There wasn't much for Allen fans to cheer about last night as the Indy Fuel easily defeated the Americans 6-3 before a crowd of 3826 at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum. The Americans did come back from a 2-0 first period deficit to tie the score early in the second period but then gave up three unanswered goals in less than three minutes. The Fuel took a 5-2 lead into the second intermission and never looked back.
- The power play continued to perform well going 2-7 on the night but the penalty kill continues to struggle allowing Indy three power play goals. The Allen power play is 10-29 (34.5%) over the last five games and is now the #2 ranked power play (20.9%) in the ECHL. Contrast that with a road penalty kill percentage of 73.6% that is the worst in the ECHL by almost 5%.
- The stats pretty much tell the story of this loss. You can't expect to win when you allow 43 shots to a team that averages 33 shots per game. You can't expect to win when you only manage to get 28 shots on goal against a team ranked #25 in the league giving up 38 shots per game. You can't expect to win giving up six goals to a team that averages less than three goals per game. You can't expect to win giving up three power play goals for a conversion rate of 42.9%. Allen captain Joel Chouinard captured it best when he said after the game, "Another tough loss tonight, but we have to stay positive and stick together as a team. That is the only way we will get out of this funk." Good advice for Allen fans as well as the team.
- Goal scorers for Allen were Olivier Archambault (12), Spencer Asuchak (5) and Alex Guptill (13). Here are the video highlights with all of the goals: https://youtu.be/TnwdHFqwvPo
- Here is the game recap from the Indy Fuel: https://www.indyfuelhockey.com/news/detail/fuel-begin-weekend-with-6-3-win-over-allen
- I had a chance to ask coach Martinson for his thoughts on the game and here is what he had to say. With coach Martinson if you ask the question you will get an honest answer be it good or bad.
"We gave up an odd man rush in the first two minutes of the game and it cost us."
"The penalties we took were bad and the penalty kill was even worse."
"We weren't strong in front of our net on several of Indy's goals."
"Getting Gunn back should help."
"Our top 10 experienced players need to lead us in the right direction."
"Our top 10 experienced players haven't been consistent in getting the job done."
"I actually received a bench minor for telling the players to stop crying to the referee."
"After some of our players were warned I said enough bitching, if you don't like something take it out on the other team. Shows the team isn't hearing what I am saying."
ALLEN VS FORT WAYNE PREVIEW
- Things don't get any easier for the Americans as they take the short drive (120 miles) to Fort Wayne to play the Komets tonight at (6:30 pm CST) and Sunday (4:00 pm CST). The Memorial Coliseum is a difficult place to play for visiting teams. Fort Wayne has raucous fans and there are a lot of them as the Komets lead the ECHL in attendance, averaging 7577 per game.
- These teams have only met once before and that game was in Fort Wayne at the beginning of last season, October 28th to be exact. The Komets out shot Allen 45-27 and shellacked the Americans 5-0.
- Fort Wayne has won seven of their last nine home games but the good news for Allen is they have lost the last two games at home including an 8-3 loss to Kalamazoo. Over the last two seasons the Komets home record is 40-12-2-1.
- Fort Wayne played last night in Cincinnati and beat the Cyclones 6-2. The Komets had a 190 mile commute after the game to get back home.
- Allen comes into the game tonight having lost two games in a row, five of their last six road games and a record over their last 10 games of 3-7. Fort Wayne enters the game tonight with a two game win streak, winning seven on their last nine home games and has a record over their last 10 games of 6-4.
- Here are some stats comparing Allen and Fort Wayne:
ALLEN FORT WAYNE
Team Record 20-14-4-1 (45 points) 23-12-2-0 (48 points)
Division Ranking 4th - Mountain 2nd - Central
Conference Ranking 6th - Western 4th - Western
League Ranking 11th 7th
Last Game 6-3 Loss (Indy) 6-2 Win (Cincinnati)
Goals For 135 146
Goals Against 125 109
Power Play 20.9% (37/177) 18.0% (22/122)
Penalty Kill 80.8% (35/182) 84.9% (24/159)
Most PIM Moore (125) Sol (79)
Leading Scorers: Pierro-Zabotel (10-34-44) Sydlowski (20-23-43)
Makowski (7-29-36) Thompson (16-21-37)
- Here is how Allen and Fort Wayne rank in the ECHL in some statistical categories:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (24.00) - Fort Wayne 9th (16.70)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 7th (3.45) - Fort Wayne 2nd (3.95)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 14th (3.21) - Fort Wayne 9th (2.95)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 16th (32.28) - Fort Wayne 3rd (36.73)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 24th (37.15) - Fort Wayne 5th (29.76)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 2nd (20.9%) - Fort Wayne 12th (18.0%)
Home Power Play %: Allen 3rd (21.1%) - Fort Wayne 11th (18.0%)
Road Power Play %: Allen 8th (20.0%) - Fort Wayne 14th (18.0%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 21st (80.8%) - Fort Wayne 7th (84.9%)
Home Penalty Kill %: Allen 3rd (87.4%) - Fort Wayne 1st (89.5%)
Road Penalty Kill %: Allen 27th (73.6%) - Fort Wayne 21st (80.7%)
- The stats above definitely favor Fort Wayne. They score more goals than Allen and allow fewer. Fort Wayne's goal differential (goals for minus goals against) is +37 while Allen's is +10. Shots are even more telling. Allen gives up more shots than they take for a shot differential of -4.87. Fort Wayne is in the top five in the league for shots taken and shots allowed for a shot differential of +6.97.
- Allen does have a good road power play percentage (20.0%) but will be going against the top ranked home penalty kill in the league (89.5%). Fort Wayne has a home power play percentage of 18.0% but will be going against the worst road power play in the league (73.6%). Have to give the Komets the advantage on special teams.
- Allen and Fort Wayne are both ranked in the top five in fights in the ECHL according to the website hockeyfights.com. Allen has 32 and Fort Wayne has 30. Mike Gunn will be back in the lineup after completing his seven game suspension. Gunn and Josh Thrower lead the Americans with five fighting majors. Fort Wayne's leaders in fighting majors are Taylor Crunk (8) and Shawn Sydlowski (5).
- Scoring first is always important but the way Allen has been playing on the road recently getting off to a good start tonight is essential. Fort Wayne's record when tied or leading after the first period is 19-4-1-0 so that pretty much tells the story how important it is for the Americans to win the first period.
- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Tyler Puddifant (#28) and
linesmen John Tallieu (#52) and Michael Fusani (#41). Puddifant was also the referee in Indy last night.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Even though Allen lost last night they didn't lose any ground to Colorado and Wichita because they were both idle. They play each other tonight in Wichita. Idaho beat the Oilers in Tulsa to put the Americans further back in the race for second place. Allen is now 15 points out of first place (Colorado), five points out of second place (Idaho) and two points out of third place (Wichita).
- With all of the bad news there was good news on an individual basis. Casey Pierro-Zabotel had two assists last night and has taken over the ECHL scoring lead with 43 points. He also leads the league in assists with 34. David Makowski had an assist and is now #3 among all ECHL players with 29 assists. Olivier Archambault scored his 12th goal in just 17 games and continues to lead the ECHL in points per game (minimum 10 games) averaging 1.65.
- The matchup between Chad Costello's team (Iserlohn Roosters) and Greger Hanson's team (Krefeld Pinguine) is coming up on Tuesday. Iserlohn won yesterday 3-2 over Augsburger and Chad had an assist on the game winning goal scored by Jack Combs on the power play. Greger's team (Krefeld) won 4-3 over Adler Mannheim in overtime. Greger was scoreless.
- Jamie Schaafsma is a big part of Allen Americans history serving as team captain, winning three championships and being named the playoff MVP in 2014. It will be strange when Jamie takes the ice tonight and looks over at the Allen players and only recognizes one player from his time in Allen. Spencer Asuchak is the only player in Fort Wayne that is left from Jamie's last season in Allen (2014-15).
DID YOU KNOW: The Fort Wayne Komets have operated under the same name since 1953. They have had different owners and been in several different leagues but in all of North American professional hockey only the original six NHL teams and the Hershey Bears (AHL) have played continuously in the same city under the same name longer than the Fort Wayne Komets.
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Friday, January 19, 2018
Allen vs Indy Game Preview, Marvel Themed Specialty Jersey Auction Details, Gary Steffes Update & More
It is game day for the Allen Americans as they venture outside their own division for one of the few times this season to take on the Indy Fuel. The Americans are 3-1-2-0 when playing outside the Mountain Division this season but that represents only two teams. Allen played Orlando (South Division) twice at home early in the season, won a game and lost the other in overtime. The only other out of division foe has been Kansas City who Allen has played four times with a record of 2-1-1-0.
- This game against Indy is one of those games Allen needs to win. The Fuel have never made the playoffs since starting as an expansion team in the 2014-15 season. They are destined to keep that streak alive again this season as they are mired in sixth place in the Central Division, 12 points out of a playoff spot. This is a game Allen is supposed to win but Indy has a better record over the last 10 games (6-4-0-0) than Allen (4-6-0-0) so the task won't be easy.
- Allen will be helped by having Spencer Asuchak and Colby McAuley back in the lineup after spending time in San Jose (AHL). Indy forward Tommy Olczyk was just recalled by Rockford (AHL) and they recently added forward John Shalla who played for Indy last season and was their leading goal scorer. Shalla was playing in England until he signed with Indy two weeks ago. He has played in four games since his return and has six points (4 goals 2 assists). Shalla wears #24 so a player to keep an eye on if you watch the game tonight on ECHL-TV.
- Here is the week in review which Indy calls their Indy Fuel Pit Stop. Lot's of good info about the recent performance of the team and their players. Plenty of facts and figures about the Fuel that will get you ready for the game tonight: https://www.indyfuelhockey.com/news/detail/indy-fuel-pit-stop-week-14
- Allen has had great success against Indy since joining the ECHL with a record of 6-1-0-0. Last season the Americans played Indy six times and were a perfect 6-0.
- If you plan on listening to or watching the game tonight the start time is a little different than normal. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:35 pm (CST). By the way right now ECHL-TV is running their mid-season reduced price special. You can watch all of the remaining Allen away games for $59.99 but the real bargain for avid hockey fans is the all access pass which allows you to watch every remaining game from all 27 ECHL teams (including archived games) for $119.99. That is access to 468 games.
