Allen Wins 4-2, Game Recap, Gulati Meets Season Ticket Holders, Jersey Auction & Goalie Assists

It was a great night all around for the Allen Americans last night as they beat the Wichita Thunder 4-2 before the second largest crowd (5505) of the season at the Allen Event Center (AEC). The Americans won the game, clinched a playoff spot and matched their win total from all of last season (41 wins). They even overcame the specialty jersey jinx with the win. Job well done!

- As stated in the game preview the keys to the game were a good start, win on special teams and a commitment to defensive play. Mission accomplished. Allen jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first period and carried that lead into the intermission. The Americans record when scoring first is now an impressive 32-2-2-1. Allen continued their special teams dominance over the Thunder. The Americans were 2-4 on the power play and are now ranked #3 in the ECHL at 23.4%. Allen's penalty kill unit gave up no goals on seven Wichita power play opportunities. The Allen penalty kill was perfect on the weekend (0-12) and is now ranked #2 in the league at 85.1%.


- Goal scorers for Allen were Alex Schoenborn (1 & 2), Gary Steffes (18) and Zach Hall (10). There is a great highlight package put together by the Americans and posted to ECHL Rewind. Video highlights of all the goals, the fights and some great saves are included. It was an outstanding night for the games #1 star, Alex Schoenborn, who had two goals and stuck up for a teammate in a one punch fight. Don't think it will be long before Schoenborn will be headed back to San Jose. The two goals that need several looks are the Steffes goal where Chad Costello once again gets a pass through a very small space right on Gary's stick. The other great goal was the Hall goal. Tyler Barnes started the play by winning a puck battle along the boards, Miles Liberati picked up the puck, carried it into the offensive zone and made a super pass to Zach Hall who was streaking toward the net. Here is the link to the highlights: http://www.echl.com/


- Here is the recap of the game from the Wichita Thunder: http://www.wichitathunder.com/news/press-release/third-period-haunts-thunder-in-loss-at-allen.html


- Here is the pregame interview with Tom Manning and coach Martinson:

- The players will get the day off today and return to practice on Monday. Alex Krushelnyski will practice on Monday for the first time since being loaned to Allen. The team will leave Tuesday afternoon for Missouri to take on the Mavericks Wednesday night. They then return home for games against Tulsa on Friday and Saturday.


OTHER COMMENTS

- Jack Gulati met with season ticket holders prior to the game and took numerous questions and comments from the group. The top of the list was the importance of retaining coach Martinson and Jack assured everyone that he heard their concerns and will be working on resigning Martinson. Jack also talked about expanding the sales and service staff to better accommodate the needs of season ticket holders and also put more "butts in the seats." There was a lot of discussion about how to improve sales through marketing and promotions and Jack welcomed input from anyone that had an idea. Suggestions ranged from improving the website to promoting ticket sales with youth hockey programs to improving name identification of the Allen Americans in the community.  It was clear to everyone that interacted with Jack Gulati this weekend that he is a different kind of owner who feels strongly about engaging with fans on an ongoing basis.

Jack Gulati addressing season ticket holders

- Allen made the playoffs for the eighth straight year with the win last night but that was barely a blip on the radar screen since the Americans' goals are so much higher than making the playoff. It is interesting that Allen has already matched their 41 wins from last season with nine games remaining to play. The Americans need two more points to equal the 89 points they finished with last season.


- The three teams at the top of the Mountain Division standings all won last night and the four at the bottom all lost. Alaska, Utah and Missouri are all fighting for the final playoff spot but keep losing. Here are the standings with games left in parentheses:

91 points - Colorado (9 games remaining)
87 points - Allen (9 games)
79 points - Idaho (9 games)
70 points - Alaska (9 games)
65 points - Utah (9 games)
64 points - Missouri (10 games)
54 points - Rapid City (9 games)


-  The San Jose Barracuda also clinched a playoff spot last night with a 3-1 win over Stockton. All three affiliated teams (Sharks, Barracuda, Americans) could make deep playoff runs.


- Here are the results of the specialty jersey auction from last night:

Dyson Stevenson

$1000 - Riley Gill
$950 -  Gary Steffes
$900 -  Greger Hanson
$900 -  Dyson Stevenson
$850 -  Chad Costello
$850 -  Jamie Murray
$800 -  Spencer Asuchak
$750 -  Wade MacLeod
$700 -  Derek Mathers
$700 -  Mike Gunn
$650 -  Tyler Barnes
$650 -  David Makowski
$650 -  Bryan Moore
$650 -  Alex Schoenborn
$600 -  Harrison Ruopp
$600 -  Joel Chouinard
$600 -  Zach Hall
$600 -  Tanner Eberle
$550 -  Aaron Gens
$550 -  Kale Kerbashian
$550 -  Miles Liberati
$500 -  Eric Roy
$400 -  Randy Cure
$400 -  Jonathan Martin
$400 -  Mike Brodzinski
$350 - Travis Brown


GAME PHOTOS

- My favorites from the game last night. All photos in the blog are courtesy of Dianne Webster.

