It's Video Day - Some All Time Favorites You Will Enjoy From Players, Coaches, Ice Angels & Biscuit

It is Christmas Eve and there is no hockey being played so thought it would be a good day to share some of my and hopefully your favorite videos from the Allen Americans. Believe me, you don't have to be an Allen Americans fan or even a hockey fan to enjoy most of these videos. So sit back and enjoy "Christmas Eve at the Movies" and hopefully you are looking at these on a big screen or monitor. If you have never seen these videos they will bring a smile to your face and if you have seen them a bunch of times they bring back some great memories.

- The Allen Americans created a "lip sync challenge" contest two years ago and a couple of classics came out of that promotion. Check out this one with Jamie Schaafsma.

- The Allen Americans Ice Angels are a huge part of the Allen Americans organization. Whether promoting the team on local television or in the community, interacting with fans before the game, or displaying their extraordinary beauty and talent on the ice and in the stands, they are special. This video speaks for itself. https://youtu.be/jhhVUN6159o



- This one takes you back to the Allen rivalry with the Brahmas and NYTEX Sports Centre. It is a silent film starring Biscuit.

- Of all of the videos related to the Allen Americans over their eight years as a franchise this one is far and away the most watched of all time. There are several versions on YouTube and they have combined for over 300,000 views. It is the famous Judd Blackwater vs Jim Jorgenson fight from 2011.

- Here are two Garrett Klotz videos that you will enjoy. You have to remember Klotz is 6'6" and 250 pounds. Tom Manning, who for years was responsible for all the shenanigans during the game and played Santa in the dance offs in the stands, the blues brothers etc. played the Denver player in one of these videos. He told Klotz to really hit him but had no idea what that meant to Klotz. Manning was sore for days after that hit.

- This one is a playoff commercial from 2014 where Jamie Schaafsma and Darryl Bootland use "hashtags"  to the extreme. Very funny.

- Spontaneous reactions are always the best and what happened between Allen coach Steve Martinson and Wichita coach Kevin McClelland during a game in 2013 at the Allen Event Center was priceless. The two coaches are in fact good friends.
https://youtu.be/-wh73DS3UOU


- This one is called "broken arm" for obvious reasons.

- Allen has won three championships and they were all special but for my money nothing will ever rival the first one in 2013. It took seven games to beat arch rival Missouri in the semi-finals and then another big rival, Wichita in the finals. To win your first championship in the most dramatic game in team history in game seven will never be forgotten. Allen was down 2-0 with 13 minutes left in the game and 2-1 with less than three minutes left only to come back and tie the game on goals by Jarret Lukin and Trevor Hendrikx and send it to overtime. Then that dramatic overtime goal by Todd Robinson off a great pass from Mike Montegomery completed the comeback victory. Here are the highlights from that championship. This video is nine minutes long but worth every second and for Allen fans will give you chills even if you have watched it dozens of times.

DID YOU KNOW: It's video day so this has to be another video. How about the NHL's Greatest Dekes and Dangles for your watching pleasure.

ECHL Attendance Trending Down At Alarming Rate - Team By Team Results

With the ECHL on Christmas break and no hockey results to follow, thought it would be a good day to take a look at attendance around the league. What you find when you look at average attendance over time is the ECHL is on pace to have the lowest average attendance in at least ten years and has been trending downward in each of the last three years.

The information below is taken from the ECHL website and includes average league wide attendance for the last ten years and a comparison of attendance from last year to this year for each ECHL team, with the exception of Manchester, Norfolk and Adirondack who are in their first year.

The figures for this season are obviously based on just the first part of the season as 379 of 1008 (37.6%) games have been played this far and many teams say attendance picks up after Christmas when football is over, weather changes, etc.