- Here are some stats comparing Allen and Indy:
ALLEN INDY
Team Record 20-13-4-1 (45 points) 14-17-2-1 (31 points)
Division Ranking 4th - Mountain 6th - Central
Conference Ranking 6th - Western 12th - Western
League Ranking 11th 23rd
Last Game 2-1 Loss (Tulsa) 4-3 Win (Quad City)
Goals For 132 99
Goals Against 119 110
Power Play 20.6% (35/170) 19.0% (24/126)
Penalty Kill 81.7% (32/175) 86.6% (18/134)
Most PIM Moore (123) Clarke (167)
Leading Scorers: Pierro-Zabotel (10-32-42) Neal (11-11-22)
Makowski (7-28-35) Wideman (9-12-21)
- Here is how Allen and Indy rank in the ECHL in some statistical categories:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (24.08) - Indy 6th (18.18)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 7th (3.47) - Indy 21st (2.91)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 12th (3.13) - Indy 16th (3.24)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 16th (32.39) - Indy 10th (33.12)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 24th (37.00) - Indy 25th (38.15)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 4th (20.6%) - Indy 8th (19.0%)
Home Power Play %: Allen 4th (21.1%) - Indy 12th (17.5%)
Road Power Play %: Allen 11th (20.0%) - Indy 8th (20.6%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 19th (81.7%) - Indy 4th (86.6%)
Home Penalty Kill %: Allen 3rd (87.4%) - Indy 9th (86.3%)
Road Penalty Kill %: Allen 27th (75.0%) - Indy 5th (87.0%)
- Indy is 12 points out of a playoff spot and in sixth place in their division but what struck me when putting together the stats above is the fact that Indy has improved over last season in every category. Last season Allen played Indy in January and had better stats in every category. If you look at the stats above that is no longer the case. One way to measure special teams effectiveness is to add the power play and penalty kill percentages together (105% is the goal). If you use home percentages for Indy and road percentages for Allen the Fuel has the better special teams (103.8% vs 95%).
- Allen's power play has been on fire recently as they have scored at least one power play goal in their last four games and has multiple goals in three of the four. The Americans are 8-22 (36.4%) on the power play in their last four games. Indy is 2-16 (12.5%) on the power play in their last four games.
- Both of these teams give up more shots than they take. Allen's shot differential is -4.61 and Indy's is -5.03. I know an emphasis in practice this week for Allen was to avoid all of the turnovers at the blue line by dumping the puck if there is no play. Reducing the turnovers in the neutral zone and at the blue line will go a long way in addressing the negative shot differential. Allen has a much better shooting percentage (10.7% vs 8.7%) than Indy so if the shots are even the advantage goes to the Americans.
- If there is any rough stuff in the game tonight odds are the instigator will be Indy's Garrett Clarke who leads the ECHL in penalty minutes with 167. Clarke holds the career penalty minute record in Allen (432) and is the main fighter on the Fuel. According to the website hockeyfights.com Indy has had 22 fights this season and Clarke was involved in seven of them. Allen has been in 32 fights but players with 10 of the fights (Mike Gunn - 5, Jonathan Lessard - 3, Vincent Arseneau - 2) will not be in the lineup.
- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Tyler Puddifant (#28) and linesmen Patrick Richardson (#82) and Jack Davis (#91). Puddifant had the honor of working the All-Star game on Monday.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Nothing new to report regarding Gary Steffes being claimed off waivers by the Idaho Steelheads. My reporting would indicate Gary is strongly considering reporting to Idaho. The waiver rules require him to report in a certain number of days so if he does decide to report it will be known in the next few days. If Gary does report and Idaho is already at the salary cap ($12,800) they would most likely have to move two players off the active roster to accommodate his huge salary. That should go over well in the locker room.
- There have been a lot of questions about the Marvel jerseys the Americans wore on Monday asking where and when the jerseys would be available to purchase. Here is the back story. In October the ECHL announced a partnership with Marvel to feature a Marvel Super Hero themed game for all 27 ECHL teams which feature character appearances, specialty jerseys and other in-game promotions. Utah had the first Marvel themed game (October 28) and the last one will be in Fort Wayne (April 7). Allen had their turn on Monday as part of the MLK Day game. Because this is a league-wide program all of the ECHL-Marvel themed jerseys are being auctioned off to the public through The MeiGray Group at meigrayauctions.com.
When will the auction start? Per the MeiGray group, the jerseys will be up for auction as soon as they arrive from Allen. I do know the jerseys had not been shipped as of Wednesday afternoon as I saw them in coach Martinson's office. The team was waiting for Asuchak and McAuley to arrive so they could sign their Marvel jerseys. The jerseys are shipped to New Jersey so most likely it will be later next week before they get posted to meigrayauctions.com but all you can do is keep checking.
- There are 11 games on tap in the ECHL tonight but two of the teams ahead of Allen in the Mountain Division are idle. Colorado and Wichita will play each other tomorrow night in Wichita. The other team ahead of Allen is Idaho and they play in Tulsa tonight. With a win in Indy tonight the Americans will move in to a tie with Wichita for third place in the division.
DID YOU KNOW: The Indy Fuel play in a hockey rink (Indiana Farmers Coliseum) that is on the Indiana State Fairgrounds and was built in 1939. In 2012 the entire complex underwent a 53 million dollar renovation and was turned into a modern arena with two levels of seating, an elevated concourse, state of the art sound system and 6000 new seats. There are a few remnants of the old Coliseum, the oldest building still in use for professional hockey in North America, including the large windows around the building's perimeter and one section of the original wooden Coliseum seats in the building's southeast corner.
One section of Coliseum's lower bowl pays tribute to the building's past with 94 original seats restored to 1939 condition.
- This game against Indy is one of those games Allen needs to win. The Fuel have never made the playoffs since starting as an expansion team in the 2014-15 season. They are destined to keep that streak alive again this season as they are mired in sixth place in the Central Division, 12 points out of a playoff spot. This is a game Allen is supposed to win but Indy has a better record over the last 10 games (6-4-0-0) than Allen (4-6-0-0) so the task won't be easy.
- Allen will be helped by having Spencer Asuchak and Colby McAuley back in the lineup after spending time in San Jose (AHL). Indy forward Tommy Olczyk was just recalled by Rockford (AHL) and they recently added forward John Shalla who played for Indy last season and was their leading goal scorer. Shalla was playing in England until he signed with Indy two weeks ago. He has played in four games since his return and has six points (4 goals 2 assists). Shalla wears #24 so a player to keep an eye on if you watch the game tonight on ECHL-TV.
- Here is the week in review which Indy calls their Indy Fuel Pit Stop. Lot's of good info about the recent performance of the team and their players. Plenty of facts and figures about the Fuel that will get you ready for the game tonight: https://www.indyfuelhockey.com/news/detail/indy-fuel-pit-stop-week-14
- Allen has had great success against Indy since joining the ECHL with a record of 6-1-0-0. Last season the Americans played Indy six times and were a perfect 6-0.
- If you plan on listening to or watching the game tonight the start time is a little different than normal. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:35 pm (CST). By the way right now ECHL-TV is running their mid-season reduced price special. You can watch all of the remaining Allen away games for $59.99 but the real bargain for avid hockey fans is the all access pass which allows you to watch every remaining game from all 27 ECHL teams (including archived games) for $119.99. That is access to 468 games.
- Here are some stats comparing Allen and Indy:
ALLEN INDY
Team Record 20-13-4-1 (45 points) 14-17-2-1 (31 points)
Division Ranking 4th - Mountain 6th - Central
Conference Ranking 6th - Western 12th - Western
League Ranking 11th 23rd
Last Game 2-1 Loss (Tulsa) 4-3 Win (Quad City)
Goals For 132 99
Goals Against 119 110
Power Play 20.6% (35/170) 19.0% (24/126)
Penalty Kill 81.7% (32/175) 86.6% (18/134)
Most PIM Moore (123) Clarke (167)
Leading Scorers: Pierro-Zabotel (10-32-42) Neal (11-11-22)
Makowski (7-28-35) Wideman (9-12-21)
- Here is how Allen and Indy rank in the ECHL in some statistical categories:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (24.08) - Indy 6th (18.18)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 7th (3.47) - Indy 21st (2.91)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 12th (3.13) - Indy 16th (3.24)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 16th (32.39) - Indy 10th (33.12)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 24th (37.00) - Indy 25th (38.15)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 4th (20.6%) - Indy 8th (19.0%)
Home Power Play %: Allen 4th (21.1%) - Indy 12th (17.5%)
Road Power Play %: Allen 11th (20.0%) - Indy 8th (20.6%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 19th (81.7%) - Indy 4th (86.6%)
Home Penalty Kill %: Allen 3rd (87.4%) - Indy 9th (86.3%)
Road Penalty Kill %: Allen 27th (75.0%) - Indy 5th (87.0%)
- Indy is 12 points out of a playoff spot and in sixth place in their division but what struck me when putting together the stats above is the fact that Indy has improved over last season in every category. Last season Allen played Indy in January and had better stats in every category. If you look at the stats above that is no longer the case. One way to measure special teams effectiveness is to add the power play and penalty kill percentages together (105% is the goal). If you use home percentages for Indy and road percentages for Allen the Fuel has the better special teams (103.8% vs 95%).
- Allen's power play has been on fire recently as they have scored at least one power play goal in their last four games and has multiple goals in three of the four. The Americans are 8-22 (36.4%) on the power play in their last four games. Indy is 2-16 (12.5%) on the power play in their last four games.
- Both of these teams give up more shots than they take. Allen's shot differential is -4.61 and Indy's is -5.03. I know an emphasis in practice this week for Allen was to avoid all of the turnovers at the blue line by dumping the puck if there is no play. Reducing the turnovers in the neutral zone and at the blue line will go a long way in addressing the negative shot differential. Allen has a much better shooting percentage (10.7% vs 8.7%) than Indy so if the shots are even the advantage goes to the Americans.
- If there is any rough stuff in the game tonight odds are the instigator will be Indy's Garrett Clarke who leads the ECHL in penalty minutes with 167. Clarke holds the career penalty minute record in Allen (432) and is the main fighter on the Fuel. According to the website hockeyfights.com Indy has had 22 fights this season and Clarke was involved in seven of them. Allen has been in 32 fights but players with 10 of the fights (Mike Gunn - 5, Jonathan Lessard - 3, Vincent Arseneau - 2) will not be in the lineup.
- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Tyler Puddifant (#28) and linesmen Patrick Richardson (#82) and Jack Davis (#91). Puddifant had the honor of working the All-Star game on Monday.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Nothing new to report regarding Gary Steffes being claimed off waivers by the Idaho Steelheads. My reporting would indicate Gary is strongly considering reporting to Idaho. The waiver rules require him to report in a certain number of days so if he does decide to report it will be known in the next few days. If Gary does report and Idaho is already at the salary cap ($12,800) they would most likely have to move two players off the active roster to accommodate his huge salary. That should go over well in the locker room.
- There have been a lot of questions about the Marvel jerseys the Americans wore on Monday asking where and when the jerseys would be available to purchase. Here is the back story. In October the ECHL announced a partnership with Marvel to feature a Marvel Super Hero themed game for all 27 ECHL teams which feature character appearances, specialty jerseys and other in-game promotions. Utah had the first Marvel themed game (October 28) and the last one will be in Fort Wayne (April 7). Allen had their turn on Monday as part of the MLK Day game. Because this is a league-wide program all of the ECHL-Marvel themed jerseys are being auctioned off to the public through The MeiGray Group at meigrayauctions.com.
When will the auction start? Per the MeiGray group, the jerseys will be up for auction as soon as they arrive from Allen. I do know the jerseys had not been shipped as of Wednesday afternoon as I saw them in coach Martinson's office. The team was waiting for Asuchak and McAuley to arrive so they could sign their Marvel jerseys. The jerseys are shipped to New Jersey so most likely it will be later next week before they get posted to meigrayauctions.com but all you can do is keep checking.