Close call for Stevenson

Zach Hall points to Miles Liberati for the great pass on Hall's goal

The symmetry of the fall is intriguing

Great overhead shot

DID YOU KNOW: In the history of the Allen Americans franchise there have been five goalies that have had more than one assist in a season. Here is the list of most assists by a goalie in a season:

5 - Bryan Pitton (2013-14)
4 - Riley Gill (2014-15)
2 - Joel Rumpel (2015-16)
2 - Marco Cousineau (2011-12)
2 - Chris Whitley (2010-11)

Shocker! Martinson to Test Coaching Market, Allen Beats Wichita 5-3, Martinson's Comments, Rematch Tonight

The biggest news coming out of the Allen Event Center (AEC) last night was not the Americans 5-3 victory over the Wichita Thunder. It was coach Steve Martinson's response to a question at his post game press conference/meeting with season ticket holders. When asked about his contract status going forward Martinson had this to say, "If I am going to move I need to consider my daughter is still playing hockey and my son will most likely be in juniors. I will probably wait until after the regular season is over, then talk to some other teams and make a decision about what is the best thing to do." I talked to coach Martinson after the press conference and he did verify he has been given permission to talk to other teams. He also mentioned he needs to make the decision about where his daughter will play hockey next year by the end of May.


- Coach Martinson's comments answered a few questions about his future at least in my mind. First, he is not under contract after this season and is a free agent and can go anywhere. Second, he plans on testing the market by talking to other teams before he makes a decision on his future. Third, and this is more an opinion than anything, Steve Martinson will return to Allen if he can get a long term contract that matches what he can get elsewhere. It looks like all the cards are on the table at this point. It is going to be a nervous few weeks for Allen fans until this is resolved.


-  Allen beat Wichita 5-3 last night in a game that both the coach or players felt was not their best effort. It is hard to complain when the Americans are on a six game win streak but they have fallen into some bad habits recently and that was evident again last night. Allen got off to a good start scoring two goals in the first period and took a 3-0 lead on a great set play off the faceoff just six seconds into the second period. The Americans let Wichita back in the game in the third period before scoring a couple of goals to put the game out of hand. The Americans were out shot 29-16 in the final two periods and 40-26 for the game.


- Third period breakdowns have happened in the last three games. This is out of character for Allen as they are by far the best third period team in the league. They have scored 99 of their 248 goals this season in the third period and allowed just 51 for a third period goal differential of +48. As a comparison, the Americans have scored 67 first period goals and allowed 63 for a goal differential of +4 and in the second period they have scored 74 goals and allowed 59 for a goal differential of +15.


- Goal scorers for Allen were Travis Brown (3), Derek Mathers (7), Joel Chouinard (9), Wade MacLeod (2) and Greger Hanson (33). All of the goals will be great to see again but pay particular attention to the Chouinard goal at the beginning of the second period as it was an interesting set play that relys on a faceoff win and a lot of moving parts. The Hanson goal will also be one to look at several times. Here is the link to ECHL Rewind: http://www.echl.com/


- Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-hold-off-wichita-5-3/


- Here is the game recap issued by the Wichita Thunder; http://www.wichitathunder.com/news/press-release/americans-pull-away-from-wichita-for-5-3-win1.html



STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

- I am glad we won but I have been in better moods. I didn't like our second period and I didn't like our third period even more. We were up 3-0 and Gill would like to get a couple more shutouts and the defensive play wasn't there.

- I thought Tyler Barnes made some really good moves on the rush but I am sure he would like to have that breakaway back. He is going to be a really good player for us.

- The goal at the start of the second period was a set play. You have to win the draw to make it work. After we scored Dyson Stevenson looked at me and said you have been trying that play for three years, it is about time we scored. I just told him I had to have the right guys out there.

- With the roster we have now our options are really good to play any way we want to play. We have plenty of skill and also plenty of grit. We are in good shape going into the playoffs to play anyway we want to play. We will have three lines all capable of scoring that will also be tough to play against. 

- Bryan Moore will be okay. He has a minor injury so I will rest him tomorrow night.

- We have some players more concerned about scoring right now. That is their top priority rather than playing good defensively. That has cost us goals against in the last few games. What I need to do is create more power play units so the guys that are only thinking about scoring don't get as much power play time.

- Alex Krushelynski will be here Sunday and I will start out playing him with Moore. They are friends, played together last season in Utah and say they have good chemistry together. I have lots of line combination options I am thinking about.

- I thought we missed Asuchak tonight and his net front presence. It is a great opportunity for him but it his hard to replace a 6'5" player that can skate and play the front of the net like he does.

- We were good on the penalty kill (0-5) but a big part of our penalty kill was Gill especially in the second period.



GAME PREVIEW

- The rematch with Wichita takes place tonight and the Americans will be wearing specialty jerseys benefiting HopeKids of North Texas. If you noticed the jersey Jack Gulati was wearing last night when he dropped the puck, it was a preview of the specialty jersey the team will wear tonight. It was great to see Jack in the concourse greeting fans before the game. There were smiles, hugs and thank yous all around. How refreshing to see an owner interacting with the fans the way Jack Gulati does. It just makes you want to pull for him to be successful.

