The ECHL Final Four Compared, Two Referees Now, Allen Connection to Four Kelly Cup MVP Winners

The 2015 Kelly Cup playoffs are down to the final four with Allen vs Ontario in the Western Conference and Toledo vs South Carolina in the Eastern Conference. The last piece of the puzzle fell into place last night as Toledo used home ice to their advantage to best Fort Wayne 5-2 in game seven of the series. The home team won all seven games and last night Toledo jumped out to a 4-0 lead and cruised to victory.

- Thought it would be interesting to see how the final four teams have been performing during the playoffs but wanted to start out by looking back at the regular season. Many say how teams performed in the regular season doesn't matter once you get to the playoffs but the final four are all #1 or #2 seeds in their division. The top team in points in each conference during the regular season (Toledo in the East & Allen in the West) is still alive.

- With four grueling best of seven round victories needed to claim the Kelly Cup how tough the path is might be a factor. Here are the number of games played by the final four to get to the Conference Finals with the number of overtime periods played in parentheses.

14 games (6 OT) - Toledo
12 games (6 OT) - South Carolina
12 games (1 OT) - Ontario
11 games (1 OT) - Allen


PLAYOFF STATISTICAL COMPARISON OF FINAL FOUR TEAMS

- Winning Percentage
.727 - Allen
.667 - Ontario
.615 - South Carolina
.571 - Toledo

- Penalty Minutes (average per game)
17.67 - Ontario
15.64 - Allen
14.08 - South Carolina
8.71 - Toledo

- Power Play Percentage
26.2% - Ontario
20.8% - Allen
19.6% - South Carolina
14.3% - Toledo

- Penalty Kill Percentage
84.2% - Toledo
82.8% - Ontario
82.4% - South Carolina
80.4% - Allen

- Goals For (average per game)
4.27 - Allen
3.50 - Ontario
3.23 - South Carolina
2.86 - Toledo

- Goals Against (average per game)
2.25 - Ontario
2.29 - Toledo
2.92 - South Carolina
3.00 - Allen

- Shots For (average per game)
37.45 - Allen
31.85 - South Carolina
30.07 - Toledo
26.93 - Ontario

- Shot Against (average per game)
23.83 - Ontario
24.27 - Allen
31.46 - South Carolina
33.07 - Toledo

- Team Plus/Minus
+59 - Allen
+40 - Ontario
+31 - Toledo
+23 - South Carolina

- Attendance (average per game)
4992 - Toledo
4049 - Allen
2833 - Ontario
2357 - South Carolina


OTHER COMMENTS

- Rosters become frozen when the Conference Finals begin so even if a team has a player eligible to join the team they can no longer be added.

- Players will have to be careful behind the play as the ECHL uses a two referee system from here on out. This will mark the third consecutive season that the ECHL will utilize a two referee system for all games in the Conference Finals and Kelly Cup Finals.

- Here is the schedule for both Conference Finals. All times are local times. *if necessary

Eastern Conference Finals
TOLEDO vs. SOUTH CAROLINA
 Game 1 - Fri May 15 7:35 PM South Carolina at Toledo
Game 2 - Sat May 16 8:05 PM South Carolina at Toledo
Game 3 - Wed May 20 7:05 PM Toledo at South Carolina
Game 4 - Fri May 22 7:05 PM Toledo at South Carolina
Game 5 - Sat May 23 7:05 PM * Toledo at South Carolina
Game 6 - Tue May 26 7:35 PM * South Carolina at Toledo
Game 7 - Wed May 27 7:35 PM * South Carolina at Toledo

Western Conference Finals
ALLEN vs. ONTARIO
Game 1 - Sun May 17 4:05 PM Ontario at Allen
Game 2 - Mon May 18 7:05 PM Ontario at Allen
Game 3 - Thu May 21 7:00 PM Allen at Ontario
Game 4 - Sat May 23 6:00 PM Allen at Ontario
Game 5 - Sun May 24 6:00 PM * Allen at Ontario
Game 6 - Tue May 26 7:05 PM * Ontario at Allen
Game 7 - Wed May 27 7:05 PM * Ontario at Allen


- The Allen Americans will practice today and remember practices are open to the public. Haven't seen a schedule but they typically start at 10:00 a.m. in the main rink unless that is being set up for another event and then practice is in the community rink next door.

- Another former Central Hockey League (CHL) official has found a new job. The Professional Hockey Players' Association (PHPA) announced yesterday that Jim Wiley, who served as the CHL Director of Hockey Operations from 2008 until the league disbanded this season, has been hired as a field consultant and adviser. One of Jim's responsibilities in the CHL was to preside over all supplementary discipline actions which meant he had to review video on mandatory review penalties and also video sent in by teams. Jim was always generous with his time and spent many hours educating me and explaining why he did or did not take certain disciplinary actions including showing me the video teams sent in to be reviewed which was often times very poor quality. Even if you disagreed with Jim he took the time to explain in detail the rationale for his decision. Jim has a wealth of knowledge having played and coached at every level of hockey including the NHL, AHL, ECHL & CHL. He was very kind to me and I wish Jim well in his new position with the PHPA.



