Allen Wins 8-2 and Clinches Division, Martinson Post Game Coments, The Brabham Cup & More

A CELLY GONE WRONG! Is Gens saying "I luv ya bro" or is Costello saying "Can we join in or do you guys want to be alone" - photo by Lauren Lyssy

It was just what the doctor ordered to fix the ills of an eight game home losing streak as the Allen Americans tied their highest goal total of the year on the way to a dominating 8-2 win over the Tulsa Oilers before an enthusiastic crowd of 3884 at the Allen Event Center (AEC). Yes, Tulsa was on short rest having to travel from Wichita overnight on Saturday for the Sunday afternoon game but no amount of rest would have prevented the onslaught the Americans brought to the game. Allen never trailed and seven different players scored goals. The only multiple goal scorer was league leader Gary Steffes who netted his 43rd and 44th goal of the season. The other goal scorers were Tarasuk (2), Follmer (10), Young (8), Asuchak (8), Costello (35), and Tyler Ludwig (16).

The win also clinched the Central Division title for Allen. They are the first team in the league to clinch their division. The win put Allen back in the race for the best overall record in the ECHL. In the ECHL scoring battle Allen is chasing Florida (93 points) and Toledo (92 points).  With 90 points the Americans only trail Idaho (91 points) for home ice advantage in the Western Conference with Allen having two games in hand. 


STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME  COMMENTS

- I thought we outplayed Tulsa right from the first puck drop but when they got that power play goal toward the end of the first period and then the breakaway goal to make the score 3-2 early in the second period it makes you wonder. However, from that point forward we were in control and outplayed them the rest of the game.

- I put Steffes out on some extra shifts in the third period trying to get him another goal. I wasn't worried about wearing him down since we don't play again until Wednesday. We want to win games but we also want to get Gary 50 goals for the season as that would be quite a milestone.

- When we play a puck possession game like we did tonight and our defense has the puck a lot we are good at making plays. We had the puck a lot tonight and maybe that is why we didn't make many mistakes. Sometimes we get in bad positions when we try to be too offensive minded when we don't have possession of the puck.

- I have talked to the players as a group and individually about playing better when we don't have the puck. We have to make better decisions and try not to make plays that are not there and are high risk. Sometimes when you go to make a play and it is not there you have to bail on the play. We struggle to to do that sometime and it gets us in trouble. This is an issue because we have so much skill on our team. But it can't be about points all of the time.

- A couple of guys in Worcester have been sitting out recently so Worcester is getting guys healthy which will eventually result in getting some guys sent to Allen. I check the transactions every day and will talk to them in the next day or so to see where things are at. We will also get Schultz back from Iowa before the playoffs but I am not sure when that will happen.

- I am not worried about only having one line scoring in the playoffs where if the opponents can shut down one line they can win the game. Costello and Steffes have played together at home recently and of course they are together on the power play but they have not been on the same line most of the year. I am not really looking at the line combinations right now for the playoffs as we have guys that are not here that will be for the playoffs. My goal right now is to win games and get Steffes 50 goals. Since Costello is the best passer on the team Steffes will be with him for now.

- Based on the game tonight I gave the guys the day off tomorrow. We have been on the road a lot and they guys haven't had a lot of time away from the rink. We can have a good practice on Tuesday before we leave for the game in Tulsa on Wednesday. This is the time of year you really need to monitor the guys to see if they have their legs. We had the day off on Saturday and had good jump today so we will try that approach again and give the guys the day off on Monday. At this time of year in the middle of March the guys have been on the ice a long time.

- It was nice to have a game where it was not so serious on the bench. I was able to have some fun with the guys tonight. It is a long season and I felt confident the way we played the first ten minutes of the game we were going to win so I was kidding around with some of the guys on the bench.

- It is important for us to make a good push the rest of the season. We are no longer in control of having the best overall record in the ECHL but there is a chance. We are in control for first place in the Western Conference and that is important for home ice advantage . All we can do is not concentrate on where we end up but just go out and win the next game.

- I really liked the goal that Gary Steffes scored where he just out muscled the guy on him and went top shelf. Steffes reminds me of Ovechkin in that he can score goals with skill and he can also run over you for a goal. He has a lot of different ways to score but the one goal tonight he just overpowered the guy. The tic tac toe goal between Tarasuk and Valcak was also a great goal to watch.

- I sent the South Carolina coach a message yesterday congratulating him on their 21 game winning streak. It says a lot for the job he has done as they were a .500 club and have now won 21 consecutive games. It is difficult in today's game to play good enough to win over such a long period of time. He has done an unbelievable job with that team and deserves coach of the year in my mind.


OTHER COMMENTS

- Had a lot of questions about the jersey that Riley Gill was wearing last night. There is a company by the name of Meigray Group that has working agreements with many professional leagues and teams to sell game worn jerseys. Meigray group has an agreement with the NHL and also the ECHL. Part of the agreement with the ECHL is a "Golden Goalie Program" where on a preselected  date the starting goalie for each team wears a specialty jersey. This started back on March 5th and ended last night when Gill wore the specialty jersey. After the game the goalies sign the jersey and then it is sent to the Meigray Group to be auctioned off. Not sure when the Gill "golden goalie" jersey will be up for auction but you can check at meigroup.com if interested.

