The Allen Americans start one of those brutal three games in three days tonight as they take on the Indy Fuel at the Allen Event Center (AEC). Allen then plays Rapid City on Saturday and Sunday. Three games in three days sounds bad enough but with the 4:05 pm start on Sunday it will actually be three games in less than 48 hours. Cruel and unusually punishment indeed. At least the Americans spend the entire weekend at home while their opponent (Rapid City) also plays three in three but has some travel thrown in for good measure. The Rush played in Wichita on Wednesday, play in Tulsa tonight and then have to travel to Allen for the games on Saturday and Sunday. It may very well come down to the survival of the fittest.
- It is important to take one game at a time and the game at hand is tonight against the Indy Fuel. it will be the fifth of six games against Indy this season. They will play a final time in Indy on March 12.
- Allen has swept the first four meetings with Indy but it hasn't been easy considering Allen is a first place team and Indy is a last place team. The combined stats for the first four games show Allen with a 4-0 record. The Americans have scored first in all four games, outscored Indy 21-14 but the shots on goal are almost even at 133-132. Allen is 3-9 (33.3%) on the power play while the Fuel are 3-14 (21.4%) on the power play. There have not been a lot of penalties called in the first four games averaging less than 10 penalties and 25 minutes per game.
- Allen has continued to win but has not played as well over the last six weeks as they did in December and the big difference is on defense. The average goals
allowed over the 14 games in December was 2.07. That included four
shutouts and three games where Allen allowed only one goal. Since the beginning of January (18 games) Allen has given up an average of 3.56 goals per game and allowed three or more goals in 14 of the 18 games. There were no shutouts and the Americans held their opponent to one goal just once. Coach Martinson always talks about the importance of winning games rather than scoring points and the players have to buy into that concept. There will definitely be an emphasis on defensive in the pregame talk tonight.
- There is little doubt Allen is a better team than Indy as indicated by their records. Allen's record is 33-16-2-2 while Indy has a record of 14-32-2-2. If you look at the updated stats below Allen is better in each and every category. All the Americans need to do tonight to win is play their game, be aggressive but don't cheat. A dedication to defense will go a long way to an Allen victory. If the Americans want to make another deep run in the playoffs they need to play better against last place teams like Indy and Rapid City.
- Here is how Allen and Indy rank in the ECHL in some statistical categories:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (20.75) - Indy 22nd (11.86)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 2nd (3.99) - Indy 26th (2.52)
Goals Allowed per Game: Allen 6th (3.00) - Indy 25th (3.92)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 15th (31.87) - Indy 23rd (29.76)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 22nd (34.62) - Indy 27th (36.28)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 7th (21.9%) - Indy 22nd (14.1%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 13th (83.4%) - Indy 15th (82.1%)
- Just a reminder of the importance of scoring first and not getting behind in the game. Allen is 25-2-1-1 when scoring first. For Indy 11 of their 14 wins this season have come when they scored the first goal of the game. Allen is 11-0-0-0 when tied after the first period and 19-2-1-1 when leading after the first period. When trailing after the first period Allen is 3-14-1-1 and Indy is 2-21-0-1. You could almost go home after the first period and be guaranteed of the outcome.
- If you are looking for who will create the offense tonight it is the usual suspects. In the four previous games against Indy, Chad Costello has 11 points (3 goals 8 assists), Spencer Asuchak has six points (4 goals 2 assists) and Greger Hanson has six points (2 goals 4 assists). The line of Bryan Moore, Zach Hall and Gary Steffes was just reunited after a Hall injury and they could have a big night tonight. Moore has six points and Hall five points in the three games they have played against the Fuel.
- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Kenny Anderson (#16) and linesmen Lucas Bisbee (#72) and Brian Bull (#95).
- Here is the Indy Fuel take on the rematch with Allen tonight: https://www.indyfuelhockey.com/fuel-aim-to-snap-skid-in-rematch-with-americans
OTHER COMMENTS
- Florida is one of the few teams that is idle tonight as 24 of the 27 ECHL teams will be in action. With Florida not playing Allen can be assured of being the #1 team in the ECHL in points if they can beat Indy. With a win Allen will have 72 points and pass Florida who has 71 points.
- There are some interesting Mountain Division matchups this weekend that will impact the standings. Colorado is in Alaska for three games and Idaho plays three games in Utah. Here are the current Mountain Division standings.
70 points - Allen
68 points - Colorado
59 points - Idaho
57 points - Alaska
54 points - Utah
53 points - Missouri
40 points - Rapid City
- If you track social media you may have seen some stories about one of the owners of the Allen Americans being the subject of a federal inquiry into high stakes poker and his efforts to open a casino in Kansas. I am not going to post the stories because this is just an inquiry at this time and nobody has been indicted. If you are interested the local paper (Wichita Eagle - kansas.com ) has been covering this story indepth. What I will say is something I have said many times in the past and that is the current owners need to sell the Allen Americans to an ownership group that cares about the franchise, the coach, the players, the employees, the fans and the community. That is not the case today.
DID YOU KNOW: I was asked at the game on Wednesday about the Americans plus/minus statistic. This is another stat that got turned around with the great month of December. As a reminder at the beginning of December Allen had a team plus/minus of -27 which
was one of the poorer numbers in the league. During December Allen had
just two minus games (-1 & -3) and 12 plus games including a +29
and +24. For the entire month (14 games) the Americans plus/minus total
was an astounding +161. Here are the current top five ECHL teams in plus/minus:
+208 - Florida
+184 - Allen
+177 - Reading
+132 - Fort Wayne
+129 - Toledo
Friday, February 17, 2017
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Allen Wins 3-2, Coach's Corner With Steve Martinson, Ticket Winners, Photos & More
Steve Martinson described it best when he said the 3-2 victory over Indy last night was a win that felt like a loss. More on that in Coach's Corner below. The Allen Americans used some timely scoring to defeat the Indy Fuel 3-2 before an announced crowd of 3510 at the Allen Event Center. It was the eighth straight loss for Indy who are in last place in the Central Division and the fourth straight win for Allen who occupy first place in the Mountain Division.
- It was timely scoring indeed for the Americans as Spencer Asuchak scored his 21st goal of the season with 14 seconds remaining in the first period. Allen has played Indy four times this season, scored the first goal in all four games and won all four games. Allen got their second goal 55 seconds into the second period as Zach Hall, playing in his first game since January 20, scored his seventh goal of the season. The Americans took a 3-0 lead when Greger Hanson scored his 29th goal of the season just 26 seconds into the third period. It was a power play goal and for Greger it was his league leading 12th power play goal of the season.
- It looked like Riley Gill was headed for his league leading sixth shutout of the season until defensive lapses allowed Indy two goals late in the third period. Indy out shot Allen 10-4 in the period and had a chance to tie the score after they pulled their goalie. The Americans hung on for the 3-2 win.
- Here is the Indy Fuel take on the game: https://www.indyfuelhockey.com/fuel-stage-late-push-drop-game-one-in-allen
- Here is the Allen press release on the game which includes a quote from the #1 star, Greger Hanson: https://allenamericans.com/americans-hold-on-for-3-2-win-over-indy/
- The highlight package is posted on ECHL Rewind and includes all five goals. Notice the great passes that led to all three Allen goals. Costello to Asuchak on the first goal, Moore to Hall on the second and Costello to Hanson on the third. Also notice on the Indy goals how Gill is left unprotected with several Fuel players wide open in front of the net. http://www.echl.com/
- The teams have the day off today (the Americans will have an optional skate) and resume play again on Friday night.
COACH'S CORNER
- Here is the pregame interview with Tom Manning and coach Martinson:
- Here are Steve Martinson's post game comments:
- I know we won but I feel like we lost. Gill was in great position to get a shutout and apparently that wasn't on the mind of the three forwards that were on the ice. That is some of the worse defensive play you will see.
- We made so many defensive mistakes until Indy finally had a wide open net. Then on the power play goal they had us three on one in front of the net.
- We talked between periods about getting a power play goal on the five-on-three to start the third and then holding them to six shots. We got the power play goal but the idea of holding them to six shots went out the window. I don't think everyone bought into that.
- I will show the video of the last couple of plays to everyone on the team tomorrow. If we want to beat the good teams we can't play bad defensively like we did tonight.
- I will go through the tape and count but we had way to many turnovers at the blue line. Veteran guys did it and young guys did it. We had way too many weak plays at the blue line.
- We have guys cheating trying to get behind their defensmen and you don't have to do that. Our line rushes through the neutral zone weren't very good and we had a lot of offsides.
- I don't think we had enough guys going to the net tonight. I don't think we had good center drive. Several times the puck was going to the net and we had guys go behind the net.
- I thought Stevenson did a great job playing defense. The last five minutes I moved him up to forward because it seemed like we had forwards that didn't care about getting scored on. He did a great job playing defense, creating some offense and making some plays on the breakout.
