Get Ready for "Duck" Humor, Series Preview, Tarasuk & Kerbashian Out for Weekend, Allen Playoff Success

- It is game day in Allen as the Americans start the second round of the playoffs against the Quad City Mallards tonight with a 7:05 puck drop. With both the Dallas Stars and Allen Americans playing "duck" teams get used to lots of references to "DUCK HUNTING" and duck related humor in the next couple of weeks.

- As the second round of the playoffs gets underway thought it would be a good time to reflect on how successful the Americans have been in their five years of existence. Most points of any team in the league, most playoff wins, two Governor's Cups, Presidents' Cup, championship final in first year, and making the playoffs all five years. Allen fans should consider themselves fortunate to have a a great facility to watch hockey, great ownership, great front office, great coaches and great players.

- Found the article below written by Bobby Metcalf (@bobbymetcalf88)of the Quad City Times which is an excellent preview of this series. You might want to bookmark this site (qctimes.com) to follow their coverage during the playoffs as they do some great work. If you are on twitter you can get their hockey coverage by following them (@QCThockey). Here is their Allen vs Quad City playoff preview:

No. 5 Quad-City (33-23-10, 76 pts) vs. No. 3 Allen (39-22-5, 83 pts)

Game Schedule

all times local
Game 1 — Fri., Apr. 18 — Quad-City at Allen, 7:05 PM
Game 2 — Sun., Apr. 20 — Quad-City at Allen, 5:05 PM
Game 3 — Wed., Apr. 23 — Allen at Quad-City, 7:05 PM
Game 4 — Fri., Apr. 25 — Allen at Quad-City, 7:05 PM
*Game 5 — Sat., Apr. 26 — Allen at Quad-City, 7:05 PM
*Game 6 — Tue., Apr. 29 — Quad-City at Allen, 7:05 PM
*Game 7 — Wed., Apr. 30 — Quad-City at Allen, 7:05 PM
* — if necessary

Season series

The two teams didn't play until the second half of the season and only played four times, splitting the series 2-2-0, with both teams winning a game at home and on the road.
The Americans outscored the Mallards 14-11 in the series thanks to a 6-2 win over Quad-City on Feb. 23, the "Terry Ruskowski ejection game" that snowballed out of control for the Mallards. The closest game of the series was a 2-1 victory for the Mallards on March 26, the first of their final four regular-season victories.
Matt Duffy and Vladimir Nikiforov led the Mallards in the series with 4 points each while Jamie Schaafsma and Alex Lavoie had 6 points each.
In net, Heemskerk and Rimmer split time again but were both with the team at the same time only once as callups took both players to the AHL. The one time they were with the Mallards, they both saw the ice in the 6-2 loss.
Rimmer went 1-1-0 and had a 3.60 goals against average and a .873 save percentage. Heemskerk also went 1-1-0 with a 3.33 GAA and a .896 sv%.
The Americans used three goaltenders, Bryan Pitton, Mark Guggenberger and Willie Yanakeff. Pitton went 1-1-0 with a 3.00 GAA and a .906 sv%.. Guggenberger went 1-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA and a .952 sv%. Yanakeff, a rookie making his first start, went 0-1-0 with a 2.00 GAA and a .917 sv%.

