Allen Loses to KC 4-3 in OT, Game Recap, Martinson Comments, Sporfie Expands Video Highlights, Jacob & Olly Join Former Allen Player & Sign with Mighty Camels in Dubai and More

A Wednesday night crowd of 3739 at the Allen Event Center went home disappointed last night as the Allen Americans blew a 2-0 lead and lost to the Kansas City Mavericks 4-3 in overtime. The Americans took a 2-0 lead into the locker room after the first period on goals by Alex Guptill and David Makowski. Prior to last night Allen was 11-0 when scoring the first goal of the game and 10-0 when leading after the first period so it is easy to see why fans left disappointed.

- The second period proved to be a disaster again for the Americans. The Mavericks out shot Allen 19-6 in the game on Tuesday. Last night the second period shot totals were 20-8 in favor of the Mavericks.


- Other than scoring first and taking a 2-0 first period lead the Americans failed the keys to the game. Allen was out shot 47-26 and when you have a shot differential of -21 you won't win many games. Some of the differential was caused by the fact Kansas City had seven power play opportunities compared to only two for Allen. Included in the seven Mavericks power plays was back to back five-on-three power plays. The 47 shots on goal was a season high for Kansas City. The Mavericks have had 40 or more shots on goal all four times these teams have played this season. Allen is 2-1-1-0 against the Mavericks but Kansas City has out shot the Americans 170-112.


- Winning the special teams battle was another key to the game. Allen's power play could not have been better going 2-2 however the penalty kill unit gave up three power play goals including the goal that tied the game 3-3 with under three minutes left in the game and the game winning goal 73 seconds into overtime.


- Goal scorers for Allen were Alex Guptill (8, first with Allen), David Makowski (7) and Joel Chouinard (4). The video highlights are on ECHL Rewind: https://www.echl.com/


- Here is the game recap from the Kansas City Mavericks: http://kcmavericks.com/news/?article_id=1020


- Here are some post game quotes courtesy of the Allen Americans:

"We weren't good on the penalty kill tonight. On the five-on-three we got caught on the outside and gave them a nice shot in the slot. We didn't have our sticks in the right lanes on the second power play goal and on the third one we let them stand there and let them get too close and they hit the far side."..... Steve Martinson

"Just making dumb mistakes and taking too many penalties. Seven penalty kills on four guys takes its toll on everyone and slows down the game for us.".....Allen forward Colby McAuley on the poor penalty kill

"Playing a man down is never easy. It's pro hockey. That means their best players are on the ice and sometimes they make nice plays and tonight they did. They got a double tip on one and in overtime Robertson just made a good play. He was patient, found the right hole, and shot it through."....... Allen goalie Stephon William

"We didn't play very good. We got out worked and out skated. We seem to think we can beat them with skill and we keep turning the puck over and over and over. We didn't win enough battles for the puck, we didn't generate enough speed and we didn't deserve to win. We got a point but it was a bad effort.....Martinson

"That's a hard working team. They are meat and potatoes kind of guys. They were banged up and they just dump it in and work hard. It is just one of those things where you must match the effort every shift.".....Williams

"I am going to make the entire team sit down and watch the game with me. They will go through what I go through and they are going to see all of the turnovers, the soft play and not winning puck battles. That is what ends up with our opponents getting all of those scoring opportunities. We are not a hard working team and it is costing us.".....Martinson

"I liked the way we played in the third period last night (Tuesday). We got off to a good start tonight but in the second period we got into penalty problems and got outskated.



OTHER COMMENTS

- It was a disappointing loss for the Americans last night but they did come away with one point and now trail third place Wichita by two points and second place Idaho by four points. Allen has played the same number of games as Wichita (26) but has three games in hand over Idaho.


- Allen now prepares for the back half of four games in five days against the Tulsa Oilers on Friday and Saturday. Tulsa is in fifth place in the Mountain Division (six points behind Allen) but has been playing better hockey recently. Tulsa has points in eight of their last 10 games with a record of 6-2-1-1. There will be a complete game preview in the blog tomorrow.  


- The Allen Americans have been testing for a couple of months a new way to capture game highlights using a video application from a company named Sporfie. The good news is fans can also use this application at no cost. The Allen Event Center/Community rink was the third venue in the nation to have Sporfie installed. All you have to do is download the application, create an account and login. Events are created automatically for all Allen games. Anytime you attend a game all you have to do is open your Sporfie app and join the event. Sit back and enjoy the game! When something happens you want to save, you just click in the app to capture the 15 seconds that just happened. Your clips will be delivered instantly from all cameras filming the ice. You can share video clips instantly via email or text and on all of your social media platforms. The possibilities are endless.

The Allen Americans encourage everyone to try the product when they attend games. You can capture your favorite moments and share with family and friends following the play or after the game. The app also allows fans to view all other fan's recorded moments. If you have children who play games in the community rink this is a must have application.

To get started all you need to do is go to sporfie.com and download the app. It works on both apple and android devices. Here is the link:https://www.sporfie.com/

The Sporfie team installed three additional cameras last night so now there are five different views you can capture. Checkout these highlights from Sporfie. This is my first effort in linking these highlights in the blog so hope this works. As I get better with the app I will include more links:

Here is the first Allen goal scored by Alex Guptill: https://sporfie.app.link/b91B6fzP2I

Here is David Makowski's goal that gave Allen a 2-0 lead: https://sporfie.app.link/obL5yqIQ2I

This link is from one of the new cameras which is the view of Allen's bench. This captures the bench celly after Makowski's goal. https://sporfie.app.link/lqa8cyIQ2I


- Allen has not fared very well this season in games that have gone to overtime. In six games they have one overtime win, three overtime losses, one shootout win and one shootout loss.


- With their two power play goals last night (2-2) Allen has climbed to #3 in the ECHL in power play percentage (20.4%). The penalty kill ranking continues to fall. Allen gave up three more power play goals last night and the penalty kill is now ranked #23 at 79.7%. 


- Bryan Moore had an assist on Makowski's goal to keep his point streak alive which is now at nine games. Bryan's nine game point streak is the second longest in the league right now. He has an assist in seven straight games dating back to November 24. That is currently the longest assist streak in the ECHL.


- Casey Pierro-Zabotel has an assist in his last six home games which is one shy of the longest home assist streak in the ECHL this season. Casey continues to lead the league in assists with 24, three more than second place.