Jack Gulati wore tonight's specialty jersey for the ceremonial puck drop last night - photo by Dianne Webster

- Despite the third period problems last night Allen did a lot of things right that led to victory. They scored the first goal of the game and now have a record of 31-2-2-1 when scoring first. The Americans also took advantage of their superior special teams. Allen was 2-3 on the power play while Wichita was 0-5. If Allen can win the special teams battle tonight and make more of a commitment to defense they should win the game handily and avoid yet another specialty jersey night jinx.


- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Andrew Wilk (#24) and linesmen Erik Contino (#89) and Lucas Bisbee (#72). This is the exact same crew that worked the game last night.




OTHER COMMENTS

- Colorado beat Utah 5-2 last night so the Americans remains four points in back of the Eagles for the top spot in the Mountain Division with 10 games to play.


- Missouri lost 3-2 in Quad City last night and trail Utah by one point behind and Alaska by five points for the final playoff spot in the Mountain Division.


- Greger Hanson kept two scoring streaks alive last night. He has points in the last 11 games and has a goal in his last five home games.


- Chad Costello had two assists last night to raise his league leading point total to 108. Chad has a 31 point lead in the scoring race. He has at least one assist in his last seven games.



DID YOU KNOW: At the end of  November the Allen power play was ranked #26 in the ECHL at 7.8%. Since that time the Allen power play percentage is the best in the league at 29.3%. Allen has gone from #26 to #4 in the ECHL power play rankings and now has an overall power play percentage of 23.0%. 

Allen vs Wichita Preview, Opportunity to Meet New Owner Jack Gulati, Free Tickets for Veterans

The Allen Americans take on the Wichita Thunder tonight (7:05 pm) at the Allen Event Center (AEC). It will be the 11th of 14 games between these teams this season. They will play again at the AEC Saturday night.

- Wichita is out of the playoff picture, has just 18 wins, 40 points and has lost seven of their last 10 games. Over the last two seasons Allen has a record of 20-2-1-0 against the Thunder. It looks like a couple of easy wins for the Americans this weekend. Nothing could be further from the truth. The two regulation losses took place the last two times Allen played Wichita and the games weren't even close. On January 22 the Thunder beat Allen 5-1 in Wichita and on January 21 they shutout the Americans 4-0 in Allen. Take Wichita lightly at your own peril.


- The lineup will have a different look for the Americans tonight. Spencer Asuchak will not be playing for the first time all season after playing in 61 straight games. Allen will miss many aspects of his game but particularly his net front presence. Asuchak is on loan to the Providence Bruins (AHL). Wade MacLeod who was recently signed and has a goal and assist in his first two games, will be making his home debut. Tyler Barnes who just arrived in Allen after being loaned by the Rockford IceHogs is expected to be in the lineup tonight.


- If I have the math correct two players will be healthy scratches. Coach Martinson has two options. He can sit out two forwards or he can have Dyson Stevenson help out at defense and sit out one forward and one defenseman.



- Here are the current stats comparing Allen and Wichita:


                                     ALLEN                               WICHITA

Team Record               39-17-3-1 (83 points)             18-36-3-1 (40 points)
Division Ranking         2nd - Mountain                       6th - Central
Conference Ranking   3rd - Western                         13th - Western
League Ranking         4th                                           25th
Last Game                  5-3 Win (Indy)                         2-1 OT Win (Missouri)
Goals For                    243                                         157
Goals Against             175                                          225
Power Play                 22.5% (59/262)                       15.8% (35-222)
Penalty Kill                  84.5% (45/290)                       81.1% (47/249)
Most PIM                    Mathers (238)                          Melindy (180)
Leading Scorers:        Costello (31-75-106)                DeBlouw (13-21-33)
                                   Hanson (32-38-70)                   Marcotte (12 -18-30)          



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

Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (20.20) - Wichita 2nd (17.90)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 2nd (3.98) - Wichita 25th (2.71)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 2nd (2.87) - Wichita 25th (3.88)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 19th (31.70) - Wichita 13th (32.22)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 22nd (34.72) - Wichita 26th (35.71)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 4th (22.5%) - Wichita 18th (15.8%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 4th (84.5%) - Wichita 20th (81.1%)




- A couple of interesting things to note from the stats above. Allen has a big advantage as they score over a goal a game more than Wichita and allow over a goal a game less than the Thunder. But if you look at shots for and against the teams are very close. That tells you Allen has a much better shooting percentage than Wichita (12.5% vs 8.4%) and much better goaltending (GAA 2.81 vs 3.83).


- Allen needs to capitalize on the clear advantage they have on special teams. In the two losses against Wichita at the end of January, Allen went 0-7 on the power play while the Thunder was 2-10. If you look at all 10 previous games Allen is 11-46 (23.9%) while Wichita is 7-56 (12.5%). It has been feast or famine for Allen on the power play against Wichita. They have had multiple power play goals four times (three goals twice) but have had no power play goals in five of the 10 games.


- In the 10 head to head games this season Allen has outscored Wichita 42-22, but the Thunder has out shot the Americans 384-324.