Team breakdown

Offense -- The Americans finished the regular season with significantly better offensive stats. Allen finished with 249 goals and 696 points to the Mallards' 219 goals and 600 points. The playoffs haven't been much different with the Americans scoring 22 goals and 60 points in just five games compared to the Mallards' 17 goals and 46 points in seven.
In the regular season, rookie of the year Alex Lavoie carried much of the offensive load, scoring 25 goals and finishing with 76 points, but he definitely had help. seven Americans finished with over 50 points. Comparatively, the Mallards had just two players finish with 50+ points.
In the playoffs, Greger Hanson (4 goals, 5 assists) has led the way for Allen but again, he has had help as six players have at least 5 points in the playoffs. Again, keep in mind, that's only through five games.
The Mallards didn't have a top-line scoring threat in the regular season. Their top rookie, Thomas Frazee (24 goals, 23 assists) had a great season, but nothing like what Lavoie did. As I've noted before, the Mallards have relied on their balance as 10 players finished the season with over 30 points.
In the playoffs, the Mallards have seemed to move away from their balanced attack slightly. Frazee and Vladimir Nikiforov have carried the offensive load, combining for 16 points. Frazee leads the team with 4 goals and rookie Jordan Mayer has been a pleasant surprise, scoring 3. Nikiforov has emerged as the team's playmaker, notching 6 assists. But again, those stats are through seven games.
There's no way around it, the Americans boast a much more dangerous offense. They destroyed Brampton with relative ease while the Mallards struggled for every goal in their series with Rapid City. Allen's balanced attack is like the Mallards, only more experienced. The Mallards will need every line to step up and score this series if they want to advance.
Defense -- The Americans allowed 214 goals this season and have a +/- rating of +98. They have the defensive player of the year in Tyler Ludwig, who finished with 20 goals and was third on the team with a +13 rating. The Mallards allowed 198 goals and were a +101 on the season. Their defensive player of the year finalist, Nicholas Rioux, finished with 5 goals and was +16.
In the playoffs, the Americans allowed 11 goals and are +44 while the Mallards allowed 15 goals and are -7.
Defensive-zone coverage has been a problem with the Mallards all year and it reared it's ugly head again in the playoffs, yielding breakaways, odd-man rushes and backdoor passing lanes against the Rush, who capitalized quite often. When the defense played poorly, the Mallards struggled. When the defense played well, they dominated. Allen's stats are courtesy of beating a team in five games, outscoring the Beast by 11.
As I said, when the Mallards defense comes to play, they are capable of helping pitch shutouts every night. When they don't, it's very noticeable and usually doesn't end well. That said, I give the edge to the Mallards. They did not match up well with Rapid City, hence the terrible rating in the playoffs. But with Allen, they have shown they can be capable of shutting down the attack. That said, the Mallards CANNOT come out to play like they did in Games 1, 4 and 6, or they will be toast.
Goaltending -- Pitton has won 27 games, allowed 110 goals and has a 2.75 GAA and .916 sv%. Yanakeff, who was added late after finishing at Michigan State University, went 0-1-0 with a 1.88 GAA and .920 sv%. American goalies as a whole have allowed 214 goals with a 3.24 GAA and .900 sv%.
In the playoffs, Pitton has played all five games, going 4-1 with a 2.01 GAA and .938 sv%.
The Mallards split time between Rimmer and Heemskerk all year. Rimmer won 18 games, allowed 106 goals and has a 2.84 GAA and .906 sv%. Heemskerk won 15 games, allowed 79 goals and has a 2.73 GAA and .907 sv%. As a whole, Mallard goalies allowed 198 goals with a 3.00 GAA and a .901 sv%.
In the playoffs Rimmer and Heemskerk again split time, operating under the "win and stay in" philosophy. Rimmer went 1-2 with a 2.69 GAA and .902 sv%. Heemskerk went 3-1 with a 1.76 GAA and .937 sv%.
While the regular season stats might have suggested a slight edge to Allen, the postseason stats clearly favor Quad-City. Rimmer played well despite just the one win, undone by poor team efforts in Games 1 and 6. If not for a missed goaltender interference penalty he would have had a shutout in Game 5.
Heemskerk has been nothing short of spectacular in net. Games 2 and 7 he carried the team on his back and was rewarded with good performances in Game 3. Again, his lone loss was more because of a poor team effort than anything he did wrong in net.
Pitton allowed 11 goals in 5 games. The Mallards unit allowed 15 in seven. That's the telling stat right there. If the Mallards goaltending continues to play at this playoff-caliber level, the team has a chance to win every night, provided they help out their goalies with some offense.
Special teams -- Allen boasted the second-best power play unit on the regular season, scoring a league-high 70 goals on the man advantage at a 20.65% success rate. They also drew the most penalties with a league-high 339 opportunities. On the penalty kill, the Americans were seventh, killing of 82.06% of the league-high 340 shorthanded opportunities they faced, adding 11 shorthanded goals.
In the playoffs, Allen has the best power play unit, scoring five goals at a 27.78% success rate. On the penalty kill they rank third, killing off 87.50 percent of their league-high 24 opportunities.
The Mallards, as we all know (and believe me, I'm sick of typing) had trouble on the power play all year with a 14.29% success rate and scoring 45 goals. On the penalty kill, they ranked fourth at 83.73% and had a league-high 12 shorthanded goals.
In the playoffs, the Mallards scored five goals at a 16.67 percent success rate, fourth-best in the playoffs. They also had the most opportunities with 30. The penalty kill was fantastic, killing off 91.30% of shorthanded opportunities, tied with Denver for the league-best. They also scored a shorthanded goal in Game 2.
There's no denying the Mallards' special teams won their series with Rapid City. Every game they won, they scored a power play goal and they kept the Rush from scoring a power play goal until Game 5. Nagy's shorthanded goal in Game 2 may have been the pivotal goal of the series as it tied the game and allowed the Mallards to win to even up the series.
There are still things to work on as far as the power play is concerned. At times it looked terrible and Quad-City had trouble getting the puck in the zone, much less get a shot on net. While the penalty kill seems to be working just fine, the Mallards need to shore up their power play, because it clearly is going to be what gives them an edge in the playoffs.
Coach -- This matchup again features two good coaches. Allen coach Steve Martinson has 814 career wins in 18 years, 78 in two years in the CHL and a championship last year with the Americans, as well as six other championships in the WCHL and UH. Terry Ruskowski has 718 wins in 21 years, 442 in 12 years in the CHL and two championships.
These two coaches are the cream of the crop of the CHL but the edge goes to Martinson. Defending champion and has six other titles in other leagues. That's impressive.