Riley Gill wore the "Golden Goalie" specialty jersey last night - photo by scenebykimberly.com

- With his 44th goal last night Gary Steffes has now scored twice as many goals as any other year in his professional career. Prior to this year the most goals he had scored was 22 for the Tulsa Oilers in 2011-2012. Gary is still on pace to get 50 goals for the season. Steffes is also now the second leading point scorer in the ECHL with 73 points trailing only Chad Costello who has 105 points.

- With his 35th goal last night Chad Costello has more goals in a single season than any other player in the history of the Allen Americans with the exception of Gary Steffes.

- Costello and Steffes dominate the ECHL in most scoring categories. Between the two of them they lead the league in points, goals, assists, power play goals, power play assists, game winning goals and insurance goals and in most of the categories it is not even close. Costello has 32 more points than anyone else, he has 20 more assists than anyone else, Steffes has nine more goals than anyone else and eight more power play goals than anyone else. That is domination.

- Other Central Division teams in action on Sunday were Brampton who was beaten by Reading 8-3 and Missouri who lost to Fort Wayne 4-1. In the battle for the basement in the Central Division Brampton has 45 points with eleven games remaining and Missouri has 53 points with ten games remaining. They play each other the last three games of the season with the last two games being in Brampton so it could get interesting.

- Congratulations  to the University of Minnesota Women's hockey team who won the NCAA national hockey championship yesterday with a 4-1 win over Harvard.


DID YOU KNOW: The Brabham Cup is awarded to the ECHL regular season champion. It is named after Henry Brabham, who founded the ECHL in 1988-89 with five teams in four states. Brabham, who was the first inductee into the ECHL Hall of Fame in 2008, owned three of the original five teams. The dedication of the Virginia businessman was crucial to the league surviving to span from coast-to-coast while advancing 559 players and countless coaches, on-ice officials and front office personnel to the National Hockey League.  How important is it to win the Brabham Cup and secure home ice advantage for the playoffs? Only five of the previous twenty six Brabham Cup winners have gone on to win the Kelly Cup.

Allen vs Tulsa Game Preview, Americans Clinch Division Title With Win, Aaron Dell Wins Again & More

- It is game day in Allen as the Americans take on the Tulsa Oilers at the Allen Event Center this afternoon with a 4:05 p.m. puck drop. It will be the fourteenth meeting between Allen and Tulsa but only the second since December 28th. After playing twelve times in the first two months of the season these teams have played only once in the last three months. That is about to change as four of the next five games are against Tulsa and they will all will take place in the next ten days.


- Tulsa has been the best team in the Central Division recently as they have won six straight games and eight of their last ten. While the Americans had the day off on Saturday to rest, Tulsa played in Wichita last night (Tulsa won 4-1) and had to travel the 360 miles to Allen overnight.


- The game this afternoon is big for Allen as they try to snap an eight game home losing streak with the added bonus of clinching the Central Division title with a win.


- In the thirteen previous games Allen is 8-4-0-1 against Tulsa and at home Allen is 4-3 against the Oilers. One of the worst defeats of the year for the Americans was the home opener when they lost to the Oilers 9-6.


- Here is a statistical comparison:
Team Record: Allen (40-14-5-3) - Tulsa (33-25-1-3)
Points: Allen (88) - Tulsa (70)
League Rank: Allen (4th) - Tulsa (13th)
Goals For: Allen (245) - Tulsa (221)
Goals Against: Allen (182) - Tulsa (210)
Goal Differential: Allen (+63) - Tulsa (+11)
Team Plus/minus: Allen (+218) - Tulsa (+102)
Power Play %: Allen (18.4% at home) - Tulsa (17.2% on the road)
Penalty Kill %: Allen (85.8% at home) - Tulsa (83.8% on the road)
Team PIM's Per Game: Allen (23.2) - Tulsa (19.3)
Record Last 5 Games: Allen (1-4) - Tulsa (5-0)


- Special teams are always critical to the outcome of a game and if you look at recent performance Allen will have to improve to beat Tulsa. Tulsa has given up only one power play goal in the last five games and has a penalty kill percentage in those five games of 96%. Allen has given up seven power play goals in the last five games and has a penalty kill percentage of just 66.7%.


- The leading scorer for Allen against Tulsa is Chad Costello who has twenty three points (11 goals 12 assists) in the 13 games. T.J. Caig leads the way for Tulsa with sixteen points (5 goals 11 assists).


- The referee for the game this afternoon is Peter Tarnaris (#23) who was the referee in Wichita on Friday.



OTHER COMMENTS

- The battle for the final three playoff spots in the Central Division continues to be very close and positions change daily. Last night Tulsa beat Wichita and Rapid City beat Quad City to gain the advantage. Here is how they stand today:
71 points - Rapid City (8 games remaining)
70 points - Tulsa (10 games remaining)
69 points - Quad City (7 games remaining)
68 points - Wichita (9 games remaining)
There are lots of ways to slice and dice the remaining schedule but with games in hand and playing the best hockey right now Tulsa looks to be in good shape for a playoff spot. Wichita is the team on the outside looking in right now but they play their last six games at home. You can be assured the final playoff spot will not be decided until the last game of the season.


- The South Carolina Stingrays kept their win streak alive beating Cincinnati last night 5-4 in a shootout. The Stingrays had to come from behind and tied the score on a power play goal with just 72 seconds remaining in regulation time. South Carolina has now won 21 consecutive games. They hit the road for their next seven games starting in Cincinnati on Wednesday.