- There are 11 games on tap in the ECHL tonight but two of the teams ahead of Allen in the Mountain Division are idle. Colorado and Wichita will play each other tomorrow night in Wichita. The other team ahead of Allen is Idaho and they play in Tulsa tonight. With a win in Indy tonight the Americans will move in to a tie with Wichita for third place in the division.
DID YOU KNOW: The Indy Fuel play in a hockey rink (Indiana Farmers Coliseum) that is on the Indiana State Fairgrounds and was built in 1939. In 2012 the entire complex underwent a 53 million dollar renovation and was turned into a modern arena with two levels of seating, an elevated concourse, state of the art sound system and 6000 new seats. There are a few remnants of the old Coliseum, the oldest building still in use for professional hockey in North America, including the large windows around the building's perimeter and one section of the original wooden Coliseum seats in the building's southeast corner.
 |
| Indiana Farmers Coliseum - home of the Indy Fuel |
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Allen Hits the Road, Travel & Per Diem Details, Why Idaho Claimed Steffes Off Waivers, Asuchak & McAuley Return, ECHL Fight Stats & More
The Allen Americans are on their way to Indianapolis to take on the Indy Fuel tomorrow (Friday) night. The team was scheduled to leave last night around 7:00 and if all goes as planned and there are no travel delays they should arrive in Indy around noon today. The worst of the recent very cold weather has passed Indiana with a high temperature in Indianapolis today of 31 and tomorrow 37. By Sunday in Fort Wayne the high is predicted to be 43.
- I was asked last night why the team didn't leave this morning since they don't play until tomorrow night. There are several factors that go into what time the team chooses to depart on road trips. It is always better on the longer trips like this one to travel during the night where everyone can sleep so that is the preference. Departure time is also driven by the time the team wants to arrive at the destination and also the availability of ice. On this trip, if there are no weather delays, the team will be able to check into the hotel and has ice available this afternoon for practice.
- Another factor in selecting departure times is the payment of meal money. The collective bargaining agreement (CBA) not only states the amount of daily meal money ($42) but it also specifies the amount and time on which the meal money is calculated. If the team is on the road prior to 10:00 am everyone gets $9 for breakfast, prior to 2:00 pm $12 for lunch and prior to 7:00 pm $21 for dinner. The team has the option to provide a meal in lieu of the meal money. For example, the team could have gathered for a meal before they departed last night and left before 7:00 pm and the dinner meal money would not be paid. Many times the team leaves after 7:00 pm so everyone eats at home prior to departure. By leaving after 7:00 that would save the team close to $500, almost the cost of a pair of new skates.
- This road trip is important for the Americans to get back on the right track. Allen has been inconsistent recently with a record in their last 10 games of 4-6. They had a good outing in their last road game (7-2 win in Tulsa) but have lost four of their last five road games. Indy has a losing record this season but is 6-4 in their last 10 games and has a winning record at home (9-8). After playing Indy on Friday night the Americans move on to Fort Wayne for two games (Saturday & Sunday). The Komets home record is 12-5-2-0.
- Allen got some good news yesterday with the arrival of reinforcements from San Jose in the names of Spencer Asuchak and Colby McAuley. Asuchak brings his net front presence, faceoff skill and fills a gap at center for Allen. McAuley was averaging a point a game in his last 11 games in Allen before being recalled by San Jose. They will provide a big lift to the team and for the first time in a long time there are 10 forwards on the trip. There are eight defensemen on the trip but Mike Gunn has one game left of his suspension so he won't be available until the team gets to Fort Wayne.
- I had lots of questions last night about the impact of Idaho making a waiver claim for Gary Steffes yesterday. I am not an expert on this waiver process but here is my guess as to what has happened. What is clear is Idaho now owns his rights. Allen had to put Steffes on waivers as there was no other viable option once he was headed back home. Idaho started the poker game by claiming Gary even though my guess is they have little or no interest in having him play. They are probably only interested in making sure he cannot return to Allen. Idaho does have a veteran spot available but my understanding is Gary's contract makes him one of the highest paid players in the league. It certainly doesn't make economic sense for the Steelheads to claim him. The next step for Allen fans to watch is to see if Steffes decides to see if Idaho is bluffing. All he would have to do is tell Idaho he is ready to go and they should get him a flight from his home to Boise. I can tell you a flight from where he lives in Minnesota to Boise would not be cheap. Gary could also contact Idaho and try and get them to drop the waiver claim by appealing to them as a veteran in the league who isn't interested in playing in Idaho. Whatever the outcome it should be known in the next couple of days. Gary is retired so this is not like the Jack Combs situation a few years ago. It would certainly be nice if the need arises in the future Allen could bring Gary back. Right now that would not be possible but it remains to be seen how this works out with Idaho. Stay tuned.
- The ECHL just announced the format for the 2019 All-Star game which will take place in Toledo on January 21, 2019 (MLK Day). The game will still be a four team three-on-three tournament but instead of having an All-Star team from each division as they did this year, next year will be different. The host team (Toledo) will make up two of the four teams with the other two teams comprised of players from the Eastern and Western Conferences. Here is the ECHL press release announcing the format change with all of the details: https://www.echl.com/format-announced-2019-ccm-echl-star-classic
- I didn't ask to confirm this but tomorrow is the official jersey reversal date in the ECHL so you should see the Americans wearing their white jerseys on the road and red at home for the remainder of the season.
- In AHL action last night Utica beat Rochester in a shootout 3-2. Vincent Arseneau did not play as I heard he is out with an injury. The San Jose Barracuda was shutout 2-0 at home by Stockton and has fallen to last place in the eight team Pacific Division.
DID YOU KNOW: The Mountain Division of the ECHL has won the last three Kelly Cups, won the All-Star tournament this week and is also the toughest division in the league. If you look at the top five teams in fights this season four of them come from the Mountain Division. Here are the top five and bottom five in number of fights according to the website dropyourgloves.com.
Top Five
51 - Colorado
40 - Jacksonville
40 - Allen
39 - Rapid City
36 - Wichita
Bottom Five
8 - Brampton
9 - Quad City
14 - Reading
15 - South Carolina
20 - Norfolk & Toledo
- I was asked last night why the team didn't leave this morning since they don't play until tomorrow night. There are several factors that go into what time the team chooses to depart on road trips. It is always better on the longer trips like this one to travel during the night where everyone can sleep so that is the preference. Departure time is also driven by the time the team wants to arrive at the destination and also the availability of ice. On this trip, if there are no weather delays, the team will be able to check into the hotel and has ice available this afternoon for practice.
- Another factor in selecting departure times is the payment of meal money. The collective bargaining agreement (CBA) not only states the amount of daily meal money ($42) but it also specifies the amount and time on which the meal money is calculated. If the team is on the road prior to 10:00 am everyone gets $9 for breakfast, prior to 2:00 pm $12 for lunch and prior to 7:00 pm $21 for dinner. The team has the option to provide a meal in lieu of the meal money. For example, the team could have gathered for a meal before they departed last night and left before 7:00 pm and the dinner meal money would not be paid. Many times the team leaves after 7:00 pm so everyone eats at home prior to departure. By leaving after 7:00 that would save the team close to $500, almost the cost of a pair of new skates.
- This road trip is important for the Americans to get back on the right track. Allen has been inconsistent recently with a record in their last 10 games of 4-6. They had a good outing in their last road game (7-2 win in Tulsa) but have lost four of their last five road games. Indy has a losing record this season but is 6-4 in their last 10 games and has a winning record at home (9-8). After playing Indy on Friday night the Americans move on to Fort Wayne for two games (Saturday & Sunday). The Komets home record is 12-5-2-0.
- Allen got some good news yesterday with the arrival of reinforcements from San Jose in the names of Spencer Asuchak and Colby McAuley. Asuchak brings his net front presence, faceoff skill and fills a gap at center for Allen. McAuley was averaging a point a game in his last 11 games in Allen before being recalled by San Jose. They will provide a big lift to the team and for the first time in a long time there are 10 forwards on the trip. There are eight defensemen on the trip but Mike Gunn has one game left of his suspension so he won't be available until the team gets to Fort Wayne.
- I had lots of questions last night about the impact of Idaho making a waiver claim for Gary Steffes yesterday. I am not an expert on this waiver process but here is my guess as to what has happened. What is clear is Idaho now owns his rights. Allen had to put Steffes on waivers as there was no other viable option once he was headed back home. Idaho started the poker game by claiming Gary even though my guess is they have little or no interest in having him play. They are probably only interested in making sure he cannot return to Allen. Idaho does have a veteran spot available but my understanding is Gary's contract makes him one of the highest paid players in the league. It certainly doesn't make economic sense for the Steelheads to claim him. The next step for Allen fans to watch is to see if Steffes decides to see if Idaho is bluffing. All he would have to do is tell Idaho he is ready to go and they should get him a flight from his home to Boise. I can tell you a flight from where he lives in Minnesota to Boise would not be cheap. Gary could also contact Idaho and try and get them to drop the waiver claim by appealing to them as a veteran in the league who isn't interested in playing in Idaho. Whatever the outcome it should be known in the next couple of days. Gary is retired so this is not like the Jack Combs situation a few years ago. It would certainly be nice if the need arises in the future Allen could bring Gary back. Right now that would not be possible but it remains to be seen how this works out with Idaho. Stay tuned.
- The ECHL just announced the format for the 2019 All-Star game which will take place in Toledo on January 21, 2019 (MLK Day). The game will still be a four team three-on-three tournament but instead of having an All-Star team from each division as they did this year, next year will be different. The host team (Toledo) will make up two of the four teams with the other two teams comprised of players from the Eastern and Western Conferences. Here is the ECHL press release announcing the format change with all of the details: https://www.echl.com/format-announced-2019-ccm-echl-star-classic
- I didn't ask to confirm this but tomorrow is the official jersey reversal date in the ECHL so you should see the Americans wearing their white jerseys on the road and red at home for the remainder of the season.
- In AHL action last night Utica beat Rochester in a shootout 3-2. Vincent Arseneau did not play as I heard he is out with an injury. The San Jose Barracuda was shutout 2-0 at home by Stockton and has fallen to last place in the eight team Pacific Division.
DID YOU KNOW: The Mountain Division of the ECHL has won the last three Kelly Cups, won the All-Star tournament this week and is also the toughest division in the league. If you look at the top five teams in fights this season four of them come from the Mountain Division. Here are the top five and bottom five in number of fights according to the website dropyourgloves.com.
Top Five
51 - Colorado
40 - Jacksonville
40 - Allen
39 - Rapid City
36 - Wichita
Bottom Five
8 - Brampton
9 - Quad City
14 - Reading
15 - South Carolina
20 - Norfolk & Toledo
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Is My Life in Danger by Barry the Blogger, Practice Update, Roster Update and ECHL Overseas Deadline
The blog today should be outstanding because it is 4:00 am and I have been thinking about what to write for two hours. That's right, laid in bed from 2:00 am - 4:00 am wide awake with plenty of time to think. Why was I awake so early? I survived my second assassination attempt in the last seven days last night. Seems my "lovely bride" (we will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary in three months) has finally taken serious what I have said for years that I am worth more dead than alive.