Series outlook

There's an old saying, "if you want to be the champs you've got to beat the champs." Well, the Mallards now have that opportunity. The key to this series will be emotions. The Americans have been here before, they know how to win. The Mallards are young and for many, this is the biggest stage so far in their professional careers. If the Mallards fall behind early, in the game or the series, they have to keep their emotions in check or the series will snowball out of control, like it did for Brampton. That's where Jim McKenzie comes in. Darren McMillan is a great captain but this is the first time he has seen the second round with the Mallards. McKenzie went through all of this last year and knows how to deal with the heightened emotions. He'll have to try to pass that experience onto his teammates. If the Mallards want to win, they have to find their balanced attack again. Their goaltenders are clearly locked in, so they don't need to score four or five goals. If they can average three goals a game, that should be enough for Heemskerk or Rimmer to keep the door shut, but they need everyone to pitch in, because the Lee/Frazee/whoever line should expect to be taken away. This is where the Boyd/Nagy/whoever line or the McKenzie/Stinziani/whoever line needs to step up.
The Mallards will also have to try and play more consistent hockey. Last series, they dominated Games 3 and 5 only to look terrible in Games 4 and 6. As one fan pointed out to me, they are like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Well it's time to stop taking the potion and see what team emerges on the other end. If a fatigued Mallards team can grab game one or two on the road, they will give themselves a good chance, but I feel, just like the Rapid City series, that the Mallards will have to win two games at some point in Allen if they want to advance in a series that I believe could either be done in five games, or again go the distance.



- One issue that needs to be resolved today is which player will be put on injured reserve for the second round playoff series. Coach Martinson told the audience at his radio show yesterday (their was an equipment breakdown if you tried to tune in on line) that neither Kale Kerbashain or Steve Tarasuk would play in the games this weekend. Doesn't mean Kale or Steve will be placed in the IR slot as that would mean they would be lost for the entire series. UPDATE: Per coach Steve Martinson, "Garrett Klotz placed on IR and will not play in the second round playoffs as he has been dealing with a groin injury."

- For those interested, according to the the CHL pregame information the referee scheduled to work the game tonight is Tudor Floru. Linesmen are Kevin Cassidy and Mitch MacPherson.

Courtesy CHL Memes

Courtesy CHL Memes

DID YOU KNOW: Since Allen joined the CHL five years ago they have more playoff wins than any other team. Here are the total playoff game wins for the teams in the CHL the last five years.
35 - Allen
28 - Rapid City
22 - Wichita
22 - Missouri
8  - Arizona
7  - Tulsa

Quad City Beats Rapid City & Heads for Allen, Semi-Finals Preview, Congrats to Ice Angel Rachel & Matt Register

- The good news for the Quad City Mallards is they defeated the Rapid City Rush last night in Rapid City by a score of 3-1 to advance to the CHL semifinals and take on the Allen Americans. The bad news for the Mallards is they immediately got on the bus, did not pass go or home and headed directly for Allen where they will arrive late this afternoon (Thursday) or early evening. Game one of the Quad City vs Allen series is tomorrow night at 7:05 pm. Welcome to playoff hockey in the CHL.

- Anytime you win the deciding seventh game of a playoff series on the road like Quad City accomplished in Rapid City you know your team is playing well. And what a disappointing end of the season for Rapid City who had the best start of any team in CHL history and were unbeatable the first two months of the season. It seems like a long time ago but remember Rapid City started the season 10-0 and were 17-3 toward end of December.

- It was fitting that the final goal of the game last night was scored on the power play by Quad City with less than two minutes remaining to put the game out of reach (3-1) for the Rush. Rapid City had an Achilles heel this year and it was their special teams.  For such an accomplished offensive team they could never solve their special teams problems which ranked them dead last in the league. Their struggles continued in the playoffs as the Rush were only able to score two power play goals in twenty three opportunities (8.70%).

- While Quad City was winning in Rapid City,  Allen has been at home sleeping in their own beds, practicing, and recuperating from their 4-1 opening round series win over Brampton. Yesterday Alex Lavoie, Spencer Asuchak, Steve Tarasuk did not participate in practice.

- It will be important that Allen gets off to a good start in the series with Quad City. How many times have you seen the well rested  home team get beat in the first game of a playoff series by the team that has had to play seven difficult games, travel long distances in a short time frame and appear to be an exhausted team. Beware the trap!

- Here is the CHL press release on the next round of the playoffs which has some good information:

The CHL’s Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup Semi-Finals are set with the four teams determined that will compete for right to play in the Presidents’ Cup Finals.  The final four consists of the Denver Cutthroats, the Allen Americans, the Quad City Mallards and the Arizona Sundogs. The highest remaining seed is the Cutthroats (#2 seed) who earned their way to the Semi-Finals with a four games to two series win over the Tulsa Oilers. Forward A.J. Gale paced the team in scoring in the Opening Round with two goals and eight assists (10 points, most in the CHL playoffs by any skater). Denver will play the Cinderella story Sundogs in the next round after Arizona became the first eight seed to knock off the top seed when they dismissed the Bud Poile Governors’ Cup winning Missouri Mavericks four games to two in the Opening Round.  Arizona was led by David Rutherford’s nine points (2-7=9) in the first round of the playoffs. During the regular season, the Sundogs won seven of the 11 head-to-head match-ups but it was a very close series with seven of the contests being decided by one goal and four games needing to be decided in overtime or a shootout.  CHL Most Valuable Player Garett Bembridge was the top scorer in the series with seven goals and 11 assists (18 points) in the 11 games he played.  Arizona’s Andrew Engelage, the CHL’s Most Outstanding Goaltender recipient, went 6-2 with a 2.34 goals against average and a.931 save percentage against Denver.  The first two games of the series have been finalized and will be in Denver on Friday and Saturday.  The remainder of the series will be announced shortly.