- A once in a lifetime performance last night by Shawn Szydlowski as he led the Fort Wayne Komets to a 6-4 win over Missouri. The 24 year old Michigan native had five goals in the game including  three shorthanded goals.


- Have to mention the hockey success at my alma mater, the University of Minnesota. The women's team is in the Frozen Four for the fourth consecutive time. After winning back to back championships in 2012 & 2013 they lost in the finals last year and are back in the finals again this year. They will meet Harvard this afternoon for the national championship. Not to be outdone the men's team won the Big Ten playoff title yesterday with a 4-2 win over Michigan and earned an automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA tournament. Go Gophers!


- Aaron Dell was in goal last night and stopped 28 of 29 shots as the Worcester Sharks beat Lehigh Valley 6-1. It was Aaron's tenth win for Worcester and he lowered his GAA to 1.87 and raised his save percentage to .931. The article below about Aaron was published by the Worcester Telegram and Gazette this past week.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20150319/NEWS/303199479/1009/SPORTS



DID YOU KNOW: The three shorthanded goals scored by Shawn Szydlowski last night ties the ECHL record which has been achieved two other times. The mark was originally established way back in 1998 by Jamey Hicks who played for the Birmingham Bulls. The only other player in ECHL history to have three shorthanded goals in one game is Chad Costello who accomplished the feat in 2012 playing for the Colorado Eagles.

Big Win for Allen Game Recap, Martinson Comments, Hanson Milestone, Combs Suspended by Mavericks

The Allen Americans 4-3 victory over the Wichita Thunder last night before a crowd of 5410 at the Intrust Bank Arena was worth so much more than the two points the Americans gained in the standings. The game snapped a four game losing streak which was the longest of the season, it was a win against a Wichita team that had beaten Allen twice at home this week, it was a win that clinched a playoff spot for Allen and it was a confidence builder for the Americans.

Coach Martinson said after the 4-0 loss to Wichita on Wednesday the leaders of the team needed to lead the team out of this slump and the best players needed to be the best players. All you have to do is look at the goal scorers to know that happened last night. Hanson (22), Asuchak (7), Costello (34), and the game winner by captain Jamie Schaafsma (16) led the way along with assists by Steffes, Hanson, Asuchak, Gens, Baker, and Young. Martinson also mentioned team defense needed to improve and that was also the case in the win last night. The three goals allowed by Allen was the first time in eight games going back to January 17 that Wichita had scored less than four goals against the Americans. Finally, Martinson said the team needed better goaltending to get out of the slump and Riley Gill delivered, stopping 30 of 33 shots including holding the Thunder scoreless in the first period when they bombarded him with 18 shots on goal.

Wichita scored the first goal of the game on a power play early in the second period and the teams went back and forth until Allen scored twice within four minutes late in the third period to take the lead for the first time. Wichita pulled the goalie but Allen was able to hold them off to take the victory.

Yes, it was just one win and the team still has that eight game home losing streak hanging around their necks. But a win on the road against a Wichita team battling to make the playoffs and full of confidence after beating the Americans twice in Allen is a good start. All this team needs is to play the right way and play with confidence and they will be just fine.

Sunday will be a big game for the Americans to show the fans and themselves that they are back on a winning track. Allen will take on the Tulsa Oilers who are hottest team in the Central Division (8-2 in the last ten games). A win would not only end the Americans eight game home losing streak but it might clinch the Central Division championship (see below) and keep Allen in the race for the best record in the ECHL.



STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

-  It was a good comeback after a bit of a slow start getting out shot 18-10 in the first period.

- The guys were working hard and drew a lot of penalties as we had eight power play opportunities but we could not score on the power play.

- We played better defensively but we gave up way to many easy scoring chances. This is not the time of year to be giving up breakaways and odd man rushes. It is an area we will need to improve going forward.

- Riley Gill was good in goal and made some quality saves when our defense broke down.



OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen joins Toledo, Fort Wayne, Florida and Idaho as teams that have clinched playoff spots.

- The four game losing streak prevented Allen from becoming the first ECHL team to clinch a playoff spot but they will definitely become the first team to clinch their division. If I have it figured correctly if Tulsa loses to Wichita tonight Allen clinches the division. If the Oilers win tonight they will head to Allen and the game on Sunday afternoon could be the clincher.

- Chad Costello did not have an assist for the second consecutive game. It is only the third time all season Chad has gone two games without an assist. He will have to wait one more game to record his 300th professional assist. While Chad did not have an assist he scored the game tying goal which was his 34th of the season. His 34 goals ties him for second in team history for a single season with Bruce Graham and Nino Musitelli who both had 34 goals in 2010-2011. Of course the all time goal scoring leader is Gary Steffes who is at 42 goals and counting.

- Congrats to Greger Hanson who hit the fifty point milestone with a goal and assist last night. Greger has only played in 46 ECHL games because of his numerous call ups to the AHL. He has 50 points (22 goals 28 assists) in those 46 games including seven game winning goals and four shorthanded goals.

- Jack Combs has not reported to the Missouri Maverick after they claimed him on waivers. The Mavericks have placed him on team suspension. As you know Combs has said he does not want to play in Missouri and has asked the Mavericks to rescind their waiver claim. Missouri has denied his request which they have every right to do so things are currently at a stalemate. If neither one changes their mind Jack will be done playing for the year. Missouri has 11 games (three weeks) left in their season.