DID YOU KNOW: There are four guys with ties to the Allen Americans that have won the Kelly Cup MVP Award.

Riley Gill - Riley was the Kelly Cup MVP in 2012-2013 leading the Reading Royals to victory over the Stockton Thunder. Reading won the series 4-1. Riley played in seventeen playoff games and had a GAA of 1.91 and save percentage of .930.

Scott Howes - Before Scott had 21 goals in 22 games for Allen to start the 2012-2013 season he was the Kelly Cup MVP playing for the Alaska Aces in 2010-2011. Alaska beat Kalamazoo 4-1 in that series. Scott played in twelve playoff games and had nineteen points (7 goals 12 assists).

Steve Silverthorn - Before Steve played 33 games in goal for Allen in the 2012-2013 season he was the Kelly Cup MVP in 2006-2007 playing for the Idaho Steelheads. Idaho beat the Dayton Bombers 4-1 in that series. Steve played in twenty two games during the playoffs and had a GAA of 1.77 and save percentage of .931.

Kevin Colley - Before Kevin started helping out in Allen this year he was the head coach in Arizona (CHL) and Utah (ECHL). Before becoming a coach Kevin played in the NHL and AHL but if you go back to 2002-2003 Kevin was the Kelly Cup MVP playing for the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies. Atlantic City beat the Columbia Inferno 4-1 in that series. In seventeen playoff games Kevin had twenty points (13 goals 7 assists).

Allen Wins 4-2, Game Recap, Martinson Post Game Comments, Conference Finals, Teal City Crew

The Allen Americans accomplished last night what everyone expected they would accomplish after they dominated the ECHL Central Division by winning the regular season by 25 points. The box score reads a 4-2 Allen victory over the Rapid City Rush to take a 4-2 series win before a Tuesday night crowd of 3240 at the Allen Event Center. The game was typical of most of the games in this hard fought series. Rapid City won the first period 2-1. Allen did manage to score the first goal of the game for only the second time in the series but two power play goals by the Rush erased the good start. Allen won the second period out shooting Rapid City 16-3 and scoring the only goal to make the score 2-2 heading into the third period. When the score was tied after two periods the Allen faithful knew the Americans would finish it off in the third. They have owned the Rush in the third period of the series out scoring them 17-5 in the six games. So it was not a surprise when Allen won the third period 2-0 and the game 4-2.

Goal scorers for Allen were Jamie Schaafsma (3,4), Greger Hanson (7), and Chris Crane (4). The three stars of the game were #1 Crane, #2 Schaafsma and #3 Riley Gill. 

After winning the Central Division title Allen now moves on to the the Western Conference Final where they will face the Ontario Reign. Allen will be playing not only for themselves but the entire Central Division in this series. The upstart Central Division has received little respect from many around the  ECHL and the only way Allen, as representatives on the Central Division, can prove the naysayers wrong is by winning this series.  


STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

- It was an interesting first period as we scored first and we were all over them and it looked like we were going to have a good period and then the five on three power play goal let them back in the game and a second power play goal gave then a 2-1 lead after the first period.

- Other than the two power play goals I thought we were good defensively tonight. We were much better than we have been. We talked about it a lot in preparation for the game tonight. It isn't a game of just trying to score goals to win which has been kind of our mentality as a team. We spend all of our effort in trying to score and we sometimes forget all of the the other little things that go into winning. Our goalies' save percentages aren't very good because we have not played very well in front of them defensively. Today we stressed going out and playing one on one hockey and not forcing things offensively.

- That was a great job from the team tonight defensively and I am excited about getting the series with Rapid City over, getting a little bit of rest tomorrow with a day off and getting ready for Ontario starting on Thursday. Ontario has a good team with a lot of depth and they are more physical than what we saw from Rapid City. It will be a hard fought series and I look forward to starting it at home with our home ice advantage.

- I will now start watching video on Ontario as they have a different team than when we played them in February and of course we have a different team well.

- On the injuries Vincent Arseneau will be ready for the games this weekend. We are not sure yet on Rylan Schwartz until we get the results of an MRI. He may be back in a couple of weeks or he may not be back the rest of the playoffs. It depends on the result of the MRI.

- Each round of the playoffs gets tougher and the next round will certainly be a challenge. Just like our team, Ontario has a lot players that have played in the AHL this year or are former AHL players. As long as were are good defensively and learn from tonight how we have to play to be successful we will be okay. If we start off the next series the way we finished the series tonight we will be fine.

- We have really taken it to Rapid City in the third period the entire series. We had more scoring chances in the loss on Sunday than we had in any game in the series. Their goalie was incredible.

- Jamie Schaafsma is a streaky scorer as we have seen in the past and he picked a good night to get going with two goals. Hopefully this is the start to one of his streaks.