- There is little doubt Allen should win both games this weekend if you look at the talent on the team, the stats and the record against Wichita. But the team needs to resist trying to do too much in front of the home crowd and new owner who will be at both games. It is a broken record but it is the key to success. Be aggressive but don't cheat on offense. Don't try and make plays that aren't there. If you don't have a play dump the puck in and forecheck. Remember it is more important to win the game than score. Finish your checks and avoid stick penalties especially in the offensive zone. With the high powered offense on the ice tonight it will be a commitment to defense that is key. I guess that is enough cliches for one game.
   

- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Andrew Wilk (#24) and linesmen Erik Contino (#89) and Lucas Bisbee (#72).


OTHER COMMENTS

- New owner Jack Gulati is in town and will be very visible to all fans at both games this weekend. You will see him in the concourse wearing his #5 Allen Americans jersey and he really does want to meet with as many fans as possible and listen to whatever is on your mind. If you are a season ticket holder or sponsor there will be a casual meet and greet with Jack before the game on Saturday (March 18). If you are a season ticket holder or sponsor and didn't receive the email with the details all you need to know is the meet and greet with Jack will be from 5:00 - 6:00 pm on Saturday in the season ticket holder lounge. You need to enter through the south doors.

Fans will have a chance to meet Jack Gulati on Friday & Saturday

- I have heard from many fans sharing what they plan to talk to Jack about, asking me to share their concerns or asking what I thought they should say. My advice is for everyone to share whatever is on your mind but make sure to take the time and do it. I know from observing Jack before and after the press conference announcing the sale of the team he is in his element when talking to fans and truly wants to engage with them. If you want to know what is on my list to talk to him about it includes the following four items. First and foremost is thanking Jack (again) for taking the risk and buying the team as he is a hero for stepping up under difficult circumstances. Second, I want Jack to know Steve Martinson is not only the face of the franchise but it's heart and soul and if Jack wants more butts in the seats a long term contract for the coach is essential. Third, I want to share some marketing and promotion ideas that might help attendance. Finally, I want to talk to Jack about the possibility of a name change for the team. I started thinking about this when Missouri recently made their announcement that next season they will be the Kansas City Mavericks. This topic has come up  numerous times over the years and the rationale for Missouri making the change certainly applies to Allen. I love the current name but the question to ask is would a broader and more recognizable name attract more fans. If a change is made, now is the prefect timing with a new owner in place. So you have what is on my mind. My encouragement to everyone is to take the time to introduce yourself and share whatever is on your mind. It is not very often you get the chance to talk directly to the decision maker of a sports franchise so take advantage and you could impact what happens going forward in Allen.


- I mentioned on Wednesday the Allen Americans have long supported veterans through their "Seats for Soldiers" program. This year I asked if I could expand the program that has allowed me to offer free tickets to the many veterans that live at Heritage Ranch (where I reside) from World War II, Korea and Vietnam and offer free tickets to veterans that read Allen Americans Blog. The team has graciously agreed to give it a try. Here is what you need to do if you are a veteran and are interested in free tickets for Military Appreciation Night which is Saturday March 25 (7:05 pm.) Send me an email at janssenfamily@msn.com with the following information:

1. Your name
2. Branch of Service - (in my case Army)
3. Dates of service - (in my case 1968-1970)
4. Where you Served - (in my case Vietnam)
5. How many tickets you need - (I can provide tickets for you, your spouse and children)
6. Let me know if you need wheelchair accessible seating

I will put your tickets at will call and you will have to provide photo id to pick them up. Let me know if you have any questions.


- Happy birthday to Harrison Ruopp who is celebrating his 24th birthday today. 


- Congrats to LaJean Bilbrey and Micheal Moriarty who won the drawing for free tickets for the games this weekend. For those that didn't win there will be more opportunities so please keep entering.


DID YOU KNOW:  Steve Martinson has won 10 championships in 20 years of coaching but never planned to coach after ending his playing career. He was working as a financial advisor and was talked into coaching. He won a championship in his first season with a record of 49-7-2 for a win percentage of .862. The rest is history. It is interesting the highest win percentage in his coaching career came in his first year as coach.

Allen Adds Forwards Alex Krushelynski & Tyler Barnes to Roster - Details Including Martinson Comments

It was quite a day yesterday for the Allen Americans as they added two players to the roster. In the morning it was announced the Binghamton Senators (AHL) had loaned forward Alex Krushelnyski to Allen and in the afternoon the Rockford IceHogs (AHL) loaned forward Tyler Barnes to Allen. Both of these loans are the result of deals made last week that sent Jake Marchment on loan from San Jose to Indy and Randy Cure to Wichita.


- Allen mostly flew under the radar when the discussion of which teams improved the most as the trade deadline approached. I think most would now agree the addition of Wade MacLeod, Tyler Barnes and Alex Krushelnyski to the roster put the Americans toward the top of the most improved list. They have all been very successful when playing in the ECHL. MacLeod has averaged 1.04 points per game, Barnes .97 and Krushelnyski .91.