- Matthew Wuest is a name most hockey fans have never heard of but you may have heard of his web site, CapGeek, which revolutionized the way fans accessed NHL salary information. Wuest started the site in 2009 which compiled player and team salary information. CapGeek provided information that was easy to follow and understand to the common fan. In addition to NHL salary information the site also provided signing bonuses and AHL salaries for those players on two way contracts. Wuest announced in January he was ceasing operations because of health issues. Matthew Wuest who was only in his mid 30's passed away from colon cancer on Thursday. RIP Matthew Wuest.


DID YOU KNOW: The South Carolina Stingrays won their 20th consecutive game last night beating Indy 4-0. To put what they have accomplished in perspective they have broken the all time ECHL record which was eighteen and only one other team in professional hockey in North America has won more consecutive games. That was the Norfolk Admirals (AHL) who won 28 consecutive games in 2012. As impressive as the win streak has been the play of South Carolina goalie, Jeff Jakaitis, who recorded his fourth straight shutout last night if just as impressive. His shutout streak is at 319 minutes and 32 seconds. It is the second longest shutout streak in North American professional hockey history. Brian Boucher set the all time mark of 332 minutes and one second during the 2003-2004 season with the Phoenix Coyotes. Jakaitis needs 12 minutes and 30 seconds when the Stingrays play Cincinnati at home tonight to establish a new record.

Allen vs Wichita Game Preview, Costello Assist Milestone, The First Game Ever Against Wichita

- Call it a fresh start or a new beginning for the Allen Americans as they hit the road for yet another game with the Wichita Thunder. For the first time in franchise history Allen will be traveling to Wichita the day of the game. The team will leave Allen around 10:00 am this morning for the 360 mile trip so they can arrive at the Intrust Bank Arena around 4:00 pm this afternoon. Game time is 7:05 pm and the team will head back to Allen right after the game. Why the change? My understanding is the ownership group (Allen, Wichita and Tulsa) made the change as a way to save money. If you avoid an overnight stay in a hotel along with other costs (per diem, bus driver etc) it is a lot of savings. The collective bargaining agreement (CBA) allows for same day travel as long as you have a sleeper bus like the one the Americans own.


- Wichita did the same thing when they traveled to Allen on Tuesday and they came away with a victory so maybe Allen can return the favor tonight.


- There is no question Allen has been struggling as they have the worst record in the Central Division over the last ten games and have lost eight in a row at home but for some reason the road has been kind to Allen. They have won seven of their last ten road games which includes two wins in Wichita. Allen's overall record against Wichita is 7-2-3-2 but in the six games played in Wichita the Americans are 4-1-0-1.


- The game tonight will be number fifteen between these teams with two more to go (April 1st & 11th). Luckily the goal for next year is teams will play no more than twelve times.


- It has been mentioned before that Allen and Wichita have been evenly matched statistically all year. All but two of the fourteen previous games have been decided by one or two goals. The only exceptions being the 4-0 win on Wednesday by Wichita and a 8-2 win by Allen on January 16.


- Here is an up to date statistical comparison for the fourteen games played between the Americans and Thunder this season.

Goals: Allen (54) - Wichita (50) 
Shots on Goal: Allen (428) - Wichita (443)
Penalty Minutes: Allen (343) - Wichita (326)


- Special teams is almost always the key to victory and Allen has the edge in this department. If you look at the head to head matchups in the fourteen games played this season Allen has gone 18-81 (22.2%) on the power play and Wichita has gone 13-75 (17.3%) on the power play.  More broadly at home Wichita is ranked #4 (21.4%) on the power play and #11 (83.6%) on the penalty kill. On the road Allen is #2 (23.0%) on the power play and #6 (86.5%) on the penalty kill.

- Riley Gill will be in goal for Allen tonight trying to build on his ECHL leading 28 wins. In his last game Riley became the all time single season leader for the Allen Americans in games played (45) passing Aaron Dell (44) and and in minutes played (2588) passing Chris Whitley who set the record of 2561 in 2009-2010.

- The referee assigned for the game is Peter Tarnaris (#23) who fans may remember from his days in the CHL. He has a fascinating story you might enjoy reading having started as an official at a very young age. You can find it in the archives dated March 5, 2013 with the title, "The Inside Story of a CHL Referee".


OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen had several chances to be the first ECHL team to clinch a playoff spot needing just one win. However, a four game losing streak prevented that from happening. Last night Reading and Fort Wayne became the first teams to clinch a playoff spot.

- In the last seven games against Wichita the Americans have allowed at least four goals in every game. They have given up six goals once, five goals three times and four goals three times. A commitment to defense first is a key to victory.

- Chad Costello sets a new all time single season assist record for the Allen Americans every time he gets an assist but his next one will be a big milestone as it will be number 300 in his professional career. Chad's scoring prowess is well documented but the most amazing stat is the fact that he has more assists (68) this year than any other player in the ECHL has points except his buddy Jack Combs who has 69 points.