- With the team we have now we are a physical and can also score as evidenced by the fact that we lead the league in playoff scoring. We have guys that are hard to play against but they can all score which is what makes us different. The key for us going forward is being solid defensively and make Ontario have to work and earn their scoring chances.

- Konrad Abeltshauser made a sweet play on the game winning goal by Crane. We had been talking about when the goalie comes out a lot. He wasn't real good when he comes out and the puck is behind him. Konrad made a slick play by faking that shot and getting it to Crane who was driving the net. It is hard to defend when you have guys going hard to the net.

- An indication of how well the team executed tonight is Rapid City did not score a goal even strength. They had the five on three power play goal and on the other goal Gill had lost his stick,  the defensman was trying to get Gill his stick, the forward was covering and we ended up with nobody in the slot. Other than those two plays we were pretty stingy defensively.

- There are always penalty calls in a game you do not agree with and all you can ask for is the referee to be consistent. Tonight it was difficult for the players to know what was going to be called and what wasn't. The good thing is the team adapted and just said we are not sure what is going to be called so let's tighten things up and don't give the referee a reason to call a penalty on us.

What do you mean that is not a high stick?  asks Dyson Stevenson - photo by Lauren Lyssy

OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen scored the first goal last night for just the fourth time in eleven playoff games. The Americans are a perfect 4-0 when scoring first.

- The leading scorers for Allen in the Rapid City series were Greger Hanson with twelve points (5 goals 7 assists), Ian Schultz nine points (4 goals 5 assists) and Chad Costello nine points (2 goals 7 assists.

- The plus/minus leaders in the Rapid City series were Chris Crane (+6), Greger Hanson (+5), and Kevin Young (+5).

- Riley Gill won all four games in the Rapid series going 4-0.

- It was great to see Daniel Tetrault not only in the line up last night but scoring a goal for Rapid City in what could be the last game of his illustrious career. There were lots of hugs between Tetrault and his teammates from last year as he went through the line shaking hands. If it is the end of the line for the soon to be 36 year old it is good to know Allen was able to bring him his lone professional championship in a storied career.

Jamie Schaafsma and Daniel Tetrault Hug It Out - photo by scenebykimberly.com

- Kale Kerbashian was also wishing his former teammates well with lots of hugs. Kale assisted on both Rapid City goals last night and was a one man wrecking crew against Allen ever since being traded to Rapid City by Evansville the end of January. Kale scored on the first shot of his first shift against Allen and never let up. Between the regular season and playoffs Kale played nine games against Allen and had fifteen points (4 goals 11 assists).

- Here is the complete schedule for the series with Ontario. All times are local times so add two hours to the start times in Ontario if you want the start time in Allen.
Western Conference Finals
ALLEN vs. ONTARIO
 Game 1 - Sun May 17 4:05 PM Ontario at Allen
Game 2 - Mon May 18 7:05 PM Ontario at Allen
Game 3 - Thu May 21 7:00 PM Allen at Ontario
Game 4 - Sat May 23 6:00 PM Allen at Ontario
Game 5 - Sun May 24 6:00 PM * Allen at Ontario
Game 6 - Tue May 26 7:05 PM * Ontario at Allen
Game 7 - Wed May 27 7:05 PM * Ontario at Allen
*if necessary

- Allen will enter the conference finals with the fewest games played (11) and the best winning percentage (.727) of the final four teams.

- There is just one team left to be decided for the conference finals. Toledo plays Fort Wayne tonight in game seven of the North Division finals. The game is in Toledo and the home team has won the first six games. Here is the playoff bracket as it currently stands:

- There are still plenty of playoff games to be played but the Allen Americans legacy under Steve Martinson is undeniable. The Americans have played in eight playoff series under Martinson and are a perfect 8-0 with a combined record of 32-14.

- Heard from super fan John Below about a group of San Jose Sharks fans who have been supporting the Allen Americans. They are called the "Teal City Crew" and you can find them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Heard from John some of the "Crew" will be in Ontario to cheer on the Americans. With San Jose and Worcester both out of the playoffs, it is only Allen of the three affiliates still playing. Thanks to the Teal City Crew for their support.


DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans are 8-0 in playoff series in the three years Steve Martinson has been the coach and last night was the first time a series had gone six games. In the seven prior playoff series they had all gone either seven games (three times) or five games (four times) .

The best tradition in sports, Aaron Gens & Riley Weselowski - scenebykimberly.com

Allen vs Rapid City Game Six Preview, South Carolina Advances, Minor Leagues, Major Moves

For all of the regular readers of the blog you may be wondering why this is being posted so early (4:00 a.m.). The reason is I am going fishing today and leaving in ten minutes. It is off to Lake Texoma for a day of striper fishing before the game tonight.