- Josh Brittain is being loaned to the Chicago Wolves (AHL) this weekend as they play two games against Texas.
OTHER COMMENTS
- With the win last night Allen now has 70 points and is alone atop the Mountain Division and Western Conference. Florida beat Orlando in overtime last night and is the only team in the league with more points than the Americans. Florida has 71 points.
- Allen is in good shape when you look at points but that is a bit misleading because the Americans have played more games (53) than any other team in the league. If you look at winning percentage Allen is fifth in the ECHL at .660.
- Chad Costello had two more assists last night and now has 97 points (28 goals 69 assists) and a 35 point lead in the ECHL scoring race. Chad has at least two points in nine straight games. In the last nine games he is averaging 2.67 points per game.
- Greger Hanson had a goal and an assist last night to extend his point scoring streak to seven games. In those seven games Hanson is averaging 2.14 points per game. He is now second in the ECHL scoring race with 62 points (28 goals 33 assists).
- Congrats to Gerald Bates, Adam Leavitt, Justin Wagner, Rebecca Lowrey and Jeff Colvin who all won tickets for Allen games this weekend. If you didn't win keep entering the drawings as there will be plenty more free tickets in the future. A special thanks to season ticket holder Rich Brown and the Heritage Ranch fan club for donating tickets for the drawing.
PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Here are a few of my favorite photos from the game last night courtesy of Dianne Webster:
DID YOU KNOW: The best way to look at ECHL standings is to look at winning percentage because of the varying number of games played by each team. Allen and Tulsa have played 53 games while Wichita has played only 46. Here are the top ten teams in the ECHL by winning percentage:
.755 - Florida
.719 - Toledo
.680 - Colorado
.673 - Manchester
.660 - Allen
.635 - Fort Wayne
.625 - Adirondack
.622 - Reading
.615 - Brampton
.612 - Quad City
- It was timely scoring indeed for the Americans as Spencer Asuchak scored his 21st goal of the season with 14 seconds remaining in the first period. Allen has played Indy four times this season, scored the first goal in all four games and won all four games. Allen got their second goal 55 seconds into the second period as Zach Hall, playing in his first game since January 20, scored his seventh goal of the season. The Americans took a 3-0 lead when Greger Hanson scored his 29th goal of the season just 26 seconds into the third period. It was a power play goal and for Greger it was his league leading 12th power play goal of the season.
- It looked like Riley Gill was headed for his league leading sixth shutout of the season until defensive lapses allowed Indy two goals late in the third period. Indy out shot Allen 10-4 in the period and had a chance to tie the score after they pulled their goalie. The Americans hung on for the 3-2 win.
- Here is the Indy Fuel take on the game: https://www.indyfuelhockey.com/fuel-stage-late-push-drop-game-one-in-allen
- Here is the Allen press release on the game which includes a quote from the #1 star, Greger Hanson: https://allenamericans.com/americans-hold-on-for-3-2-win-over-indy/
- The highlight package is posted on ECHL Rewind and includes all five goals. Notice the great passes that led to all three Allen goals. Costello to Asuchak on the first goal, Moore to Hall on the second and Costello to Hanson on the third. Also notice on the Indy goals how Gill is left unprotected with several Fuel players wide open in front of the net. http://www.echl.com/
- The teams have the day off today (the Americans will have an optional skate) and resume play again on Friday night.
COACH'S CORNER
- Here is the pregame interview with Tom Manning and coach Martinson:
- Here are Steve Martinson's post game comments:
- I know we won but I feel like we lost. Gill was in great position to get a shutout and apparently that wasn't on the mind of the three forwards that were on the ice. That is some of the worse defensive play you will see.
- We made so many defensive mistakes until Indy finally had a wide open net. Then on the power play goal they had us three on one in front of the net.
- We talked between periods about getting a power play goal on the five-on-three to start the third and then holding them to six shots. We got the power play goal but the idea of holding them to six shots went out the window. I don't think everyone bought into that.
- I will show the video of the last couple of plays to everyone on the team tomorrow. If we want to beat the good teams we can't play bad defensively like we did tonight.
- I will go through the tape and count but we had way to many turnovers at the blue line. Veteran guys did it and young guys did it. We had way too many weak plays at the blue line.
- We have guys cheating trying to get behind their defensmen and you don't have to do that. Our line rushes through the neutral zone weren't very good and we had a lot of offsides.
- I don't think we had enough guys going to the net tonight. I don't think we had good center drive. Several times the puck was going to the net and we had guys go behind the net.
- I thought Stevenson did a great job playing defense. The last five minutes I moved him up to forward because it seemed like we had forwards that didn't care about getting scored on. He did a great job playing defense, creating some offense and making some plays on the breakout.
- Josh Brittain is being loaned to the Chicago Wolves (AHL) this weekend as they play two games against Texas.
OTHER COMMENTS
- With the win last night Allen now has 70 points and is alone atop the Mountain Division and Western Conference. Florida beat Orlando in overtime last night and is the only team in the league with more points than the Americans. Florida has 71 points.
- Allen is in good shape when you look at points but that is a bit misleading because the Americans have played more games (53) than any other team in the league. If you look at winning percentage Allen is fifth in the ECHL at .660.
- Chad Costello had two more assists last night and now has 97 points (28 goals 69 assists) and a 35 point lead in the ECHL scoring race. Chad has at least two points in nine straight games. In the last nine games he is averaging 2.67 points per game.
- Greger Hanson had a goal and an assist last night to extend his point scoring streak to seven games. In those seven games Hanson is averaging 2.14 points per game. He is now second in the ECHL scoring race with 62 points (28 goals 33 assists).
- Congrats to Gerald Bates, Adam Leavitt, Justin Wagner, Rebecca Lowrey and Jeff Colvin who all won tickets for Allen games this weekend. If you didn't win keep entering the drawings as there will be plenty more free tickets in the future. A special thanks to season ticket holder Rich Brown and the Heritage Ranch fan club for donating tickets for the drawing.
PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Here are a few of my favorite photos from the game last night courtesy of Dianne Webster:
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| Let's get this party started |
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| Zach Hall scores in first game back in a month |
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| Defenseman Dyson Stevenson clears the puck |
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| The "Swedish Sniper" puts it in the back of the net on one knee |
DID YOU KNOW: The best way to look at ECHL standings is to look at winning percentage because of the varying number of games played by each team. Allen and Tulsa have played 53 games while Wichita has played only 46. Here are the top ten teams in the ECHL by winning percentage:
.755 - Florida
.719 - Toledo
.680 - Colorado
.673 - Manchester
.660 - Allen
.635 - Fort Wayne
.625 - Adirondack
.622 - Reading
.615 - Brampton
.612 - Quad City
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Allen vs Indy Preview, Suspensions Announced, Free Tickets, Allen Could be #1 Tonight
Eight points are on the line as the Allen Americans start a four games in five days homestand tonight. Capturing all eight points is critical if Allen wants to stay in the race for the best record in the ECHL. The Americans play Indy tonight and Friday followed by Rapid City on Saturday and Sunday. Indy is in last place in the Central Division and is 0-6-1-0 in their last seven games. Rapid City is in last place in the Mountain Division and is 0-4-1-0 in their last five games. On paper Allen is clearly the better team but many times the Americans have struggled against weaker teams.
- The game tonight will be number four of six games Allen will play against Indy. Allen has won the first three outscoring Indy 18-12. The first time these teams played was at Indy back in October. Spencer Asuchak scored with 47 seconds remaining in the game to send it to overtime and then Chad Costello scored 38 seconds into the overtime as Allen won 7-6. Game two was in Allen on January 7 and the Americans won the game 6-3. That was the game Indy defensemen Chris Williams fought Dyson Stevenson and hit him with what some thought was a cheap shot while Dyson was down. The teams played again the next night and Allen won the game 5-3 and Derek Mathers called Williams to task for his fight with Dyson.
- Past history may certainly play a part in the game tonight. Allen's style is physical play, finishing checks and they need to play that way to be successful. If they have to back up their physical play by dropping the gloves that is fine too.
- With the current roster, two players will have to sit out tonight. Coach Martinson put Randy Cure and Derek Mathers on reserve yesterday so you can assume they will be the players sitting out. That would mean Zach Hall and Dyson Stevenson will play and there will be 11 forwards and five defensemen in the lineup tonight. Things could change after pre-game skate so the actual line up won't be known until warmups.
- Coach Martinson has mentioned numerous times recently the importance of getting more balanced scoring from the three lines. Allen played their best offensive hockey of the season when Zach Hall was playing with Bryan Moore and Gary Steffes. The top line has been carrying the team recently and having Hall back in the lineup should help spread out the offense. Here is a stat that demonstrates what coach Martinson is talking about. Over the last nine games Costello, Hanson and Asuchak have a total of 48 points. All of the rest of the forwards combined have 43 points.