  Semi-Finals (best-of-7)
Denver Cutthroats (2) vs. Arizona Sundogs (8)
Game 1 – Fri., Apr. 18 – Arizona at Denver, 7:00
Game 2 – Sat., Apr. 19 – Arizona at Denver, 6:00
Game’s 3 through 7 – TBD

The other Semi-Finals pairing pits the defending Presidents’ Cup Champion Allen Americans (the #3 seed) against the Quad City Mallards (#5 seed). The Americans disposed of their opposition the quickest in the Opening Round needing just five games to defeat the Brampton Beast.  Greger Hanson averaged nearly two points a game in the first round finishing with four goals and five assists (nine points).  Allen goalie Bryan Pitton was arguably the best netminder in the Opening Round going 4-1 with a 2.01 goals against average and a .938 save percentage. Allen’s opponent, the Mallards are fresh off their Game 7 win on Wednesday night in the Opening Round.  Thomas Heemskerk went 3-1 in the series with a 1.92 goals against average.  The Americans and Mallards split four games during the regular season with each team winning once on the other’s home ice.  Jamie Schaafsma and Alex Lavoie each had six points leading the way for Allen and Matt Duffy and Vladimir Nikiforov each had four points pacing the Flock. The series begins on Friday in Allen and will be a 2-3-2 format.  The entire series schedule is as follows:

Semi-Finals (best-of-7)
Allen Americans (3) vs. Quad City Mallards(5)
Game 1 – Fri., Apr. 18 – Quad City at Allen, 7:05
Game 2 – Sun., Apr. 20 – Quad City at Allen, 5:05
Game 3 – Wed., Apr. 23 – Allen at Quad City, 7:05
Game 4 – Fri., Apr.25 – Allen at Quad City, 7:05
*Game 5 – Sat., Apr. 26 – Allen at Quad City, 7:05
*Game 6 – Tue., Apr. 29 – Quad City at Allen, 7:05
*Game 7 – Wed., Apr. 30 – Quad City at Allen, 7:05

The Americans and Sundogs will be going for their second franchise championships while the Cutthroats will be aiming for their first title in just their second season.  The Mallards have won three titles, all in a different league, but are competing for their first CHL crown.



- Congratulations to Ice Angel Co-Captain Rachel who has reached the pinnacle of professional cheerleading by being selected as an NFL cheerleader for the Houston Texans.

Congrats to Rachel, NFL Cheerleader

- Congratulations are also in order for former Allen American's defenseman Matt Register who played in Allen during the 2011-2012 season as a rookie. Matt has been playing for the Ontario Reign (ECHL) the last couple of years and has had a great season being named a first team all star and now being selected as the defenseman of the year in the ECHL. Remember there are 21 teams in the ECHL. Quite an accomplishment for Matt.  Here is the ECHL press release:
The ECHL on Wednesday announced that Matt Register of the Ontario Reign is the CCM Hockey ECHL Defenseman of the Year for 2013-14 as determined in a vote of ECHL coaches, broadcasters, media relations directors and media members. The ECHL Defenseman of the Year award is presented annually to the defensive player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-around ability in the position. Register, who was named to the All-ECHL First Team last week, finished the season tied for second among ECHL defensemen with 14 goals and 44 points while his three game-winning goals were tied for fourth. His 30 assists were tied for sixth among blueliners and his +21 rating was second on the Reign.

Matt Register selected ECHL Defenseman of the Year - photo by SceneByKimberly.com

Courtesy CHL Memes

DID YOU KNOW: Home ice advantage isn't always the difference in the first round of the playoffs. Rapid City was the #4 playoff seed in the last two years with home ice advantage and lost both series. Last year those seeded #1 (Allen), #2 (Wichita) and #3 (Ft. Worth) all advanced to the second round. This year only #2 (Denver) and #3 (Allen) advanced with #1 (Missouri) and #4 (Rapid City) being eliminated.

Arizona Stuns #1 Missouri, Allen Plays Rapid/Quad Winner At Home On Friday, Practice Report

A dramatic night in the CHL last night as two games went to overtime and the other one forced a seventh game showdown which take place tonight. Here is the recap:

- Missouri vs Arizona: The Governor's Cup curse strikes again as the #1 seeded Mavericks lost in 2 overtimes for the second straight game and were eliminated from the playoffs four games to two by the #8 seeded Sundogs. This is the first time an eighth seeded team has knocked out a number one seed in the Central Hockey League Playoffs. Kevin Baker scored with 52 seconds remaining in the second overtime for the 4-3 Sundog win. To make matters worse the Mavericks had a 3-1 lead going into the third period.

Here are some of the headlines about the game and the season:

 "The Missouri Mavericks historic season came to a close on Tuesday after 99 grueling minutes of playoff hockey ending in a  4-3 second overtime loss to the Arizona Sundogs."

"This is no ordinary loss," said Maverick's coach Scott Hillman after the game, "this is devastating."

"The underdog Arizona Sundogs are moving into the semifinals of the CHL Playoffs and the eighth seeded Sundogs  could not have done it in more dramatic or historic fashion, as they eliminated the top seeded Missouri Mavericks from the post season with a 4-3 victory in double overtime.