Here is the average ECHL attendance over the last ten years:

3999 - 2015-16
4598 - 2014-15
4706 - 2013-14
4695 - 2012-13
4282 - 2011-12
4339 - 2010-11
4485 - 2009-10
4258 - 2008-09
4174 - 2007-08
4170 - 2006-07

If you look at the figures above some of the variation can be explained by teams coming and going from the league. Last year for example the ECHL had Ontario (7802), Bakersfield (4799) and Stockton (4621) who this year have been replaced by Manchester (4049), Norfolk (3229), and Adirondack (2131).

The trend over the last three years is certainly down and as it currently stands, the average ECHL attendance is 707 less per game than just two years ago. When you figure ECHL teams get an estimated 70% - 80% of their revenue from ticket sales that is significant.

The next step was to look at the individual teams to compare average attendance from last season to this season to see who has lost attendance and who has gained attendance. The list below goes from the teams that have gained the most in attendance from 2014-15 to 2015-16 to those that have lost the most. The number in parentheses is the team's average attendance for the current season (2015-16).

+540  Allen (4636)
+301  Elmira (2858)
+289  Toledo (6729)
+150  Brampton (2722)
+140  Wheeling (2639)
+52    Cincinnati (4394)
+39    Tulsa (5518)
-9       Quad City (3904)
-64     Fort Wayne (7213)
-166    Indy (3554)
-179   Atlanta (4738)
-225   Idaho (3805)
-330   Rapid City (3526)
-397   Orlando (5812)
-412   Missouri (4905)
-426   Utah (4493)
-446   Colorado (4843)
-467   Greenville (3152)
-528   Florida (4677)
-550   Reading (3642)
-757   Kalamazoo (1946)
-786   Wichita (4221)
-925   Alaska (3442)
-1021 South Carolina (2908)
-1081 Evansville (3938)

CONCLUSIONS

- There are just seven teams with increased attendance over last season with 18 having decreases and the decreases are much larger than the gains.

- It is easier to have attendance increases if your base is low to start with. Three of the seven teams with increases (Elmira, Brampton, Wheeling) were at the bottom of the league for average attendance last season.

- Results don't always tie to attendance increases. Missouri was one of the worst teams in the ECHL last year and this year is best team in the league with a perfect home record of 11-0 but their average attendance has decreased by a significant amount of 412 per game.

- Florida was one of the top teams in the league last year and continues to be this year but their average attendance has gone done 528 per game.

- The future of the Kalamazoo franchise has to be in question. They were one of the worst drawing teams last season averaging 2703 per game. Their average this year has gone down by 757 per game to an unsustainable average attendance of just 1946.

- The South Carolina franchise had a very successful season last year making it to the Kelly Cup final. They are currently second in the South Division standings and in playoff contention, yet their average attendance has decreased by 1021 per game. Only Evansville has decreased more than South Carolina.

- It is not surprising Evansville has the biggest decrease in attendance from last season (1081) as they have been a perennial last place team that does not make the playoffs. The surprise is they still have plenty of support from their loyal fans and are still ranked #14 in average attendance this season at 3928 per game.

- Allen leads the ECHL, averaging 540 more fans per game this season than last season. With three straight championships (two in the CHL) you would expect big attendance increases but that has not been the case in the past. The year after their first championship (2012-13), attendance increased an average of only 59 per game. The year after the second championship (2013-2014) attendance actually decreased by 120. Credit should be given to an expanded sales and marketing staff for a job well done in attaining an average attendance increase of 540 per game this season.

DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans are on pace to have their highest average attendance in franchise history. Here is average attendance by season.
2015-16:  4636
2014-15:  4096
2013-14:  4216
2012-13:  4157
2011-12:  4336
2010-11:  3986
2009-10:  3810 

 

Allen Loses to Tulsa 3-1, Martinson's Post Game Comments, Shootout Mistake Explained, Post Game Skate

Six Oilers can't stop Dyson Stevenson who stuffs home a shorty - photo by Dianne Webster

I am going to resist talking about the Allen Americans getting coal in their stocking last night but it was another disappointing and uncharacteristic loss for Allen as they head into the Christmas break. The Tulsa Oilers capitalized on Allen's mistakes to win the game 3-1 before a great Monday night crowd of 5012 at the Allen Event Center.