 
- Joel Chouinard had a goal and an assist in the game last night in a losing cause and was a +1. Joel has climbed to #5 in the league (second among defensemen) in plus/minus with +16. The league leader is at +19.


- David Makowski also had a goal and assist in the game last night and is now just two points behind the league lead for points by a defenseman. David continues to lead all ECHL defensemen is average points per game at 1.09. He has 24 points (7 goals 17 assists) in 22 games.



DID YOU KNOW: I am sure many hockey fans have watched one or more videos from the On the Bench duo of Jacob and Olly who are known for giving out the worst hockey advice. Check out their latest when the boys plan a trip to Toronto and accidentally end up in Dubai signing with the Mighty Camels hockey team. Pay close attention to the video and you will notice their teammate is non other than former Allen Americans forward Patrik Valcak who was on the 2014-15 Kelly Cup championship team. In case you were wondering there really is hockey in Dubai and Patrik does play for the Mighty Camels.

Allen Beats KC 5-2, Game Recap, Martinson's Comments, Allen vs KC Rematch Preview, Photos of the Game & Allen's Winning Percentage

On a cold and rainy Tuesday night the Allen Americans beat the Kansas City Mavericks 5-2 last night before a crowd of 3612 at the Allen Event Center. It was one of those games where looking at the summary doesn't tell the story. The game summary shows a 5-2 victory but the game was much closer than the score. The game summary shows shots were 41-40 in favor of the Mavericks but that doesn't come close to telling the story. The summary shows Kansas City 0-3 on the power play and Allen 1-4 and that doesn't tell the story.


- For the third time in as many meetings against the Mavericks the Americans did not score the first goal. Kansas City scored first at the 6:14 mark of the first period. However, Allen did the next best thing by striking back with a goal of their own 67 seconds later on a great effort by David Makowski. Before the first period was over Colby McAuley scored to give the Americans a 2-1 lead going into the intermission. That was a good sign for the Allen faithful as the Americans record this season when having a lead after the first period is a perfect 10-0-0-0.


- The second period was a nightmare for Allen with two huge exceptions. The bad news is they were out shot in the period 19-6. The good news is at the beginning of the period Allen killed 1:49 of a full two minute five-on-three power play for the Mavericks that was called toward the end of the first period. The other good news is Jeremy Brodeur was at his best stopping 18 of 19 shots he faced in the second period.


- As bad as the second period was for the Americans the third period was just the opposite. Allen out shot Kansas City 21-8, did a better job of getting pucks in deep when they didn't have a play, scored a power play goal and put the game away with a Bryan Moore empty net goal. Olivier Archambault could have scored the empty net goal himself but passed the puck to Moore. I have seen Moore do the same thing in the past and it is always good to see unselfish plays to let a teammate score the empty net goal.


- The starting five (Arseneau, Pierro-Zabotel, Moore, Makowski, Chouinard) for Allen have dominated the last two games. In the two victories (5-2 & 5-2) this group has scored nine of the 10 goals and 23 of the 27 total points. Another way to say it is the starting five has nine goals and 14 assists in the last two games, the rest of the team combined has one goal and three assists. The starting five is scoring a lot but also defending, they have a plus/minus over the last two games of +34 while the rest of the team is -11. The Allen Americans are built on depth and that depth will come through as the Americans play seven games in the next 12 days.


- Goal scorers for Allen were David Makowski (6), Colby McAuley (4), Bryan Moore (9&10) and Vincent Arseneau (11).


- Here is the Kansas City Mavericks game recap: http://kcmavericks.com/news/?article_id=1016



STEVE MARTINSON COMMENTS

- Here is coach Martinson's pregame interview with game host Kayla McLain:

- Here are Martinson's post game comments:

- I liked the third period the best. In the first two periods we were trying to be too cute. We were trying to make plays and kept turning the puck over, we didn't check any body because we weren't getting pucks in deep. Sometimes you need to get pucks in deep rather than making the pretty play. We would turnover the puck in the neutral zone or just inside our blue line and then Kansas City would counter. When you turnover pucks you aren't playing very physical. I think we had one hit in the second period.

- We had line rushes where we kept pulling up instead of getting the puck at the net with some traffic in front. That is usually our bread and butter to back them off and then pull up.

- We figured it out and played much better in the third period out shooting them 21-8. We definitely have more speed and skill in the line up now. We just have to remember you can't just skill the puck into the net. Sometimes you just have to be greasy.

- I will go back and clip some of the crappy stuff from the first two periods and the good stuff from the third period to reinforce what we did well.

- Stephon Williams will start in goal tomorrow (Wednesday) night. He is a 100% and ready to go. I gave him an extra day because I thought he needed some shots in practice.

- I plan on doing some platooning with the defense and I tried to rest some guys late in the game tonight when we got the lead. Mike Gunn will be back in the line up tomorrow.


OTHER COMMENTS

- Some noteworthy accomplishments:

Bryan Moore: Not sure where to start as Bryan had two goals and an assist in the game and was selected the #1 star. Moore has at least one point in eight straight games, multiple points in six of the last eight games, a goal in six of his last seven games, three points in each of the last three games and is +14 over the last seven games. Bryan has played in 14 games for Allen and has 22 points (10 goals 12 assists). His 1.57 points per game average is the best in the ECHL for players with more than five games played.

Vincent Arseneau: After a hat trick in his last game Arseneau followed it up with another goal last night. Vincent battled an injury early in the season but has come on gangbusters recently. He didn't have a goal in the first six games he played this season. Since that time he has played 12 games and scored a goal in nine of them. Arseneau has five goals in the last three games, has a goal in eight of the last 10 games and leads the team with four game winning goals.

Casey Pierro-Zabotel: Casey has been Mr. Steady all season. He had four assists in the last two games and continues to lead the  ECHL is assists with 23.

David Makowski: David had a big night last night with a goal and three assists and was +4. Makowski is back in familiar territory leading all ECHL defensemen in average points per game (1.05). In 21 games he has 22 points (6 goals 16 assists).

Joel Chouinard: Thanks to a plus/minus of +5 and +3 in the last two games Joel is back on top of the plus/minus stat for the Americans with a +15. The +15 is #3 in the ECHL among defensemen.