- Here are some stats comparing Allen and Indy:
ALLEN INDY
Team Record 32-16-2-2 (68 points) 14-31-2-2 (32 points)
Division Ranking 2nd - Mountain 7th - Central
Conference Ranking 2nd - Western 14th - Western
League Ranking 3rd 26th
Last Game 6-5 Win (Rapid City) 7-4 Loss (Brampton)
Goals For 205 124
Goals Against 157 193
Power Play 21.6% (50/231) 13.6% (18/132)
Penalty Kill 83.6% (41/250) 82.5% (28/160)
Most PIM Mathers (212) Williams (113)
Leading Scorers: Costello (28-67-95) Shalla (22-19-41)
Hanson (28-32-60) Wideman (17-22-39)
- Here is how Allen and Indy rank in the ECHL in some statistical categories:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (21.04) - Indy 21st (12.02)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 2nd (3.94) - Indy 26th (2.53)
Goals Allowed per Game: Allen 7th (3.02) - Indy 27th (3.94)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 15th (31.96) - Indy 23rd (29.82)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 24th (34.77) - Indy 27th (36.47)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 7th (21.6%) - Indy 22nd (13.6%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 12th (83.6%) - Indy 14th (82.5%)
- What is obvious from the stats above is Allen is a much better team than Indy. The Americans are ranked higher in every stat and don't forget the Americans have been much better than their stats over the last couple of months. Maybe the most telling stat is goal differential. Allen has scored 205 goals and allowed 157 for a goal differential of +48. Indy has scored 124 goals and allowed 193 for a goal differential of -69. All Allen needs to do to win the game tonight is play their game. The team needs to remember it is more important to win the game than to score. Be aggressive but don't gamble and set up odd man rushes. Finish checks but avoid the stick penalties. Make Indy pay if they take penalties with what is a very potent power play. If you can't make a play don't turn the puck over in the neutral zone, dump it in and forecheck.
- Allen has one of the highest shooting percentages in the ECHL as they score on 12.3% of their shots. Indy has one of the lowest shooting percentages in the ECHL at 8.4%.
- Here is the game preview issued by the Indy Fuel: https://www.indyfuelhockey.com/indy-kicks-off-road-trip-wednesday-in-allen
- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Mike Sheehan (#11) and linesmen Chase Wilkinson (#68) and Aaron Schacht (#31). Sheehan was the referee when Allen played Indy at home twice in January. He typically lets the players play but will take control of the game when necessary.
OTHER COMMENTS
- The ECHL has announced the suspensions for Dyson Stevenson and Rapid City's Triston Grant based on the incident that took place in a game against the Rush last Friday. Dyson received two additional games (three total) but he will serve his two game suspension on Saturday and Sunday when Rapid visits the Allen Event Center. The ECHL uses this deferred suspension periodically as a way to reduce the liklihood of additional problems. Triston Grant got suspended 12 additional games (13 total) and won't be eligible to play until March 15. Here is the press release issued by the ECHL: http://www.echl.com/echl-announces-suspensions
- Harrison Ruopp was a healthy scratch last night for the third straight game since since being loaned to the San Jose Barracuda. The Barracuda are in first place in their division (Pacific) and have won nine straight games. Their next game is Friday night. If he isn't going to play it would be best for Harrison to return to Allen.
- Toledo and Colorado are idle tonight so if the Americans win they will be all alone on top of the Mountain Division standings and Western Conference standings with 70 points. Florida is in action tonight at home against Orlando. If Florida loses in regulation and Allen wins the Americans will have the most points in the entire league.
- Kyle Neuber was at practice yesterday in full gear though he was wearing the "no contact" yellow/gold color. Here is a photo of Kyle working with skating coach Luke Chilcott. My understanding is this is all part of Neuber's rehabilitation but he is still a ways away from being ready to play.
- It is not too late to get your name in the drawing for free tickets. I have several pairs of tickets for the three games this weekend (Friday, Saturday & Sunday). I will have a drawing for the tickets this afternoon, notify the winners and leave the tickets at will call. If you are interested let me know via Twitter, Facebook, the Blog, text, in person or by email (janssenfamily@msn.com). All I need is your name and which games you are interested in. You can choose one, two or all three games. Even if you already have tickets to the game you can enter the drawing and give the tickets to someone that has never attended an Allen game or someone that can't afford to go to a game. The tickets are in Section 100 which is at the end of the rink where Allen is on offense twice. I will list winners in the blog tomorrow (Thursday) morning. Good luck!
- Here is another great story about Aaron and Kelly Dell: https://seamoresports.com/2017/02/14/a-hockey-love-story-aaron-and-kelly-dell/
DID YOU KNOW: - Today (February 15) is one of the critical dates for the ECHL as it is the last day to sign players from overseas. If there are any players that wish to come back to the ECHL it will have to be done by 3:00 pm EST today. For those of you wishing to see players for which Allen holds their rights like Alex Lavoie, Rylan Schwartz and Ian Schultz or even free agent Jack Combs return to Allen you can stop wishing in a few hours as the deadline passes at 2:00 pm Allen time.
- The game tonight will be number four of six games Allen will play against Indy. Allen has won the first three outscoring Indy 18-12. The first time these teams played was at Indy back in October. Spencer Asuchak scored with 47 seconds remaining in the game to send it to overtime and then Chad Costello scored 38 seconds into the overtime as Allen won 7-6. Game two was in Allen on January 7 and the Americans won the game 6-3. That was the game Indy defensemen Chris Williams fought Dyson Stevenson and hit him with what some thought was a cheap shot while Dyson was down. The teams played again the next night and Allen won the game 5-3 and Derek Mathers called Williams to task for his fight with Dyson.
- Past history may certainly play a part in the game tonight. Allen's style is physical play, finishing checks and they need to play that way to be successful. If they have to back up their physical play by dropping the gloves that is fine too.
- With the current roster, two players will have to sit out tonight. Coach Martinson put Randy Cure and Derek Mathers on reserve yesterday so you can assume they will be the players sitting out. That would mean Zach Hall and Dyson Stevenson will play and there will be 11 forwards and five defensemen in the lineup tonight. Things could change after pre-game skate so the actual line up won't be known until warmups.
- Coach Martinson has mentioned numerous times recently the importance of getting more balanced scoring from the three lines. Allen played their best offensive hockey of the season when Zach Hall was playing with Bryan Moore and Gary Steffes. The top line has been carrying the team recently and having Hall back in the lineup should help spread out the offense. Here is a stat that demonstrates what coach Martinson is talking about. Over the last nine games Costello, Hanson and Asuchak have a total of 48 points. All of the rest of the forwards combined have 43 points.
- Here are some stats comparing Allen and Indy:
ALLEN INDY
Team Record 32-16-2-2 (68 points) 14-31-2-2 (32 points)
Division Ranking 2nd - Mountain 7th - Central
Conference Ranking 2nd - Western 14th - Western
League Ranking 3rd 26th
Last Game 6-5 Win (Rapid City) 7-4 Loss (Brampton)
Goals For 205 124
Goals Against 157 193
Power Play 21.6% (50/231) 13.6% (18/132)
Penalty Kill 83.6% (41/250) 82.5% (28/160)
Most PIM Mathers (212) Williams (113)
Leading Scorers: Costello (28-67-95) Shalla (22-19-41)
Hanson (28-32-60) Wideman (17-22-39)
- Here is how Allen and Indy rank in the ECHL in some statistical categories:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (21.04) - Indy 21st (12.02)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 2nd (3.94) - Indy 26th (2.53)
Goals Allowed per Game: Allen 7th (3.02) - Indy 27th (3.94)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 15th (31.96) - Indy 23rd (29.82)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 24th (34.77) - Indy 27th (36.47)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 7th (21.6%) - Indy 22nd (13.6%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 12th (83.6%) - Indy 14th (82.5%)
- What is obvious from the stats above is Allen is a much better team than Indy. The Americans are ranked higher in every stat and don't forget the Americans have been much better than their stats over the last couple of months. Maybe the most telling stat is goal differential. Allen has scored 205 goals and allowed 157 for a goal differential of +48. Indy has scored 124 goals and allowed 193 for a goal differential of -69. All Allen needs to do to win the game tonight is play their game. The team needs to remember it is more important to win the game than to score. Be aggressive but don't gamble and set up odd man rushes. Finish checks but avoid the stick penalties. Make Indy pay if they take penalties with what is a very potent power play. If you can't make a play don't turn the puck over in the neutral zone, dump it in and forecheck.
- Allen has one of the highest shooting percentages in the ECHL as they score on 12.3% of their shots. Indy has one of the lowest shooting percentages in the ECHL at 8.4%.
- Here is the game preview issued by the Indy Fuel: https://www.indyfuelhockey.com/indy-kicks-off-road-trip-wednesday-in-allen
- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Mike Sheehan (#11) and linesmen Chase Wilkinson (#68) and Aaron Schacht (#31). Sheehan was the referee when Allen played Indy at home twice in January. He typically lets the players play but will take control of the game when necessary.