- The Americans got off to a fast start in the first period, had a 7-2 shot advantage and got the first goal at the 5:37 mark when Dyson Stevenson stuffed home a shorthanded goal after Tulsa goalie, Kevin Carr,  made two outstanding saves. It would be the only goal of the night for Allen. The Americans would only muster 13 shots on goal in the last 54 minutes of the game. Turnovers led to all three Oiler goals as they scored two in the second period and then had a shorthanded/empty net goal at the end of the game.

- Scoring first and holding a lead after the first period has been money in the bank for Allen this season which makes the loss last night that much more disappointing. Allen was 14-1 when scoring the first goal and a perfect 10-0 when leading after the first period.

- Allen heads into the Christmas break in second place in the Central Division but Tulsa is now only five points back and they have three games in hand. The Americans have lost four of the last five games and things don't get an easier with league leading Missouri their next opponent on Saturday.

- The problem for Allen has not been their ability to put the puck in the net. Their shooting percentage is the second best in the league. The Americans score on 11.0% of their shots. The problem is they don't get enough shots as they rank #25 in the ECHL at 26.93 shots per game. If they can't generate more shots it will be difficult to win consistently.

- The Christmas break may be a blessing in disguise for Allen as they will have a chance to forget about hockey for a few days and get some rest and relaxation time. Because the break is so short, most players will be staying in Allen and will not spend Christmas with their families. Another sacrifice of playing minor pro hockey.


STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

- When things aren't working like tonight we need to get the puck in deep, get puck possession and then get the puck to the point for shots and get to the net. If things aren't working you can at least do that, but it didn't happen.

- On two of their goals we had critical turnovers and on the power play goal we didn't pick guys up like we should.

- On their second goal one of their top scorers (Adam Pleskach) takes the puck away and then makes a play and scores. We need more of that from our top scorers.

Tulsa's Adam Pleskach with the game winner - photo by scenebykimberly

- We just didn't make plays tonight and when that didn't work we didn't try to get those greasy goals that come from hard work and going to the difficult places in front of the net.

- We had way too many passes in our offensive zone that go cross ice and get intercepted because the guys don't want to put the puck on the net. That is not what we work on in practice. We work on getting pucks on net with traffic in front but we are not doing it enough in the game.

- Hockey is a game of mistakes and if you are making mistakes like we did tonight and not scoring goals it is difficult to win. We just did not generate enough offense tonight.



OTHER COMMENTS

- Just to close the book on the shootout in Idaho on Saturday the ECHL office confirmed that the officials lost track of how many players had shot and what the score was. The Americans should have been declared the winner after Gary Steffes scored to make it 2-1 after the fourth round of the shootout. It was the first shootout for Allen since the new rule was put into effective at the beginning of the season where the number of shooters in a shootout was reduced from five to three, only going beyond three shooters if there has not been a winner determined with the first three shooters. Why didn't the Americans (players/coaches) point out the game was over when Steffes scored? Seems as if they weren't familiar with the new rule. However, all is well that ends well and Eric Roy made sure it ended well when he scored in the sixth round of the shootout for the Allen victory.

- Vincent Arseneau was at the game last night in street clothes sporting a cast on his left hand. He will need surgery and will be out of the lineup for six to eight weeks. He joins Casey Pierro-Zabotel and Joel Rumpel on the sidelines with injuries. Casey and Joel still have a couple of weeks before they are ready to go. Injuries are part of the game but the Americans have had more than their fair share this year to key players. You can only hope the team gets healthy and avoids serious injuries late in the season.