Jeremy Brodeur: Jeremy had another 40 shot night, 41 to be exact. In his last four games he has faced shot totals of 42, 40, 49 and 41. He won three of the four. Jeremy has won six of his last seven starts. His save percentage (.932) is the second best in the ECHL.

Colby McAuley: Colby may fly a bit under the radar but he has been a big contributor since arriving in Allen 14 games ago. He has a point in five of the last six games including a goal last night. He has scored at close to a point a game clip (4 goals 8 assists), goes to the front of the net, plays defense (only two minus games), finishes his checks, logs a lot of penalty kill minutes and has been willing to drop the gloves.


- A big turning point in the game last night was Allen killing a full two minute Mavericks power play at the end of the first period and beginning of the second. The scrum that resulted in two roughing calls against Allen and none against Kansas was certainly unusual and happened literally one foot in front of where I sit. There was plenty of pushing, shoving and face washes from both teams. It was good the home penalty kill unit that is ranked #2 in the league at 90.0% killed that five-on-three rather than the road penalty kill unit that is ranked #27 at 70.6%. One of the strangest stats you will ever see.


- In the only other ECHL game last night the Tulsa Oilers beat the Wichita Thunder in Wichita by a score of 4-2. It was Wichita's fifth loss in their last six games.




ALLEN VS KANSAS CITY GAME PREVIEW

- The easy answer to what the Americans need to do to win tonight is play like they did in the third period last night. Don't turnover the puck trying to make plays that aren't there, if there is no play dump the puck.


- It would be nice to score the first goal, something Allen hasn't done in the three previous games against Kansas City. If the Americans do get the first goal you have to like their chances since the are 11-0 this season when scoring first.


- Allen did a great job on special teams last night killing all three Kansas City power plays including the two minute five-on-three. They also scored a power play of their own. If you win the special teams battle you normally win the game. The Americans need to continue the good play on special teams. Best to stay away from retaliation penalties. As coach Martinson always says the smart thing to do if player does you wrong is take note of the player's number and deal with the issue later in the game or even the next time the teams play.


- Allen gave up a lot of shots last night (41) but what was different from previous games against Kansas City is the Americans matched them in shots on goal (40). If Allen can avoid a big shot differential tonight they should be fine.


- The officiating crew tonight will be the same as last night so you can expect more of the same. The referee scheduled for the game is Mike Sheehan (#11) and the linesmen are Aaron Schacht (#31) and Brian Bull (#95).


PHOTOS OF THE GAME

Photographer Dianne Webster has become a friend and colleague over the last few years. She has gone above and beyond the call of duty to help provide photos for the blog and deal with my numerous "special requests."  We often call each other to commiserate about all things Allen Americans. Dianne called me earlier this week to let me know she will not be working the Allen Americans games for the foreseeable future due to recurring physical problems from a car accident she had last season. She has been trying to get better and still be the team photographer but that is no longer possible. So just like the players she is going on injured reserve until she gets healthy and can practice her love of sports photography without pain. The good news is Dianne will still be at most games but as a fan rather than a photographer. What distinguishes Dianne as a photographer is her ability to capture emotion in her photos and that is what she does best. Last night was her last game for a while and here are some of my favorites:

Jeremy Brodeur

Brodeur glove save

Water fight - Joel Chouinard

Bryan Moore gets whacked by KC goalie

Miles Liberati's cousin with the celly after scoring a goal between periods

I want to be just like those guys when I grow up

 



DID YOU KNOW: One of the blog readers (Steve) asked about the Allen Americans winning percentage so here are some numbers from the past and what could happen this week.

.500 - Allen's winning percentage on November 5th
.660 - Winning percentage after the win over Kansas City last night
.673 - Winning percentage if Allen wins tonight
.696 - Winning percentage if Allen wins the three remaining games this week

Allen's current winning percentage (.660) is ranked #7 in the ECHL. Florida is #1 at .788 and Rapid City is #27 at .280.  

It's Gameday, Allen vs Kansas City Preview, Why Six Teams Will Play Games in Conflict With the All-Star Game, Specialty Jersey Auction & More

It was what coach Steve Martinson described as a "meat and potatoes" practice yesterday as the Allen Americans prepare for two games against the Kansas City Mavericks. Not a real strenuous practice because conserving energy is important with the the Americans playing four games in the next five days. Some drills that reinforce mistakes made in the last couple of games, some special teams work and some individual instruction bringing players up to speed.


- Kansas City drove to Allen overnight after playing at home on Sunday when they lost in a shootout to Colorado. The Mavericks had the day off in Allen yesterday.


- The game tonight (7:05 pm) will be the third of eight games between Allen and Kansas City this season. They split the first two meetings in Kansas City on December 10 & 11. The Mavericks are a .500 team but have far exceeded that on the road with a record of 9-5-0-0. Allen's home record is 6-2-2-1.


- A Tuesday night home game is an odd duck for sure, you have to go back to November, 2015 for the last time Allen played at home on a Tuesday night. The only other game in the ECHL tonight is Tulsa at Wichita. It is kind of nostalgic to have the only action in the ECHL among the "four band of brothers" (Americans, Mavericks, Oilers, Thunder) who have fought tooth and nail against each other for years. Familiarity breeds contempt and over the years these four teams have played well over half of their games against each other.


- Allen will have their strongest lineup since opening night on the ice tonight. Fans will get their first chance to see Olivier Archambault at home after his long stint in San Jose. Keep an eye on #44 when he has the puck to see some amazing skill. Zach Hall is expected to be back in the lineup as is Alex Guptill who was recently acquired in a trade with Rapid City. There will be speed, skill and toughness on every line and that depth is very hard to defend.