OTHER COMMENTS
- The ECHL has announced the suspensions for Dyson Stevenson and Rapid City's Triston Grant based on the incident that took place in a game against the Rush last Friday. Dyson received two additional games (three total) but he will serve his two game suspension on Saturday and Sunday when Rapid visits the Allen Event Center. The ECHL uses this deferred suspension periodically as a way to reduce the liklihood of additional problems. Triston Grant got suspended 12 additional games (13 total) and won't be eligible to play until March 15. Here is the press release issued by the ECHL: http://www.echl.com/echl-announces-suspensions
- Harrison Ruopp was a healthy scratch last night for the third straight game since since being loaned to the San Jose Barracuda. The Barracuda are in first place in their division (Pacific) and have won nine straight games. Their next game is Friday night. If he isn't going to play it would be best for Harrison to return to Allen.
- Toledo and Colorado are idle tonight so if the Americans win they will be all alone on top of the Mountain Division standings and Western Conference standings with 70 points. Florida is in action tonight at home against Orlando. If Florida loses in regulation and Allen wins the Americans will have the most points in the entire league.
- Kyle Neuber was at practice yesterday in full gear though he was wearing the "no contact" yellow/gold color. Here is a photo of Kyle working with skating coach Luke Chilcott. My understanding is this is all part of Neuber's rehabilitation but he is still a ways away from being ready to play.
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| Kyle Neuber working with Luke Chilcott - photo by Dianne Webster |
- It is not too late to get your name in the drawing for free tickets. I have several pairs of tickets for the three games this weekend (Friday, Saturday & Sunday). I will have a drawing for the tickets this afternoon, notify the winners and leave the tickets at will call. If you are interested let me know via Twitter, Facebook, the Blog, text, in person or by email (janssenfamily@msn.com). All I need is your name and which games you are interested in. You can choose one, two or all three games. Even if you already have tickets to the game you can enter the drawing and give the tickets to someone that has never attended an Allen game or someone that can't afford to go to a game. The tickets are in Section 100 which is at the end of the rink where Allen is on offense twice. I will list winners in the blog tomorrow (Thursday) morning. Good luck!
- Here is another great story about Aaron and Kelly Dell: https://seamoresports.com/2017/02/14/a-hockey-love-story-aaron-and-kelly-dell/
DID YOU KNOW: - Today (February 15) is one of the critical dates for the ECHL as it is the last day to sign players from overseas. If there are any players that wish to come back to the ECHL it will have to be done by 3:00 pm EST today. For those of you wishing to see players for which Allen holds their rights like Alex Lavoie, Rylan Schwartz and Ian Schultz or even free agent Jack Combs return to Allen you can stop wishing in a few hours as the deadline passes at 2:00 pm Allen time.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Practice & Roster Update, NHL Skating Coaches, Allen Players Tops in the ECHL, Toughest Division in the ECHL
The Allen Americans returned to the ice yesterday after the long trip home from Rapid City on Sunday. As practices go for the Americans you would have to put this one in the practice-lite category. Coach Martinson never took the ice as skating mechanics coach, Luke Chilcott, worked with the team and then there was the cross ice scrimmage that seems to be the most fun type of practice. Allen is fortunate to have Luke working with the team both as a group at the beginning of practice and with individual players who want to stay after practice to get one on one instruction. Luke is also working with the players in San Jose and is part of a growing group of former figure skating champions helping professional hockey players become better. You would think all players would embrace the idea of improving their skating but you can tell it is a hard sell for some.
- Here is an article from 2015 that talks about the evolution of NHL players and teams using figure skaters to teach pro hockey players how to skate better. Many of the coaches are female. http://www.espn.com/espnw/athletes-life/article/12316953/the-nhl-secret-weapon-women-figure-skaters-seriously
- Here is a video that talks about one of the best known power skating coaches in the NHL, Barbara Underhill. It is a few years old but I think you will find it interesting. There are not many teams in the ECHL that have the luxury of having a skating coach like Luke Chilcott. Another recruiting tool for coach Martinson.
- Zach Hall looks ready to go for Wednesday. He is eligible to come off the 21 day injured reserve list and will be in the lineup against Indy. It was good to see Dyson Stevenson practicing after being injured in Rapid City. That kid is as tough as nails. Dyson will most likely not be in the lineup on Wednesday as he is waiting to hear how many additional games he will be suspended. The ECHL should make that announcement today. Best case scenario is Stevenson just gets one more game.
- Kyle Neuber was also on the ice yesterday skating around in his warm-ups. Kyle was injured in the second game of the season and is back in Allen to continue his rehabilitation. Travis Brown and Aaron Gens are making progress but are still a ways away from getting back on the ice.
- Coach Martinson said at the beginning of the season that he was going to have more players on the roster this season than in the past because that will help improve the chances of winning a third straight Kelly Cup. He also said there will be times when everyone is healthy and good players will have to sit out. That will be the case during this homestand. With Zach Hall returning to the lineup on Wednesday someone will have to sit. If Stevenson is back on Friday two healthy scratches will be necessary and when Tanner Eberle returns in a couple of weeks there will be three extra forwards. All of this assumes there are no further injuries, call ups or trades and that is a bad assumption. The point being is there will most likely be times as the season winds down that the Americans will have too many players and good players will have to sit.
- It seems like the Americans have struggled over the last month even as they have continued to win. They had such a dominating month of December where they averaged close to five goals per game and allowed less then two. Compared to December the last six weeks seems like a struggle. However, it is important to keep things in perspective when you look at how Allen has played over the last two and a half months. As a reminder at the end of November Allen was 8-11 and in last place in the Mountian Division, 11th (out of 14) place in the Western Conference and 20th (out of 27) place leaguewide. Since that time the Americans have the best record in the league at 24-5-2-2. They are now tied for 1st in the division, 2nd in the conference and 3rd leaguewide.
- With the best record in the ECHL since the end of November several Allen players have shot up the leader board in many statistical categories. Here is a list of the stats where an Allen player is ranked #1 in the ECHL. Again, this is only those categories where the player leads the entire ECHL.
Chad Costello - Points (95)
Chad Costello - Assists (67)
Chad Costello - Power play points (38)
Chad Costello - Power play assists (29)
Chad Costello - Season streak for games with an assist (8)
Greger Hanson - Goals in a game (4)
Greger Hanson - Power play goals (11)
Greger Hanson - Most points in one game (5)
Greger Hanson - Scoring first goal of game (7)
Greger Hanson - Shootout goals (3)
Greger Hanson - Shootout percentage (100%)
Greger Hanson - highest plus/minus in single game (+5)
Spencer Asuchak - Power play goals (11)
Derek Mathers - Penalty minutes (212)
Derek Mathers - Major penalties (24)
David Makowski - Power play assists by defenseman (20)
David Makowski - Power play points by defenseman (23)
David Makowski - Current streak for games with an assist (6)
Eric Roy - Overtime Goals (3)
Bryan Moore - Consecutive games scoring a goal (6)
Bryan Moore - Season streak for games in a row with a goal at home (7)
Riley Gill - GAA (2.19)
Riley Gill - Save percentage (.936)
Riley Gill - Shutouts (5)
FREE TICKETS
- I have several pairs of tickets for the three games this weekend (Friday, Saturday & Sunday). I will have a drawing for the tickets tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon, notify the winners and leave the tickets at will call. If you are interested let me know via Twitter, Facebook, the Blog, text, in person or by email (janssenfamily@msn.com). All I need is your name and which games you are interested in. You can choose one or all three games. Even if you already have tickets to the game you can enter the drawing and give the tickets to someone that has never attended an Allen game or someone that can't afford to go to a game. The tickets are in Section 100 which is at the end of the rink where Allen is on offense twice. I will list winners in the blog Thursday morning. Good luck!
DID YOU KNOW: At the beginning of the season many thought the Mountain Division was the best division in the ECHL. There is little doubt it is the toughest division in the ECHL. Here are the average penalty minutes per team by division.
851 minutes - Mountain Division
718 minutes - Central Division
655 minutes - South Division
568 minutes - North Division
- Here is an article from 2015 that talks about the evolution of NHL players and teams using figure skaters to teach pro hockey players how to skate better. Many of the coaches are female. http://www.espn.com/espnw/athletes-life/article/12316953/the-nhl-secret-weapon-women-figure-skaters-seriously
- Here is a video that talks about one of the best known power skating coaches in the NHL, Barbara Underhill. It is a few years old but I think you will find it interesting. There are not many teams in the ECHL that have the luxury of having a skating coach like Luke Chilcott. Another recruiting tool for coach Martinson.