- Despite the disappointing loss it was nice to see the players interacting with the fans at the post game skate with Santa. Five month old Jackson Gill enjoyed his first time skating in the arms of his dad. Photographer Lauren Lyssy captured the essence of what these interactions with fans is all about in the photo below.  The expression on this young girls face is priceless when she shares a hug with Aaron Gens.

Watch out Kellie, Looks like Aaron has a new girlfriend - photo by Lauren Lyssy

DID YOU KNOW: Going into the Christmas break the Allen Americans have lost 12 games. Last season they didn't lose their 12th game until February 10th.

Allen vs Tulsa Game Preview, Save Of The Year Video, Super Fan Leaves Hospital, Attendance Stat

While most ECHL teams are already on their Christmas break the Allen Americans are one of four teams that play today in the last games until December 26th. The lucky teams who have games today are Tulsa at Allen and Atlanta at Fort Wayne.

- Tulsa is a familiar foe for the Americans as these teams have already played six times this season and still have nine more games left to play. The fifteen games (6 home 9 away) Allen plays Tulsa is the most they play any team this season.

- The combined stats from the first six meetings between Allen and Tulsa shows two pretty evenly matched teams. Each team has won three times. Other than a 6-1 Tulsa win in Allen on November 21 all of the games have been close. Tulsa has the edge in goals (Tulsa 19, Allen 14) and shots (Tulsa 161, Allen 140). Penalty minutes are almost identical (Tulsa 109 minutes, Allen 104) and the power play has been close (Allen 4-24 & Tulsa 3-24). Tulsa is eight points behind Allen in the standings but has been playing better hockey recently having won four of their last six games. The Americans have lost three of their last four and really need a win tonight going into the Christmas break.

- Here is a comparison between Allen and Tulsa:

                                     ALLEN                                TULSA

Team Record               16-10-1-0 (33 points)          11-10-2-1 (25 points)
Division Ranking         2nd - Central                        3rd - Central
Conference Ranking   4th - Western                       10th - Western
League Ranking         7th                                         19th
Last Game                  3-2 W (Idaho)                        3-2 W (Wichita)
Goals For                    83                                          65
Goals Against             80                                          60
Power Play                 20.7% (23/111)                      15.0% (12/80)
Penalty Kill                  83.5% (18/109)                     81.7% (17/93)
Leading Scorer           Costello  (11-27-38)               Pleskach (6-12-18)


-  Here is how Allen and Tulsa rank in the ECHL in some statistical categories:

Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 2nd (19.37) - Tulsa 12th (14.88)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 11th (3.07) - Tulsa 21st (2.71)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 17th (2.96) - Tulsa 5th (2.50)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 24th (27.19) - Tulsa 26th (26.25)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 19th (30.59) - Tulsa 4th (25.58)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 4th (20.7%) - Tulsa 23rd (15.0%)
Penalty Kill Percentage; Allen 11th (83.5%) - Tulsa 17th (81.7%)

- Four different players (Makowski, Steffes, Costello, Pierro-Zabotel)) are tied with two goals each against Tulsa but if you are looking for who might be the hero tonight, watch Gary Steffes and Chad Costello who always seem to play well against their former team. Costello will be trying to extend his six game scoring streak.

- This is another case where getting off to a good start is essential for the Americans. Allen is 14-1 when scoring the first goal of the game and a perfect 10-0 when leading after the first period.

- Looking at home and road special teams stats gives a little different picture than overall stats for both teams. The Oilers power play percentage overall is 15.0% but on the road it is 19.5%. The Tulsa penalty kill is 81.7% overall but on the road it is 79.5%. Allen's power play overall is 20.7% but at home it is just 15.7%. Their penalty kill is 83.5% overall and 84.8% at home. 

- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Tudor Floru (#18) and linesmen Mitch Macpherson (#48) and Alex Black (#63).


OTHER COMMENTS

- It is a familiar sight at the top of the ECHL scoring list. Jack Combs had three points for Greenville last night and is now second in scoring with 30 points trailing only his buddy, Chad Costello, who has 38 points.