- Here is how Allen and Kansas City match up:

                                    ALLEN                             KANSAS CITY

Team Record:             14-7-2-1 (31 points)           13-13-0-1 (27 points)
Division Ranking:        4th Mountain                     4th Central
Conference Ranking:  7th Western                       8th Western
League Ranking:        12th                                    15th
Last Game:                 5-2 Win (Tulsa)                  4-3 Loss (Colorado)
Goals For:                   83                                      78
Goals Against:            71                                       88
Power Play:                18.6% (19/102)                  19.4% (19.98)
Penalty Kill:                80.6% (21/108)                   78.0% (20/91)
Most PIM                    Makowski (62)                    Elbrecht (66)
Leading Scorers:        Pierro-Zabotel (6-22-28)     McMurtry (14-17-31)
                                             



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

Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (22.42) - Kansas City 18th (13.26)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 7th (3.46) - Kansas City 21st (2.89)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 10th (2.96) - Kansas City 16th (3.26)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 14th (32.54) - Kansas City 13th (32.56)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 24th (36.42) - Kansas City 10th (31.15)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 12th (18.6%) - Kansas City 8th (19.4%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 22nd (80.6%) - Kansas City 25th (78.0%)


- Both of these teams have struggled on their penalty kill, ranking toward the bottom of the league. However, if you look at road vs home penalty kill percentages it tells a different story. On the road Kansas City is ranked #11 with a penalty kill percentage of 84.3%. At home Allen is ranked #3 with a penalty kill percentage of 89.5%. The last time these teams met Allen gave up three power play goals to the Mavericks in five opportunities and the goals came in a similar fashion. Hopefully the Americans have that cleaned up for the game tonight.


- The Americans have at least one power play goal in four of their last six games going 5-20 (20.0%). However, they have allowed two or more power play goals in four of their last six games going 11-31 (64.5%) on the penalty kill. Can't emphasize enough the importance of specials teams in the game tonight.


- Another stat to keep an eye on tonight as a key to success is shots on goal. Allen is ranked #24 in the league giving up an average of 36.42 shots per game. In the first two games against Kansas City the Americans were out shot 82-47. Even though Allen has a decent record when being out shot by their opponent (6-5-1-1) getting out shot by almost 18 shots per game is not the formula for success.


- Coach Martinson typically gives each goalie a start in back to games and if I had to guess Brodeur would get the start tonight and Williams tomorrow night. Giving Williams an extra day after coming back from an injury makes sense.


- If you look at Jeremy Brodeur's stats it is easy to see the impact of Allen allowing so many shots on goal. Brodeur is making over 40 saves per game and has the third best save percentage in the ECHL at .930. But even with a great save percentage his GAA is ranked #19 in the league (2.82) because he faces so many shots.


- Mavericks top goalie, Tyler Parsons, was injured in Kansas City's game against Colorado on Saturday. He did not make the trip with the team to Allen.


- The player to watch for Kansas City tonight is #7 Mike McMurtry. He is tied for fourth in scoring in the ECHL with 31 points (14 goals 17 assists). McMurtry leads the Mavericks in points, goals, assists and game winning goals. He has 31 points, the next highest on the team has 18. His 14 goals are six more than anyone else on the team. McMurtry has multiple points in four of the Mavericks last seven games, has a goal in five of the last seven games and failed to get a point only once. If you like to follow the game within the game track what defensive pairing and forwards coach Martinson uses against McMurtry since the Americans have last change at home.


- Here is a story written by fellow Team Sin Bin writer Joe Rozycki that talks about all things Kansas City Mavericks. Some good background on the Mavericks season thus far and what lies ahead: http://thesinbin.net/seven-defining-moments-staring-the-mavericks-in-the-face/ 


The referee scheduled for the game is Mike Sheehan (#11) and the linesmen are Aaron Schacht (#31) and Brian Bull (#95). Sheehan typically does not call a lot of penalties. He was the referee when these teams played in Kansas City 10 days ago and called only five penalties. Only two of the five were minor penalties resulting in a power play. The Mavericks were 0-2 on the power play and the Americans didn't have a power play opportunity in the game.



OTHER COMMENTS

- Congrats to Brandon Cox who was the winner of four upper level loge tickets for the game tonight in the Barry the Blogger drawing. Thanks to everyone who entered and stay tuned for more free tickets next month.


- The best home record in the ECHL belongs to the Colorado Eagles at 12-1-2-0. The best road record goes to the Florida Everblades who are 10-0-1-1 on the road. Colorado and Florida are the only teams in the league with over 40 points. They are tied atop the league standings with 41 points.


- Garrett Clarke, the all time leader in penalty minutes for the Allen Americans (432) is leading the ECHL in penalty minutes this season with 114 PIMS. Clarke plays for the Indy Fuel.

- The Allen Americans will be wearing their ugly Christmas sweater jerseys on Saturday (December 23) and they are already available for bidding at the online auction site. The auction ends Saturday

evening. The starting bid for the jerseys varies from $249 to $299. You can check out the auction at: https://one.bidpal.net/goamericans 

DID YOU KNOW:  I have had several questions recently why the Allen Americans will be playing at home on the same day as the ECHL All-Star game which is January 15. There are actually three regular season games that day which is MLK day. Tulsa is at Allen, Florida is at Atlanta and Rapid City is at Utah. Thanks to Joe Babik, ECHL Director of Communications for providing the answer to the questions:

"The All-Star game proposals submitted by Indy (2018 All-Star Game) and Toledo (2019) proposed playing the game on the afternoon of Martin Luther King Day in the hopes of attracting a larger crowd than the traditional Wednesday evening game. Both of the proposals were approved by the Board of Governors (BOG). As part of the approval, the BOG voted to continue to allow regular season games to be played on MLK Day, with the understanding that teams that play that day (and potentially on Sunday based on travel considerations) would send their all-star selection to the game, and as such, they would not be available for the regular season game. All teams were aware if this situation throughout the scheduling process for the 2017-18 season."  

Ho Ho Ho or Oh No What a Schedule, Allen Prepares for KC, Barracuda Update, Free Tickets, Holiday Trick Shot Video & The Importance of a Lead

After a day off yesterday the Allen Americans will have their only practice of the week this morning before starting the most grueling task there is in ECHL hockey, playing four games in five days. Four games in five days is really brutal and it only happened once last season. This season the Americans  play four games in five days three times but two of them take place in consecutive weeks, this week and next week. You add it all together and Allen will play eight games in 13 days with the three day Christmas break separating the two periods of four games in five days. A real oddity is playing four games in five days against the same opponent which will happen to close out the calendar year against Wichita. Should be an interesting series. Here is the list of four games in five days for the season. In the first four-in-five in November the Americans record was 2-2.