- Zach Hall looks ready to go for Wednesday. He is eligible to come off the 21 day injured reserve list and will be in the lineup against Indy. It was good to see Dyson Stevenson practicing after being injured in Rapid City. That kid is as tough as nails. Dyson will most likely not be in the lineup on Wednesday as he is waiting to hear how many additional games he will be suspended. The ECHL should make that announcement today. Best case scenario is Stevenson just gets one more game.
- Kyle Neuber was also on the ice yesterday skating around in his warm-ups. Kyle was injured in the second game of the season and is back in Allen to continue his rehabilitation. Travis Brown and Aaron Gens are making progress but are still a ways away from getting back on the ice.
- Coach Martinson said at the beginning of the season that he was going to have more players on the roster this season than in the past because that will help improve the chances of winning a third straight Kelly Cup. He also said there will be times when everyone is healthy and good players will have to sit out. That will be the case during this homestand. With Zach Hall returning to the lineup on Wednesday someone will have to sit. If Stevenson is back on Friday two healthy scratches will be necessary and when Tanner Eberle returns in a couple of weeks there will be three extra forwards. All of this assumes there are no further injuries, call ups or trades and that is a bad assumption. The point being is there will most likely be times as the season winds down that the Americans will have too many players and good players will have to sit.
- It seems like the Americans have struggled over the last month even as they have continued to win. They had such a dominating month of December where they averaged close to five goals per game and allowed less then two. Compared to December the last six weeks seems like a struggle. However, it is important to keep things in perspective when you look at how Allen has played over the last two and a half months. As a reminder at the end of November Allen was 8-11 and in last place in the Mountian Division, 11th (out of 14) place in the Western Conference and 20th (out of 27) place leaguewide. Since that time the Americans have the best record in the league at 24-5-2-2. They are now tied for 1st in the division, 2nd in the conference and 3rd leaguewide.
- With the best record in the ECHL since the end of November several Allen players have shot up the leader board in many statistical categories. Here is a list of the stats where an Allen player is ranked #1 in the ECHL. Again, this is only those categories where the player leads the entire ECHL.
Chad Costello - Points (95)
Chad Costello - Assists (67)
Chad Costello - Power play points (38)
Chad Costello - Power play assists (29)
Chad Costello - Season streak for games with an assist (8)
Greger Hanson - Goals in a game (4)
Greger Hanson - Power play goals (11)
Greger Hanson - Most points in one game (5)
Greger Hanson - Scoring first goal of game (7)
Greger Hanson - Shootout goals (3)
Greger Hanson - Shootout percentage (100%)
Greger Hanson - highest plus/minus in single game (+5)
Spencer Asuchak - Power play goals (11)
Derek Mathers - Penalty minutes (212)
Derek Mathers - Major penalties (24)
David Makowski - Power play assists by defenseman (20)
David Makowski - Power play points by defenseman (23)
David Makowski - Current streak for games with an assist (6)
Eric Roy - Overtime Goals (3)
Bryan Moore - Consecutive games scoring a goal (6)
Bryan Moore - Season streak for games in a row with a goal at home (7)
Riley Gill - GAA (2.19)
Riley Gill - Save percentage (.936)
Riley Gill - Shutouts (5)
FREE TICKETS
- I have several pairs of tickets for the three games this weekend (Friday, Saturday & Sunday). I will have a drawing for the tickets tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon, notify the winners and leave the tickets at will call. If you are interested let me know via Twitter, Facebook, the Blog, text, in person or by email (janssenfamily@msn.com). All I need is your name and which games you are interested in. You can choose one or all three games. Even if you already have tickets to the game you can enter the drawing and give the tickets to someone that has never attended an Allen game or someone that can't afford to go to a game. The tickets are in Section 100 which is at the end of the rink where Allen is on offense twice. I will list winners in the blog Thursday morning. Good luck!
DID YOU KNOW: At the beginning of the season many thought the Mountain Division was the best division in the ECHL. There is little doubt it is the toughest division in the ECHL. Here are the average penalty minutes per team by division.
851 minutes - Mountain Division
718 minutes - Central Division
655 minutes - South Division
568 minutes - North Division
Monday, February 13, 2017
It's a Practice Day, Remaining Schedule Advantageous, Martinson's Highway to Hell Video, Shorty Records
The Allen Americans arrived home late last night after a successful trip to Rapid City where they picked up six points. The Americans must now turn their focus to this week where they will play four games in five days. The Indy Fuel will be at the Allen Event Center on Wednesday and Friday followed by the Rapid City Rush on Saturday and Sunday.
- Another scheduling quirk has Allen playing four games in five days this week and then one game in the next nine days. After the game on Sunday against the Rush the Americans will play just one game the rest of the month and that is a same day trip to Tulsa on February 24. If you remember, the team opted to delay the all-star break because it was so soon after the Christmas break. They will take the three day all-star break from February 25-27 which gives them the weekend off.
- The team had the day off yesterday if you call spending almost an entire day on Big Red returning from South Dakota a day off. They will be back at practice this morning.
- The regular season is quickly winding down with just 20 games remaining and 12 of them are home games. Allen plays just five different teams the rest of the way. Here is the breakdown of the 20 remaining games.
6 games - Missouri (2 home - 4 away)
5 games - Tulsa (3 home - 2 away)
4 games - Wichita (3 home - 1 away)
3 games - Indy (2 home - 1 away)
2 games - Rapid City (2 home - 0 away)
- Even more favorable to Allen is eight of their last 10 games will be at home. If the race is close coming down the stretch this could be very beneficial to the Americans. Having home ice advantage has been critical for Allen time and time again over the past four years. They have a legitimate shot at being the top team in the Mountain Division. That would give the Americans home ice for the first two rounds of the playoffs. If they are the top seed in the Western Conference it would mean home ice for the third round and it is still possible they could get the ECHL #1 seed. None of this will be easy but it is possible. Allen is tied with Colorado for the Mountain Division lead with 68 points but the Eagles have two games in hand. The Americans trail Toledo by just one point in the Western Conference race but the Walleye have four games in hand. Allen is just one point behind Florida for the most points in the ECHL but Florida has six games in hand. Bottom line is it will be a tall order for Allen but with 20 games remaining and a favorable schedule it is still possible.
- The ECHL should announce tomorrow the length of suspensions for Dyson Stevenson and Tristan Grant as result of the incident in Rapid City on Friday night. You never know what the ECHL will decide but my guess is Dyson will get an additional game or two and Grant will get something approaching a 10 game suspension. Just a guess on my part and could be completely off base.
- The four games this week should be fun to watch as Allen will be favored in all of them. There will also be some great promotions.
Friday - There will be a special appearance by the Knights of Medieval Times Dallas! The Knights will be on the concourse prior to the game and will be doing a special on ice performance during the first intermission. Friday night is also Faith & Family night sponsored by Christ Fellowship. Right after the game Gary Steffes will be speaking about what God has been doing in his life the past year. Gary is very active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and is an outstanding speaker. Head over to section 114 immediately after the game to join Gary Steffes.
Saturday - It is the 8th Annual Battle of the Badges as the the Police vs Fire game takes place prior to the Allen vs Rapid City game. Doors open at 4:30 pm so come early and support the first responders. Two games for the price of one. The Americans will be wearing a special Patriotic jersey on Saturday that will be auctioned off immediately following the game. A portion of the funds raised from the auction will go to Folds of Honor, a non-profit dedicated to helping families of the armed services that have been killed or wounded while serving the nation.
Sunday - Allen will close out their four games in five nights with a game against the Rapid City Rush. It will be the fifth time the Americans play the Rush in the last seven games so it should be exciting. Sunday is the 3rd Annual Pucks & Paws Night so you can bring your dog and sit in a special dog-friendly section.
- Harrison Ruopp was loaned to San Jose after the game in Rapid City on Wednesday so he missed the games on Friday and Saturday. His parents were in Rapid City to watch him play. Unfortunately Harrison didn't play in either San Jose Barracuda game on Saturday or Sunday. I know it always bothers coach Martinson when he loans players and they don't get a chance to play. The Barracuda have a game tomorrow (Tuesday) which will be the next opportunity for Harrison if he doesn't get returned to Allen.
- I was searching this morning for the video of the first press conference Steve Martinson ever held in Allen when he was introduced as the head coach. I searched "Steve Martinson - Introduction" and this is the video that popped up. I am sure many of you have seen this before but since it is a slow news day thought you might like another trip down the "Highway to Hell."
DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans have given up more shorthanded goals (10) this season than any other team in the ECHL. Here are the top five teams for most shorthanded goals allowed if you combine the last three seasons since the Americans joined the ECHL:
33 - Brampton
33 - Utah
31 - Wheeling
30 - Orlando
28 - Allen
At the other end of the spectrum is Toledo who has allowed a total of 12 shorthanded goals in the last three years.
- Another scheduling quirk has Allen playing four games in five days this week and then one game in the next nine days. After the game on Sunday against the Rush the Americans will play just one game the rest of the month and that is a same day trip to Tulsa on February 24. If you remember, the team opted to delay the all-star break because it was so soon after the Christmas break. They will take the three day all-star break from February 25-27 which gives them the weekend off.