- San Jose Barracuda goalie Troy Groesnick made ESPN's top ten list last night for a great save as the Barracuda beat Stockton 5-4. Check out this candidate for save of the year.

- Hockey families become very close and this year the Allen hockey family has missed Richard and Carol Henry at the Allen Event Center as Richard battles cancer. It was great to see that Richard is back at home after having surgery to remove the cancer last Tuesday. In Richard's own words, "Finally home. Thanks everyone for the good thoughts and prayers. The pathology report came back with promising results." That is great news! And how big of an Allen Americans fan is Richard? Check out his coming home from the hospital outfit.

Super Fan Richard Henry

 DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans lead the ECHL in year over year increase in average attendance. The Americans are averaging 505 more fans per game than last season. However, the league wide average attendance is at a ten year low. I will have a complete analysis, with statistics, on Wednesday.

Allen Ends Road Trip With Unlikely 3-2 Win Over Idaho, Shootout Mistake, Stats & Ownership Quandary

It was the most unlikeliest of victories to end what broadcaster Tommy Daniels described as, "The most difficult road trip in my broadcasting career." The Allen Americans defeated the Idaho Steelheads last night 3-2 in a shootout before a disappointed crowd of 3884 at the CenturyLink Arena. With the win Allen snapped a three game losing streak and finished the road trip 1-2.

- If you look at the box score you would have to say the Americans stole this game. They jumped off to a two goal lead in the first period on just four shots with goals by Chad Costello (11) and Chris Crane (4) but gave them both back in the second period. Allen mustered a paltry 12 shots on goal in regulation which is the lowest total all season in the ECHL. While getting only 12 shots in regulation Allen allowed Idaho 32 shots. The Americans took 15 penalties and gave Idaho nine power play opportunities including a couple of extended five on three power plays. Allen had just two power play opportunities and one of them was just 20 seconds long.

- The team deserves credit for hanging in despite the lopsided shots on goal and one-sided penalty calls as the game went into overtime and then was settled in a shootout. Even the shootout was strange but have not heard an explanation as to why the Americans were not declared the winner after the fourth round. Here is how the shootout went with Idaho choosing to shoot first:
                          IDAHO                                     ALLEN
Round One:     Emil Molin (goal)                   Tristan King (no goal)
Round Two:     Kyle Jean (no goal)                Chad Costello (no goal)
Round Three:   Carson McMillan (no goal)    Jonathan Parker (goal)

With the teams tied 1-1 after three shooters my understanding of the new rule is at this point the shootout becomes sudden death after each round but here is what happened:

Round Four:     Damian Cross (no goal)         Gary Steffes (goal)

At this point Allen should have been the winner but for some reason the shootout continued:

Round Five:      Jefferson Dahl (goal)              J. P. LaFontaine (no goal)
Round Six:       Rob Linsmayer (no goal)        Eric Roy (goal)

I either don't understand the new shootout rules and if so my apologies to the referee or the referee wasn't aware of the new rules or lost track of which team went first in the shootout and if that is the case. C'MON MAN!

- Eric Roy had the winning goal in the sixth round of the shootout but his line score for the game is all zeros. Seems like if you score the game winning shootout goal you should be given credit for a goal and game winning goal in the official statistics. 

- The bus never made it to Boise so the team is flying home today which is a good thing given they have a home game tomorrow (Monday) night against Tulsa. Scheduling flights last minute at this time of year is a challenge so some players left very early this morning and some won't arrive back in Allen until ten o'clock tonight.

- As long as I am complaining about the official score keeping it was obvious on the first goal by Allen that Tristan King made the cross ice pass to Chad Costello who scored. Scoring should have been Costello from King and Gens instead of Costello from Gens and Steffes. It will get corrected.