November 1, 3, 4, 5 - Utah (H), Wichita (A), Wichita (H), Tulsa (H)
December 19, 20, 22, 23 - Kansas City (H), Kansas City (H), Tulsa (H), Tulsa (H)
December 27, 29, 30, 31 - Wichita (H), Wichita (A), Wichita (A), Wichita (H)

The scheduling gods must have had a bad day when they were putting the December schedule together for the Allen Americans. An unprecedented full week off  at the beginning of the month followed by back to back weeks of four games in five days. Then for good measure the four games in five days to end the year is against the same opponent to insure fireworks with some travel thrown in for good measure. Sounds like cruel  and unusual punishment to me. Just hope the team can stay healthy as the chance of injury certainly goes up with so many games in such a short period of time. The body doesn't get any time for recovery.


- Allen will have to ignore the schedule for later this week and next week. The task at hand is two games against Kansas City tomorrow (Tuesday) and Wednesday night (7:05 pm). The Mavericks are also in the midst of playing four games in five days. They played at home against the Colorado Eagles on Saturday (lost 2-1) and Sunday (lost 4-3 in a shootout).  I will have a complete game preview tomorrow but the upcoming two games against the Mavericks follow two games the Americans played in Kansas City a week ago. The teams split those two games with Allen winning 3-2 on Sunday and the Mavericks winning 4-1 on Monday. Kansas City is in fourth place in the Central Division (27 points) but has struggled recently with a record of 3-6-0-1 over their last 10 games. Allen is in fourth place in the Mountain Division (31 points) and has a record of 7-3-0-0 over their last 10 games.


-  The San Jose Barracuda beat Bakersfield 3-2 yesterday to improve their record to 12-11-0-1 which puts them in a three way tie for fifth place in the Pacific Division of the AHL and out of a playoff spot. It is curious that San Jose has brought in three free agents from other ECHL teams over the last month rather than bring up players from Allen. When a team is losing I am sure they are looking for players with a particular skill set to help get things going. Justin Parizek from Idaho is the latest free agent to sign a PTO (tryout contract) with the Barracuda. He is a rookie who had 23 points (12 goals 11 assists) in 25 games with Idaho which leads the team in scoring. A week ago Emerson Clark from Jacksonville signed a PTO with San Jose. Clark had 22 points (8 goals 14 assists) in 19 games and also led Jacksonville and the entire ECHL in penalty minutes (113). Clark also leads his team in scoring. A month ago Marco Roy from the Fort Wayne Komets signed a PTO with the Barracuda. Roy had 16 points (5 goals 11 assists) in 13 games with Fort Wayne. Olivier Archambault is the only free agent from Allen that has spent time in San Jose this season on a PTO. Archambault played 12 games for the Barracuda (2 goals 3 assists) before being released from his PTO a week ago. Allen players under contract with San Jose are Spencer Asuchak, Bryan Moore, Alex Schoenborn, Colby McAuley, David Makowski and Stephon Williams. Asuchak is the only one currently in San Jose with the Barracuda.


- With their shootout win over Kansas City last night the Colorado Eagles have taken a five point lead in the Mountain Division standings over Wichita and Idaho who are tied for second place. Allen is now 10 points back. The Americans will have a chance to make up ground on the teams ahead of them in the standings between now and the end of December. Allen will play eight games, Wichita will play seven games while Idaho and Colorado play just five games.



- I have four FREE loge tickets (second level) for the game tomorrow (Tuesday, December 19) at 7:05 pm against Kansas City.  I will have a drawing for the tickets this afternoon, notify the winner and leave the tickets at will call. If you are interested let me know by email (janssenfamily@msn.com). All I need is your name and whether you are interested in two or four tickets. The tickets are in the end of the rink where the Zamboni enters the ice. Good luck!



- Here is a holiday hockey trick shot video for your viewing pleasure:

DID YOU KNOW: How important is getting a lead for the Allen Americans? Check out these stats for this season. Here is Allen's record when leading and losing:

9-0-0-0 - when leading after the first period
11-0-0-1 - when leading after the second period
1-4-2-0 - when losing after the first period
1-5-1-0 - when losing after the second period

Allen Beats Tulsa 5-2 Led by Arseneau Hat Trick, Game Recap, Comments From Both Coaches, Hat Trick Records, Division Standings & More

How do you win a hockey game on the road when you allow your opponent 49 shots on goal as the Allen Americans did last night in a 5-2 win over the Tulsa Oilers? Let me count the ways.

- You score on three of your first six shots and chase the starting goaltender (former Allen American Jake Hildebrand).

- You get a natural hat trick by the 14:45 mark of the first period from the most consistent goal scorer on the team. Vincent Arseneau has a goal in seven of his last nine games. With his hatty last night that is nine goals in nine games.

- You get a big game from a veteran and the team's leading scorer. Casey Pierro-Zabotel did what he does best assisting on all three Arseneau goals. Casey now has 22 assists in 24 games to lead the ECHL in assists.

- You get immediate production from Bryan Moore, playing in his first game since returning from San Jose. Bryan had a goal and two assists and continued the scoring streak right where he left off before being called up by the Barracuda. Moore has a point in his last seven games with multiple points in five of the seven. Total points in his seven game scoring streak is 15 (6 goals 9 assists) for an average of 2.14 points per game.   

- You reunite a line that had played really well together before Bryan Moore was recalled to San Jose. As soon as Steve Martinson got the call Bryan was returning to Allen he said, "Moore is going right back on the line with Pierro-Zabotel and Arseneau. The stats for the A to Z line last night look more like a weekly recap. The line had all five goals, six assists and were +12.

- You don't win games when being out shot 49-31 unless you get stellar goaltending and Allen definitely got that from Jeremy Brodeur. He stopped 47 of 49 shots for a save percentage of .959. Jeremy has won five of his last six starts. His save percentage (13 games) is now up to .930 which is ranked #3 in the ECHL.

- You score the first goal of the game. Allen not only scored the first goal of the game they scored the second, third and fourth goals of the game. The Americans have scored first in 11 of their 24 games this season and maintain a perfect record of 11-0 when scoring first.

- You win the special teams battle. If you look at the boxscore this might be a head-scratcher since both teams were 0-1 on the power play. However, if you look closely Allen scored a goal after their power play expired but before the Tulsa player got back in the play. The Americans not only killed Tulsa's lone power play, Pierro-Zabotel scored Allen's fifth shorthanded goal of the season on a great play by Colby McAuley.  Give the special teams victory to the Americans.

- You get great play from your team captain. Joel Chouinard didn't have a single point in the game but was on the ice for all five Allen goals and none of the Tulsa goals for a plus/minus of +5.