DID YOU KNOW: The first game ever between Wichita and Allen took place on New Year's Eve in 2009 and it was a unique game. Allen came out on top blanking the Thunder 3-0 with Charlie Effinger in goal. Goal scorers for Allen were Nathan O'Nabigon, Christian Gaudet, and Tyler Wooddisse. What was unique about that game? Goalie Charlie Effinger had an assist on the first goal and Bruce Graham did not score but had a five minute fighting major. It was Effinger's one and only assist playing for Allen and it was Graham's only fight that year.

Allen Blanked By Wichita 4-0, Martinson's Post Game Comments, Combs Update

Just when you think things couldn't get any worse for the Allen Americans they do. You can only hope the 4-0 loss last night at the hands of the Wichita Thunder before an announced crowd of 3847 was rock bottom for the Americans. Whenever you lose 4-0 at home you have to tap your stick to the winners as Wichita played like they were battling for their playoff lives, which they are. The two points Wichita gained last night moved them into the fourth and final playoff spot in the Central Division.

There is plenty of blame to go around in a 4-0 defeat as it seemed like players, coaches, referee, linesmen and fans all had an off night. But the bottom line is whatever is ailing this very talented team has to be fixed by the players in the locker room. They have rallied together before and they can and will do it again.

In the paper this morning Arnold Palmer was asked what advice he would give Tiger Woods to get out of his slump. Couldn't help but think Arnie's advice was also perfect for the Allen Americans. Palmer's advice is simple but to the point, "Practice and regain confidence."



STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

It is after games like last night that you really appreciate how fortunate Allen is to have Steve Martinson as a coach. After 35 years of playing professional hockey and coaching professional hockey you will not find anyone that takes a loss harder than he does. However, no matter how bad the team plays and no matter how frustrated he is about the game, the team or the officials he meets with the season ticket holders. He gives them his open and honest assessment of the game and stays until everyone has had an opportunity to ask all of their questions. He doesn't refuse to meet when times are tough, he doesn't send the assistant coach or a player, he shows up himself. Would assume very few ECHL head coaches have a post game press conference with season ticket holders after every home game and even fewer who would show up after a 4-0 thrashing which included a game misconduct for the coach. Here is what coach Martinson had to say last night after the game.

- We were not very good last night and we were worse tonight. It was a frustrating start giving up a goal in the first minute of the game. It was a bad turnover and then we were out of position and gave them a great scoring opportunity which they capitalized on.

- After we killed those penalties in the first period when they had a five on three I thought we out played them for the rest of the period.

- In the second period we were too easy in front of our net which resulted in their goals and of course we couldn't score ourselves.

- The penalty kill did not give up a goal and I thought we had good puck possession on our power play and got some shots on goal but the goalie was able to see most of our shots.

- Wichita plays a lot of man on man defense and we refuse when we are covered to take the man to the front of the net and use the defender as a screen. I think we were stubborn and didn't play the style we need to play to beat Wichita.

- Our high end guys have to lead us out of this slump. We have some players that are not contributing much and we have some key players that need to contribute more, especially on the defensive end. Tuesday night we scored enough goals to win but we were weak defensively. Tonight were were weak defensively and could not score goals.

- In the past we have scored enough goals to overcome our weaknesses on defense but that has not been the case recently. I am hoping this game is rock bottom for the team. To get shut out and keep losing at home after we had been so tough at home earlier in the year is really frustrating.

- I obliviously had some issues with the referee last night and tonight. I always take the time to review all of the questionable calls after the game and would hope the referee would do the same. But I don't want to focus on the officials as they are not the reason we lost the game tonight.

- We will be leaving for Wichita on Friday (game day) instead of going the day before as we have in the past. My feeling is once a change is made and you can't do anything about it you have to quit whining and move forward. Wichita traveled the day of the game yesterday and beat us so it is not an excuse.

- We talked about this with the players this morning that some times you are not going to make a good play when you are under pressure so the best play is to just get the puck out of your defensive zone or into your offensive zone. I always say another word when players are "trying to do too much" is you are being a dumb player. You cannot try and manufacture plays that are not there.


JACK COMBS UPDATE

Still lots of conversation taking place about Missouri claiming Jack Combs after he was placed on waivers by Stockton. As mentioned in previous posts the sole purpose in all of the actions taken by the Allen Americans and Jack was to get him back to Allen where he had signed at the beginning of the year. Because of the ECHL rules it has been a complicated and trying process that may or may not work. Teams such as Missouri can certainly exercise their right to claim Combs and they have done that to look after what they perceive is in the best interest of their team. The fact that Missouri claimed the highest paid player in the ECHL, is not going to make the playoffs and will not be able to retain Jack's rights (he is a veteran) for next year does not prevent them from having him report to Missouri and trying to convince him to sign a contract with them voluntarily next year. I have talked to Jack Combs and his sole interest when he decided to return from Sweden was to get back to the team he had signed with and played with for over half of the season. It is easy to say he should have never gone to Sweden and he should have known all the rules but you can't deny his sole interest is to get back to Allen where he signed his contract. For the record he has no interest in playing in Missouri or for any other ECHL team for that matter. You can be certain Jack and his agent have asked Missouri to rescind their waiver claim and you can also be certain the Mavericks have denied that request. So you end up with an unhappy player going to an unhappy team for the last three weeks of the season rather than the team he signed with that is heading to the playoffs. I am sure where you sit is where you stand on this issue but it seems like Missouri has little to gain and a lot to lose by forcing Jack to report. The Mavericks may end up winning the battle but losing the war as what goes around comes around. Only time will tell.



OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen has now lost four straight games which is the longest losing streak the Americans have had all year. With the loss last night the Americans now own the longest home losing streak in the ECHL this year at eight games. They also own the longest home winning streak in the ECHL this year at eleven games.

- Had to laugh at super fan, John Weithman's description of what it has been like watching the team lose eight consecutive home games, "Watching this team's play recently is like watching Texans trying to navigate the "High Five" during an ice storm."

- Chad Costello ended his eleven game scoring streak last night. Chad had not been held scoreless since February 10.

- Despite losing to Wichita 4-0 there were a couple of positive statistics in the game last night. Allen out shot the Thunder 34-33 and the penalty kill unit did not give up a power play goal.



DID YOU KNOW: The last time Allen was shut out at home was March 23, 2013 and it was also by a score of 4-0. The team was the Missouri Mavericks.

Another Home Loss for Allen, Martinson's Post Game Comments, Costello Reaches 100, Combs Claimed

Other than the lack of penalties the 3572 fans that showed up for the Tuesday night St. Patrick's Day hockey game at the Allen Event Center saw a typical Allen and Wichita match up with Wichita winning in overtime 5-4 to hand Allen their seventh consecutive home loss. The script for games between the Americans and Thunder has been the same for quite a while. Here is what was predicted in the game preview yesterday and the results from the game last night.

- Shots on goal will be close and in the 30's for both teams. This turned out to be the case for the seventh straight game between these teams. Wichita out shot Allen 38-37.

- The winning team will have at least five goals. For the seventh consecutive game between these teams the winning team had at least five goals.

- The game will be high scoring but the margin of victory will be one or two goals. The one goal margin of victory last night was the eighth time in thirteen games the winning team has won by just one goal. In twelve of the thirteen games the margin of victory has been one or two goals.

- The game could go to overtime. The game last night was the fourth time in the last five games that went to overtime. 

- If the game goes to overtime Wichita has the advantage. Wichita's overtime win last night was their fifth overtime win against Allen this year. The Americans have just one overtime win against Wichita.

- The game was a see saw affair all night with neither team able to take control. There was never more than a one goal lead in the game. Wichita however got the two most important goals as they scored first and they scored last. Goal scorers for Allen were Steffes (42), Costello (33), Schaafsma (15), and Valcak (1). 

STEVE MARTINSON' POST GAME COMMENTS

- Our penalty kill is just terrible right now. We are playing soft and having trouble getting the puck out of our zone. On the power play goal when Wichita tied the score 4-4 we had the puck but didn't get it out of the zone and then we didn't collapse back to the net with any urgency and Wichita has a three on two and the puck is in our net. To me the problems on the penalty kill are not X's and O's but execution.

- I don't think we had enough guys in the fight tonight especially early in the game. We looked tired and sluggish. We got four goals but the way we are playing defensively right now that is not enough. That is not a good thing to have at this time of the season. When four goals are not enough to win a hockey game in March it is not a good sign. We are not playing good enough to win consistently.

- As bad as we are playing right now we know we will be in the playoffs. We are going to have to either play better or get a better lineup, one or the other. It is frustrating for me to watch and I am sure it is frustrating for the fans to watch.

- Even though we have a big lead in the Central Division standings you would think the pride of being first overall in a new league would be enough motivation for this team. The way you play now is what I have to assume is the way you will play in a month so  I have to make decisions accordingly.  You can't just turn things on when it comes playoff time. It is just not good enough right now.

- Riley Gill was not at his best tonight. I am sure he would like to have a couple of those goals including the game winner back. J.P. Anderson will be in goal tomorrow (Wednesday) night.

- I thought we played better tonight in overtime even though we lost the game but our struggle in overtime is more a reflection of poor defensive play. When you open up the ice with four on four defensive weaknesses get exposed.

- There are a lot of different things not working right now. Giving up two power play goals is not good enough, we need to have more than one line scoring, we have to many turnovers, there were times we should have passed the puck and didn't and other times we should have shot and tried to pass.

- Asuchak was okay tonight and will get better as he plays more. Just like the last time he went to Providence he did not play a lot so he it will take a couple of games to get up to full speed. He is a hard worker and it will come.

- Ian Schultz will be back at some point but it will be closer to playoff time. He is playing every game for Iowa but they will not make the playoffs so he will be back.

- There are a lot of incentives for players to play well. Getting the best overall record in the ECHL, playing well going into the playoffs and making the final playoff roster.  With a larger roster for the playoffs managing the salary cap is always an issue. The guys we get from the AHL are a bonus as they only count $525 per week against the salary cap. The other incentive for players is to do well now so they can come back if they want to play in Allen next year. Now that we are in the ECHL and with our recruiting advantage (location, weather, facility, airport. loaning players etc.) there will be a lot of players that will want to come to Allen. Especially those players in sunny California who will be displaced when the AHL moves teams west next season. The bottom line is players should have plenty of motivation as well as incentives to be playing their best hockey right now.


OTHER COMMENTS

- Gary Steffes and Chad Costello scored the first two goals for Allen to lead the way last night. Every time Steffes scores a goal he sets a new Allen record which now sits at 42 goals. The same for Costello as he sets a new record every time he gets a point. His goal last night was his 100th point of the season. Chad finished the night with a goal and two assists and now has 101 points which is 32 points more than Jack Combs who is in second place.