I know it is TMI (too much information) but at 70 it is hard to make it through the night without having to get up to go to the bathroom at some point. I am much better than many of my friends here at Wrinkle Ranch, I mean Heritage Ranch, the active adult retirement community where I live. You might wonder how do I know the middle of the night potty habits of my friends. You have to trust me on this one, old folks talk about that stuff. Even the ones that don't talk give it away because I have been on many hunting and fishing trips with a bunch of guys crammed into a small house or cabin with one bathroom. Anyway, I digress.
On those occasions when I do get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom the entire process takes place in the dark. If I turn a light on any sleep for the night is over, plain and simple. I have perfected that trip over time to a point where I believe if I ever loose my sight I could get around our house just fine. It is so easy to get to the bathroom, stand up and feel for the corner of our iron bed frame, slide across the width of the bed touching the bed frame, straight ahead three steps to the bathroom entrance, feel for the granite on the "her side" vanity, follow the granite to the end, feel for the commode door and bingo, you have arrived for touchdown.
Assassination attempt #1 - After living in this house for 10 years and perfecting that trip to the bathroom to the point I can literally do it in my sleep my "lovely bride" decided to leave one of her many vanity drawers open. Yes it was the biggest drawer and it wasn't just cracked open an inch or two, it was wide open to make sure I would trip, fall, break my skull and die from blunt force trama. There are always travel company brochures laying around the house so I think she has already picked out a destination in some exotic place like Morocco or South America to help get over her grief of losing me in a "freak" accident. Unfortunately for her I survived with a big thigh bruise. I was so adept when I hit that vanity drawer I didn't even go down, close but I stayed on my feet.
Assassination attempt #2 - After a "sincere apology" the "lovely bride" convinced me leaving the drawer open was a mere accident and I foolishly bought the story but I am sure she was already plotting what to do next. She was smart as she waited a few days to allow me to get back in the routine and forget about assassination attempt #1. But last night she struck again. This time there was a booby-trap set up right in the middle of the floor. Same plan as before I am sure, trip, fall, hit head and die. Once again my superior athletic abilty came through and all I did was stub my little toe on the corner of the booby-trap (plastic container) and rip off the toenail. That turned out to be good thing because the toe was dripping blood all over so I had the pleasure of summoning the "lovely bride" out of bed to get something to wipe up the blood and use as a compress on the toe. Her post "assassination attempt" story is that she uses that container for something in our walk-in closet and was going to take the container into the shower to wash it off in the morning.
To add insult to injury everything was cleaned up, the bleeding was stopped and we were back in bed by 2:00 am. I never slept a wink until I got up at 4:00 am. She was snoring in five minutes. I am sure she was dreaming about what to try next!
I will exact my revenge as the "lovely bride" aka Nancy will get up in a few hours and will have to read this story as she is the proofreader for the blog. On second thought there is no revenge possible, I am in a lose-lose situation. If there is no blog tomorrow please come looking for me!
PRACTICE & ROSTER UPDATE
- I know you didn't come to the blog today to read about my trials and tribulations so here is an update on practice and the roster.
- The Allen Americans typically practice at 10:00 am and I usually arrive between 10:30 - 10:45 because to be honest I find practice kind of boring. Arriving late gives me plenty of time to see who isn't skating, line combinations, defensive pairings and what coach Martinson is working on without sitting through warmups, stretching, and the early practice drills I have seen a 1000 times. I can catch players as they come off the ice after practice and stop by Martinson's office to ask him any questions I might have. This process works great and there are usually fans watching the entire practice that fill me in on anything I may have missed. Yesterday I arrived at my usual time around 10:45 only to find out practice wasn't starting until noon. So I sat myself down on a bench right outside the locker room, pulled out my iPad and began to visit all of the hockey sites I keep track of each day. What happened over the next 75 minutes was a reminder of something my wrestling coach/gym teacher used to say all the way back in ninth grade. "The power of observation is very important in sports and in life, talk less and observe more." Here are some of my observations in that 75 minutes on the bench, things I would have never seen had I not arrived so early.
- I first noticed a player arriving from a distance carrying all of his equipment (hockey bag and sticks) and wondered who could that be. It was David Makowski returning from Indy where he represented the Americans at the ECHL All-Star game. I asked him one question as he was headed to the locker room, "How did you enjoy the experience?" The first thing he said wasn't about his team (Mountain Division) winning the three-on-three tournament, it wasn't the fact that he was the leading scorer (2 goals, 1 assist) in the final game and it wasn't that he wore the "C" for his team. The first thing he said was he got to participate in the ceremonial puck drop and Wayne Gretzky dropped the puck so he got to shake his hand and have a brief word. Gretzky also came in the locker room and addressed the All-Stars. David sounded more like a young fan meeting a hockey hero than an All-Star. A great story!
- Next I ran into Angie Gill and her young son Jackson who came to watch practice and meet up with Riley who was at the rink rehabbing from his injury. Jackson will be three in July and arrived at the rink with his favorite things. A hockey mask, his favorite stick (right shot but Jackson is a lefty), one glove (the other was left in the car). Jackson got a puck from one of his favorites, Zamboni driver, Geoff Gill (no relation) and he was in his element. All I can say from my observation of this activity is Jackson is "all boy" and soon to be three year old that loves his hockey. My other observation is his mom, who is expecting baby boy number two in a few months, is one patient lady!
- I have to admit I couldn't stop smiling as Jackson waited for every player to come out of the locker room headed to the ice so he could fist bump (glove hand only) each one. It made the players smile too as he was wearing his goalie mask the entire time. Too much fun!
- I was also lucky enough to observe Gary Steffes being Gary Steffes. He was in the locker room saying goodbye to his teammates and he was in coach Martinson's office to say his farewell and that is to be expected. But I also saw him saying goodbye to a special fan (I won't share her name) who stopped by just to see Gary. Then he had a private moment with Geoff (Zamboni driver) and gave him a big bear hug to say good-bye. All you have to do is observe Gary Steffes to see he is a special human being who has impacted so many in such a positive way. What a bright light he is!
- The final observation I had while waiting for practice to begin has to do with the players that are injured. There is nothing worse if you make your living playing a sport than not being able to play. Sitting on that bench watching players heading back to the trainer's room for treatment, ride the stationery bike or run the stairs in the arena gives you an appreciation for what they go through to get back in the lineup. Injuries are part of the game and it is what it is but the frustration is observable.
- The time before practice was well spent and I certainly learned a lot by observing more and talking less.
- Coach Martinson started practice by gathering the team together and sharing with them the same thing he shared with the season ticket holders during the post game chat on Monday. There has been way too many turnovers at the blue line and those turnovers lead to less puck possession time and more opportunities for the opponent. It is a big reason why the Americans are being out shot. He also talked to the team about the lack of physical play, not finishing checks and being easy to play against. He reminded the team everyone has been playing no matter what mistakes they have made because the team is shorthanded but players will soon be back from injuries, players will return from the AHL and he has a vet slot available he is looking to fill. The message was things need to change and they need to change right now.
- It was a spirited practice for sure but ended with a fun three-on-three competition scrimmage with the goals crosswise between the blue line and the end boards. With the team being shorthanded it is the best way to scrimmage and it was also fun for the guys.
- After practice, when I asked Martinson about the roster for the weekend he said doesn't expect any of the injured players to be back, he doesn't anticipate signing any players this week but he does expect to have more players. That says to me one or two players may be assigned from the AHL. Will have to keep an eye on AHL transactions today to see if any players are assigned/returned to Allen. UPDATE: Spencer Asuchak and Colby McAuley are back in Allen and will accompany the team when they leave for their road trip to Indiana tonight.
DID YOU KNOW: The deadline for signing players from Europe is fast approaching and is now less than a month away. With an open veteran spot I am sure coach Martinson is using his many contacts to find a player that would like to come to Allen in hopes of a long playoff run. Players must return from Europe by February 15 (3 pm EST) to be eligible to play in the ECHL.
I know it is TMI (too much information) but at 70 it is hard to make it through the night without having to get up to go to the bathroom at some point. I am much better than many of my friends here at Wrinkle Ranch, I mean Heritage Ranch, the active adult retirement community where I live. You might wonder how do I know the middle of the night potty habits of my friends. You have to trust me on this one, old folks talk about that stuff. Even the ones that don't talk give it away because I have been on many hunting and fishing trips with a bunch of guys crammed into a small house or cabin with one bathroom. Anyway, I digress.
On those occasions when I do get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom the entire process takes place in the dark. If I turn a light on any sleep for the night is over, plain and simple. I have perfected that trip over time to a point where I believe if I ever loose my sight I could get around our house just fine. It is so easy to get to the bathroom, stand up and feel for the corner of our iron bed frame, slide across the width of the bed touching the bed frame, straight ahead three steps to the bathroom entrance, feel for the granite on the "her side" vanity, follow the granite to the end, feel for the commode door and bingo, you have arrived for touchdown.
Assassination attempt #1 - After living in this house for 10 years and perfecting that trip to the bathroom to the point I can literally do it in my sleep my "lovely bride" decided to leave one of her many vanity drawers open. Yes it was the biggest drawer and it wasn't just cracked open an inch or two, it was wide open to make sure I would trip, fall, break my skull and die from blunt force trama. There are always travel company brochures laying around the house so I think she has already picked out a destination in some exotic place like Morocco or South America to help get over her grief of losing me in a "freak" accident. Unfortunately for her I survived with a big thigh bruise. I was so adept when I hit that vanity drawer I didn't even go down, close but I stayed on my feet.
Assassination attempt #2 - After a "sincere apology" the "lovely bride" convinced me leaving the drawer open was a mere accident and I foolishly bought the story but I am sure she was already plotting what to do next. She was smart as she waited a few days to allow me to get back in the routine and forget about assassination attempt #1. But last night she struck again. This time there was a booby-trap set up right in the middle of the floor. Same plan as before I am sure, trip, fall, hit head and die. Once again my superior athletic abilty came through and all I did was stub my little toe on the corner of the booby-trap (plastic container) and rip off the toenail. That turned out to be good thing because the toe was dripping blood all over so I had the pleasure of summoning the "lovely bride" out of bed to get something to wipe up the blood and use as a compress on the toe. Her post "assassination attempt" story is that she uses that container for something in our walk-in closet and was going to take the container into the shower to wash it off in the morning.
To add insult to injury everything was cleaned up, the bleeding was stopped and we were back in bed by 2:00 am. I never slept a wink until I got up at 4:00 am. She was snoring in five minutes. I am sure she was dreaming about what to try next!
I will exact my revenge as the "lovely bride" aka Nancy will get up in a few hours and will have to read this story as she is the proofreader for the blog. On second thought there is no revenge possible, I am in a lose-lose situation. If there is no blog tomorrow please come looking for me!
 |
| The booby-trap |
PRACTICE & ROSTER UPDATE
- I know you didn't come to the blog today to read about my trials and tribulations so here is an update on practice and the roster.