- The goal scorers for Allen were Vincent Arseneau (8,9,10), Pierro-Zabotel (6) and Bryan Moore (8). You can check out all of the video highlights at ECHL Rewind. Make sure to watch the Pierro-Zabotel shorthanded goal a few times to see the great play by Colby McAuley to win a puck battle along the boards and make a perfect pass to Casey who had two guys on him but still managed to put the puck in the net. https://www.echl.com/


- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/arseneaus-natural-hat-trick-leads-allen-5-2-win-tulsa/


- Here is the game recap from the Tulsa World with many quotes from Tulsa coach Rob Murray. Here is a sample:
"You have to play from start to finish. Their top line scored all five goals. We could not stop them."
"That was a big two points we gave up that we should have competed harder for."
"They (Allen) have not played since Monday. They were fresher and it showed."
Check out the complete game recap with additional quotes here: http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/oilers-fall-behind-early-unable-to-make-up-difference-in/article_9cd6cf8a-f354-5866-9855-495a82269000.html



STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

- A good win for us tonight and a big game from the Arseneau, Pierro-Zabotel, Moore line. They picked up right where they left off when Moore went to San Jose.

- Arseneau has been our most consistent goal scorer recently. It is not very often you see a pure hat trick to start a game in less than 15 minutes.

- We had more speed and skill in the lineup tonight and we will get even better when Hall and Guptill are in the lineup. When you have speed and skill on every line it makes us tough to defend.



OTHER COMMENTS

- Tulsa and Allen have now played six times this season and will play seven more times. Tulsa won the first three game, Allen has won the last three games.


- Allen will now prepare for four home games (Kansas City on Tuesday and Wednesday & Tulsa on Friday & Saturday) in five days. It will be a grind but also a chance to gain on the teams ahead of the Americans in the standings.


- Colorado won again last night beating Kansas City 3-1 and Wichita beat Idaho 5-3. The Mountain Division standings remain about the same with Allen still five points behind Idaho and Wichita who are tied for second place. Here are the current Mountain Division standings with games played in parentheses:

39 points - Colorado (26 games)
36 points - Wichita (25 games)
36 points - Idaho (28 games)
31 points - Allen (24 games)
26 points - Tulsa (25 games)
25 points - Utah (27 games)
14 points - Rapid City (25 games)


- Allen has games in hand on every team in the division some of which will be made up this week when Allen plays four home games. Coach Martinson sees this week as one where the Americans need to capitalize on the opportunity. If you look at winning percentages in the division, which is a way to balance the difference in games played, here is how it looks. In parentheses is how each team ranks in the 27 team ECHL. The strength of the top four teams in the division is obvious from these rankings:

.750 - Colorado  (#2)
.720 - Wichita  (#3)
.646 - Allen  (#7)
.643 - Idaho  (#8)
.520 - Tulsa (#17)
.463 - Utah (#22)
.280 - Rapid City (#27)


- Allen's road record is is now 8-5-0-0. Their home record is 6-2-2-1. The Americans opponent on Tuesday and Wednesday, Kansas City, plays much better on the road than at home. The Mavericks have a losing record at home (4-8) and winning record on the road (9-5).


- There were some big moves in the plus/minus stats as result of the game last night. Four players were +4 (Arseneau, Makowski, Moore, Pierro-Zabotel) and Chouinard was +5. In this one game Chouinard went from +7 to +12 which leads the team. Arseneau went from 0 to +4, Makowski from +6 to +10, Moore from +5 to +9 and Pierro-Zabotel from +5 to +9.


- I listened to the Tulsa post game show last night and props to Tulsa broadcaster John Peterson who disagreed with the official three stars of the game which omitted Casey Pierro Zabotel who had a goal (shorthanded), three assists and was +4. Peterson's three stars were #1 Arseneau, #2 Pierro-Zabotel, #3 Brodeur.
 



DID YOU KNOW: On January 14, 1990 Brian MacLellan, who is now the general manager of the Washington Capitals, was playing for the Calgary Flames and scored a natural hat trick in the first 5:21 of the game. MacLellan had four goals in that game as Calgary beat Chicago 6-5.

 The fastest of any natural hat trick in NHL history was scored by Bill Moseinko of the Chicago Blackhawks in 1952 in just 21 seconds. Moseinko was the captain of the Blackhawks and a future hall of famer. If you have never read the story about this amazing feat which took place on the last day of the season in Madison Square Garden check out the story as told by a fan that was at the game: https://www.nhl.com/news/bill-mosienko-scores-fastest-hat-trick-in-nhl-history/c-290802314 

Coach Martinson & General Manager Martinson Were Busy Yesterday, Allen vs Tulsa Game Preview, Leavens Traded for Guptill, Barracuda Swap Moore & Asuchak, All-Star Jerseys & More

One of the best things about covering the Allen Americans every day is the chance to see coach Steve Martinson and general manager Steve Martinson at work. His 10 championships as a coach speak for themselves but it is his work as a great general manager that is the biggest contributor in making him a great coach. With over 20 years of  experience he has seen and done it all. Martinson's depth of knowledge about coaches, players, teams, contracts, salaries, rules, recruiting, strategy and toughness makes for great conversation each and everyday. You often hear the saying about one guy is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers. That is the feeling you get when you talk to Steve Martinson on a daily basis about what he does as a coach and general manager.


- Yesterday was a great example of what can happen in a single day. Paperwork, logistics and research before practice. Then practice at 10:00 with a full roster of skaters (12 forwards 7 defensemen) preparing for the game in Tulsa tonight. A lot of special teams work and other system improvements. Right after practice general manager Martinson gets a call from San Jose which results in winger Bryan Moore returning to Allen and center Spencer Asuchak heading to San Jose. There is no panic and no concern other than to make sure everyone involved (players, equipment manager, front office, media relations) has been communicated with. Coach Martinson does take a couple of minutes to go to the board he keeps in his office where he can put lines and defensive pairings together and moves Asuchak's name to the side and replaces it with Moore and talks out loud about possible line combinations against Tulsa. What is the best combination of speed, toughness, east-west players, north-south players, playmakers,  finishers, and well as many other factors. The biggest question is who plays center to replace Asuchak. Everything takes place between a constant barrage of text messages, phone calls, players and staff stopping by his office.


