS AGAINST PER GAME 3.15 3.12
SHOTS FOR PER GAME 30.88 34.06
SHOTS AGAINST PER GAME 29.55 31.94
POWER PLAY RECORD 29 - 171 17.0% 35 - 187 18.7%
PENALTY KILLING RECORD 27 - 156 82.7% 27 - 188 85.6%
SH GOALS FOR 3 8
SH GOALS AGAINST 8 6
PIM AVERAGE 20.88 23.38
SCORING BY PERIODS 1ST 2ND 3RD OT TOTAL
Arizona 27 26 30 4 87
Opponents 34 36 33 1 104
Allen 34 47 41 3 125
Opponents 32 36 35 3 106
- As is usually the case, Allen brings a special teams advantage into the series. Allen's power play is ranked #4 (18.7%) while Arizona is #6 (17%). Allen is #2 on the penalty kill (85.6%) and the Sundogs are #5 (82.7%). In the last five games the Allen power play has scored seven goals and has a success rate of 30%. Allen also has the best road penalty kill percentage in the CHL at 88.4%.
- Arizona has added two players since the last time Allen was in town that have increased offensive firepower. Brandon Coccimiglio has 14 points in eight game (8 goals, 6 assists) and David Rutherford has six points in five games (4 goals, 2 assists). Coccimiglio is currently on seven day IR but is eligible to come off today so he may be playing tonight.
- In the last 10 games Allen has five players scoring at a point a game clip:
Jamie Schaafsma: 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists)
Greger Hanson: 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists)
Tyler Ludwig: 11 points (7 goals, 4 assists)
Kale Kerbashian 11 points (3, goals, 8 assists)
Alex Lavoie 11 points (2 goals, 9 assists)
- Arizona has a home record of 5-9-1 and Allen always plays better on the road. Hope this combination holds true for the weekend.
- Based on the pattern used the last few series of rotating the goalies would expect Bryan Pitton to be in goal tonight.
- Tommy Daniels shared the following milestones the other day:
*Trevor Hendrikx is now the all time career leader in penalty minutes (275) surpassing Kip Brennan.
* Mike Berube will play in his 200th game as an Allen American on Monday.
- Former Allen American Jim McKenzie who plays for the Quad City Mallards was called up by the Iowa Wild (AHL) last week and has played in four games. Jim has an assist, a fight and is a +1.
- In other action around the CHL to keep an eye on Denver plays Rapid City in Rapid City. In their last five games the Rush are 1-4 while Denver is 4-1. This is a big series for both teams.
DID YOU KNOW: The career leader in penalty minutes in the NHL is held by Tiger Williams at 3966 minutes. The CHL record is held by Doug Lawerence (Tulsa Oilers) at 2109 minutes. Second place is held by former Brahma's coach Dan Wildfong with 1970 minutes. Justin Sawyer (Rapid City) is the active leader in penalty minutes with 1059.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Allen Mid-Season Best of the Best, Pineault Injury Update & More
As the Allen Americans head down the road this morning to Arizona to begin the second half of the season it is time to reflect on the first half and pick those players that have stood out. Coach Martinson has said many times this team is still a work in progress and they are not where he wants them to be in many phases of the game. So deciding the best of anything at this point may be like giving out winners at the halfway point of a marathon, not too meaningful. With all the appropriate caveats and subjectivity here are the players that have excelled in the first half. While I made the final decisions, input was received from many others.
Most Valuable to His Team & Best Playmaker: Alex Lavoie - the team leader in virtually every offensive category, on pace to break the franchise record for points in a season and improving defensively. Alex's 46 points leads the CHL rookie scoring race by 10 points. Not much discussion on this one.
Most Underrated Player: Dallas Erhardt - another rookie who has developed into a solid blueliner as he has gained confidence. A stay at home defenseman who is a quiet guy off the ice. Others getting consideration were Daniel Tetrault and Spencer Asuchak.
Best Penalty Killer: Spencer Asuchak - a lot of discussion on this one as early in the year before he got hurt it was Jarret Lukin and recently it has been Brain McMillin but the consistency of Asuchak along with a league leading three shorthanded goals gives him the edge. The PK has been good because of a team effort as Fox, Kerbashian, & Schaafsma have also contributed.