- The Allen Americans typically practice at 10:00 am and I usually arrive between 10:30 - 10:45 because to be honest I find practice kind of boring. Arriving late gives me plenty of time to see who isn't skating, line combinations, defensive pairings and what coach Martinson is working on without sitting through warmups, stretching, and the early practice drills I have seen a 1000 times. I can catch players as they come off the ice after practice and stop by Martinson's office to ask him any questions I might have. This process works great and there are usually fans watching the entire practice that fill me in on anything I may have missed. Yesterday I arrived at my usual time around 10:45 only to find out practice wasn't starting until noon. So I sat myself down on a bench right outside the locker room, pulled out my iPad and began to visit all of the hockey sites I keep track of each day. What happened over the next 75 minutes was a reminder of something my wrestling coach/gym teacher used to say all the way back in ninth grade. "The power of observation is very important in sports and in life, talk less and observe more." Here are some of my observations in that 75 minutes on the bench, things I would have never seen had I not arrived so early.
- I first noticed a player arriving from a distance carrying all of his equipment (hockey bag and sticks) and wondered who could that be. It was David Makowski returning from Indy where he represented the Americans at the ECHL All-Star game. I asked him one question as he was headed to the locker room, "How did you enjoy the experience?" The first thing he said wasn't about his team (Mountain Division) winning the three-on-three tournament, it wasn't the fact that he was the leading scorer (2 goals, 1 assist) in the final game and it wasn't that he wore the "C" for his team. The first thing he said was he got to participate in the ceremonial puck drop and Wayne Gretzky dropped the puck so he got to shake his hand and have a brief word. Gretzky also came in the locker room and addressed the All-Stars. David sounded more like a young fan meeting a hockey hero than an All-Star. A great story!
- Next I ran into Angie Gill and her young son Jackson who came to watch practice and meet up with Riley who was at the rink rehabbing from his injury. Jackson will be three in July and arrived at the rink with his favorite things. A hockey mask, his favorite stick (right shot but Jackson is a lefty), one glove (the other was left in the car). Jackson got a puck from one of his favorites, Zamboni driver, Geoff Gill (no relation) and he was in his element. All I can say from my observation of this activity is Jackson is "all boy" and soon to be three year old that loves his hockey. My other observation is his mom, who is expecting baby boy number two in a few months, is one patient lady!
- I have to admit I couldn't stop smiling as Jackson waited for every player to come out of the locker room headed to the ice so he could fist bump (glove hand only) each one. It made the players smile too as he was wearing his goalie mask the entire time. Too much fun!
- I was also lucky enough to observe Gary Steffes being Gary Steffes. He was in the locker room saying goodbye to his teammates and he was in coach Martinson's office to say his farewell and that is to be expected. But I also saw him saying goodbye to a special fan (I won't share her name) who stopped by just to see Gary. Then he had a private moment with Geoff (Zamboni driver) and gave him a big bear hug to say good-bye. All you have to do is observe Gary Steffes to see he is a special human being who has impacted so many in such a positive way. What a bright light he is!
- The final observation I had while waiting for practice to begin has to do with the players that are injured. There is nothing worse if you make your living playing a sport than not being able to play. Sitting on that bench watching players heading back to the trainer's room for treatment, ride the stationery bike or run the stairs in the arena gives you an appreciation for what they go through to get back in the lineup. Injuries are part of the game and it is what it is but the frustration is observable.
- The time before practice was well spent and I certainly learned a lot by observing more and talking less.
- Coach Martinson started practice by gathering the team together and sharing with them the same thing he shared with the season ticket holders during the post game chat on Monday. There has been way too many turnovers at the blue line and those turnovers lead to less puck possession time and more opportunities for the opponent. It is a big reason why the Americans are being out shot. He also talked to the team about the lack of physical play, not finishing checks and being easy to play against. He reminded the team everyone has been playing no matter what mistakes they have made because the team is shorthanded but players will soon be back from injuries, players will return from the AHL and he has a vet slot available he is looking to fill. The message was things need to change and they need to change right now.
- It was a spirited practice for sure but ended with a fun three-on-three competition scrimmage with the goals crosswise between the blue line and the end boards. With the team being shorthanded it is the best way to scrimmage and it was also fun for the guys.
- After practice, when I asked Martinson about the roster for the weekend he said doesn't expect any of the injured players to be back, he doesn't anticipate signing any players this week but he does expect to have more players. That says to me one or two players may be assigned from the AHL. Will have to keep an eye on AHL transactions today to see if any players are assigned/returned to Allen. UPDATE: Spencer Asuchak and Colby McAuley are back in Allen and will accompany the team when they leave for their road trip to Indiana tonight.
DID YOU KNOW: The deadline for signing players from Europe is fast approaching and is now less than a month away. With an open veteran spot I am sure coach Martinson is using his many contacts to find a player that would like to come to Allen in hopes of a long playoff run. Players must return from Europe by February 15 (3 pm EST) to be eligible to play in the ECHL.
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Allen Loses Rubber Match to Tulsa 2-1, Martinson's Comments, Gary Steffes Reflects on 10 Day Contract, Makowski Shines in Mountain Division All-Star Win
The Allen Americans went down to defeat yesterday losing to the Tulsa Oilers 2-1 in the annual MLK day game before a disappointed crowd of 4216 at the Allen Event Center (AEC). The Americans have lost on MLK day the last three years but more importantly they lost two of three games to Tulsa in the last four days and have now lost six of their last eight games.
- After a scoreless first period the Oilers took a 1-0 lead early in the second period but Allen countered with a goal of their own at 13:03 mark when Bryan Moore scored his team leading 13th goal on the power play. That was the end of the scoring until Tulsa got the game winner with less than five minutes remaining in the game. To add insult to injury the game winner by the Oilers was scored shorthanded. It was the ninth shorty of the season for Tulsa who leads the ECHL in shorthanded goals.
- Allen's lone goal was scored on the power play but they were only 1-7 after going 3-5 in the win in Tulsa Saturday night. The one power play goal was offset by the shorthanded goal allowed. I think it is safe to say the Americans missed David Makowski on the power play unit. Makowski did not play because he was in Indy participating in the ECHL All-Star game.
- Here is the Sporfie highlight of Allen's lone goal. Take a look at this replay several times and you can see all of the attention Archambault gets as he skates through the slot. Two defenders and the goalie are all moving toward Olivier as Roy is skating with the puck from the blue line toward the goal. Eric sees what is happening with Archambault and times a perfect pass to Moore who one times it into the open net. A great read by Roy, a great finish by Moore and the value of Archambault even though his play doesn't show up on the score sheet. https://sporfie.app.link/S3ctn2tEJJ
- Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-heroic-effort-falls-short/
- Here is the game recap from the Tulsa World: http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/oilers-road-report-kessy-s-goal-late-in-third-period/article_867db52a-7962-55ee-8545-319857e99172.html
STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS
- We turned the puck over way to many times and it came back to bite us. We didn't have a very strong game from a lot of our guys. We weren't strong on the puck and had so many turnovers at the blue line.
- We will practice tomorrow as we have to get better by the weekend if are going to win.
- It is pretty obvious we missed Makowski on the power play this afternoon but it is that old cliche, it is opportunity for other guys, it is just a matter if they are ready to seize the opportunity or not.
- I think overall we were way too nice to play against in this game. Our top players have to carry us in games like this and that didn't happen but it is also an opportunity for our depth guys to step up.
- It is painful to have the opportunity to win with a power play late in the game and then give up a shorthanded goal.
- With Gunn, Arseneau, McAuley and Asuchak all out of the lineup we have too many guys that aren't hard to play against right now. Hopefully we will get a couple of those guys back soon. I am not making excuses because we have a good enough line up to win. We beat them 7-2 on Saturday.
- We just didn't compete hard enough to win and they did. They played harder than we did. That was clear in watching their captain win all the battles for pucks. He wants the puck more than other guys. Other guys want the puck but they want it easy.
- It is how you play when you are needed that is important. It is not how you play when we are blowing a team out. I have not been real impressed the last couple of weeks.
OTHER COMMENTS
- The Americans will now start preparing for another three games in three days, this time all on the road. The road trip starts with an 850 mile trip to play Indy on Friday night. Then a short 120 mile trip to Fort Wayne for games Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. After the Sunday game it will be back on the bus for the 975 mile trip back to Allen. The team will arrive in Allen midday on Monday. The next home game is on Wednesday (1/24) against Rapid City.
- With Gary Steffes headed home and the Americans now down to eight healthy forwards it seems likely at least one of the players in the AHL (Asuchak, McAuley, Arseneau) will be returned before the team leaves for Indy on Thursday. I will attend practice today and get an update from coach Martinson.
- Gary Steffes agreed to leave his job at FCA for 10 days to help out the Americans when their roster was depleted just because he loves the team and Allen is family to him. He is heading back to Minnesota with the experience far exceeding his expectations. He played in six games and had six points (4 goals 2 assists). I had the chance to catch up with Gary after the game yesterday and asked him to reflect on the experience. This is what he had to say:
"Coming to help out was certainly a different feeling than when I was playing and chasing my dream to see how far I could go in hockey."
"The experience exceeded all of my expectations. I had to give myself some grace since I hadn't been playing or training for eight months. I just wanted to help the best I could."
" I would have been stoked just to help out a little bit. First game back I get two assists and then the hat trick in Tulsa. I hadn't had a hat trick since I played for Tulsa in 2012-13."
"Even though I was coming out of retirement and it was temporary all the emotions came back and I wanted to win just as bad as I used to. I definitely felt I was part of the team."
"It was a different kind of pressure than before I retired. I still cared just as much as before but it allowed me to play more relaxed."
"If the team is ever in need again and things work out and FCA says it is okay I would be glad to help out. What was neat for me was coming back and spending time with the family because I feel like I am part of the Allen family. I am blessed."
ECHL ALL-STAR CLASSIC
- The Mountain Division won the ECHL All-Star competition yesterday which was a three on three tournament. They beat the Central Division 5-2 in the semifinal and the South Division 6-5 in a sudden death shootout in the finals. Here is the ECHL press release with all of the details on the tournament and the skills competition: https://www.echl.com/mountain-division-wins-2018-ccm-echl-star-classic
- David Makowski was the leading scorer for the Mountain Division in the finals after being the only player on the team to not score a goal in the semifinals. Makowski had two goals and an assist in the championship game. Here are the highlights. Notice Makowski is wearing the "C" for his team. A couple of other interesting notes as you watch the end of the game. The Mountain Division sent out defensman Cliff Watson from Utah for the first shootout attempt. He hadn't taken a shootout attempt all season but made a nice move to score. The South Division countered with South Carolina forward Taylor Cammarata who had two goals in the semifinal game and a hat trick in the finals. Cammarata was stopped by Wichita goalie Shane Starrett to give the shootout win to the Mountain Division. Watch the look on Starret's face as he doesn't seem to realize it was a sudden death shootout, so stopping one attempt meant victory, until he hears the PA announcer say the Mountain Division is the winner. By the way, even though Cammarata was stopped in the shootout his five goals in two games earned him the MVP award.
DID YOU KNOW: Here is Allen's record after 38 games the last three seasons for comparison. It is hard to compare season to season as the teams are so different. Last season Allen barely lost the last half of the season, earned 56 points in the last 34 games, ended up with 104 points and lost in the second round of the playoffs. In 2015-16 Allen earned only 44 points in the last 34 games, ended up with 89 points and won the Kelly Cup. This season the script is still being written and Allen fans can only hope the last chapter is a good one.