- General Manager Martinson's day was just starting in terms of changes. Ever since I have known coach Martinson one of the things he does is keep track of players that have played for him in the past or he has recruited in the past. He spends time each and every day looking at game results and boxscores from all over North America and in Europe. Anyone that follows the Allen Americans is aware Martinson is always trying to improve the team. That is what happened yesterday afternoon when Martinson traded Daniel Leavens to Rapid City for Alex Guptill. I had a chance to talk to general manager Martinson about the trade late last night. He told me he had been tracking Guptill  and has been impressed with how hard he has been working on a team that is in last place. He is averaging a point per game with 17 points (7 goals 10 assists) in 17 games. Guptill has also shown some toughness with 50 penalty minutes. When Guptill became available for a trade Martinson felt he could improve the team by bringing in a point a game player with size (6' 3" 200 lbs.) and toughness who can skate and move his feet. Guptill can also play center which is a big plus given Asuchak is in San Jose. Guptill, who was drafted in the third round of the 2010 NHL draft by the Dallas Stars will be wearing jersey #19 for Allen.

Alex Guptill

- The Allen lineup tonight could have a different look from last week. Olivier Archambault, Bryan Moore, Zach Hall and Alex Guptill could all be in the lineup. That is adding a lot of skill and speed if they are all available. What is known for sure is three players (two forwards & one defenseman) will be healthy scratches.


- The team will leave Allen early this afternoon for the 230 mile drive to Tulsa for the game that starts at 7:05 pm CST. The Americans were the only ECHL team that did not play last night (Friday). Tulsa beat Colorado at home by a score of 5-3. It was the first regulation loss for Colorado in 14 games. Tulsa has now won three games in a row and is only three points behind Allen for the fourth and final playoff spot.


- Here is the match up between Allen and Tulsa:

                                     ALLEN                                TULSA

Team Record               13-7-2-1 (29 points)               10-8-3-3 (26 points)
Division Ranking         4th - Mountain                         5th -Mountain
Conference Ranking   7th - Western                          9th - Western
League Ranking          13th                                        17th
Last Game                  4-1 Loss (Kansas City)            5-3 Win (Colorado)
Goals For                    78                                            71
Goals Against             69                                            74
Power Play                 18.8% (19/101)                        12.1% (13/107)
Penalty Kill                  80.4% (21/107)                        80.8% (19/99)
Leading Scorer           Pierro-Zabotel  (5-19-24)         Bleackley (10-8-18)
Most PIM's                  Makowski (60)                         Bleackley (44)


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

Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (23.22) - Tulsa 14th (15.46)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 8th (3.39) - Tulsa 21st (2.96)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 9th (3.00) - Tulsa 13th (3.08)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 12th (32.61) - Tulsa 2nd (37.08)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 23rd (35.87) - Tulsa 22nd (35.00) 
Power Play Percentage: Allen 9th (18.8%) - Tulsa 25th (12.1%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 22nd (80.4%) - Tulsa 21st (80.8%)


-If you look at the five head to head games these teams have played this season the team that scored first has won all five games. All five games have been close with two decided in overtime and one in a shootout. Allen's record in their five games against Tulsa this season is 2-2-1-0. Since joining the ECHL Allen's overall record against Tulsa is 30-16-2-3 and the record when playing in Tulsa is 13-9-1-3.


- Head to head in the first five games Tulsa has the edge is goals (14-12), shots (202-185) and penalty minutes 98-78. The biggest concern is shots on goal as the Oilers are averaging just over 40 shots on goal per game against the Americans. In their current three game win streak Tulsa has averaged 4.33 goals per game. If Allen gives up 40 shots tonight they will lose given how well Tulsa has been playing recently.  


- If you look at the stats above Allen has the edge on the power play and the penalty kill. However, head to head they have the identical power play percentage. Allen is 3-21 (14.3%) against Tulsa on the power play while Tulsa's power play against Allen is 2-14 (14.3%). What the stats above don't show is Allen's 27th ranked road penalty kill percentage which is 70.0%. That stat is offset by Tulsa's home power play which is ranked #27 at 6.1%. So tonight you end up with the worst road penalty kill unit against the worst home power play unit. Something will have to give and the team that wins on special teams will most likely win the game.


- As for the starting goalie tonight it will most likely be Jeremy Brodeur. Stephon Williams was injured in warmups in Kansas City earlier in the week and is listed as day to day. Would assume he will be given a few more days rest and be the backup in Tulsa.


- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Andrew Wilk (#24) and linesmen Chuck Schamel (#97) and Michael Houle (#49).



OTHER COMMENTS

- In the battle for second place in the Mountain Division, Idaho beat Wichita at home last night by a score of 3-1 to take over sole possession of second place. After leading the division until recently Wichita lost their fourth straight game and is now alone in third place, five points ahead of Allen. Idaho and Wichita play again tonight.


-  Things keep going from bad to worse for the Rapid City Rush and first year coach Daniel Tetrault. The last place Rush lost to Utah, the team just ahead of them in the standings, last night by a score of 8-3. Rapid City has lost their last seven games and now has the worst winning percentage in the ECHL (.292). Tetrault has tried to get things turned around. Daniel Leavens will be the 34th different player to play for the Rush, more than any other team in the division. Would expect that number to continue to rise as Rapid City continues to struggle.


- The ECHL released the jerseys for the all-star game yesterday. Each of the four divisions will have a team for the game which takes place on January 15. What is hard to figure out is how the league can schedule regular season games the same night as the all-star game. There are three games scheduled that night including the Allen Americans hosting the Tulsa Oilers. I will try and find out why there isn't an all-star break built into the schedule this season. Here is the press release issued by the the ECHL with all of the details about the All-Star Classic. https://www.echl.com/game-jerseys-unveiled-2018-ccm-echl-star-classic

All-Star Jerseys, at least the Mountain Division got RED

DID YOU KNOW: Here is a list of the best and worst teams in the ECHL over the last 10 games by number of wins. There are always a few surprises when you look at this stat.

Best
8 wins - Colorado
8 wins - Idaho
8 wins - Manchester
8 wins - Fort Wayne

Worst
2 wins - Quad City
2 wins - Utah
2 wins - Rapid City

A good team playing poorly right now is Toledo. They are sixth in the ECHL in winning percentage (.660) but 4-5-0-1 in the last 10 games. A poor team playing well is Norfolk. They have only eight wins in 25 games this season but are 5-5-0-0 in their last 10 games. 