- It is game day in Allen as the Americans try to close out the series against the Rapid City Rush. The series stand at 3-2 after the Rush beat Allen 7-4 Sunday afternoon in Rapid City. Both teams made the long (1058 miles) bus trip to Allen on Monday for the game tonight. Most would agree Allen has the better team and should prevail in a seven game series. For the five games thus far in this series Allen leads Rapid City in goals scored (25-17), shots on goal (193-111) and power play percentage (28% - 15%). Allen has even taken fewer penalties that Rapid City (27-31).  Allen rarely losses back to back games in the playoffs. It has only happened twice in the last three years.  Allen has scored almost two more goals per game in the playoffs than Rapid City (4.30 - 2.50). You add it all up and Allen should be the victor in game six. Allen has earned home ice advantage by having the best record in the Western Conference but let's hope they don't need it and wrap up this series in game six tonight.

- Spencer Asuchak has scored in all five home games in the playoffs and has a total of ten points (5 goals 5 assists).

- Joel Rumpel had the hot hand in the Tulsa series but it has been Riley Gill in the Rapid City series. Against the Rush Rumpel is 0-2 and Gill is 3-0. Would expect to see Gill in goal tonight. Rylan Schwartz was injured in the game on Sunday so he may not be in the lineup. Allen has lost both games when Patrik Valcak has been a healthy scratch so hopefully he is back in the lineup.

- An indication of how much depth Allen has in scoring is the Americans have eight players with at least three goals in the playoffs while Rapid City has just three.

- South Carolina beat Florida last night by a score of 5-2 to advance to the Eastern Conference finals where they will play the winner of the Toledo vs Fort Wayne series. Game seven of that series is Wednesday night.

Came across this graphic that shows all of the changes in the AHL and ECHL for next year. All the changes in one graphic courtesy of icethetics.co.

DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans have the highest playoff winning percentage of the six teams remaining in the playoffs. Here is the list.
.700 - Allen
.667 - Ontario
.636 - Fort Wayne
.615 - South Carolina
.538 - Toledo
.500 - Rapid City

Rapid Storms Past Allen 7-4, Game Recap, Martinson Comments, Playoff Update, Allen's Most Famous Game

- So much for low scoring, tight checking playoff hockey. For the second game in a row the final score between Allen and Rapid City was 7-4. The winner last night was Rapid City as the 2662 fans that braved a big snow storm saw the Rush stave off elimination by scoring seven goals on just twenty shots. By midway through the second period the Rush were leading 4-0 and the Americans were desperate to get on the scoreboard. So desperate coach Martinson used a play seldom seen in a hockey game. Allen had a five on three power play opportunity starting at 10:20 of the second period. Martinson chose to pull goalie Joel Rumpel to make it a six on three power play. The tactic worked as Vincent Arseneau tipped in a Chad Costello shot. With the score 4-1 Allen had another power play at the end of the second period to try and cut into the Rush lead but instead gave up a shorthanded goal. Even trailing 5-1 after two periods, Allen fans knew the Americans have been dominate in the third period. When Allen scored three goals in the first eight minutes of the third period to make the score 5-4 it looked like the comeback was on. It was not to happen on this night as the Rush scored at 15:15 and added an empty net goal to make the final 7-4. It was a poorly played game by the Americans but they never gave up, fought to the end, came back from a 5-1 deficit but could not get the game tying goal. Allen leads the series 3-2 and returns home for game six on Tuesday and game seven (if necessary) on Wednesday. 

- The goals scorers for Allen were Arseneau (3), Costello (4), Schaafsma (2), and Crane (3). The line up changes in the game were Joel Rumpel in goal and Dyson Stevenson, who replaced Patrik Valcak.


STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

- We had numerous opportunities to score in the first period but just could not finish.

- We kept repeating what has been happening way too much in this series. We turn the puck over when we have full control which leads to odd man rushes that we defend poorly. You have heard me say many times when goals are scored there are usually multiple mistakes made on the play and that is what happened tonight.

- We give up cross ice passes that you are taught since you are a kid to take away. It is just weak play on our part.

- We have really let both of our goalies down with poor defensive play by the forwards and defensemen. At this point in the season your best players have to be your best players and that isn't happening.

- The shorthanded goal we gave up at the end of the second period was crucial. I knew it would be tough to overcome when they got the 5-1 lead.

- Their power play goal was also frustrating because our defenseman had his stick clearly slashed out of his hand and could not defend on the play.

- On our five on three power play in the second period we really needed a goal as we were trailing 4-0 so I decided to pull the goalie and make it a 6-3 power play. I have used that play a few times in situations like we had tonight. It usually works but you like to score early before the fourth man comes out of the penalty box. Six on three makes it very difficult for the penalty killers to retrieve pucks because they are so out manned and out positioned.

- I could go on but won't. We are still up 3-2 in the series and everything is in our control. We will get it figured out and be ready to go on Tuesday.


OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen finally got a power play goal on the road even though it took a six on three with the goalie pulled to get the job done. The Americans road power play is now 1-19 or 5.3%. The good news is the next game is at home where the power play as been scoring at a 32.3% clip.