Best On The Power Play: Tyler Ludwig - His onetimers from the blue line have been the key to the power play as he leads the team in power play goals (6) and has over half of his points on the power play. Up front Alex Lavoie and Kale Kerbashian have been the power play leaders.
Best Defensive Forward: Spencer Asuchak - there is no doubt Brian McMillin is currently the best defensive forward on the team and goes against the top line from the other team every night but looking at the entire first half the nod goes to Asuchak.
Best Defensive Defenseman: Daniel Tetrault - he usually is playing against the other teams top line, a great decision maker and leader on and off the ice.
Best Body Checker: Greger Hanson - might be an unusual choice given his size but Hanson delivers his checks with as much velocity as anyone. Pound for pound he is one of the best hitters in the league. The hardest checker on the team is Trevor Hendrikx and the most consistent finishers have been Spencer Asuchak and Daniel Tetrault.
Best Offensive Defenseman: Tyler Ludwig - not much discussion here, a unanimous choice by everyone I talked to as Tyler leads all CHL defensemen in goals (10).
Best Fighter: Garrett Klotz - Hasn't lost a fight all year. Enough said.
Best Player On Faceoffs: Alex Lavoie - this is a tough one as these stats are not kept by player but the consensus of those that pay the most attention to this is Lavoie. Asuchak & McMillin (neither natural centers) get honorable mention.
Best Shooter In Shootouts: Tyler Ludwig - This one is pure statistics and Tyler has two goals in three attempts. Kale Kerbashian is in second place with two goals in four attempts. Look for Jamie Schaafsma to step up in this category in the second half as he is always considered a threat in shoot outs.
Best Goaltender: Bryan Pitton - Another pure stat category as Bryan leads in wins (12), GAA (2.72) & save percentage (.919). Look for Mark Guggenberger to challenge these numbers in the second half.
OTHER COMMENTS:
- Exchanged messages with Monique Pineault last night and she gave me an update on Adam who is recovering from a broken jaw he suffered in early December. "Adam is doing well. We actually see the doctor tomorrow (Thursday) and he is praying the anchor bar comes off! He has been assistant coach on the bench at home games working with the defense. Adam may be back on the ice in four weeks if X-Ray's look good. Fingers crossed."
- Here is some information from the CHL with an interesting chart that compares points by team from last year to this year:
As the CHL sits in its mid-season break, one can examine which team has made the most improvement from where they stood one year ago. The Allen Americans led the way last season at the break with a 24-6-3 record en route to their regular and post-season crowns. The Americans are still near the top sitting just one point behind the Rapid City Rush for the conference lead. Allen is off by six points from where they were last season at this time. The biggest movers are the Tulsa Oilers who reinvented themselves in the off-season with a change in ownership and the signings of several impact players. Tulsa is 17 points ahead of where they were last year sitting with a 19-18-2 record compared to their 10-24-3 mark one year ago. Last year, the Denver Cutthroats were an expansion club and they got out of the gate strong with a 19-13-4 record and this season they are off to a nearly identical mark sitting with an 18-10-6 record and an identical 42 points. With the Oilers showing the most improvement, the team that has fallen the same amount of points that Tulsa has improved is the Wichita Thunder who are 17 points off their pace from last season. Wichita was 21-13-3 one year ago and this season are saddled with a 12-17-4 record. The Thunder have been to the CHL Finals in each of the past two seasons.
The point difference is taken from this date last season although not all teams have played the identical number of games as they did at this time one year ago.
DID YOU KNOW: The 45 points the Americans have after 34 games is the lowest point total (tied with 2011-2012) at this point in franchise history. Here are points by year after 34 games.
2013-2014 - 45
2012-2013 - 52
2011-2012 - 45
2010-2011 - 53
2009-2010 - 48
Most Valuable to His Team & Best Playmaker: Alex Lavoie - the team leader in virtually every offensive category, on pace to break the franchise record for points in a season and improving defensively. Alex's 46 points leads the CHL rookie scoring race by 10 points. Not much discussion on this one.
Most Underrated Player: Dallas Erhardt - another rookie who has developed into a solid blueliner as he has gained confidence. A stay at home defenseman who is a quiet guy off the ice. Others getting consideration were Daniel Tetrault and Spencer Asuchak.