I watched the two overtimes in this game and have to mention the goalie play at both ends of the ice. Missouri goalie Shane Owen and Arizona's Andrew Engelage put on quite a show. Both of the them made numerous spectacular game saving stops to keep their teams in the game. One of those games where it was too bad either goalie had to lose.



- Denver vs Tulsa: Not to be outdone by the Missouri vs Arizona game, the Tulsa Oilers hosted the Denver Cutthroats in Tulsa for game six. In what proved to be a true playoff game, the Cutthroats scored 14 minutes into the sudden death overtime period to seal a 5-4 victory over the Oilers and a 4-2 series win. With the win Denver advances to the semifinal and will play Arizona.




- Quad City vs Rapid City:  Rapid City forced a Game 7 in their series against Quad City thanks to a hard-fought 2-1 victory last night.  The two teams will see who earns the right to advance to the semifinals as they will play game seven tonight (Wednesday) in Rapid City.



WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN:

- Denver is now the #1 seed and will host the #4 seed Arizona this weekend in Denver. Exact dates still have to be announced. According to the Prescott Daily Courier games 3 and 4 will be held  back in Arizona next Tuesday and Wednesday (April 22 & 23).

- Allen is now the #2 seed and has home ice advantage and will play the #3 seed which will be the winner of  Rapid City vs Quad City who play their game seven tonight. There has been no official announcement by the league but I was told yesterday and the Americans published after the game that the first two home games of this series would be Friday (7:05 pm) and Easter Sunday at 5:05 pm. Seems like a quick turn around for whoever wins the Quad City vs Rapid City series tonight. The Texas Revolution indoor football team plays a game Saturday at the Allen Event Center so Saturday is not an option for a hockey game.

- Everything is subject to change until the official second round schedule is released by the CHL. One thing is clear and that is the CHL is moving these playoffs along at a quick pace.

ALLEN PRACTICE REPORT:

- The Americans had a light practice yesterday just to get their legs back under them after the long bus ride from Brampton. Alex Lavoie, Spencer Asuchak, and Ross Rouleau did not practice.

- The coaches will conduct practice the rest of the week to work on all of the areas they typically work on. Nothing different or special because of the playoffs.

- One decision that has to be made this week is who will be the player on injured reserve for the second round. Remember, whoever occupies the IR slot cannot play in the second round. If Kale Kerbashian is cleared to play in the second round, which won't be determined until the coaches talk to the doctor to later in the week, someone else will be placed on IR. I had a question from a reader asking if an amateur player could be put in the IR slot and the answer to that question is no.

- The Americans are heading into round two of the playoffs as healthy as they have been in a long time. Because of this coach Martinson has decided not to sign either a back up emergency goalie or a second amateur player at this time. He will go with the players currently on the roster.

Courtesy CHL Memes

DID YOU KNOW: The multi talented Ice Angel, dancer, singer, mom, and front office employee Brooklyn Carr has added wife to her many titles as she married her long time companion and the father of her beautiful daughter Rhema, Eddie Rivera on Monday. Make sure to congratulate Brooklyn Rivera in person when you see her at the game on Friday. And did you know before moving to Dallas, Brooklyn was a dancer for the NHL Tampa Bay Lightning. Her mom & dad live in Rapid City and are big Rush fans so Brooklyn is hoping for an Allen vs Rapid City second round match up.

The Rivera Family

The Ol' Girl Is Home, 2nd Round Opponent Deciphered, Former Martinson Players Successful Coaches

The Ol' Girl ( I have adopted Nicole Schaafsma's name for the bus) rolled into Allen much earlier than scheduled last night as the Allen Americans arrived home fresh from winning their first round playoff series against the Brampton Beast. I say fresh from winning the series but that is probably not a good use of the word after a 24 hour bus ride. Anyway, by arriving home early (around 7:00 pm) there were lots of kids happy to see dad back after a long but successful road trip. As most of us know, when you have little kids a week without dad being around can be quite stressful for moms so I am sure they were glad to have the guys home as well. So it makes it unanimous as kids, moms, wives, family, friends, fans and pets are all glad to see the team back in town. Based on some of the pictures on social media it was exciting and fun having daddy home.

- There will be practice today as the team awaits their second round opponent to be determined which could happen tonight as all three remaining series play game six tonight.  A time to prepare for the second round but also to rest the bodies that take a beating in the playoffs. I will attend practice today and have a full report tomorrow.

- Here is some information from the CHL about the three series still being contested. Note that if these series go to a game seven, two are on Wednesday but Tulsa vs Denver is Thursday in Denver.

-Arizona Sundogs vs. Missouri Mavericks (Sundogs lead series 3-2)
Game 6 – Tue., Apr. 15 – Arizona at Missouri, 7:05
Game 7 – Wed., Apr. 16 – Arizona at Missouri, 7:05
Series Notes:
-Saturday’s double overtime win for the Sundogs marked the longest game in both Arizona and Missouri’s history.  The game went 90:32 beating the Mavericks previous long game of 82:47 in a loss to Fort Wayne in 2012.  The Sundogs have never been past a single playoff overtime.
-Prior to Game 5, the Mavericks signed University of Vermont amateur Pete Massar and he made an immediate impact scoring a pair of goals in his first pro game.
-Arizona forward Mike Forney has scored a point in each of the five games so far in the series against Missouri but up until Game 5, he had not found the back of the net.  In Game 5, Forney recorded a pair of goals and now has six points (2-4=6) in the post-season.
-In four regular season games against the Sundogs, Missouri defenseman Matt Stephenson had just one helper, but in the post-season, the All-CHL Team d-man has five assists in five games.