2017-18: 20-13-4-1 (45 points)
2016-17: 23-13-1-1 (48 points)
2015-16: 21-14-2-1 (45 points)
- After a scoreless first period the Oilers took a 1-0 lead early in the second period but Allen countered with a goal of their own at 13:03 mark when Bryan Moore scored his team leading 13th goal on the power play. That was the end of the scoring until Tulsa got the game winner with less than five minutes remaining in the game. To add insult to injury the game winner by the Oilers was scored shorthanded. It was the ninth shorty of the season for Tulsa who leads the ECHL in shorthanded goals.
- Allen's lone goal was scored on the power play but they were only 1-7 after going 3-5 in the win in Tulsa Saturday night. The one power play goal was offset by the shorthanded goal allowed. I think it is safe to say the Americans missed David Makowski on the power play unit. Makowski did not play because he was in Indy participating in the ECHL All-Star game.
- Here is the Sporfie highlight of Allen's lone goal. Take a look at this replay several times and you can see all of the attention Archambault gets as he skates through the slot. Two defenders and the goalie are all moving toward Olivier as Roy is skating with the puck from the blue line toward the goal. Eric sees what is happening with Archambault and times a perfect pass to Moore who one times it into the open net. A great read by Roy, a great finish by Moore and the value of Archambault even though his play doesn't show up on the score sheet. https://sporfie.app.link/S3ctn2tEJJ
- Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-heroic-effort-falls-short/
- Here is the game recap from the Tulsa World: http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/oilers-road-report-kessy-s-goal-late-in-third-period/article_867db52a-7962-55ee-8545-319857e99172.html
STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS
- We turned the puck over way to many times and it came back to bite us. We didn't have a very strong game from a lot of our guys. We weren't strong on the puck and had so many turnovers at the blue line.
- We will practice tomorrow as we have to get better by the weekend if are going to win.
- It is pretty obvious we missed Makowski on the power play this afternoon but it is that old cliche, it is opportunity for other guys, it is just a matter if they are ready to seize the opportunity or not.
- I think overall we were way too nice to play against in this game. Our top players have to carry us in games like this and that didn't happen but it is also an opportunity for our depth guys to step up.
- It is painful to have the opportunity to win with a power play late in the game and then give up a shorthanded goal.
- With Gunn, Arseneau, McAuley and Asuchak all out of the lineup we have too many guys that aren't hard to play against right now. Hopefully we will get a couple of those guys back soon. I am not making excuses because we have a good enough line up to win. We beat them 7-2 on Saturday.
- We just didn't compete hard enough to win and they did. They played harder than we did. That was clear in watching their captain win all the battles for pucks. He wants the puck more than other guys. Other guys want the puck but they want it easy.
- It is how you play when you are needed that is important. It is not how you play when we are blowing a team out. I have not been real impressed the last couple of weeks.
OTHER COMMENTS
- The Americans will now start preparing for another three games in three days, this time all on the road. The road trip starts with an 850 mile trip to play Indy on Friday night. Then a short 120 mile trip to Fort Wayne for games Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. After the Sunday game it will be back on the bus for the 975 mile trip back to Allen. The team will arrive in Allen midday on Monday. The next home game is on Wednesday (1/24) against Rapid City.
- With Gary Steffes headed home and the Americans now down to eight healthy forwards it seems likely at least one of the players in the AHL (Asuchak, McAuley, Arseneau) will be returned before the team leaves for Indy on Thursday. I will attend practice today and get an update from coach Martinson.
- Gary Steffes agreed to leave his job at FCA for 10 days to help out the Americans when their roster was depleted just because he loves the team and Allen is family to him. He is heading back to Minnesota with the experience far exceeding his expectations. He played in six games and had six points (4 goals 2 assists). I had the chance to catch up with Gary after the game yesterday and asked him to reflect on the experience. This is what he had to say:
"Coming to help out was certainly a different feeling than when I was playing and chasing my dream to see how far I could go in hockey."
"The experience exceeded all of my expectations. I had to give myself some grace since I hadn't been playing or training for eight months. I just wanted to help the best I could."
" I would have been stoked just to help out a little bit. First game back I get two assists and then the hat trick in Tulsa. I hadn't had a hat trick since I played for Tulsa in 2012-13."
"Even though I was coming out of retirement and it was temporary all the emotions came back and I wanted to win just as bad as I used to. I definitely felt I was part of the team."
"It was a different kind of pressure than before I retired. I still cared just as much as before but it allowed me to play more relaxed."
"If the team is ever in need again and things work out and FCA says it is okay I would be glad to help out. What was neat for me was coming back and spending time with the family because I feel like I am part of the Allen family. I am blessed."
ECHL ALL-STAR CLASSIC
- The Mountain Division won the ECHL All-Star competition yesterday which was a three on three tournament. They beat the Central Division 5-2 in the semifinal and the South Division 6-5 in a sudden death shootout in the finals. Here is the ECHL press release with all of the details on the tournament and the skills competition: https://www.echl.com/mountain-division-wins-2018-ccm-echl-star-classic
 |
| The Mountain Division All-Star Champs |
- David Makowski was the leading scorer for the Mountain Division in the finals after being the only player on the team to not score a goal in the semifinals. Makowski had two goals and an assist in the championship game. Here are the highlights. Notice Makowski is wearing the "C" for his team. A couple of other interesting notes as you watch the end of the game. The Mountain Division sent out defensman Cliff Watson from Utah for the first shootout attempt. He hadn't taken a shootout attempt all season but made a nice move to score. The South Division countered with South Carolina forward Taylor Cammarata who had two goals in the semifinal game and a hat trick in the finals. Cammarata was stopped by Wichita goalie Shane Starrett to give the shootout win to the Mountain Division. Watch the look on Starret's face as he doesn't seem to realize it was a sudden death shootout, so stopping one attempt meant victory, until he hears the PA announcer say the Mountain Division is the winner. By the way, even though Cammarata was stopped in the shootout his five goals in two games earned him the MVP award.
DID YOU KNOW: Here is Allen's record after 38 games the last three seasons for comparison. It is hard to compare season to season as the teams are so different. Last season Allen barely lost the last half of the season, earned 56 points in the last 34 games, ended up with 104 points and lost in the second round of the playoffs. In 2015-16 Allen earned only 44 points in the last 34 games, ended up with 89 points and won the Kelly Cup. This season the script is still being written and Allen fans can only hope the last chapter is a good one.
2017-18: 20-13-4-1 (45 points)
2016-17: 23-13-1-1 (48 points)
2015-16: 21-14-2-1 (45 points)
Monday, January 15, 2018
MLK Game History, Allen vs Tulsa Preview, Reason for Regular Season and All-Star Game Today, Allen Playoff History & More
It is game day for the Allen Americans as they play the rubber match against the Tulsa Oilers. The traditional MLK day game is at the Allen Event Center (AEC) this afternoon with a 1:05 pm puck drop. The Americans split the first two games of this three game series with Tulsa, winning 7-2 on Saturday after losing 5-3 on Friday.
- The MLK game has not been kind to Allen fans recently as you have to go back to 2015 for an Americans win. In 2015 Allen scored three goals in the first 11 minutes of the game and coasted to a 5-2 win over the Missouri Mavericks. In 2016 the Americans blew a 2-0 first period lead and ended up losing to Cincinnati 4-3 in overtime. The MLK day game last season was also an overtime loss. Allen came back from a 3-0 deficit after the first period but ended up losing 5-4 in overtime to the Missouri Mavericks.
- Gary Steffes will be playing in his last game for Allen today before returning to his post retirement job in Minnesota. It would be a good bet he will score a goal today. He is the only player that has scored a goal in all three MLK day games for Allen since they joined the ECHL.
- Both teams will be missing key players today who are at the ECHL All-Star game which takes place this afternoon in Indy (1:00 pm EST) and will be televised on the NHL Network. David Makowski is representing Allen and and Connor Bleackley is representing Tulsa.
- I am still getting questions asking why the Allen Americans are playing the same day as the ECHL All-Star game. There are actually three regular season games today. In addition to the Allen game against Tulsa, Florida is at Atlanta and Rapid City is at Utah. Here is how this came about:
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 team owners who make up 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 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 of this situation throughout the scheduling process for the 2017-18 season.
- As for the game this afternoon the question is will the Allen team from Friday night or Saturday night show up. After the Friday night 5-3 loss coach Martinson said, "We had way too many turnovers, we didn't have an effective backcheck and we were soft on the penalty kill. It is pretty hard to win that way unless your goalie stands on his head and saves the day." After the 7-2 win on Saturday coach Martinson talked about the Gary Steffes hat trick and also mentioned how important it was to have such a big bounce back after the game on Friday, the solid effort by Stephon Williams in goal and how much everyone chipped in and contributed to the victory. If the Saturday effort continues today the Americans should be in good shape.
- If you combine the stats for the two games in Tulsa the Americans had more goals (10-7), shots (77-76) and power play goals (5-2). Allen scored first in both games. There is a lot to build on but the Americans will have to overcome the loss of Makowski who had four assists in the win on Saturday and brings a lot of offense especially on the power play.
- Here are the updated stats between Allen and Tulsa:
ALLEN TULSA
Team Record 20-12-4-1 (45 points) 14-15-3-5 (36 points)
Division Ranking 4th - Mountain 5th -Mountain
Conference Ranking 6th - Western 10th - Western
League Ranking 11th 19th
Last Game 7-2 Win (Tulsa) 7-2 Loss (Allen)
Goals For 131 109
Goals Against 117 124
Power Play 20.9% 13.2%
Home Power Play 21.6% 11.9%
Road Power Play 20.0% 14.1%
Penalty Kill 81.3% 79.9%
Home Penalty Kill 86.8% 79.7%
Road Penalty Kill 75.0% 80.0%
Leading Scorer Pierro-Zabotel (10-32-42) Sampair (15-12-27)
Most PIM's Moore (121) Kessy (88)
- Here is how Allen and Tulsa rank in the ECHL in some statistical categories:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (24.51) - Tulsa 13th (15.76)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 6th (3.54) - Tulsa 20th (2.95)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 13th (3.16) - Tulsa 20th (3.35)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 16th (32.35) - Tulsa 1st (38.76)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 24th (36.92) - Tulsa 22nd (34.65)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 3rd (20.9%) - Tulsa 24th (13.2%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 21st (81.3%) - Tulsa 23rd (79.9%)
- The most striking stats above are shots on goal. Tulsa leads the ECHL averaging over 38 shots on goal per game while the Americans are ranked #24 in the ECHL allowing an average of 37 shots on goal per game. In the first two games against Tulsa the Americans gave up 76 shots but had 77 of their own. If Allen can stay even with the Oilers on shots they will have the advantage because their shooting percentage is much better then Tulsa's (10.9% vs 7.6%).
- The Allen power play has really come alive recently. In the last three games the power play is 7-15 for a 46.7% conversion rate. This recent success has moved Allen up to the #3 ranked power play in the ECHL (20.9%). Over the last three games the Allen penalty kill has continued to struggle giving up three power play goals in 10 opportunities for a penalty kill percentage of 70%. The question for today is whether the Americans can continue their success on the power play while tightening up on the penalty kill.
- With Makowski at the All-Star game the Americans will be playing shorthanded in the game this afternoon. Unless something has changed Allen will have nine forwards (one short) and six defensemen.