OTHER COMMENTS

- Here are the highlights from the game last night courtesy of the Idaho Steelheads, however the only shootout goal shown is Eric Roy's game winner.  https://youtu.be/xnHHQcgj_bc

-  I don't pretend to know all that transpired during this road trip regarding the decisions made by ownership as to all the of travel issues with the snow, ice and wind. What I do know is a big part of the success of the Allen Americans in the past has been it is a place players want to play and are treated well. Hockey players are a small fraternity and news travels fast when players feel they are not being treated well by ownership. It doesn't take long for news to travel around the hockey world if a team decides to make every decision based on lowest cost rather than what is fair and equitable. One can only hope ownership realizes how fragile the relationship between themselves and fans, players, sponsors, coaches, front office and the community is if they want to maintain the excellence this franchise is known for. There are just too many rumors floating around about how the players are being treated to be ignored.

- The juggernaut that is the Missouri Mavericks won again last night to improve their record to 21-3-0-1. The Mavericks are on pace to break the ECHL all time record for winning percentage in a seson which was set in 2001-02 by the Louisiana Ice Gators at .806. Missouri's win percentage is currently .860.

- The only teams in the Western Conference with more points than Allen (33) are Utah (34) and Missouri (43).

- After a slow start in the penalty department at the beginning of the season the Americans are now in familiar territory ranked #2 in the ECHL in penalty minutes per game at 19.37. They trail only Colorado who averages 21.32 penalty minutes per game. Incidentally, the least penalized team in the league is also the best team in the league. The Missouri Mavericks are averaging just 9.28 penalty minutes per game. For the season Allen has 523 penalty minutes compared to Missouri with 232.

- As a group the Central Division is holding its own against teams outside of the division. They are 11-4 against Midwest Division teams led by Missouri who is 8-0. Against the West Division the Central Division is 16-14-1-0 led by Allen who is 10-5-1-0.

DID YOU KNOW: In the odd stat category the Norfolk Admirals beat the Adirondack Thunder last night by a score of 2-1 in a game where there were no penalties called on either team. It was just the fifth time in ECHL history there has been a game with no penalties.

Road Trip Goes From Bad To Worse For Allen, Lose 6-3 to Idaho, Chance For Redemption Tonight

The frustrating road trip continued for the Allen Americans last night losing to the Idaho Steelheads 6-3 before a crowd of 4078 at CenturyLink Arena. After spending the better part of two days just to make it to Boise (they ended up getting off the bus and flying) just in time for the game, the Americans came out flying in the first period. They out shot Idaho 15-5 and killed off a five minute major penalty (Justin Courtnall got a game misconduct for boarding) but all the Americans got for their effort was a 1-1 tie after the first period. Allen had leads of 2-1 early in the second period and 3-2 early in the third period but couldn't hold them. The roof fell on Allen in the third period as Idaho scored four unanswered goals including an empty net goal to make the final score 6-3.

- All three Allen goals were scored on the power play as they went 3-4. Goal scorers for the Americans were Ian Schultz (4), Tristan King (6) and Eric Roy (6).

- The teams meet again tonight (8:05 CST) and it is obviously important for Allen to salvage two points for the three game road trip that is already one of the worst in team history both in terms of weather and game results. The one good thing about losing the front end of a back to back is you don't have to wait long to do something about the loss.

- Allen has now lost their last three games while Idaho is riding a four game win streak.

- The six goals given up by Allen last night was the fourth time in 26 games they have allowed at least six goals. Last season they gave up six or more goals just four times in 72 games.

- Chad Costello had two assists in the game to increase his league leading points total to 37. Chad has 12 points (4 goals 8 assists) in the last five games. He now leads the ECHL scoring race by eight points.

- Eric Roy had a goal and an assist in the game as he continues to move up the scoring ladder. His 19 points (6 goals 13 assists) make him the second leading scorer on the Americans. He is fourth in scoring among ECHL defensemen and is the top scoring rookie defenseman in the league.