Costello & Steffes Continue to Set Records - photo by scenebykimberly.com

- Not sure if it was because it was a work night, the small crowd, the overtime loss or the looks of the St. Patrick's Day jerseys or some combination of all of those but heard the post game auction last night resulted in some of the lowest auction prices in a long time. Heard second hand the low price was $150 and the high was $1000 but the majority were at the lower end of that range. By the way, when was the last time this team won on a specialty jersey night? Seems like the team is 0 for forever on specialty jersey night. And as long as the jerseys are the problem and blamed for all of the home losses how about breaking out the white jersey at home to break this streak. Just kidding. haha

- The loss last night was the seventh consecutive loss at home for the Americans. For being one of the best teams in the league it is difficult to see how the play at home turned around so fast. Allen won eleven straight games at home from December 20 to January 29 and since that point has lost seven straight home games from January 30 to March 17.

- The team with best regular season record in the ECHL is awarded the Brabham Cup and Allen is still very much in the race for the best record. Over the last couple of months Allen has won just eleven of twenty four games but is still only one point behind Idaho for the most points in the ECHL. The Americans have squandered the overall points lead and are now tied for second place in points with two other teams. But there is no reason they can't get things turned around and win the Brabham Cup. Here are the contenders with games remaining to play.

87 points: Idaho Steelheads (10 games remaining)
86 points: Toledo Walleye (13 games remaining)
86 points: Florida Everblades (13 games remaining)
86 points: Allen Americans (12 games remaining)
84 points: Fort Wayne Komets (13 games remaining)

The Brabham Cup

- The penalty kill gave up two goals last night and has given up nine power play goals in the last four games against Wichita.


- The big surprise in the game last night was the lack of penalties. With Tyler Barr out of the line up and Wichita bad boy Erick Lizon not fighting, the game was much calmer than in the past. These teams have averaged 72 penalty minutes per game recently. Last night they combined for just sixteen penalty minutes.   

- The clinching of a playoff spot has become somewhat of an albatross around the neck of the Americans. Tonight will be the fourth straight game where an Allen victory will clinch a playoff spot. Not much for predictions but have a feeling it happens tonight.

- You have probably heard by now that the Missouri Mavericks claimed Jack Combs off the waiver wire yesterday. The Mavericks were one of several teams that claimed Jack but with their poor record they were the team highest on the waiver claim list. Have to admit it makes you wonder why a team with no chance to make the playoffs would claim the highest paid player in the league knowing he has no interest in playing for the Mavericks. The rules are the rules so Jack's only choices are to not report and have no income or go play for a team with no chance of advancing to the playoffs.


DID YOU KNOW: If Allen loses at home tonight they will have the longest home winning streak (11) and the longest home losing streak (8) in the ECHL this year.

Allen vs Wichita Game Preview, Jack Combs Saga Continues, Playoff Rosters & Information

GAME PREVIEW


It is game day in Allen as the Americans take on the Wichita Thunder in the only Tuesday night home game of the season. Allen will be wearing special St. Patrick's Day jerseys tonight which will be auctioned off immediately after the game.

- If you like hard nosed hockey where you see players finishing checks, plenty of chirping, a lot of scrums and most likely some fights the game tonight between Allen and Wichita should be right in your wheelhouse. These two teams have already played each other twelve times with five more to go.  They are two of the most penalized teams in the ECHL (Allen #1, Wichita #3) with a combined average of  45 penalty minutes per game. In the last five games against each other they have averaged 72 penalty minutes per game.

- Despite all of the time spent in the penalty box the games between Allen and Wichita have been close. In their twelve prior meetings this season the margin of victory was one goal seven times and two goals four times. Two of the games were won in overtime and three in shootouts. Allen has won seven of the twelve prior meetings including five of the last seven. Allen's record against Wichita is 7-1-2-2.

With twelve prior games to consider, head to head statistics are a good predictor of how well Allen and Wichita match up. With the margin of victory one or two goals in eleven of the twelve games (Allen beat Wichita 8-2 in the one exception) it is amazing how close the numbers are. Here are the cumulative numbers for all twelve games.

Goals: Allen (50) - Wichita (41)  and if you exclude the one blowout Allen (42) Wichita (39)
Shots on Goal: Allen (356) - Wichita (372)
Penalty Minutes: Allen (300) - Wichita (295)

 If you look at past results you would expect a hard fought game, players finishing checks, lots of penalties by both teams, shots on goal in the 30's by both teams and special teams making the difference. The margin of victory will be one or two goals and the game could end up in overtime. 


- Here is an overall statistical comparison of Allen and Wichita:

Points: Allen (85) - Wichita (64)
Goals For: Allen (237) - Wichita (180)
Goals Allowed: Allen (170) - Wichita (194)
Goal Differential: Allen (+67) - Wichita (-14)
Team Plus/Minus: Allen (+233) - Wichita (-69)

Allen is ranked #3 in league standings. Wichita is ranked #18.
Allen is #1 in average goals scored per game (4.02). Wichita is #14 (3.05).
Allen is ranked #9 in average goals allowed (2.88). Wichita is #22 (3.29).