- You may ask why coach Martinson wants to add this type of firepower to what is already the second highest goal scoring team in the league. Allen has the opportunity to do something that is very special in winning five straight championships and three straight Kelly Cups. It is certainly not lost on Martinson the historical significance of such a feat. When I asked Martinson about the new additions he had this to say, "You can never be too deep going into the playoffs. Just look at some of the key players we lost the last few years before and during the playoffs including Chris Crane, Trevor Ludwig, Ian Schultz, Rylan Schwartz, David Makowski, Dyson Stevenson and Aaron Gens. Spencer Asuchak played several games last year with a fractured shoulder and Costello played the last six weeks with a pulled hip flexor. I say again you just can't be too deep going into the playoffs."


ALEX KRUSHELNYSKI

- Steve Martinson first noticed Alex in 2014-15 when Martinson was one of the coaches for the ECHL all-star game that took place in Orlando. Alex was playing for the Utah Grizzlies at the time and was on the all-star team. He won the skills competition for the fastest skater and his time was the third fastest in all-star history. He also had a goal in the game. Martinson had this to say about Alex, "I remember his skating abilty and speed from the all-star game and when we played against him. He is a hard worker, always moves his feet and knows how to shoot the puck," Alex was Utah's second leading scorer last season with 60 points (25 goals 35 assists) in 68 games. Here is a highlight video from the all-star game that shows Alex's skill competition win and his goal.

Here are his stats courtesy of hockeydb

Alexander Krushelnyski

Forward -- shoots L
Born Nov 14 1990 -- Los Angeles, CA
[26 yrs. ago]
Height 6.00 -- Weight 180 

			Regular Season						Playoffs
Season	Team	Lge	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	+/-	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2008-09	Chicago Steel	USHL	38	7	11	18	24	-4	--	--	--	--	--
2009-10	Chicago Steel	USHL	37	9	16	25	12	7	--	--	--	--	--
2009-10	Sioux City Musketeers	USHL	21	5	11	16	11	7	--	--	--	--	--
2010-11	Colorado College	WCHA	44	6	8	14	25
2011-12	Colorado College	WCHA	36	10	10	20	8
2012-13	Colorado College	WCHA	42	15	28	43	14
2013-14	Colorado College	NCHC	36	11	13	24	44
2014-15	Utah Grizzlies	ECHL	62	17	40	57	28	5	10	3	3	6	4
2014-15	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	3	0	0	0	4	-2	--	--	--	--	--
2015-16	Utah Grizzlies	ECHL	68	25	35	60	64	-4	10	2	4	6	6
2015-16	Hartford Wolf Pack	AHL	3	0	1	1	0	-1	--	--	--	--	--
2016-17	Wichita Thunder*	ECHL	6	2	5	7	0	5
2016-17	Binghamton Senators*	AHL	43	3	4	7	20	-9
2016-17	Allen Americans	ECHL

TYLER BARNES

- Tyler was also on the 2014-15 ECHL all-star team when he played for the Toledo Walleye. He led Toledo in scoring in 2014-15 with 74 points (34 goals 40 assists) in 71 games. In 2015-16 he played for Missouri and led the team in scoring with 61 points (24 goals 37 assists) in 69 games. This season he has split time between Rockford (25 games) and Indy (15 games). Here is what Martinson had to say, "Tyler plays hard, competes hard, he has a lot of skill, he forechecks, wins a lot of puck battles and is hard to play against."

- Here are a couple of videos with Tyler. The first is a player profile from last season when he was with Missouri. The second video is of a goal he scored in college when he played for the University of Wisconsin.

Here are Tyler's stats courtesy of hockeydb:

Tyler Barnes

Forward -- shoots R
Born Feb 13 1990 -- Burnsville, MI
[27 yrs. ago]
Height 6.00 -- Weight 198

			Regular Season						Playoffs
Season	Team	Lge	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	+/-	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2007-08	Waterloo Black Hawks	USHL	1	1	1	2	0	2	--	--	--	--	--
2008-09	Waterloo Black Hawks	USHL	55	9	17	26	43	9	3	0	0	0	2
2009-10	Waterloo Black Hawks	USHL	60	35	33	68	27	8	3	0	0	0	0
2010-11	U. of Wisconsin	WCHA	41	5	12	17	20
2011-12	U. of Wisconsin	WCHA	37	11	15	26	28
2012-13	U. of Wisconsin	WCHA	41	15	15	30	33
2013-14	U. of Wisconsin	Big-10	33	14	14	28	26
2013-14	San Antonio Rampage	AHL	7	2	0	2	0	-3	--	--	--	--	--
2014-15	Toledo Walleye	ECHL	71	34	40	74	30	20	21	8	10	18	6
2014-15	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL	2	0	0	0	0	0	--	--	--	--	--
2015-16	Missouri Mavericks	ECHL	69	24	37	61	32	24	10	5	3	8	4
2015-16	Bridgeport Sound Tigers	AHL	2	2	0	2	2	-1	--	--	--	--	--
2016-17	Rockford IceHogs*	AHL	25	4	3	7	4	-6
2016-17	Indy Fuel*	ECHL	15	5	10	15	4	-5

ROSTER UPDATE

- Tyler Barnes has already arrived in Allen and will be available for the games this weekend. Alex Krushelnyski is driving to Allen and got delayed by the snowstorm that hit the northeast. He is not expected to be available this weekend.