- A couple of the most striking stats when you compare last season to this season is goal differential and plus/minus. Last season Allen scored 89 more goals than they allowed. After 26 games this season they have scored just two more goals than they have allowed. Last season the Americans had a team plus/minus of +291. After 26 games this year they are -24.

- Despite their inconsistent play and three game losing streak Allen still has the fourth best winning percentage (.596) in the Western Conference.

- If you didn't have a chance to watch the game you can see the highlights by visiting the ECHL website (echl.com) and going to the "ECHL Rewind" section. All three Allen power play goals were excellent passing plays with some great finishes.


OTHER COMMENTS

- Don't look for any roster changes over the next week as the Christmas waiver/trade freeze went into effect last night at 5:00 pm EST. The freeze ends on the 26th at noon. Doesn't mean coach Martinson won't be working the phones but any transactions regarding waivers or trades will have to wait until after Christmas.

- In other Central Division action last night Wichita beat Tulsa 3-2 in overtime and Missouri beat Cincinnati 5-2. Here are the standings:
41 points - Missouri
31 points - Allen
23 points - Tulsa
15 points - Wichita

- The Central Division represents the best and the worst of the ECHL when it comes to points. Missouri leads the league with 41 points and Wichita has the fewest points in the league with 15.

- The San Jose Barracuda (AHL) lost 3-2 in overtime last night to the San Diego Gulls. Greger Hanson played but did not factor in the scoring. Daniel Doremus is currently out with an injury.

DID YOU KNOW: In the odd stat category, Allen fan favorite Spencer Asuchak, who now plays for the Chicago Wolves (AHL) has struggled scoring goals this year. Spencer has light the lamp in only one of the 20 games he has played for the Wolves. But in that one game he scored three goals and was named the games #1 star.

The Road Trip From Hell Continues, Will Allen Make It To Idaho And A Game Preview

Ownership's response to the team!

The road trip from hell continues for the Allen Americans as they have still not made it to Boise, Idaho where they are scheduled to play the Steelheads tonight. They have pretty much been in travel mode ever since Tuesday night when they left Allen for Colorado. A seven hour delay in that trip because of a snow storm was just the beginning of the problems. After losing 4-1 to Colorado Wednesday night the team attempted to head to Boise but had to turn around after just 30 minutes because of impassable roads. Another attempt Thursday afternoon got them as far as Cheyenne, Wyoming which sounds like a long way but in fact is less than 60 miles from Loveland where the Eagles play. The Interstate was closed west of Cheyenne so the team spent the rest of the day in a parking lot in Cheyenne. A check of the weather this morning shows parts of the Interstate are still closed. I haven't heard from the team since last night but the most likely scenario was a return to the Denver area and then flying to Boise today, however, nothing had been decided. It has to be a bored, frustrated, angry, beat down group of guys on that bus. When you own a bus like the Americans do, it is hardly ever cost beneficial to fly but if you don't own a bus, flying is a reasonable option on trips like the one to Colorado and Idaho. The bus is on its last legs as it is over 20 years old and has traveled about two million miles. The best thing to happen for the players would be to have the bus die permanently!

This is for Tommy Daniels but I am sure it is how the team feels right now

Assuming the team makes it to Boise today there is a game to be played. Let's hope the Americans are a group of pissed off guys ready to hit someone after a frustrating couple of days with nothing to do. Here is a preview:

- The Americans play Idaho four times this season (2 home 2 away) and all four games happen to  take place in a ten day period. They played twice in Allen last week with the Americans winning 4-0 on Wednesday and the Steelheads winning on Sunday 3-2 in overtime. The games tonight and tomorrow night are the last Allen will see Idaho in the regular season.