- Special teams is almost always the key to victory and Allen has the edge in this department. If you look at the head to head matchups in the twelve games played this season Allen has gone 16-75 (21.3%) on the power play and Wichita has gone 11-68 (16.2%) on the power play.  More broadly at home Allen is ranked #13 (17.7%) on the power play and #7 (86.5%) on the penalty kill. On the road Wichita is #24 (14.0%) on the power play and #14 (82.7%) on the penalty kill.

- A recent concern for Allen has been the effectiveness of the penalty kill unit. This can be illustrated by looking at the twelve games played against Wichita. In the first eight games played which were between October & February the Americans only allowed Wichita 3-37 on the power play for a penalty kill percentage of 91.9%. In the last four games played since the middle of February Allen has allowed Wichita to go 8-31 on the power play for a penalty kill percentage of just 74.2%.

- In the last six games between Allen and Wichita the winning team has had at least five goals. Allen has lost to Wichita in regulation only once all year but has lost four of the five games that have gone to overtime.

- The on ice officials scheduled for tonight are referee Peter MacDougall (#26) and linesmen Mike Anderson and Brian Bull.


JACK COMBS SAGA CONTINUES

- You have most likely read by now that Jack Combs was placed on waivers yesterday by the Stockton Thunder. Can't remember the last time so many questions have been asked about a player transaction. This is obviously a long story with several twists and turns complicated by the ECHL rules. When Jack left for Sweden back in January the assumption many fans made was if it didn't work out he would be able to return to Allen where he was the leagues leading scorer. When Combs decided to come back to the US the rules prohibited this from happening. Once a player leaves for Europe they must wait 45 days before they can return to the same team and because Jack left so late in the season the 45 days was after the deadline (February 15) for signing players from Europe. This meant coach Martinson only had two choices according to the ECHL rules when he found out Jack was returning to the US. The first option was to trade Jack to another ECHL team and get a player in return. The second option was to waive Jack and have a slim chance he could be traded back to Allen. Allen decided on the waiver option and waived Combs on February 14. Under the ECHL rules if only one team claims a waived player they can be traded immediately but if more than one team puts in a waiver claim the player can't be traded for thirty days. Another catch 22 for Combs as 30 days after he was claimed was beyond the March 12 ECHL trade deadline. Never heard it officially but seven teams supposedly put in claims for Combs and Stockton was the team that got him. What was happening from the time Jack was claimed by Stockton until the trade deadline was an effort by Comb's agent to get those six other teams to drop their waiver claims and if that happened he could immediately be traded back to Allen. The trade deadline came and went and unofficially all but two teams dropped their waiver claim.

- So why would Stockton waive Combs yesterday. Don't have any information from an official source but feel confident it has nothing to do with performance, attitude, locker room demeanor or any of the other reasons you see thrown out on social media. Jacks's interest is getting back to the team he signed with and wants to play for in the playoffs. Stockton is going nowhere and is trying to help Jack get back to Allen or at least to a playoff team. What are the chances Allen can get Combs back through the waiver process. Not great but probably better than most fans might think. Teams have 24 hours to put in claims so by tonight the number of teams claiming Jack will be known. Here are a few factors that may reduce the number of waiver claims.
1. Jack is a veteran player so a team must have a vet spot available or cut a vet that has been with the team all year.
2. Teams that are not in playoff contention have little to gain in claiming Combs.
3. Combs is a high end player that has a high end salary. Many teams would not be able deal with the salary cap issues in taking on his contract.
4. Combs is a six year professional who has made it clear his interest is to play in Allen and could be asking teams to respect his interest. Will teams want to pay top dollar for a player that doesn't want to be there? Will teams consider the players interest in trying to get back to the team he thought he could return to when he went to Europe only to be hung up by ECHL rules. Many will say there is no way teams will do this but what goes around comes around so never say never. It will be wait and see on this one.



PLAYOFFS

The regular season is coming to an end quickly with some teams having as few as nine games remaining. Playoff rosters are due April 13 and coaches are already working hard at figuring out what the playoff rosters will look like.

The playoff roster can be a maximum of 23 players (not 24 as reported in an earlier blog post). Nineteen on the active roster and four on reserve. Players must play a minimum of five (5) regular season ECHL games to be eligible for inclusion on the playoff roster. Furthermore, players on two way AHL contracts must have appeared in five (5) AHL regular season games, however, at the discretion of the ECHL team, up to two (2) AHL two way contracted players may be exempt from this requirement. Veteran players on a two way AHL contract must have appeared in at least 10 AHL regular season games. There are no exemptions permitted for these players.

Coach Martinson expects to be at the max roster (23 players) going into the playoffs.

According to the ECHL calendar the playoffs are scheduled to start on April 15. With Allen being the number one seed in the division they will start the first round at home. All playoff series are 2-3-2 unless both teams agree otherwise or limited date availability at an arena requires a deviation. Any change to the 2-3-2 format requires approval by the ECHL. If you go to the Allen Event Center (AEC) website their calendar shows a gun show on the first weekend of the playoffs (April 18 & 19) so you can expect mid week playoff games just like last year but nothing official has been announced. However, since the playoffs can start on April 15th and the AEC is not available on the weekend an educated guess would be Wednesday the 15th for the first playoff game.


DID YOU KNOW:  The Allen Americans have never missed the playoffs. They have been in thirteen playoff series in the last five years and won ten of them. Steve Martinson has never been defeated in a playoff series as the coach of the Americans. He has coached the Americans in 36 playoff games and has a record of 24-12.