- Spencer Asuchak has been loaned to the Providence Bruins (AHL) so he will not be playing this weekend. Spencer has had a great season in Allen and certainly deserves the opportunity to play at the next level. Best of luck to him!



DID YOU KNOW: Alex Krushelnyski played with Bryan Moore in Utah and I heard they were linemates for some of that time. Another fun fact about Alex is his dad, Mike played in 897 NHL games with Boston, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Toronto and Detroit. He has three Stanley Cups (Edmonton) as a player and one has an assistant coach (Detroit). Mike's best NHL season was 1984-85, in which he scored 43 goals and had 88 points while often playing on a line with Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri. For you long time Central Hockey League fans you may remember Mike as the last coach of the Fort Worth Fire from 1997-99. 

Practice & Roster Update, Meeting Jack Gulati, Community Service Fishing, Free Tickets for Vets & More

It appeared  unusually calm at the Allen Americans practice yesterday with everyone dressed in red or white jerseys which is a sure sign it will be an easy practice with a scrimmage included. The one exception to the red or white jersey was Eric Roy who was on the ice wearing a cage and the no contact yellow jersey. While Roy is cleared to participate in practice do not expect to see him in a game anytime soon. The best case scenario for the Americans is to let him get 100% healed and back in shape and play in a few games toward the end of the season before playoffs start.


- Look for a couple of roster changes today. According to AHL transactions forward Alex Krushelnyski has been loaned to Allen by Binghamton (AHL). This is part of the deal that sent defenseman Randy Cure to Wichita. It is also expected a forward from Allen will be loaned to an AHL team today.


- New team owner Jack Gulati will be in Allen for the games with Wichita this weekend as he promised when he was here in February for the announcement he had bought the team. Jack made it clear to everyone at that first press conference he is the type of owner that enjoys meeting and talking to the fans. You can expect he will be roaming the concourse Friday night, decked out in an Allen Americans jersey, meeting and greeting the fans. I encourage everyone to introduce yourself to Jack, thank him for buying the team and share any thoughts, ideas and concerns you may have. My understanding is Jack intends to be in the season ticket holder lounge on Saturday from 5:00 - 6:00 pm to mix and mingle with the season ticket holders. Not sure of the exact format but the team will be sending info to the season ticket holders as soon as it is finalized. Again, I encourage all season ticket holders to come early, stop by and meet Jack, thank him personally for taking the risk to buy the team, and share your thoughts, ideas and concerns on how to make sure the team is successful both on and off the ice going forward. I think you will find Jack very engaging and this isn't just a public relations deal, he truly wants to hear what fans have to say.


- The Allen Americans players get numerous requests for public appearances and spend lots of their free time visiting schools, hospitals, sponsor events and participating in fan club events such as the golf outing that takes place today. Recently, the players got a unique request from the Heritage Ranch FFF fishing club. FFF which stands for "Fishing For Fun" needed help catching crappies to be transplanted between two bodies of water at Heritage Ranch. The request was very simple, can you send the best fishermen on the team to help catch 100 crappies to be transplanted. Yesterday afternoon was the big day and Dyson Stevenson, Derek Mathers, Tanner Eberle and Aaron Gens helped some FFF members accomplish the mission. Riley Gill, who is the best goalie, golfer and fisherman on the team had something come up last minute and couldn't make it but otherwise these are the best fishermen on the team. Thanks for help boys!

L to R Dyson Stevenson, Derek Mathers, Tanner Eberle & Aaron Gens with Heritage Ranch FFF members

- The Americans will be wearing specialty jerseys the next two Saturday nights so let us hope the specialty jersey jinx doesn't  rear its ugly head again. This is the time of year Allen needs to start putting teams away and not let them hang around as has been the case recently.  Here is a look at the specialty jerseys.

 - The game on March 25th is the 8th Annual Military Appreciation Night and many of you know I am a Vietnam Veteran. Over the last few years the Americans have allowed me to offer free tickets to the many veterans that live at Heritage Ranch (where I reside) from World War II, Korea and Vietnam. The Americans have long supported veterans through their "Seats for Soldiers" program. This year I asked the Allen Americans if I could expand the program and offer free tickets to veterans that read Allen Americans Blog and they have graciously agreed. I am in the process of putting the procedures together and will provide the details in the next couple of days. This is just a heads up, I will be offering free tickets for all veterans (and their family) for the game on March 25. A special thanks to the Allen Americans for allowing me to do this. 


- Here is as story written by Mike Stern of Inside Hockey talking about the Allen Americans "Drive for Five." http://www.insidehockey.com/four-time-defending-kelly-presidents-cup-champ-allen-counting-down-to-drive-for-five/


- Kale Kerbashian, who was traded to Wheeling at the trade deadline last week and suspended by the Nailers for failing to report, has changed his mind according to ECHL transactions. In the transactions issued by the league yesterday Kale was added to the active roster with an effective date of March 12.


-There is still time to enter the drawing for free tickets for the weekend. I won't have the drawing until 5:00 pm today. Here are the details:

I have two free tickets for both games this weekend (Friday & Saturday 7:05 pm). The tickets are in the fifth row off the ice on the aisle in section 100. The tickets are at the end of the rink where the Americans are on offense twice. 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 if you are interested in Friday, Saturday or both.