- Rapid City has scored the first goal of the game in four of the five games played in this series. The only game Allen scored first was the 8-1 win at home in game two.

- Another trend that needs to change is waiting until the third period to get going. Allen has been outscored by Rapid City in the first period (4-3) and the second period (8-7) but has outscored the Rush in the third period 15-5.

- In the only other playoff action last night Fort Wayne beat Toledo 3-2 in double overtime to even the series 3-3. The home team has won all six games so the home ice advantage Toledo won by having the best record in the ECHL may prove to be the difference in the series. All three Fort Wayne wins have been in overtime. Game seven will be in Toledo on Wednesday.

- The only playoff action tonight is South Carolina at Florida. Florida has gotten back in the series with two overtime wins in South Carolina after trailing in the series 3-0. If Florida wins tonight, game seven will be Tuesday night in Florida.

- Only one (Ontario) of the final four playoff teams have been decided but what is guaranteed is the final four teams will all be #1 or #2 seeds.  

- Congratulations to Allen Americans Ice Angels Rose and Stephanie who have made it to the next step in the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders (DCC) tryouts. They have made it to DCC training camp. They will go through a rigorous training program as the group will be cut down from the 46 in training camp to a final squad of 32-36. It is quite an honor to make it to training camp and best of luck to Rose and Stephanie the rest of the way. 


DID YOU KNOW: The most famous game in Allen Americans history took place two years ago today on May 11, 2013. It was game seven (in Allen) of the CHL finals and Allen was trailing Wichita 2-0 in the third period when Jarret Lukin scored at 7:13 and Trevor Hendrikx at 17:41 to tie the score and send it to overtime. Just 2:47 into the overtime Todd Robinson took a long stretch pass from Mike Montgomery and blasted a slap shot from the right face off circle past Wichita goalie Torrie Jung to send the place into pandemonium. It was a magical end to a magical season.  To win the first Presidents' Cup in team history at home in game seven in sudden death overtime is as good as it gets. Whether you have never seen this highlight video or seen it a 100 times it is always special, especially the ending!

Allen Wins 7-4, Takes 3-1 Series Lead, Martinson's Post Game Comments, Playoff Update & More

- For the second game in a row the Allen Americans scored four goals in the third period to beat the Rapid City Rush. A hearty crowd of 3345 braved a spring snow storm last night to witness a 7-4 loss by Rapid City to put the Rush at the brink of elimination in the series.  Allen has a 3-1 series lead and a chance to wrap up the series in game five tonight. Puck drop at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center is 6:05 p.m. (CDT). The snow is still falling with six inches on the ground and another 4-6 inches predicted before game time.

Allen fan Mike Holum took the this picture yesterday, have to admit it is pretty

- The game last night followed a familiar pattern with Allen starting slow and giving up the first goal of the game. The Americans have given up the first goal of the game in six of the nine playoff games they have played this year. Allen has been able to overcome the slow starts and last night was no exception as the Americans scored three goals in the second period and four goals in the third period to win the game going away. The goal scorers for Allen were Chris Crane (2), Ian Schultz (5), Greger Hanson (5,6), Gary Steffes (6), Rylan Schwartz (1) and Spencer Asuchak (7).


STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

- It was great to get the win tonight and take a 3-1 series lead with a chance to win the series tomorrow (Sunday).

- Despite the 7-4 win we can and need to play better defensively tomorrow even though a wide open game like tonight favors us.

- Our power play has struggled here in Rapid City (0-6) but we haven't had a lot of opportunities. It was a bit frustrating when we didn't score when we had a long 5 on 3 opportunity in the first period.

- It was also frustrating when we gave up two goals on turnovers after we took a 3-2 lead but then are offense took over.

- With so many skill players we have lots of ways to score. Steffes went top shelf, Schwartz scored on a rebound, Hanson had a tip in, and then Asuchak's shorthanded highlight reel goal. Schultz's goal came after some slick passing. Our depth helps us when we play on the road as all three lines are scoring threats.

- Riley Gill played well. On one of their goals we had an unforced turnover which gave them a two on one and the rebound went off a skate and in. Gill was screened on the last two Rapid City goals.


OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen has dominated this series in all four games (despite losing game one in Allen) with the best offense in the league. Allen is ranked #1 in goals scored per game at 4.33 while Rapid City is last (#16) in the playoffs averaging just 2.09 goals per game. Here are the totals for the four games in the series with the Rush.
Goals: Allen (21) - Rapid City (10)
Shots: Allen (162) - Rapid City (91)
Power Play: Allen (6-19 or 31.6%) - Rapid City (2-17 or 11.8%) 



- Allen is known as a second period team based on the fact that in the regular season they had 23 more goals in the second period than any other team in the league. The Americans outscored their opponents by 123-68 in the second period. In the series with Rapid City, however, Allen has become a third period team. Here are goals scored by period in the series with Rapid City.