- The team had the day off yesterday if you call spending almost an entire day on Big Red returning from South Dakota a day off. They will be back at practice this morning.
- The regular season is quickly winding down with just 20 games remaining and 12 of them are home games. Allen plays just five different teams the rest of the way. Here is the breakdown of the 20 remaining games.
6 games - Missouri (2 home - 4 away)
5 games - Tulsa (3 home - 2 away)
4 games - Wichita (3 home - 1 away)
3 games - Indy (2 home - 1 away)
2 games - Rapid City (2 home - 0 away)
- Even more favorable to Allen is eight of their last 10 games will be at home. If the race is close coming down the stretch this could be very beneficial to the Americans. Having home ice advantage has been critical for Allen time and time again over the past four years. They have a legitimate shot at being the top team in the Mountain Division. That would give the Americans home ice for the first two rounds of the playoffs. If they are the top seed in the Western Conference it would mean home ice for the third round and it is still possible they could get the ECHL #1 seed. None of this will be easy but it is possible. Allen is tied with Colorado for the Mountain Division lead with 68 points but the Eagles have two games in hand. The Americans trail Toledo by just one point in the Western Conference race but the Walleye have four games in hand. Allen is just one point behind Florida for the most points in the ECHL but Florida has six games in hand. Bottom line is it will be a tall order for Allen but with 20 games remaining and a favorable schedule it is still possible.
- The ECHL should announce tomorrow the length of suspensions for Dyson Stevenson and Tristan Grant as result of the incident in Rapid City on Friday night. You never know what the ECHL will decide but my guess is Dyson will get an additional game or two and Grant will get something approaching a 10 game suspension. Just a guess on my part and could be completely off base.
- The four games this week should be fun to watch as Allen will be favored in all of them. There will also be some great promotions.
Friday - There will be a special appearance by the Knights of Medieval Times Dallas! The Knights will be on the concourse prior to the game and will be doing a special on ice performance during the first intermission. Friday night is also Faith & Family night sponsored by Christ Fellowship. Right after the game Gary Steffes will be speaking about what God has been doing in his life the past year. Gary is very active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and is an outstanding speaker. Head over to section 114 immediately after the game to join Gary Steffes.
Saturday - It is the 8th Annual Battle of the Badges as the the Police vs Fire game takes place prior to the Allen vs Rapid City game. Doors open at 4:30 pm so come early and support the first responders. Two games for the price of one. The Americans will be wearing a special Patriotic jersey on Saturday that will be auctioned off immediately following the game. A portion of the funds raised from the auction will go to Folds of Honor, a non-profit dedicated to helping families of the armed services that have been killed or wounded while serving the nation.
Sunday - Allen will close out their four games in five nights with a game against the Rapid City Rush. It will be the fifth time the Americans play the Rush in the last seven games so it should be exciting. Sunday is the 3rd Annual Pucks & Paws Night so you can bring your dog and sit in a special dog-friendly section.
- Harrison Ruopp was loaned to San Jose after the game in Rapid City on Wednesday so he missed the games on Friday and Saturday. His parents were in Rapid City to watch him play. Unfortunately Harrison didn't play in either San Jose Barracuda game on Saturday or Sunday. I know it always bothers coach Martinson when he loans players and they don't get a chance to play. The Barracuda have a game tomorrow (Tuesday) which will be the next opportunity for Harrison if he doesn't get returned to Allen.
- I was searching this morning for the video of the first press conference Steve Martinson ever held in Allen when he was introduced as the head coach. I searched "Steve Martinson - Introduction" and this is the video that popped up. I am sure many of you have seen this before but since it is a slow news day thought you might like another trip down the "Highway to Hell."
DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans have given up more shorthanded goals (10) this season than any other team in the ECHL. Here are the top five teams for most shorthanded goals allowed if you combine the last three seasons since the Americans joined the ECHL:
33 - Brampton
33 - Utah
31 - Wheeling
30 - Orlando
28 - Allen
At the other end of the spectrum is Toledo who has allowed a total of 12 shorthanded goals in the last three years.
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Allen Sweeps Rapid City, Martinson Comments, A Mea Culpa Accepted & More
The Allen Americans finished a three game sweep of the Rapid City Rush last night before a sparse Saturday night crowd of 3318 at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. It wasn't easy on the way to a 6-5 victory as the Americans had to come from behind twice after scoring the first goal of the game. Allen has relied on big third periods all season and it worked again last night as the Americans outscored the Rush 3-1 in the third period.
- Allen scored first in all three games in Rapid City and that is always a good omen as the Americans have a record of 24-2-1-1 when scoring first. What wasn't a good omen for Allen last night was they trailed 2-1 after the first period and that record is 3-14-1-1 and they trailed after the second period 4-3 and that record is 5-15-1-0. However, three unanswered third period goals gave Allen a 6-4 lead before Rapid City scored with seven seconds remaining in the game to make the final score 6-5.
- Goal scorers for Allen were Chad Costello (27, 28), Kale Kerbashian (3), Josh Brittain (6), Eric Roy (13) and Miles Liberati (1). Thanks to the Rapid City Rush staff for putting together a great highlight package that includes all of the goals as well as many great saves by both goalies. Check out the video highlights at ECHL Rewind: http://www.echl.com/
- Here is a complete goal by goal recap of the game issued in a press release by the Rapid City Rush: http://www.rapidcityrush.com/news/?article_id=821
- Here is the press release issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-sweep-three-game-series-with-rapid-city/
- Steve Martinson shared a couple of thoughts after the game and used the old analogy of you have some guys that carry the water and some that chop the wood. "We need some players to figure out what they are best suited for. We had four of our faster forwards out of the lineup tonight and it was very noticeable. We didn't skate well, weren't physical and not strong enough defensively. We skated better in the third period and made some plays. We will need to add some speed up front to be successful against the top teams in the league."
- Allen played without Dyson Stevenson and Bryan Moore who were suspended and David Makowski who was given a game misconduct in the second period. Before his ejection Makowski did pick up an assist to keep his point scoring streak alive. He has at least one point in nine straight games.
- Allen developed a pattern in the three games in Rapid City as they scored first in all of the games but could not hold the lead. The third period became the story over and over again. Goals scored by period shows a 3-3 tie in the first, Allen with a 6-5 lead in the second and the Americans with a dominating 11-3 advantage in the third period.
- Chad Costello didn't have an assist last night for the first time in nine games. Instead he potted two goals and is tied with Greger Hanson for third place in goals scored in the ECHL as they both have 28. Chad extended his multiple point scoring streak to eight games and in those eight games he has three points six times and two points twice. Chad also extended his lead in the ECHL scoring race to 34 points.
- The Americans headed home right after the game on the over 1000 mile trip back to Allen. If all goes well and Big Red cooperates they will arrive home late tonight.
OTHER COMMENTS
- I had some pretty harsh things to say in the blog yesterday about the comments Rapid City broadcaster, Mark Binetti, made when Dyson Stevenson was injured on Friday night. If you listened to his pregame show or the game broadcast last night you heard Mark take responsibility for what he said and apologize to Allen fans and Dyson Stevenson. I am paraphrasing but Binetti said his comments were not professional, he was sorry for what he said, he will learn from his mistake and that will never happen in his broadcast booth again. Mark also had a chance to talk directly to Dyson between periods and apologize to him. You could not ask for anything more from Mark Binetti who took responsibility in a very public way and was a true professional in how it was handled. It is not the mistakes you make that people notice but how you react to them. Job well done Mark Binetti.
- Mike Holum had a chance to ask Dyson Stevenson about his conversation with Mark Binetti and this is what Dyson said, "He apologized to me and said he was unprofessional and that what he said about what happened to me on the ice shouldn't have happened," and I said. "I accept your apology."
- If you haven't been paying attention to the Mountain Division standings you haven't noticed what was a four team race for the playoffs has turn into a six team race for the playoffs. Utah and Missouri looked to be out of the playoff race a couple of weeks ago but some excellent hockey by both teams has them back in the thick of the race. Here are the Mountain Division standings with the team's record in the last 10 games in parentheses:
68 points - Allen (7-2-0-1)
68 points - Colorado (9-1-0-0)
59 points - Idaho (3-5-2-0)
57 points - Alaska (4-4-0-2)
54 points - Utah (9-1-0-0)
53 points - Missouri (8-2-0-0)
38 points - Rapid City (2-7-1-0)
- I came across this story in the Gackle Report the other day and I thought it provided great advice no matter what level of hockey you are talking about. I have heard coach Martinson say many times over the years that scoring a bunch of points in Allen will get you noticed but it is the other aspects of the game that will keep you in the AHL. This is a good read: https://www.gacklereport.com/golf-article/barracudas-labanc-determined-rejoin-sharks-harder-heavier-player/
- Zach Hall should be back in the lineup for the next game and Bryan Moore will return after serving a one game suspension. Kale Kerbashian looks to be gaining his old form after suffering through a couple of injuries. Dyson Stevenson will hopefully be back by next weekend. Josh Brittain has 10 points in his last 10 games and is a physical presence on the ice. Jon Martin has a goal and an assist in the last two games. Eberle, Brown and Gens are still on the mend. My point is this team is good but will only get better as the playoffs approach.