DID YOU KNOW: There are seven teams in the ECHL with over 1000 penalty minutes and they are all in the Western Conference led by Allen with 1232 minutes and Colorado with 1212 minutes. The Eastern Conference has just one team with as many as 900 penalty minutes. South Carolina leads the conference with 902. The average penalty minutes per team in the Eastern Conference is 787 and the average in the Western Conference is 957.

A Look at Allen's Quest for the Top, Upcoming Roster Changes, Free Tickets & Team Geographical Breakdown

The Allen Americans are back home preparing for two games this weekend against the Wichita Thunder. The Americans haven't played a home game in a month and in that time have watched the Colorado Eagles take over the Mountain Division lead with a 17 game win streak. However, Allen won all five of their road games over the past month and despite the Colorado win streak the Americans trail the Eagles by just four points with 11 games remaining.

- The Americans have played some pretty good hockey to stay in contact with Colorado. They are 14-2-1-1 over the last 18 games, 8-1-1-0 over the last 10 games, have won eight straight road games and have a five game win streak.


- Allen has a great opportunity to overtake Colorado for the division lead which would give the Americans home ice advantage for the first and second rounds of the playoffs. It won't be easy but Allen has some advantages. Eight of the Americans last 11 games are at home while Colorado has eight of their last 11 games on the road. Advantage Allen.


- Colorado has three games remaining with Idaho, five with Utah and three with Rapid City. Against these three teams Colorado's record this season is 15-7-1-3.  Allen has four games remaining with Wichita, four with Tulsa and three with Missouri. Against these three teams Allen's record this season is 22-6-2-0. Advantage Allen.


- The three teams Colorado has to play in the last 11 games have been playing well. Their combined record over the last 10 games is 17-11-2-0. The three teams Allen has to play over the last 11 games have not been playing well. Their combined record over the last 10 games is 9-19-1-1. Advantage Allen.


- Allen can certainly catch Colorado to win the Mountain Division and also has a chance to be the #1 seed overall. To do so they will have to play their best hockey of the season and almost win out in the last 11 games. 18 points in the last 11 games is a realistic goal and would put the Americans over 100 points for the season. To get the #1 overall seed they would need some help from Toledo who has a six point lead and a game in hand over Allen.


- I know it is early but just a reminder the tiebreakers for the playoffs start with regular season wins excluding shootout wins. As of today Toledo has 40, Colorado 39 and Allen 38. The second tiebreaker is goal differential. As of today Toledo is +88, Allen is +68 and Colorado is +59. These are just the first two of eight tiebreakers with number eight being a coin toss.


- Everyday I get questions about when will the two AHL players that are expected to be assigned to Allen arrive and what impact will that have on the roster.  The answer as to when is I don't know but a couple of factors to keep in mind. As college and junior players finish their seasons they are being signed by the NHL, AHL and ECHL teams. College playoffs are currently taking place and as teams lose players are turning pro. With the influx of these players on NHL and AHL rosters other players will get reassigned to ECHL teams. My guess is if players currently in the AHL are going to be assigned to Allen it will happen sooner rather than later. As to the question of roster changes when additional players are assigned to Allen, from my conversations with coach Martinson I would not expect any roster changes. Injures, call ups and loans may impact the roster over the last 11 games but if you are concerned your favorite player will get released when players get assigned that will not happen.


OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen is getting close to surpassing their win and point totals from last season.  They need two more wins and six more points to match the 41 wins and 89 points they earned last season on the way to winning the Kelly Cup.


- I mentioned above how the signing of college players by the NHL and AHL has begun now that college playoffs have started and many college seasons have come to an end. This will force more players in the AHL to be sent to ECHL teams. Here is a story that talks about the college to pro process that takes place this time of year.  http://www.tsn.ca/the-nhl-s-college-signing-season-begins-1.695343


-  As Allen gets ready for two home games this weekend there are several streaks worthy of note. Greger Hanson has an assist in nine straight games and a point in 10 straight. He has a goal in his last four home games. Chad Costello has an assist in his last six home games and his 106 points leads the ECHL scoring race by 30 points.  David Makowski continues his charge up the ECHL leader board in scoring by a defenseman. He has a point in 16 of the last 17 games and in those 17 games has 11 goals and 16 assists. David is third in scoring by a defenseman. He has 47 points in just 37 games, second place is 51 points but has played 56 games and first place is 59 points in 61 games.


- I have two free tickets for both games this weekend (Friday & Saturday 7:05 pm). The tickets are in the fifth row off the ice on the aisle in section 100. The tickets are at the end of the rink where the Americans are on offense twice. 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 if you are interested in Friday, Saturday or both.




DID YOU KNOW: This year's Allen Americans team is one of the most geographically dispersed ever when you look at where they grew up. Based on the roster from the team's website there are players from three countries including eight different US states and five different Canadian provinces. Here is the breakdown with the number of players in parenthesis. Michigan (2), Minnesota (2), Pennsylvania (1), North Carolina (1), North Dakota (1),  Massachusetts (1), Iowa (1), Missouri (1), Ontario (4), Saskatchewan (4), British Columbia (2), Quebec (1), Manitoba (1) and Sweden (1).