1st Period: Allen (3) - Rapid City (3)
2nd Period: Allen (6) - Rapid City (4)
3rd Period: Allen (12) - Rapid City (3)



- Spencer Asuchak had a shorthanded goal and an assist last night and is now tied for the ECHL  playoff scoring lead with fifteen points (7 goals 8 assists). He was the #2 star of the game and has a point in eight of nine playoff games and a goal in all four games against Rapid City. Spencer is a dangerous penalty killer as he has eight shorthanded goals since joining the Allen Americans last season.



- Greger Hanson had four points (2 goals 2 assists) last night and was named the #1 star of the game. Greger is the leading scorer in the Rapid City series with nine points (4 goals 5 assists) in four games.



- Kale Kerbashian was back in the line up for the Rush for the first time since sustaining an injury in the Quad City series. Kale made his presence felt assisting on the first three Rapid City goals.



- With Allen going 0-3 on the power play last night the odd stat continues. The Americans have the best power play percentage in the playoffs at home (32.3%) and the worst power play percentage in the playoffs on the road (0.0%). The Americans are 10-31 at home and 0-13 on the road.



- The Ontario Reign beat Utah last night 4-0 and won the Pacific Division title taking the series 4-1. They now advance to the Western Conference Final and await the winner of the Allen vs Rapid City series.



- In the North Division, Toledo beat Fort Wayne last night 3-2 at home and now lead the series 3-2. This is the series where the home team has won every game. They play game six tonight in Fort Wayne.



- The East Division is idle today with South Carolina leading Florida 3-2. They will play Monday and Tuesday (if necessary) in Florida.



- The referee scheduled for tonight is Pierre Lambert (#20) who also was the referee in the first game in Rapid City on Thursday. He called just five penalties (two on Allen, three on Rapid City) in that game so you can expect him to let the guys play unless things get out of hand. The linesmen have been the same for all three games (Erik Contino & Tyler Landman).




DID YOU KNOW: Another good luck day for the Allen Americans as it was one year ago today (May 10, 2014) when Allen beat Denver 5-2 to win the Presidents' Cup for the second straight year.

The Details Why Allen's Success Is Depth, Playoff Update, Report Card From Worcester, Attendance Disappoints

- It is game day as the Allen Americans take on the Rapid City Rush tonight in game four of the Central Division Finals. All playoff games are important but if Allen can win tonight and go up 3-1 in the series you have to like their chances. If Rapid City gets the win they will be right back in the series at 2-2 and all of a sudden it is a best of three. Look for Costello, Steffes and Hanson to be contributors tonight after being held in check by Rapid City on Thursday.  


- It will be a late night for Allen fans as the game tonight will not start until 9:05 CDT which is an hour later than normal start times for weekend night games in Rapid City. Would assume the later start has something to do with scheduling at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. If you recall this game was originally scheduled midweek and was changed. The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology was originally scheduled to have their graduation in the ice arena but according to their web site that has been moved to the convention center which is another part of the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. So it will be a late night for Allen fans but for those looking for a good sign Rapid City only had one late start like tonight during the regular season and that was also against Allen. The Americans beat Rapid City in that game 4-1.


- Have mentioned on numerous occasions what distinguishes Allen from many other teams is their depth. Here are some facts that back up that statement. Fifteen of the twenty players on the trip to Rapid City have AHL experience. This is a deep and skilled team that is also physical which is exactly what is need to be successful in the playoffs. When you can put together three lines which include Chad Costello, who won the ECHL scoring title by 45 points on one line, Gary Steffes who led the league in goals on another and Spencer Asuchak who is second in the ECHL in playoff scoring on a third and surround them with guys like Hanson, Schwartz, Crane, Arseneau, and  Schultz, who have all spent time in the AHL this year, add in the championship experience of captain Jamie Schaafsma who was the playoff MVP in the CHL last year and the international experience of Patrik Valcak you have a team that is tough to play against and three lines that are interchangeable. Combine that with a defensive group that includes the winner of the Defenseman of the Year in the Central Hockey League in 2014 (Tyler Ludwig) and 2013 (Kevin Young), the highest scoring defensemen in the ECHL this season (Aaron Gens), a member of the ECHL all-rookie team (Justin Baker), and two guys with significant AHL experience in Konrad Abeltshauser (107 games) and Trevor Ludwig (145 games)  you have depth all over the ice. Throw in the Kelly Cup playoff MVP from the 2013 Kelly Cup Champions in goalie Riley Gill along with goalie Joel Rumpel who was a finalist for the 2013-2014 Hobey Baker Award and just finished his collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin and signed a one year deal with the NHL's San Jose Sharks. Add it all together and that is what you would call depth on a hockey team. Just sayin'!


- When looking at keys to victory, special teams and goaltending are always at the top of the list as well as getting of to a good start. With 75% of all ECHL regular season games won by the team that scored the first goal, a good start is key. In the playoffs Allen is at the top of the list with a perfect 3-0 record when scoring the first goal. Rapid City is close to the bottom of the list as their record in the playoffs when scoring first is 4-3.