Practice & Roster Update, Another Look at Special Teams Play, A Conversation with Jason Deitsch & Why Goalies Do or Don't Scrape the Ice

It was a site for sore eyes at the Allen Americans practice yesterday to see 12 forwards and seven defensemen practicing and nobody wearing the yellow no contact jersey. The only skater missing was Zach Pochiro who is still a few weeks from returning after hand surgery.

- The Allen roster seems to ebb and flow between not enough players and too many players on a weekly basis. For the game tomorrow night in Tulsa three players will stay home. Playing in Tulsa is unique because it is the only away game the Americans can travel to the day of the game and return home after the game. The rule in the collective bargaining agreement is, "An overnight stay shall be required when the distance to be traveled one way to a stand alone game exceeds 325 miles." The distance to Tulsa is 230 miles so it falls well within the 325 mile limit. Wichita is the next closest away destination but it is 360 miles from Allen.


- Because he doesn't need extra players for an up and back same day game, two forwards and one defenseman won't be making the trip to Tulsa.


- If I had to characterize practice yesterday it would be plenty of skating in 2-on-1 and 3-on-1 drills and some work on neutral zone play but it was also a fun practice for the players with a lot of smiles and good-natured chirping. I asked coach Martinson about this after practice and he said when you have a lot of practice days (the team has played only four games in the last 20 days) it is important to have some fun practices.


- The light schedule will be over for Allen starting next week. The schedule has them playing four games in five days all at home. The Americans play Kansas City on Tuesday and Wednesday then play Tulsa on Friday and Saturday. The following week after the Christmas break Allen plays Wichita four times (2 home 2 away) in five days. When you add it all up, in the 13 days between December 13 and December 31 the Americans will play eight games, a far cry from four games in 20 days.


- There will be a complete game preview tomorrow but a couple things to keep in mind as the Americans prepare to take on the Oilers Saturday night. Tulsa has to play tonight (Friday) as they are at home for the first time since November 4 to take on the defending champion Colorado Eagles. Tulsa just finished a 14 game road trip that started on November 5th. The Oilers are in fifth place in the Mountain Division (five points behind Allen) but have played a very unbalanced schedule thus far. Tulsa has played 17 road games and only six home games. They won their last two road games against a couple of good teams in Toledo and Cincinnati.


- If you plan to drive to Tulsa or watch the game on ECHL TV the Oilers will be wearing "Ugly Christmas Sweater" jerseys and it is also "Teddy Bear Toss" night.


OTHER COMMENTS

- There will be plenty of ECHL action to track with 13 games on Friday and Saturday but the most intriguing matchup for Allen fans will take place in Boise, Idaho as the Steelheads play two games against the Wichita Thunder. The teams are tied for second place in the Mountain Division with 34 points (five points ahead of Allen). Idaho has won their last two games while Wichita has lost their last three games. Adding to the intrigue is this will be the first meeting between these teams this season and they both have plenty of players willing to drop the gloves.


- I have talked many times recently about the Allen Americans special teams play and how important it is to team success. One way to measure special teams success is by combining the power play percentage and penalty kill percentage with the goal being greater than 105%. Teams with a combined percentage of 105% will make the playoffs. Allen has always been at or near the top of the ECHL in this stat. Allen has plenty of time to get to 105% by the end of the season but they certainly have a ways to go. Here is the combined percentage since the Americans joined the ECHL.

2014-15:  108.2%   (PP 21.9% - PK 86.3%)
2015-16:  107.5%   (PP 21.1% - PK 86.4%)
2016-17:  108.8%   (PP 24.4% - PK 84.4%)
2017-18:  99.2%    (PP 18.8% - PK 80.5%)


- The Allen Americans weekly auction is still underway and will close Sunday night at 9:00 pm CST. Some great deals on autographed pucks in a case, autographed mini-helmets, jerseys and sticks in various price ranges. Mini helmets with bids as low as $29 and autographed sticks at $79. Check it out at https://one.bidpal.net/goamericans/welcome


- I had a chance to talk to Allen assistant coach Jason Deitsch yesterday after practice. Jason had a storied career as a player and is accustomed to winning. He attended college at St. Nobert and was a three time American Collegiate Hockey Association All-American. Jason was selected as St. Norbert's MVP three times leading the team to their conference championship all four years he was there. Deitsch played professionally for eight seasons and won championships with the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL), Texas Brahmas (CHL) and Allen Americans (CHL). A natural leader, Jason was the captain of his college team as well as the Texas and Allen championship teams. He retired after Allen won their first championship (2012-13) and is now a fireman in McKinney. Jason was telling me he now gets to do the two things he is most passionate about as a fireman and hockey coach. In addition to helping out with the Americans, Deitsch is the head coach for the Allen high school varsity hockey team.

The McKinney Fire Fighters are currently conducting a raffle to raise money for various events they organize throughout the year. For $20 you have a chance to win one of 20 firearms they will raffle off over 20 days. For $20 you are entered in all 20 drawings. If you are not interested in guns you can choose an alternate prize (gift certificate to Best Buy, Lowes, Target). Everything is done online so if you would like to support Jason and the McKinney firefighters here is the link that lists the 20 guns that are being raffled and all the other details: http://www.mckinneyfirefighters.com/raffle.html




DID YOU KNOW: I got a question from a long time season ticket holder (thanks Gary) who asked  why Stephon Williams doesn't scrape the ice in the crease after the ice has been resurfaced. Have you noticed that? Thanks to Gary here is the answer from Stephon Williams.

After I recorded Williams answer to the question I asked Riley Gill why he and most other goalies opt to scrape the ice. The two goalies were the only ones in the locker room and we had an interesting conversation that was educational for me. First of all scraping the ice in the crease has nothing to do with the puck which is something I thought was done to reduce friction at the start of each period. The primary reason for scrapping the ice or not scraping the ice is the feel the goalie gets when sliding from side to side on their pads. As Stephon explains in the video he likes the ice real slippery when he slides side to side. Riley on the other hand feels it is easy to lose control when sliding from side to side on fresh ice so he scruffs it up. Riley also mentioned sometimes there is still water in the crease when the period starts and if you slide you get your equipment wet. Scraping the ice helps clean up the water. Thanks fellas for a little Goalie 101 on ice scraping.