Tulsa Oilers vs. Denver Cutthroats (Cutthroats lead series 3-2)
Game 6 – Tue., Apr. 15 – Denver at Tulsa, 7:05
Game 7 – Thu., Apr. 17 – Tulsa at Denver, 7:00
Series Notes:
-Denver forward Troy Schwab has points in all five games in the series totaling four goals with three assists and is tied for a team-high +5 plus/minus rating.
-The Cutthroats penalty kill has allowed just one power play goal to the Oilers in 21 chances and are the best in the post-season with their 95.2 PK percentage.
-Tulsa has outshot the Cutthroats in four of the five games so far going 1-3 in those games.  The Oilers are averaging more than 37 shots per game (third in the CHL).
-Tulsa forward Ben Gordon recorded a CHL post-season high 11 shots on goal in the team’s 1-0 loss to Denver on Saturday.


- Quad City Mallards vs. Rapid City Rush (Mallards lead series 3-2)
Game 6 – Tue., Apr. 15 – Quad City at Rapid City, 7:05
Game 7 – Wed., Apr. 16 – Quad City at Rapid City, 7:05
Series Notes:
-Mallards forward Vladimir Nikiforov is tied for the league-lead with six assists and leads the Flock with seven points (1-6=7) in the series.
-The Rapid City Rush have scored just one PP goal in 15 chances (7%)
-The Mallards and Rush have combined for more than 41 penalty minutes per game in the series, the most of any of the four Opening Round series.



-  Super fan and recent newlywed Mark Costello shared with me a chart that shows the possibilities on Allen's second round opponent. Remember, the CHL will reseed the teams for the second round with the top seed playing the bottom seed and the two in the middle playing each other. With that said, here is my effort to translate Mark's chart into words. Everything is based on the top four seeds (#1 Missouri, #2 Denver, #3 Allen, & #4 Rapid City)
 1. If all four top seeds win Allen will play Denver in the second round
 2. If Rapid City (#4) loses Allen will play Denver in the second round
 3. If Denver (#2) loses Allen will play the winner of  Rapid/Quad and have home ice advantage
 4. If Missouri (#1) loses Allen will play the winner of Rapid/Quad and have home ice advantage
 5. If both Missouri (#1) & Denver (#2) lose Allen will play Arizona and have home ice advantage
 6. If both Missouri (#1) & Rapid (#4) lose Allen will play Quad City and have home ice advanatge

The most likely outcome is Allen will play either Denver, Rapid City or Quad City in the second round. There is no scenario where Allen will play either Missouri or Tulsa in the second round.

Courtesy CHL Memes

DID YOU KNOW: Steve Martinson has coached many players that have gone on to be successful coaches. Two examples are Union College coach Rick Bennett whose team just won the NCAA national hockey championship beating Minnesota 7-4 and Rod Aldoff who just coached the Pensacola Ice Flyers to the SPHL championship.

 

Allen Advances, Martinson & Tommy Daniels Post Game Comments, Allen Dominates League Stats, Schaafsma #1 Star

It's old news now but yesterday afternoon the Allen Americans became the first team to advance to the second round of the CHL playoffs with a 4-1 victory over the Brampton Beast before another small crowd (2107) at the Powerade Centre. Goal scorers for Allen were Jamie Schaafsma with two goals, Greger Hanson and Bruce Graham. The Americans started their journey home immediately after the game and should arrive in Allen late tonight (Monday). For the record, Allen won the series with the Beast four games to one in dominating style outscoring Brampton in the five game series 24-11.

STEVE MARTINSON POST GAME COMMENTS:

- Jamie Schaafsma was really good again tonight as he has been all series. Jamie, Hanson and Graham put the nail in the coffin for us tonight.

- Can't say enough about the play of Bryan Pitton in this series. He was strong again tonight stopping 28 of 29 shots.

- Our entire defense played like the experienced professionals they are during this series and that will be a key to our success during the playoffs. We have the most experienced defense in the league and while we are known for our offense it will be our defense that will make the difference going forward.

- We will enjoy the victory on our way home and celebrate but Tuesday morning we will be back at practice preparing for our next opponent. We still haven't played our best hockey which I expect will come in the next series.


OTHER COMMENTS:

- Had the chance to ask the voice of the Allen Americans, Tommy Daniels, his thoughts on the series with Brampton and this is what Tommy had to say, "With our great depth at forward I think Brampton really found it tough to match up with the Americans. You never knew what line was going to beat you. One night it was the Asuchak line the next night it was the Graham line. Also our special teams got hot at the right time. Brampton's top players were quiet in the series which has a lot to do with the Americans aggressive game. If we play like that all post-season it's going to be tough for anyone to beat us."