- The referee scheduled for the game tonight is Stephen Reneau (#17). Reneau is best known as the referee who worked the longest game in ECHL history which happened just over a year ago (4/28/14) when Idaho defeated Colorado 3-2. The four overtime epic lasted just over 197 minutes of playing time and spanned five and a half hours from start to finish. Reneau, who is from the Kansas City area, got his start as a referee when he was working at a local rink and running a men's league. One night a referee didn't show up so he was forced into action. The linesmen tonight will be Erik Contino (#33) and Tyler Landman (#80).


- There were two games in the ECHL playoffs last night. For the second game in a row Florida beat South Carolina in overtime after the Stingrays came back in the third period to tie the game. After winning in three overtimes on Wednesday Florida won 5-4 in two overtimes last night. After being down in the series 3-0 the Everblades have clawed back into the series with the two OT wins in South Carolina. Florida now heads home trailing 3-2 in the series. Game six and seven (if necessary) will be in Florida on Monday and Tuesday.


- In the Pacific Division Finals Ontario beat Utah last night 4-2 to take a commanding 3-1 lead in that series. Game five is scheduled tonight in Utah.


- The North Division Final is tied 2-2 with Fort Wayne at Toledo tonight. The home team has won all four games thus far with both of Fort Wayne's wins coming in overtime.


- If you are fan of an ECHL Western Conference playoff team you have to like what has been a grueling second round thus far for all of the teams in the Eastern Conference with lots of overtime games. If this continues through the Eastern Conference Finals it might be advantageous to whatever team comes out of the Western Conference.



- Darryl Hunt is a writer that has covered the Worcester Sharks for many years and writes for the worcesterherald.com and Sharkspage.com. Darryl just posted a final report card for the Worcester Sharks now that their season is completed and covered almost every player on the roster including their stats and their contract status for the 2015-2016 season. (RFA = restricted free agent,  ELC = entry level contract). Here is what Hunt had to say about four players that spent time in Allen this year. The numbers for the skaters are goals, assists and total points and then plus/minus. For the goalies the numbers are wins, losses, overtime losses and then goals against average & save percentage.


27 Rylan Schwartz C (43 games; 5-10-15; +7; 11PIM; RFA)
It was a tale of two different season for Schwartz: before being sent to the ECHL he was basically invisible on the ice, and after his recall he was a truly serviceable third/fourth line player that made lots of great plays where all of his point total took place. I can see San Jose giving him another shot next season, but odds are it’s the last one he’ll get. Grade: C

10 Konrad Abeltshauser (50 games; 3-16-19; +2; 19PIM; year 3 of 3 year ELC)
Abeltshauser’s biggest issue is confidence. He gets down on himself far too quickly when he makes a mistake, and that in turn leads to other mistakes. When he playing well he’s as solid a defenseman as you’d expect, but one slip-up and he looks like an overmatched rookie. As I type this he’s lighting up the ECHL, so hopefully that will get him on the right track for next season. His upside it way too high for anyone to give up on him just yet. Grade: C

29 Aaron Dell (26 games; 15-8-2; 2.06; .927; RFA)
Dell started the season third on the depth chart and on an AHL contract and ended it as the number one goalie for the Worcester Sharks and an NHL contract in his pocket. No player can dream of a better scenario. His 2.06 GAA set the Worcester city record for season and career in that stat, and his .927 save percentage set season and career franchise marks for the WorSharks. Simply put; Dell is the reason Worcester made it to the playoffs. Grade: A

34 J.P. Anderson (16 games; 6-8-1; 2.71; .900; RFA)
All Anderson had to do to stay in the AHL was not be terrible, but unfortunately for him he was unable to be consistent enough while Grosenick was in the NHL and he was outplayed by Dell. Then in the ECHL Anderson got outplayed again by other goaltenders and wasn’t placed on the Allen Americans playoff roster. Anderson likely won’t be qualified, and without a huge season next year in the ECHL (if he can even land a job) he’s likely on the long list of promising goalies that didn’t make the cut. Grade: D




DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL playoff attendance continues to disappoint. After 66 playoff games the average attendance is just 3370. Here is the average attendance for the eight teams remaining in the playoffs.

5002: Fort Wayne
4583: Toledo
4211: Allen
3425: Utah
2883: Ontario
2828: Rapid City
2693: Florida
2357: South Carolina




 

Allen Wins 4-1 Game Recap, Martinson & Ferras Post Game Comments, Playoff Updates & More

For the first 45 minutes of the game last night between Allen and Rapid City it appeared the game would be just like every other home playoff game the Rush have played this year. A low scoring defensive battle decided by one goal. After all, neither team was able to score in the first period and Rapid City got the only goal of the second period. However, the wheels fell off on the Rush in the third period as Allen's high powered offense out shot Rapid City 14-4 and scored four unanswered goals is less than twelve minutes to win the game 4-1 and take a 2-1 lead in the series. The goal scorers for Allen were Justin Baker (1), Aaron Gens (1), Spencer Asuchak (6), Ian Schultz (4).