- If coach Martinson continues to alternate goalies it will be Jeremy Brodeur in goal this afternoon.
- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Sean MacFarlane (#84) and linesmen Michael Houle (#49) and Addison Brush (#80). Allen has had MacFarlane as the referee numerous times this season including for the fiasco on New Year's Eve against Wichita. The Americans have not fared well with MacFarlane as they have lost six of eight games when he has been the referee.
OTHER COMMENTS
- The three teams ahead of Allen in the Mountain Division standings (Colorado, Idaho, Wichita) are all idle today so a good chance for the Americans to make up some ground. If they can come away with two points this afternoon, Allen will be tied with Wichita for third place and be just one point behind second place Idaho.
- The three teams fighting for second place in the Mountain Division have all been struggling over the last 10 games which has allowed first place Colorado, who is 9-0-1-0 over the last 10 games, to open up a 12 point lead. Idaho is 5-3-1-1 over the last ten, Allen is 5-5-0-0 and Wichita is 4-5-1-0.
- I saw that Tony Stewart, who was supposed to be the celebrity coach for the North Division at the All-Star game today had to back out because of illness. ESPN racing analyst Scott Goodyear is replacing Stewart.
- If you are looking ahead Allen will spend the weekend on the road for the third straight week. They play in Indy on Friday night and Fort Wayne on Saturday and Sunday. In Indy the Americans will meet up with two former players, Garrett Clarke and Nolan Descoteaux. You have to expect Clarke, who is the all time career penalty minutes leader in Allen (432 minutes) will bring his agitating game to the ice that night. In Fort Wayne the Americans will meet up with former captain Jamie Schaafsma, who won three championships in Allen and was the CHL Playoff MVP when the Americans won their second championship in 2014.
DID YOU KNOW: I am always reminded at this time year of some of the slumps the Allen Americans endured in past seasons as they went on to win four straight championships. In 2013 from mid January to mid February the eventual Presidents' Cup winners won only two games while losing eleven. In 2014 Allen won their second championship but while I was on vacation in Patagonia most of the month of February the team was 1-8. So if doubts are creeping into your thoughts about how good Allen is this season my advice would be to "Keep the Faith!" It is not how you play in January and February that counts, it is how you are playing in March and beyond. And based on Steve Martinson's coaching history you have to like the chances the Americans will be playing their best hockey in March and into the playoffs. As a reminder, here are some of Martinson's records:
20 - the number of times Martinson has made the playoffs in 21 years as a head coach
10 - the number of championships Martinson has won as a head coach
2 - the number of times a Martinson coached team has lost in the first round of the playoffs
1 - the number of times a Martinson coached team has lost a game seven in the playoffs
15-1 - Martinson's record in all playoff series (not games but series) in Allen
- The MLK game has not been kind to Allen fans recently as you have to go back to 2015 for an Americans win. In 2015 Allen scored three goals in the first 11 minutes of the game and coasted to a 5-2 win over the Missouri Mavericks. In 2016 the Americans blew a 2-0 first period lead and ended up losing to Cincinnati 4-3 in overtime. The MLK day game last season was also an overtime loss. Allen came back from a 3-0 deficit after the first period but ended up losing 5-4 in overtime to the Missouri Mavericks.
- Gary Steffes will be playing in his last game for Allen today before returning to his post retirement job in Minnesota. It would be a good bet he will score a goal today. He is the only player that has scored a goal in all three MLK day games for Allen since they joined the ECHL.
- Both teams will be missing key players today who are at the ECHL All-Star game which takes place this afternoon in Indy (1:00 pm EST) and will be televised on the NHL Network. David Makowski is representing Allen and and Connor Bleackley is representing Tulsa.
- I am still getting questions asking why the Allen Americans are playing the same day as the ECHL All-Star game. There are actually three regular season games today. In addition to the Allen game against Tulsa, Florida is at Atlanta and Rapid City is at Utah. Here is how this came about:
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 team owners who make up 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 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 of this situation throughout the scheduling process for the 2017-18 season.
- As for the game this afternoon the question is will the Allen team from Friday night or Saturday night show up. After the Friday night 5-3 loss coach Martinson said, "We had way too many turnovers, we didn't have an effective backcheck and we were soft on the penalty kill. It is pretty hard to win that way unless your goalie stands on his head and saves the day." After the 7-2 win on Saturday coach Martinson talked about the Gary Steffes hat trick and also mentioned how important it was to have such a big bounce back after the game on Friday, the solid effort by Stephon Williams in goal and how much everyone chipped in and contributed to the victory. If the Saturday effort continues today the Americans should be in good shape.
- If you combine the stats for the two games in Tulsa the Americans had more goals (10-7), shots (77-76) and power play goals (5-2). Allen scored first in both games. There is a lot to build on but the Americans will have to overcome the loss of Makowski who had four assists in the win on Saturday and brings a lot of offense especially on the power play.
- Here are the updated stats between Allen and Tulsa:
ALLEN TULSA
Team Record 20-12-4-1 (45 points) 14-15-3-5 (36 points)
Division Ranking 4th - Mountain 5th -Mountain
Conference Ranking 6th - Western 10th - Western
League Ranking 11th 19th
Last Game 7-2 Win (Tulsa) 7-2 Loss (Allen)
Goals For 131 109
Goals Against 117 124
Power Play 20.9% 13.2%
Home Power Play 21.6% 11.9%
Road Power Play 20.0% 14.1%
Penalty Kill 81.3% 79.9%
Home Penalty Kill 86.8% 79.7%
Road Penalty Kill 75.0% 80.0%
Leading Scorer Pierro-Zabotel (10-32-42) Sampair (15-12-27)
Most PIM's Moore (121) Kessy (88)
- Here is how Allen and Tulsa rank in the ECHL in some statistical categories:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 1st (24.51) - Tulsa 13th (15.76)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 6th (3.54) - Tulsa 20th (2.95)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 13th (3.16) - Tulsa 20th (3.35)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 16th (32.35) - Tulsa 1st (38.76)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 24th (36.92) - Tulsa 22nd (34.65)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 3rd (20.9%) - Tulsa 24th (13.2%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 21st (81.3%) - Tulsa 23rd (79.9%)
- The most striking stats above are shots on goal. Tulsa leads the ECHL averaging over 38 shots on goal per game while the Americans are ranked #24 in the ECHL allowing an average of 37 shots on goal per game. In the first two games against Tulsa the Americans gave up 76 shots but had 77 of their own. If Allen can stay even with the Oilers on shots they will have the advantage because their shooting percentage is much better then Tulsa's (10.9% vs 7.6%).
- The Allen power play has really come alive recently. In the last three games the power play is 7-15 for a 46.7% conversion rate. This recent success has moved Allen up to the #3 ranked power play in the ECHL (20.9%). Over the last three games the Allen penalty kill has continued to struggle giving up three power play goals in 10 opportunities for a penalty kill percentage of 70%. The question for today is whether the Americans can continue their success on the power play while tightening up on the penalty kill.
- With Makowski at the All-Star game the Americans will be playing shorthanded in the game this afternoon. Unless something has changed Allen will have nine forwards (one short) and six defensemen.
- If coach Martinson continues to alternate goalies it will be Jeremy Brodeur in goal this afternoon.
- Officials scheduled for the game are referee Sean MacFarlane (#84) and linesmen Michael Houle (#49) and Addison Brush (#80). Allen has had MacFarlane as the referee numerous times this season including for the fiasco on New Year's Eve against Wichita. The Americans have not fared well with MacFarlane as they have lost six of eight games when he has been the referee.
OTHER COMMENTS
- The three teams ahead of Allen in the Mountain Division standings (Colorado, Idaho, Wichita) are all idle today so a good chance for the Americans to make up some ground. If they can come away with two points this afternoon, Allen will be tied with Wichita for third place and be just one point behind second place Idaho.
- The three teams fighting for second place in the Mountain Division have all been struggling over the last 10 games which has allowed first place Colorado, who is 9-0-1-0 over the last 10 games, to open up a 12 point lead. Idaho is 5-3-1-1 over the last ten, Allen is 5-5-0-0 and Wichita is 4-5-1-0.
- I saw that Tony Stewart, who was supposed to be the celebrity coach for the North Division at the All-Star game today had to back out because of illness. ESPN racing analyst Scott Goodyear is replacing Stewart.
- If you are looking ahead Allen will spend the weekend on the road for the third straight week. They play in Indy on Friday night and Fort Wayne on Saturday and Sunday. In Indy the Americans will meet up with two former players, Garrett Clarke and Nolan Descoteaux. You have to expect Clarke, who is the all time career penalty minutes leader in Allen (432 minutes) will bring his agitating game to the ice that night. In Fort Wayne the Americans will meet up with former captain Jamie Schaafsma, who won three championships in Allen and was the CHL Playoff MVP when the Americans won their second championship in 2014.
DID YOU KNOW: I am always reminded at this time year of some of the slumps the Allen Americans endured in past seasons as they went on to win four straight championships. In 2013 from mid January to mid February the eventual Presidents' Cup winners won only two games while losing eleven. In 2014 Allen won their second championship but while I was on vacation in Patagonia most of the month of February the team was 1-8. So if doubts are creeping into your thoughts about how good Allen is this season my advice would be to "Keep the Faith!" It is not how you play in January and February that counts, it is how you are playing in March and beyond. And based on Steve Martinson's coaching history you have to like the chances the Americans will be playing their best hockey in March and into the playoffs. As a reminder, here are some of Martinson's records:
20 - the number of times Martinson has made the playoffs in 21 years as a head coach
10 - the number of championships Martinson has won as a head coach
2 - the number of times a Martinson coached team has lost in the first round of the playoffs
1 - the number of times a Martinson coached team has lost a game seven in the playoffs
15-1 - Martinson's record in all playoff series (not games but series) in Allen
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Allen Beats Tulsa Behind Steffes Hat Trick, Game Recap, Martinson's Comments, Archambault Stats, Logan Martinson Heading to BCHL, All-Time Playoff Plus/Minus Leaders
After a poor performance in a 5-3 loss to Tulsa on Friday night the Allen Americans played one of their better games of the season last night and clobbered the Oilers 7-2. The crowd of 5562 at the BOK Center wasn't even settled in their seats before Olivier Archambault scored the first of his two goals 89 seconds into the game. It only got worse from there as the Americans scored four unanswered goals in the first period and the game was decided by the first intermission.
- How good was Allen last night? Let me count the ways.
1. Scored the first goal of the game to improve their record when scoring first to 15-3-1-0.
2. Took a 4-0 lead to improve their record when leading after the first period to 8-1-1-0.
3. Went 3-5 on the power play and are now ranked #3 in the ECHL at 20.9%.
4. Were perfect on the penalty kill (0-2).
5. Out shot Tulsa 40-35, just the second time in the last nine games to out shoot the opponent.
6. Had 40 shots on goal for only the second time in nine games.
7. Had fewer penalties (5 to 8) and penalty minutes (16 to 22) than Tulsa.
8. Superior goalie play, Stephon Williams with a .943 save percentage, Tulsa at .825.
9. Allen won the first period 4-0 and more importantly the second period 2-1.
10. Five goal margin of victory was the largest of the season (tied with opening night).
- The official score sheet shows the goal scorers for Allen were Olivier Archambault (10&11), Gary Steffes (2&3), Joel Chouinard (6), Eric Roy (10) and Miles Liberati (4). When I talked to coach Martinson after the game he told me Steffes actually had a hat trick as he deflected the puck on the goal credited to Liberati. He also said in a very Martinson like way, "It is obvious a higher power wants Gary to keep playing."