DID YOU KNOW: Allen still has much room for improvement but they have been slowly working to the top of the ECHL. The Americans are tied for second in points (68) just one point behind Florida. Allen is tied for first in wins (32), leads the ECHL in goals scored (205), is fifth in winning percentage (.654) and leads in penalty minutes (1094).
- Allen scored first in all three games in Rapid City and that is always a good omen as the Americans have a record of 24-2-1-1 when scoring first. What wasn't a good omen for Allen last night was they trailed 2-1 after the first period and that record is 3-14-1-1 and they trailed after the second period 4-3 and that record is 5-15-1-0. However, three unanswered third period goals gave Allen a 6-4 lead before Rapid City scored with seven seconds remaining in the game to make the final score 6-5.
- Goal scorers for Allen were Chad Costello (27, 28), Kale Kerbashian (3), Josh Brittain (6), Eric Roy (13) and Miles Liberati (1). Thanks to the Rapid City Rush staff for putting together a great highlight package that includes all of the goals as well as many great saves by both goalies. Check out the video highlights at ECHL Rewind: http://www.echl.com/
- Here is a complete goal by goal recap of the game issued in a press release by the Rapid City Rush: http://www.rapidcityrush.com/news/?article_id=821
- Here is the press release issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-sweep-three-game-series-with-rapid-city/
- Steve Martinson shared a couple of thoughts after the game and used the old analogy of you have some guys that carry the water and some that chop the wood. "We need some players to figure out what they are best suited for. We had four of our faster forwards out of the lineup tonight and it was very noticeable. We didn't skate well, weren't physical and not strong enough defensively. We skated better in the third period and made some plays. We will need to add some speed up front to be successful against the top teams in the league."
- Allen played without Dyson Stevenson and Bryan Moore who were suspended and David Makowski who was given a game misconduct in the second period. Before his ejection Makowski did pick up an assist to keep his point scoring streak alive. He has at least one point in nine straight games.
- Allen developed a pattern in the three games in Rapid City as they scored first in all of the games but could not hold the lead. The third period became the story over and over again. Goals scored by period shows a 3-3 tie in the first, Allen with a 6-5 lead in the second and the Americans with a dominating 11-3 advantage in the third period.
- Chad Costello didn't have an assist last night for the first time in nine games. Instead he potted two goals and is tied with Greger Hanson for third place in goals scored in the ECHL as they both have 28. Chad extended his multiple point scoring streak to eight games and in those eight games he has three points six times and two points twice. Chad also extended his lead in the ECHL scoring race to 34 points.
- The Americans headed home right after the game on the over 1000 mile trip back to Allen. If all goes well and Big Red cooperates they will arrive home late tonight.
OTHER COMMENTS
- I had some pretty harsh things to say in the blog yesterday about the comments Rapid City broadcaster, Mark Binetti, made when Dyson Stevenson was injured on Friday night. If you listened to his pregame show or the game broadcast last night you heard Mark take responsibility for what he said and apologize to Allen fans and Dyson Stevenson. I am paraphrasing but Binetti said his comments were not professional, he was sorry for what he said, he will learn from his mistake and that will never happen in his broadcast booth again. Mark also had a chance to talk directly to Dyson between periods and apologize to him. You could not ask for anything more from Mark Binetti who took responsibility in a very public way and was a true professional in how it was handled. It is not the mistakes you make that people notice but how you react to them. Job well done Mark Binetti.
- Mike Holum had a chance to ask Dyson Stevenson about his conversation with Mark Binetti and this is what Dyson said, "He apologized to me and said he was unprofessional and that what he said about what happened to me on the ice shouldn't have happened," and I said. "I accept your apology."
- If you haven't been paying attention to the Mountain Division standings you haven't noticed what was a four team race for the playoffs has turn into a six team race for the playoffs. Utah and Missouri looked to be out of the playoff race a couple of weeks ago but some excellent hockey by both teams has them back in the thick of the race. Here are the Mountain Division standings with the team's record in the last 10 games in parentheses:
68 points - Allen (7-2-0-1)
68 points - Colorado (9-1-0-0)
59 points - Idaho (3-5-2-0)
57 points - Alaska (4-4-0-2)
54 points - Utah (9-1-0-0)
53 points - Missouri (8-2-0-0)
38 points - Rapid City (2-7-1-0)
- I came across this story in the Gackle Report the other day and I thought it provided great advice no matter what level of hockey you are talking about. I have heard coach Martinson say many times over the years that scoring a bunch of points in Allen will get you noticed but it is the other aspects of the game that will keep you in the AHL. This is a good read: https://www.gacklereport.com/golf-article/barracudas-labanc-determined-rejoin-sharks-harder-heavier-player/
- Zach Hall should be back in the lineup for the next game and Bryan Moore will return after serving a one game suspension. Kale Kerbashian looks to be gaining his old form after suffering through a couple of injuries. Dyson Stevenson will hopefully be back by next weekend. Josh Brittain has 10 points in his last 10 games and is a physical presence on the ice. Jon Martin has a goal and an assist in the last two games. Eberle, Brown and Gens are still on the mend. My point is this team is good but will only get better as the playoffs approach.
DID YOU KNOW: Allen still has much room for improvement but they have been slowly working to the top of the ECHL. The Americans are tied for second in points (68) just one point behind Florida. Allen is tied for first in wins (32), leads the ECHL in goals scored (205), is fifth in winning percentage (.654) and leads in penalty minutes (1094).
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Allen Destroys the Rush 9-3, A Trio of C'MON MANS, Martinson Post Game Comments & More
It is difficult to know where to begin in describing the 9-3 Allen Americans win over the Rapid City Rush last night. It was "Pink at the Rink" at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center to honor those that have fought and those fighting breast cancer. The 3739 fans in attendance witnessed a close game turn into a blowout in the third period and an ugly incident that doesn't belong in hockey.
- Greger Hanson led the scoring for Allen with four goals and an assist. Hanson scored the first three goals for Allen when the game was still in doubt. He had the only goal of the first period. After Rapid City tied the score 1-1 early in the second period he scored Allen's only goal of the second period to take a 2-1 lead into the second intermission. Greger got his third goal at 2:32 of the third period and that opened the flood gates for Allen. His fourth goal was a shorthanded goal late in the game.
- Allen scored six goals in the first nine minutes of the third period to take an 8-1 led and finished with seven goals in the period. Seven goals in a period is tied for fifth all time in the ECHL. Eight goals in a period has been accomplished three times and nine goals in a period has been accomplished once.
- Unfortunately Allen gave up two late goals on some defensive lapses after Riley Gill had played so well. He deserved a better fate.
- Hanson closed out the scoring with a shorthanded goal to make the final score 9-3. The four goals by Greger is tied for the most in the ECHL this year. He also tied the Allen franchise record for goals in a game. His five points is also tied for the most points in a game in the ECHL this season.
- Goal scorers for Allen were Greger Hanson (25, 26, 27, 28), Bryan Moore (19), Jon Martin (1), Dyson Stevenson (8), Chad Costello (26) and Derek Mathers (6). The good news is the Rush posted a highlight package to ECHL Rewind. The bad news would be it is the worst highlight package I have seen in all the years covering the the team. None of the nine Allen goals are included and the homer call of the week is included as the Rapid City broadcasters (one of which is a player) say after Dyson Stevenson got speared in the groin and deliberately slashed in the face, "Stevenson with an Oscar winning performance" and then spent their time talking about Allen having no class with no mention of the spear to the groin and slash to the face, two of the most classless and gutless plays in hockey. C'MON MAN! If you want to see the highlights which are the three meaningless Rush goals and all of the brawl (with a homer point of view) you can find them at ECHL Rewind: http://www.echl.com/
- I don't normally include pictures like this in the blog but am making an exception in this case because of what was said by the Rush broadcasters about Dyson. If you get speared in the groin, slashed it the face and lose a tooth you just might be a little upset. Classless was the Rush player not hitting anyone when Derek Mathers was on the ice and then using his stick rather than dropping his gloves with Stevenson. After all, Grant only outweighs Stevenson by about 85 pounds. C'MON MAN!