The teams will not play today (Friday) before resuming play on Saturday (9:05 p.m. CDT) and Sunday (6:05 p.m. CDT). It may be hard to believe but according to the National Weather Service there is a winter storm watch in effect for Rapid City from Saturday evening through Sunday afternoon. Wide spread rain on Saturday morning will turn over to snow in the afternoon. Six to twelve inches of heavy wet snow is possible. Let's hope this forecast is wrong!

According to coach Martinson the team will have a practice today and go over some of the breakdowns that happened in the game last night and there will be a team dinner tonight.


STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

- We had some good chances early in the game but failed to capitalize on them.

- Riley Gill played great in goal and made some big saves when we had defensive breakdowns and needed a big save. Gill stopped several breakaways and odd man rushes.

- In the third period we settled down and didn't give up any chances. The Rush didn't have a shot on goal for most of the third period.

-  The way the game was going we could not afford to give up that second goal and dig a hole for ourselves. We were trying not to hurt ourselves and force Rapid City to make good plays to beat us and that is how we played in the third period.

- We just stayed with it until the puck started going in the net early in the third period. It is not rocket science. We just kept pressuring them. When they double shifted their tough guys the last couple of minutes of the game I figured there was no point in helping them sell extra tickets by fighting so we tried not to hit anyone.


OTHER COMMENTS

- Here are some other post games quotes that were included in a story in the Rapid City Journal written by Richard Anderson.

"You can't take bad penalties like that, especially in the third period. It is very taxing on our bodies and they are bad penalties. They were both bad penalties.".....Rapid City coach Joe Ferras

"At this stage of the season when we are playing a team like this, your best players have to be your best players. They weren't tonight, that's for darn sure.".....Joe Ferras

"You can't turn the puck over anywhere, but especially against these guys here.".....Joe Ferras

"In the playoffs if you don't get a goal early, after two periods you start squeezing the stick a little bit. Luckily our team doesn't do much of that as we really believe in ourselves. We have done it all year including coming back from a four goal deficit earlier in the playoffs. We just stuck with the sysyem and tightened things up."..... Allen defensemen Justin Baker

"He (Battochio) was outstanding and their guy (Gill) was too. We didn't test him in the third, but we have to find a way to stay out of the box. You have to have urgency at this time of year.".....Joe Ferras

"We played a great 45 minutes of solid hockey. Now we have to be ready to go back to work on Saturday.".....Joe Ferras


- The Americans were officially 0-3 on the power play however the Aaron Gens goal was scored just one second after a penalty had expired. Allen is still scoreless (0-10) on the power play in their three playoff road games. In the odd stat category the Americans are ranked #1 in power play percentage at 24.4% however, that is made up of a home power play percentage of 32.3% and road power play percentage of 0.0%.

- Spencer Asuchak continued his playoff hot streak with a goal and an assist last night and earned the #1 star of the game. Spencer has a goal in three straight games, has a point in seven of eight playoff games and is second in in the ECHL in scoring during the playoffs with thirteen points (6 goals 7 assists).

- The Allen defensemen showed once again why they are best in the ECHL when it comes to offense. The Americans had a total of eight points last night (4 goals 4 assists) and half of them came from the defense. Baker and Gens had goals and Kevin Young had two assists.

- You know you have a potent offense when your team gets four goals as the Americans did last night but the top three goal scorers during the regular season (Steffes - 44, Costello - 41 & Hanson - 29) who accounted for 40% of the team's goals are held without a goal. Depth has been the key for Allen in the playoffs.

- The May 7th magic continued for Allen last night not only because they won but won with a certain symmetry. Here are the May 7th results form the last three years.
2013: Allen wins 3-1 to take a 2-1 series lead
2014: Allen wins 5-1 to take a 3-2 series lead
2015: Allen wins 4-1 to take a 2-1 series lead
2016: I am picking 2-1 or 6-1 to take a 2-1 series lead

- In the only other action in the ECHL last night Fort Wayne beat Toledo 2-1 in overtime. It was the second straight overtime win for the Komets. The home team has won every game in this series which is now tied 2-2 with game five in Toledo on Saturday.

- There are two games tonight in the ECHL with South Carolina having another chance at home to clinch the series with Florida. They lead the series 3-1. The Pacific Division finals also resume tonight with Ontario at Utah for game four. Ontario leads the series 2-1 with the home team having won all three previous games.



DID YOU KNOW: As they did in the regular season the Allen Americans have the most productive offense in the Kelly Cup playoffs. Here are the average goals scored per game for the eight teams remaining in the playoffs.

4.00 - Allen
3.40 - Ontario
3.22 - Utah
3.00 - South Carolina
3.00 - Fort Wayne
2.80 - Florida
2.73 - Toledo
1.90 - Rapid City