- Mentioned earlier what a dominating performance Allen had in this series. Here are just a few of the statistics to prove that point. All eight teams in the playoffs have played five games thus far. Allen leads in most goals scored (22), fewest goals allowed (11), goal differential (11), plus/minus (+44), GAA (2.20), and save percentage (.932). One category Allen does not lead is in penalty minutes where they rank sixth (67).

- Lots of great performances in this series but Greger Hanson has to be at the top of the list as he scored in all five games, had goals in the last four games, and had the game winning goal in Allen's last three wins. Did I mention he also leads the entire league in scoring with nine points in five games (4 goals 5 assists).

- Hanson leads the league in scoring with nine points, Bruce Graham is second with eight points and tied for third with seven points are Schaafsma and Maiani. Add Tyler Ludwig with five points to lead all defensemen and Daniel Tetrault who is third with four points and you can see why Allen causes problems for opponents.

- Here is a list of Allen players leading the league or tied for the league lead in various categories:
Goals: Bootland & Hanson (4)
Assists: Graham (6)
Points: Hanson (9)
Plus/Minus: Schaafsma (+8)
Game Winning Goals: Hanson (3)
Goals by Defensemen: Ludwig & Tetrault (2)
Points by Defensemen: Ludwig (5)
GAA: Pitton (2.01)
Save Percentage: Pitton (.938)

- It is tough for a visiting player to get one of the three stars of the game in Brampton. In the three games there were nine stars selected and seven of them were Brampton players. You would never know Allen won two of the three games. They got the #1 star right last night as Jamie Schaafsma could not be denied with three points (2 goals 1 assist), plus/minus of +4, and seven shots on goal.

- Allen now awaits their second round opponent which is impossible to determine at this point. All three of the other series are 3-2 in games and they all play game six Tuesday night. The best outcome for Allen would be to have one of the top two teams (Missouri & Denver) lose their series as it would then give Allen home ice advantage for the second round.

Courtesy CHL Memes

 DID YOU KNOW: Steve Martinson and Dallas Stars coach Lindy Ruff were teammates playing for the San Diego Gulls (IHL) in 1992-1993.

Lavoie Returns to Lineup, Berube Game Time Decision, CHL Upsets, McKenzie vs Preece Fight

While the Allen Americans had the day off on Saturday awaiting the second elimination game in their series with Brampton which will take place this afternoon (Sunday) at 3:00 pm Central/Allen time there was a lot of excitement in the other three CHL series which all played last night. Here is a quick recap.

#1 Missouri vs #8 Arizona:  Arizona defeated  Missouri 4-3 in double overtime in Game 5 of the best-of-7  series. The Sundogs now lead the Mavs 3-2 in the series with Game 6 slated for Tuesday in Missouri.  If a seventh game is required, the Mavericks would host the deciding contest next Wednesday. With Sebastien Thinel suspended and John-Scott Dickson and Tyler Currier out of the line-up, the Mavericks used one of their allotted two amateur spots in the post-season by signing Pete Massar (a forward from University of Vermont).  This would prove to be a key in the game for the Mavs as Massar scored two goals in the third period to tie the score and then give Missouri the lead 3-2. Arizona came back and tied the score with an extra attacker with 29 seconds left in the game to send it into overtime. It took over 30 minutes of overtime (30:32) before Arizona forward Johan Ryd scored the game winner.

#2 Denver vs #7 Tulsa: Talk about some stout goaltending and all you have to do is look at this game. Every opening the Tulsa Oilers had last night was slammed shut by Denver Cutthroats goaltender Kent Patterson.  Despite firing a season-high 52 shots on net, including outshooting Denver 21-5 in the third period, the Oilers were unable to solve Patterson and suffered a 1-0 loss in Game 5 of their first round playoff series.  The lone goal of the contest came from A.J. Gale just 2:45 into the first period. Denver holds a 3-2 series lead with Game 6 scheduled for Tuesday evening in Tulsa. If the series goes to a seventh game it will be back in Denver on Thursday. It shows what a fickle game hockey can be as Tulsa seemed to score at will on Friday night scoring six goals on thirty five shots and last night they couldn't buy a goal, getting shutout on fifty two shots. As Texas Ranger coach Ron Washington might say, "That's the way hockey go."

#4 Rapid City vs #5 Quad City: Quad City defeated  Rapid City 3-1 Saturday night to take a three games to two lead and move within one win of advancing to the CHL semi-finals.  The series will shift to Rapid City next Tuesday for game six.  If a seventh game is required, the Rush would host the deciding contest next Wednesday.  An interesting fight in this one, as the horn sounded to end the game, Jim McKenzie and Bobby Preece got into a fight at the blue line. McKenzie beat Preece to the ice, but not before Preece took McKenzie's helmet off and tried to punch him with it, instead hitting his back and shattering the helmet. Would expect to see Preece hit with a suspension on this one. If he had hit McKenzie in the head with the helmet, he could have done some serious damage. You can check it out with the link or go to YouTube and search Jim McKenzie V. Bob Preece. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UfOVkKco-0

- The Americans will have a second chance to close out this opening round playoff series this afternoon and should be refreshed and ready to go. They have had plenty of Tim Horton's coffee and doughnuts, maybe some home cooking for some, visits with family and friends, and a team dinner last night. They certainly don't want to head back to Allen, spending 26 hours on the bus having lost two games in a row to Brampton.