- Here is the link to ECHL Rewind where you can find video highlights of six of the seven Allen goals. The Liberati/Steffes goal is the one missing. The highlights also include Bryan Moore vs Kale Kessy and Josh Thrower vs Kale Kessy fights.
- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-offense-shines-7-2-win-tulsa/
- Here is the game recap from the Tulsa World: http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/oilers-find-themselves-in-trouble-early-often-in--/article_b3b53144-62b4-5925-8ff3-34384672e717.html
- In addition to talking about the Gary Steffes hat trick, coach Martinson also mentioned how important it was to have such a big bounce back after the game on Friday, the solid effort by Stephon Williams in goal and how much everyone chipped in and contributed to the victory.
- The Americans headed back to Allen right after the game for some well deserved rest before they take on the Oilers for the third straight game Monday afternoon (1:05 pm). If you are not off work on Monday you might want to skip out after lunch and come to the game. When you play the same team three times in 66 hours that third game is almost always one you don't want to miss. It will also be the last time to see Gary Steffes before he heads back to Minnesota.
OTHER COMMENTS
- You never know what will happen in the second half of the season but the Mountain Division is looking more and more like the top and bottom are a given and the real race is for second place between Idaho, Wichita and Allen. Colorado won again last night and has now earned points in 12 straight games (11-0-1-0). The Eagles have a 12 point lead in the division. The gap between the last playoff spot and the bottom teams is now nine points. The fight for second place tightened last night as Allen won, Wichita lost and Idaho lost in overtime. Here are the current Mountain Division standings with games played in parentheses. Remember, the top four teams make the playoffs and the top two get home ice advantage in the first round.
60 points - Colorado (37 games)
48 points - Idaho (38 games)
47 points - Wichita (38 games)
45 points - Allen (37 games)
37 points - Tulsa (36 games)
36 points - Utah (37 games)
22 points - Rapid City (35 games)
- The Americans have six players averaging over a point a game if you include Gary Steffes who has six points in five games. Here is the list with average points per game.
1.73 - Olivier Archambault
1.25 - Bryan Moore
1.20 - Gary Steffes
1.18 - Zach Pochiro
1.14 - Casey Pierro-Zabtel
1.13 - David Makowski
- What Olivier Archambault has accomplished in 15 games is pretty amazing. He not only leads Allen in average point per game he leads the entire ECHL (minimum of 10 games). There are 23 players that have played more games with Allen than Archambault and many of those have played twice as many games. After just 15 games here is how he ranks on the team in the major categories.
24th - Games Played (15)
1st - Average Points Per Game (1.73)
1st - Shooting Percentage (25.0%)
3rd - Goals (11)
4th - Plus/Minus (+11)
5th - Points (26)
5th - Assists (15)
- Tracking the guys in the AHL shows Vincent Arseneau played last night as his Utica team beat Binghamton 3-2 in overtime. Arseneau had all zeros on the score sheet except for a two minute roughing penalty. The San Jose Barracuda did not play. Utica and San Jose will both be in action Monday afternoon.
- It has been a big week for the Martinson family as it was announced on Friday that Steve and Michelle's son, Logan, has committed to play for the Langley Rivermen in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). The Langley Rivermen are a junior "A" team based in Langley, BC which is just southeast of Vancouver. The BCHL is a 17 team league that traces it roots back to the 1960's. The most notable star to come out of the BCHL is NHL hall of famer, Brett Hull, who still holds the record for most goals in a season. In 1983-84 he scored a mere 105 goals in 57 games. The BCHL is where many players from the United States and Canada go in hopes of obtaining a scholarship offer to attended college. The Junior Hockey News rates the top 20 junior leagues in North America for player development and the BCHL is #5 on the list. Here is what they say about the league, "The BCHL is simply out pacing the rest of Junior A in Canada when it comes to college placement in the US (NCAA) and Canada (CIS). Many of those NCAA players are moving on to professional hockey. BCHL alumni on the current Allen roster include Casey-Pierro Zabotel, Connor Reilly and Marcus Basara. Here is the press release issued by the Langley Rivermen announcing Logan Martinson's signing: http://www.langleyrivermen.com/commitment-logan-martinson
DID YOU KNOW: I came across this stat the other day when doing some research and found it very interesting. Here are the top ten Allen players all time in career plus/minus in the playoffs.
+27 - Jamie Schaafsma
+24 - Tyler Ludwig
+19 - Daniel Tetrault
+17 - Chris Crane
+16 - Bruce Graham
+16 - Colton Yellow Horn
+15 - Erik Adams
+14 - Greger Hanson
+14 - Gary Steffes
+13 - Kale Kerbashian
Maybe the most impressive number on this list is the +19 for Daniel Tetrault because he accomplished that in just one playoff season (17 games). In his 17 playoff games in the 2014 championship season Daniel had just two minus games and they were both -1.
- How good was Allen last night? Let me count the ways.
1. Scored the first goal of the game to improve their record when scoring first to 15-3-1-0.
2. Took a 4-0 lead to improve their record when leading after the first period to 8-1-1-0.
3. Went 3-5 on the power play and are now ranked #3 in the ECHL at 20.9%.
4. Were perfect on the penalty kill (0-2).
5. Out shot Tulsa 40-35, just the second time in the last nine games to out shoot the opponent.
6. Had 40 shots on goal for only the second time in nine games.
7. Had fewer penalties (5 to 8) and penalty minutes (16 to 22) than Tulsa.
8. Superior goalie play, Stephon Williams with a .943 save percentage, Tulsa at .825.
9. Allen won the first period 4-0 and more importantly the second period 2-1.
10. Five goal margin of victory was the largest of the season (tied with opening night).
- The official score sheet shows the goal scorers for Allen were Olivier Archambault (10&11), Gary Steffes (2&3), Joel Chouinard (6), Eric Roy (10) and Miles Liberati (4). When I talked to coach Martinson after the game he told me Steffes actually had a hat trick as he deflected the puck on the goal credited to Liberati. He also said in a very Martinson like way, "It is obvious a higher power wants Gary to keep playing."
- Here is the link to ECHL Rewind where you can find video highlights of six of the seven Allen goals. The Liberati/Steffes goal is the one missing. The highlights also include Bryan Moore vs Kale Kessy and Josh Thrower vs Kale Kessy fights.
- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-offense-shines-7-2-win-tulsa/
- Here is the game recap from the Tulsa World: http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/oilers-find-themselves-in-trouble-early-often-in--/article_b3b53144-62b4-5925-8ff3-34384672e717.html
- In addition to talking about the Gary Steffes hat trick, coach Martinson also mentioned how important it was to have such a big bounce back after the game on Friday, the solid effort by Stephon Williams in goal and how much everyone chipped in and contributed to the victory.
- The Americans headed back to Allen right after the game for some well deserved rest before they take on the Oilers for the third straight game Monday afternoon (1:05 pm). If you are not off work on Monday you might want to skip out after lunch and come to the game. When you play the same team three times in 66 hours that third game is almost always one you don't want to miss. It will also be the last time to see Gary Steffes before he heads back to Minnesota.
OTHER COMMENTS
- You never know what will happen in the second half of the season but the Mountain Division is looking more and more like the top and bottom are a given and the real race is for second place between Idaho, Wichita and Allen. Colorado won again last night and has now earned points in 12 straight games (11-0-1-0). The Eagles have a 12 point lead in the division. The gap between the last playoff spot and the bottom teams is now nine points. The fight for second place tightened last night as Allen won, Wichita lost and Idaho lost in overtime. Here are the current Mountain Division standings with games played in parentheses. Remember, the top four teams make the playoffs and the top two get home ice advantage in the first round.
60 points - Colorado (37 games)
48 points - Idaho (38 games)
47 points - Wichita (38 games)
45 points - Allen (37 games)
37 points - Tulsa (36 games)
36 points - Utah (37 games)
22 points - Rapid City (35 games)
- The Americans have six players averaging over a point a game if you include Gary Steffes who has six points in five games. Here is the list with average points per game.
1.73 - Olivier Archambault
1.25 - Bryan Moore
1.20 - Gary Steffes
1.18 - Zach Pochiro
1.14 - Casey Pierro-Zabtel
1.13 - David Makowski
- What Olivier Archambault has accomplished in 15 games is pretty amazing. He not only leads Allen in average point per game he leads the entire ECHL (minimum of 10 games). There are 23 players that have played more games with Allen than Archambault and many of those have played twice as many games. After just 15 games here is how he ranks on the team in the major categories.
24th - Games Played (15)
1st - Average Points Per Game (1.73)
1st - Shooting Percentage (25.0%)
3rd - Goals (11)
4th - Plus/Minus (+11)
5th - Points (26)
5th - Assists (15)
- Tracking the guys in the AHL shows Vincent Arseneau played last night as his Utica team beat Binghamton 3-2 in overtime. Arseneau had all zeros on the score sheet except for a two minute roughing penalty. The San Jose Barracuda did not play. Utica and San Jose will both be in action Monday afternoon.
- It has been a big week for the Martinson family as it was announced on Friday that Steve and Michelle's son, Logan, has committed to play for the Langley Rivermen in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). The Langley Rivermen are a junior "A" team based in Langley, BC which is just southeast of Vancouver. The BCHL is a 17 team league that traces it roots back to the 1960's. The most notable star to come out of the BCHL is NHL hall of famer, Brett Hull, who still holds the record for most goals in a season. In 1983-84 he scored a mere 105 goals in 57 games. The BCHL is where many players from the United States and Canada go in hopes of obtaining a scholarship offer to attended college. The Junior Hockey News rates the top 20 junior leagues in North America for player development and the BCHL is #5 on the list. Here is what they say about the league, "The BCHL is simply out pacing the rest of Junior A in Canada when it comes to college placement in the US (NCAA) and Canada (CIS). Many of those NCAA players are moving on to professional hockey. BCHL alumni on the current Allen roster include Casey-Pierro Zabotel, Connor Reilly and Marcus Basara. Here is the press release issued by the Langley Rivermen announcing Logan Martinson's signing: http://www.langleyrivermen.com/commitment-logan-martinson
DID YOU KNOW: I came across this stat the other day when doing some research and found it very interesting. Here are the top ten Allen players all time in career plus/minus in the playoffs.
+27 - Jamie Schaafsma
+24 - Tyler Ludwig
+19 - Daniel Tetrault
+17 - Chris Crane
+16 - Bruce Graham
+16 - Colton Yellow Horn
+15 - Erik Adams
+14 - Greger Hanson
+14 - Gary Steffes
+13 - Kale Kerbashian
Maybe the most impressive number on this list is the +19 for Daniel Tetrault because he accomplished that in just one playoff season (17 games). In his 17 playoff games in the 2014 championship season Daniel had just two minus games and they were both -1.
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