- Allen has won the last two games in Rapid City and has yet to get a single star of the game. Last night Greger Hanson tied the ECHL record this season for goals (4) and points (5) in a game and doesn't get a star. I saw an explanation by the Rush on social media that the fans pick the three stars. The slight to the Allen players was obviously noticed by Allen fans but even other ECHL players took notice. Colorado Eagles Darryl Bootland had this to say on twitter, "Gotta love the guy who picked the 3 stars tonight in Rapid City. Must have been with Ed Dick all day! Hanson scored four and gets Ed Dicked!" Hanson had four goals including two power play goals and a shorthanded goal and adds one assist for five points and isn't one of the three stars of the game and the #1 star for Rapid City has no goals and no assists. Talk about amateur hour. C'MON MAN!
- Here is a recap of the game from the Rapid City Journal: http://rapidcityjournal.com/sports/americans-score-seven-in-third-period-marred-by-fisticuffs/article_c6978a63-1adf-55f5-9371-c6db50b08ee0.html
- Here is the recap of the game from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-explode-for-seven-goals-in-the-third-and-beat-rapid-city-9-3/
- In the game preview yesterday I talked about how the game last night could be a big one for the Americans with Riley Gill getting back in the lineup. The importance of a good start, not getting behind, having a strong third period and winning the special teams battle were all keys. Allen delivered in all categories which is a good sign. They scored the first goal, had a first period lead, scored four power play goals and had seven third period goals. This game just shows the potency of this team.
- Allen may be playing short today depending on what action the ECHL takes on the brawl in the third period. Tristan Grant will definitely be suspended and Dyson Stevenson may as well for throwing equipment. Miles Liberati had a wisdom tooth pulled yesterday and may be able to play tonight.
- It was good to see some secondary scoring in the game last night but the group of Hanson, Costello, Asuchak, Makowski, and Roy are virtually unstoppable right now. Another win tonight is critical for Allen given what went down last night.
- The scheduled officiating crew tonight is the same as last night. Referee Oliver Gouin (#9) and linesmen Cade Bloomenrader (#91) and Logan Bellgraph (#0). Gouin was also the referee on Wednesday.
- It is always hard to predict how the game tonight will proceed after a penalty filled third period last night. Your inclination would be to predict a penalty filled affair tonight with the teams playing a third game in a row. With the same referee for the third straight game he will play a major role in keeping things under control. It is also worth noting that Rapid City will visit Allen for two games next week so there will be opportunities to square things up other than tonight. You can be assured Derek Mathers will be ready, willing and able to handle whatever comes up. It seems to me if Rapid City wants to get into a physical contest with Allen they will be playing right into the Americans hands.
DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans showed in the third period last night what this team is capable of going forward. Allen has the leading scorer in the league by 33 points (Chad Costello), the best goalie in the league (Riley Gill) in GAA (2.08) and save percentage (.939), the top goal scoring defenseman in the league (Eric Roy), the second leading point scorer among defenseman despite playing in just 28 games ( David Makowski) and the toughest enforcer in the league (Derek Mathers). Throw in a power play unit that has the top two power play goal scorers in the league (Greger Hanson & Spencer Asuchak), top two in power play assists (Costello & Makowski) and top two in power play points (Costello & Makowski). And did I mention the top line is #1 (Costello), #5 (Hanson) and #12 in the ECHL scoring race. Any way an opponent wants to play against Allen the Americans can handle. And the team hasn't reached its full potential yet.
- Greger Hanson led the scoring for Allen with four goals and an assist. Hanson scored the first three goals for Allen when the game was still in doubt. He had the only goal of the first period. After Rapid City tied the score 1-1 early in the second period he scored Allen's only goal of the second period to take a 2-1 lead into the second intermission. Greger got his third goal at 2:32 of the third period and that opened the flood gates for Allen. His fourth goal was a shorthanded goal late in the game.
- Allen scored six goals in the first nine minutes of the third period to take an 8-1 led and finished with seven goals in the period. Seven goals in a period is tied for fifth all time in the ECHL. Eight goals in a period has been accomplished three times and nine goals in a period has been accomplished once.
- Unfortunately Allen gave up two late goals on some defensive lapses after Riley Gill had played so well. He deserved a better fate.
- Hanson closed out the scoring with a shorthanded goal to make the final score 9-3. The four goals by Greger is tied for the most in the ECHL this year. He also tied the Allen franchise record for goals in a game. His five points is also tied for the most points in a game in the ECHL this season.
- Goal scorers for Allen were Greger Hanson (25, 26, 27, 28), Bryan Moore (19), Jon Martin (1), Dyson Stevenson (8), Chad Costello (26) and Derek Mathers (6). The good news is the Rush posted a highlight package to ECHL Rewind. The bad news would be it is the worst highlight package I have seen in all the years covering the the team. None of the nine Allen goals are included and the homer call of the week is included as the Rapid City broadcasters (one of which is a player) say after Dyson Stevenson got speared in the groin and deliberately slashed in the face, "Stevenson with an Oscar winning performance" and then spent their time talking about Allen having no class with no mention of the spear to the groin and slash to the face, two of the most classless and gutless plays in hockey. C'MON MAN! If you want to see the highlights which are the three meaningless Rush goals and all of the brawl (with a homer point of view) you can find them at ECHL Rewind: http://www.echl.com/
- I don't normally include pictures like this in the blog but am making an exception in this case because of what was said by the Rush broadcasters about Dyson. If you get speared in the groin, slashed it the face and lose a tooth you just might be a little upset. Classless was the Rush player not hitting anyone when Derek Mathers was on the ice and then using his stick rather than dropping his gloves with Stevenson. After all, Grant only outweighs Stevenson by about 85 pounds. C'MON MAN!
- Allen has won the last two games in Rapid City and has yet to get a single star of the game. Last night Greger Hanson tied the ECHL record this season for goals (4) and points (5) in a game and doesn't get a star. I saw an explanation by the Rush on social media that the fans pick the three stars. The slight to the Allen players was obviously noticed by Allen fans but even other ECHL players took notice. Colorado Eagles Darryl Bootland had this to say on twitter, "Gotta love the guy who picked the 3 stars tonight in Rapid City. Must have been with Ed Dick all day! Hanson scored four and gets Ed Dicked!" Hanson had four goals including two power play goals and a shorthanded goal and adds one assist for five points and isn't one of the three stars of the game and the #1 star for Rapid City has no goals and no assists. Talk about amateur hour. C'MON MAN!
- Here is a recap of the game from the Rapid City Journal: http://rapidcityjournal.com/sports/americans-score-seven-in-third-period-marred-by-fisticuffs/article_c6978a63-1adf-55f5-9371-c6db50b08ee0.html
- Here is the recap of the game from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-explode-for-seven-goals-in-the-third-and-beat-rapid-city-9-3/
- In the game preview yesterday I talked about how the game last night could be a big one for the Americans with Riley Gill getting back in the lineup. The importance of a good start, not getting behind, having a strong third period and winning the special teams battle were all keys. Allen delivered in all categories which is a good sign. They scored the first goal, had a first period lead, scored four power play goals and had seven third period goals. This game just shows the potency of this team.
- Allen may be playing short today depending on what action the ECHL takes on the brawl in the third period. Tristan Grant will definitely be suspended and Dyson Stevenson may as well for throwing equipment. Miles Liberati had a wisdom tooth pulled yesterday and may be able to play tonight.
- It was good to see some secondary scoring in the game last night but the group of Hanson, Costello, Asuchak, Makowski, and Roy are virtually unstoppable right now. Another win tonight is critical for Allen given what went down last night.
- The scheduled officiating crew tonight is the same as last night. Referee Oliver Gouin (#9) and linesmen Cade Bloomenrader (#91) and Logan Bellgraph (#0). Gouin was also the referee on Wednesday.
- It is always hard to predict how the game tonight will proceed after a penalty filled third period last night. Your inclination would be to predict a penalty filled affair tonight with the teams playing a third game in a row. With the same referee for the third straight game he will play a major role in keeping things under control. It is also worth noting that Rapid City will visit Allen for two games next week so there will be opportunities to square things up other than tonight. You can be assured Derek Mathers will be ready, willing and able to handle whatever comes up. It seems to me if Rapid City wants to get into a physical contest with Allen they will be playing right into the Americans hands.
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| Derek Mathers will be keeping watch tonight - photo courtesy of Mike Holum |
DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans showed in the third period last night what this team is capable of going forward. Allen has the leading scorer in the league by 33 points (Chad Costello), the best goalie in the league (Riley Gill) in GAA (2.08) and save percentage (.939), the top goal scoring defenseman in the league (Eric Roy), the second leading point scorer among defenseman despite playing in just 28 games ( David Makowski) and the toughest enforcer in the league (Derek Mathers). Throw in a power play unit that has the top two power play goal scorers in the league (Greger Hanson & Spencer Asuchak), top two in power play assists (Costello & Makowski) and top two in power play points (Costello & Makowski). And did I mention the top line is #1 (Costello), #5 (Hanson) and #12 in the ECHL scoring race. Any way an opponent wants to play against Allen the Americans can handle. And the team hasn't reached its full potential yet.
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