It's a Win but Disappointing, Martinson Comments, Longest Game in History, Aaron Dell Beats Stars

The Allen Americans finished up the last of five straight road games dating back to February 24 when they defeated the Indy Fuel 5-3 Sunday afternoon. It should have been cause for celebration as with the win in Indy, the Americans won all five road games and come home to finish the season with eight of the 11 remaining games at the Allen Event Center.

- Allen won the game against last place Indy but it is hard to believe anyone was happy with the team's performance. Allen out shot the Fuel 16-7 in the first period and took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. They scored two goals early in the second period to take a 3-0 lead. It seemed like from that point forward the attitude was we are up 3-0 and I want to get some points. Turnovers dominated the second period for Allen, Indy out shot the Americans 20-8 but managed just one goal thanks to stellar play by Riley Gill. Allen scored at the 8:07 mark of the third period to make the score 4-1. Disaster then struck twice for Allen as they gave up shorthanded goals on two successive power plays to let Indy back in the game. With the score 4-3 the Fuel pulled their goalie but Greger Hanson scored an empty netter to seal a 5-3 win for Allen.


- A game that started out so good ended up being one of those games where many players started to think scoring was more important than winning. And it is not like Indy has this great penalty kill unit that scores a lot of shorthanded goals. As a matter of fact in the 59 games prior to the game yesterday the Fuel were dead last in the ECHL with only two shorthanded goals. They doubled their total to four shorties in one game against Allen. The Americans have given up more shorthanded goals (12) this season than any team in the league.


- The player you have to feel bad for is goalie Riley Gill who has played his heart out for this team. To give up two shorthanded goals on two successive power plays six minutes apart to a team that had two power play goals in their first 59 games is inexcusable and demonstrates a lack of commitment to defense. Greger Hanson had this to say in the Allen press release recapping the game, "This was a disappointing effort by us. We left Riley out to dry with some bad decisions that led to two shorthanded goals. I don't blame him for being upset. He played great and we didn't do our part."


- Steve Martinson was also unhappy with the team's effort. Here are his post game comments:

I liked the way we played in the first period. Things changed once we got the 3-0 lead early in the second period. We had way too many turnovers from guys trying to make plays that weren't there.

The shorthanded goals were painful to watch. We couldn't stop the first one because we had some forwards hoping we were going to get the puck back so they could get an odd man rush the other way. Instead Indy had a shorthanded empty net to shoot at.

The second shorthanded goal was caused by the kind of drop pass at the blue line they teach you as a young kid not to do.

After I watched the effort by some of the forwards on the first shorthanded goal I should have never put them out on the next power play to give up the second shorthanded goal.

One stat that should be important to everyone on the team is Riley Gill leading the ECHL in GAA and save percentage.


- Goal scorers for Allen were Greger Hanson (31 & 32), David Makowski (15), Bryan Moore (21) and Wade MacLeod (1). You can see all of the goals with the exception of Hanson's second one which was an empty netter and many great saves by both goalies at ECHL Rewind: http://www.echl.com/


- Here is the press release recapping the game from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-sweep-five-game-road-trip-with-win-in-indy/


- If you want to read the Indy take on the game here is their press release: https://www.indyfuelhockey.com/fuel-hang-tough-in-5-3-loss-to-allen


- The Americans got an early start on the 850 mile trip back to Allen as the game ended at 4:30 pm (CDT). If all went as planned and Big Red cooperated the hope was to arrive back at the Allen Event Center around 9:00 am this morning.


OTHER COMMENTS

- You may have heard about a playoff game in Norway yesterday that went to eight overtimes, took over eight hours to complete and ended at 2:32 am. There were 189 shots on goal (96-93) and the final score was 2-1. Here are some more details: https://www.nhl.com/news/incredible-hockey-game-in-norway-goes-8-overtimes/c-287656214


- The Allen Americans got some good publicity as Aaron Dell led San Jose to a 5-1 win over the Dallas Stars last night. Allen was mentioned on TV and in the game recap in the Dallas Morning News (DMN) today. Some really nice things to say about Aaron and well deserved. Here is a link to the DMN story. http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-stars/stars/2017/03/12/stars-iest-way-possible-loss-san-jose-showed-stars-mess?f=r


In other Mountain Division action yesterday Utah, Missouri and Colorado all won. Colorado beat Alaska in overtime so the Aces also gained a point. Here are the Mountain Division standings with games remaining in parentheses:

87 points - Colorado (11 games remaining)
83 points - Allen (11 games)
75 points - Idaho (12 games)
69 points - Alaska (12 games)
65 points - Utah (11 games)
63 points - Missouri (13 games)
52 points - Rapid City (12 games)



DID YOU KNOW: Allen's record when scoring the first goal of the game is 30-2-2-1. That is the second best record in the ECHL and equates to getting 90% of the available points when they score first. An even more amazing record is when Allen is tied after the first period they haven't lost all season. They are a perfect 13-0 when tied after one period. Every other team in the league has at least four losses when tied after the first period.