- Had a chance to check in with Steve Martinson and found out Alex Lavoie will play this afternoon and whether Mike Berube plays will be a game time decision.

- Probably sound like a broken record but Allen needs to win the special teams battle today and they will win the game. They have a much better power play and penalty kill than Brampton and they need to use that to their advantage. The special teams winner has won all four games in the series thus far.

- Even though they have played one less game Anthony Maiani and Greger Hanson still share the CHL playoff scoring lead (with five others) with seven points.

Courtesy CHL memes

Courtesy CHL Memes

DID YOU KNOW: Thirty seven year old Brampton forward Frank Littlejohn, who got the game misconduct slashing penalty on Friday night, played for Steve Martinson when he was coaching the Elmira Jackals (ECHL) in 2007-2008.

Americans Lose 4-2, Martinson Post Game Comments, Slashing Penalties Examined, Stats

Sometime overnight this blog hit a milestone and surpassed 200,000 page views so I want to start out this morning by thanking all of you, the readers, for your interest in the Allen Americans and CHL hockey. The blog has come a long way since that first post for some friends in October 2012.

The first elimination game of this series went to Brampton last night as they beat the Allen Americans by a score of 4-2 before 2830 fans who finally had something to cheer about in this series that Allen now leads 3-1. After scoring first on a goal by Anthony Maiani which they took into the first intermission Allen allowed two second period goals by Brampton but were able to tie the score 2-2 at the end of the second period on a rocket shot by Greger Hanson. Allen had numerous odd man rushes where they did not score and that was the difference in the game. The Beast scored two third period goals including an empty net goal to make the final score 4-2. The two teams have the day off today (Saturday) and will play the fifth game of the series Sunday afternoon with puck drop at 3:00 pm Central/Allen time.

STEVE MARTINSON POST GAME COMMENTS:

- We had lots of chances to score in this game but we did not capitalize on some great opportunities. We missed too many of the odd man rushes we had and it came back to bite us.

- Lost face offs were responsible for two of Brampton's goals. Weak face offs can cost you and it proved to be a problem tonight.

- Bryan Pitton played well in goal again. He has really stepped up since he became our primary goalie. His save percentage in the playoffs leads the league.

- Mike Berube and Alex Lavoie did not play tonight because they are a little banged up. Their situation is day to day so we will see how they feel on Sunday and make an assessment at that time.

- We got no power play goals tonight which has been a strength this series. We had a great opportunity at the end of the game to tie the score with a power play and pulled goalie but could not capitalize.

- The team will have the day off on Saturday which will give many of them time to spend with friends and relatives. We will all get together for a team dinner in the evening.


OTHER COMMENTS:

- Special teams in hockey remind me of turnovers in football as they are both good predictors of who will win the game. Last night was no exception as Brampton won the special teams battle for the first time in the series. The Beast held Allen scoreless on the powerplay and scored one power play goal themselves.

- Allen still has a big advantage in special teams play as the Americans have scored five power play goals on sixteen opportunities (31.25%) and have allowed Brampton only two power play goals on nineteen opportunities for a penalty kill percentage of 89.47%.

- Brampton's penchant for slashing was evident again in the game last night as Frank Littlejon was given a major penalty and game misconduct penalty for slashing Ross Rouleau. There have been 29 slashing penalties called across the league in the playoffs thus far and Brampton has eleven of them which is over twice as many as any other team. Come On, Man!

- Anthony Maiani and Greger Hanson sit a top the CHL playoff scoring list with seven points each. Darryl Bootland is tied for the league lead in goals with four.

- Bryan Pitton has the second best GAA in the playoffs at 2.26 and leads the league in save percentage at a lofty .931. He is the only goalie with three wins in the playoffs.

- Though Allen lost last night they ares still the only team with a 3-1 lead after four games. The other three series are all tied at 2-2. While Allen and Brampton have the day off the other three series play game five tonight (Saturday).

- League wide average attendance thus far for the playoffs after 16 games is 3125. The attendance last night:
Quad City - 3325
Brampton - 2830
Arizona -    2714
Denver -     2691

- Former Allen American's captain Tobias Whelan along with defenseman Tyler Wooddisse were second period intermission guests of Tommy Daniels and spent some time reminiscing about the first season (2009-2010) with the Allen Americans and the great run that team had to the championship finals. Look forward to the day the Americans have a reunion and and there is the opportunity to catch up with many of the players from the past.

Courtesy CHL Memes

DID YOU KNOW:  The stage is set for the NCAA Frozen Four national championship game as the Minnesota Gophers and Union College Dutchmen will face off in the final tonight at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). Everything came down to the last second — literally.
With Minnesota and North Dakota tied at one and time ticking down, Gophers defenseman Justin Holl threw a frantic shot on net that scooted past North Dakota goalie Zane Gothberg for a shorthanded goal with just 0.6 seconds left to give Minnesota a pass into the championship game. The University of Minnesota is my alma mater so will watching this game with interest. It is the Gophers 21st appearance in the Frozen Four and they have won the national championship five times. Coach Don Lucia has won two of the five championship in his tenure with Minnesota. Lucia's daughter, Ali Lucia, hosts the pre and post game and between period TV show for the Dallas Stars.