Best Penalty Killer: Spencer Asuchak - a lot of discussion on this one as early in the year before he got hurt it was Jarret Lukin and recently it has been Brain McMillin but the consistency of Asuchak along with a league leading three shorthanded goals gives him the edge. The PK has been good because of a team effort as Fox, Kerbashian, & Schaafsma have also contributed.
Best On The Power Play: Tyler Ludwig - His onetimers from the blue line have been the key to the power play as he leads the team in power play goals (6) and has over half of his points on the power play. Up front Alex Lavoie and Kale Kerbashian have been the power play leaders.
Best Defensive Forward: Spencer Asuchak - there is no doubt Brian McMillin is currently the best defensive forward on the team and goes against the top line from the other team every night but looking at the entire first half the nod goes to Asuchak.
Best Defensive Defenseman: Daniel Tetrault - he usually is playing against the other teams top line, a great decision maker and leader on and off the ice.
Best Body Checker: Greger Hanson - might be an unusual choice given his size but Hanson delivers his checks with as much velocity as anyone. Pound for pound he is one of the best hitters in the league. The hardest checker on the team is Trevor Hendrikx and the most consistent finishers have been Spencer Asuchak and Daniel Tetrault.
Best Offensive Defenseman: Tyler Ludwig - not much discussion here, a unanimous choice by everyone I talked to as Tyler leads all CHL defensemen in goals (10).
Best Fighter: Garrett Klotz - Hasn't lost a fight all year. Enough said.
Best Player On Faceoffs: Alex Lavoie - this is a tough one as these stats are not kept by player but the consensus of those that pay the most attention to this is Lavoie. Asuchak & McMillin (neither natural centers) get honorable mention.
Best Shooter In Shootouts: Tyler Ludwig - This one is pure statistics and Tyler has two goals in three attempts. Kale Kerbashian is in second place with two goals in four attempts. Look for Jamie Schaafsma to step up in this category in the second half as he is always considered a threat in shoot outs.
Best Goaltender: Bryan Pitton - Another pure stat category as Bryan leads in wins (12), GAA (2.72) & save percentage (.919). Look for Mark Guggenberger to challenge these numbers in the second half.
OTHER COMMENTS:
- Exchanged messages with Monique Pineault last night and she gave me an update on Adam who is recovering from a broken jaw he suffered in early December. "Adam is doing well. We actually see the doctor tomorrow (Thursday) and he is praying the anchor bar comes off! He has been assistant coach on the bench at home games working with the defense. Adam may be back on the ice in four weeks if X-Ray's look good. Fingers crossed."
- Here is some information from the CHL with an interesting chart that compares points by team from last year to this year:
As the CHL sits in its mid-season break, one can examine which team has made the most improvement from where they stood one year ago. The Allen Americans led the way last season at the break with a 24-6-3 record en route to their regular and post-season crowns. The Americans are still near the top sitting just one point behind the Rapid City Rush for the conference lead. Allen is off by six points from where they were last season at this time. The biggest movers are the Tulsa Oilers who reinvented themselves in the off-season with a change in ownership and the signings of several impact players. Tulsa is 17 points ahead of where they were last year sitting with a 19-18-2 record compared to their 10-24-3 mark one year ago. Last year, the Denver Cutthroats were an expansion club and they got out of the gate strong with a 19-13-4 record and this season they are off to a nearly identical mark sitting with an 18-10-6 record and an identical 42 points. With the Oilers showing the most improvement, the team that has fallen the same amount of points that Tulsa has improved is the Wichita Thunder who are 17 points off their pace from last season. Wichita was 21-13-3 one year ago and this season are saddled with a 12-17-4 record. The Thunder have been to the CHL Finals in each of the past two seasons.
The point difference is taken from this date last season although not all teams have played the identical number of games as they did at this time one year ago.
| Tulsa Oilers | +17 |
| Rapid City Rush | +7 |
| Quad City Mallards | +5 |
| Missouri Mavericks | +1 |
| Denver Cutthroats | E |
| Allen Americans | -6 |
| Arizona Sundogs | -7 |
| Wichita Thunder | -17 |
DID YOU KNOW: The 45 points the Americans have after 34 games is the lowest point total (tied with 2011-2012) at this point in franchise history. Here are points by year after 34 games.
2013-2014 - 45
2012-2013 - 52
2011-2012 - 45
2010-2011 - 53
2009-2010 - 48
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