- Here is a comparison between Allen and Idaho:

                                     ALLEN                              IDAHO

Team Record             15-9-1-0 (31 points)              10-14-4-0 (24 points)
Division Ranking         2nd - Central                        4th -West
Conference Ranking   4th - Western                       8th - Western
League Ranking         7th                                         15th
Home Record             7-3-1-0                                   3-5-2-0
Road Record              8-6-0-0                                   7-9-2-0
Last Game                  4-1 L (Colorado)                    8-5 W (Utah)
Goals For                    77                                          75
Goals Against             72                                           89
Power Play                 19.0% (20/105)                       14.5% (17/117)
Penalty Kill                  84.4% (15/96)                        84.5% (17/110)
Most PIM's                  Stevenson (62)                      Carrol (71)
Leading Scorer           Costello  (10-25-35)               Beck (9-14-23)


-  Here is how Allen and Idaho rank in the ECHL in some statistical categories:

Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 3rd (18.12) - Idaho 17th (15.68)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 9th (3.08) - Idaho 22nd (2.68)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 13th (2.88) - Idaho 20th (3.88)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 25th (27.32) - Idaho 14th (30.36)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 20th (30.76) - Idaho 8th (27.93)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 12th (19.0%) - Idaho 24th (14.5%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 12th (84.4%) - Idaho 10th (84.5%)

-  In the two games in Allen, Idaho was 1-7 on the power play while the Americans were 2-6 on the power play. The team that scored first won both games. More proof that scoring the first goal and winning the special teams battle are two big keys to victory.

 - With all of the travel problems the team is definitely out of their routine and it is difficult to predict the physical as well as the mental impact of the last couple of days. Idaho seems to be on the upswing having won three games in a row for the first time all season. They played a strong Utah team at home on Wednesday in a wild game that saw the Steelheads get down 4-0 in the first period and then score eight straight goals on their way to an 8-5 victory.

- Idaho will be without Cole Ully, who was their leading scorer in the two games in Allen and had the overtime game winning goal on Sunday. He was recalled by the Texas Stars (AHL).

- Allen has lost their last two games and if they lose tonight it would be their longest losing streak of the season. 

- Riley Gill will be in goal for Allen and if things go as planned David Makowski should be back in the the line up for the Americans.

OTHER COMMENTS

- ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna was in Idaho on Wednesday and did an interview after the game. Here is what he had to say:   ow.ly/W2Ior
 
- Worcester is one step closer to getting an ECHL franchise after the AHL Worcester Sharks left for San Jose this season. Here is part of a story written by Bill Ballou from the Worcester Telegram & Gazzette that provides some details of what might transpire:

WORCESTER — The city is one step, and 22 months away, from returning to the world of professional hockey.

According to North Shore businessman Cliff Rucker, who is seeking to place an ECHL expansion team here, he and SMG, which manages the DCU Center, signed a five-year lease this afternoon, with an option for an additional five more years, that would begin with the start of the 2017-18 hockey season.

The lease is subject to Rucker getting league approval for the new team, and that won’t come until next year. The ECHL will meet in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Feb. 4 to listen to his proposal and decide whether or not to accept it.

“An entrepreneur always assumes a positive outcome,” said Rucker, “and assuming a positive outcome at the meeting, I’ll make a public announcement within three to four weeks after that.

“If I wanted to drop a puck for the 2016-17 season, that would give me three or four months to hire staff and start to generate revenue. I made a determination, along with the ECHL —their best practices say you need 12 months from the time of approval until you drop a puck, and while they don’t mandate it, if I’m trying to get approval and I’m going against their best practices, that’s probably not a great idea.

“Best practices aside, I didn’t want to show up here and immediately try to start selling tickets, start selling sponsorships. I don’t want to just do this, I want to do it right. I’m in it for the long haul. So I felt I’m going to need about a year to staff up, and integrate into the community.”

- Former Allen defenseman, Nolan Descoteaux, who is from the Dallas area, was released yesterday by the Atlanta Gladiators.


DID YOU KNOW: Chionophobia is the extreme dislike or fear of ice and snow. The word originates from Greek "chion" which means snow.