Where Are They Now - Josh Hepditch

Josh Hepditch #26

Today we continue our Allen Americans 10th Anniversary Series, Where Are They Now, by catching up with defenseman Josh Hepditch. Josh played only one year for the Americans. He was a rookie in 2011-12 and played in 58 games that season and had 18 points (10G, 8A). Josh had a distinguished amateur career. He was a champion as a junior playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and he was a three time champion in college. He was also selected as an Academic All Canadian player.


  If your ever spent time talking to Josh Hepditch you knew he had a plan for his career and you knew he would be successful. His college coach described what made Josh special, "Josh is the ultimate overachiever and he just keeps pushing the ceiling. He has been exceptional for us. The best thing about Josh Hepditch is his attitude and his professionalism. He is the ultimate team player. He finds ways to help the team on a regular basis whether it is in practice, preparation in the dressing room before a game or going over the game plan the night before."


If it sounds like Josh was like a coach in college it is because he decided in college he wanted to make coaching hockey his profession. He wanted to play pro hockey but his goal was to be a coach.

It didn't take Josh long to make the transition from pro hockey to coaching. After his rookie season in Allen he made the jump from playing to coaching. This is how Josh described the move. "I realized when I was in college I wanted to play at the highest levels for as long as I could. I tell everyone I meet the year I spent in Texas playing for the Allen Americans one one of the best years of my life. Being a professional in the hockey world is a great job but knowing I wanted to be a coach I told myself during the summer after my rookie season if I had a good opportunity I would take it and start my coaching career. I ran into my former coach from college and shared my goals with him and a few weeks later he told me about a great opportunity in Creston, British Columbia. I did my research, applied for the job and was lucky enough to be selected.


That was the start of Josh's coaching career. It was 2012-13 and he was the head coach and general manager of the Creston Valley Thunder Cats, a junior B team in Creston, British Columbia. He and his wife Kathryn were 3000 miles from home, living and working in a small town (less than 6000) just north of the Idaho border.


Here is an update from Josh in his own words:

Can you give us an update on you and your family?
Kathryn and I have been married for six years and we have two boys. Theodore is three and and Angus is six months. We have a dog named Gopher. He is a Jack Russell and is five years old. We are currently living in Moncton, New Brunswick where I an an the assistant coach for the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. I just finished a stint as the interim head coach of the team. I look forward to working with our new head coach, John Torchetti, who has a great resume and tons of experience.

The Hepditch family - Gopher, Theodore, Josh, Kathryn and Angus

Fireman Theodore - Too cute

Angus Hepditch

Can you share with us a little about your hockey career as a player and coach?
I played my junior hockey for the Moncton Wildcats where I played for four years. I played three seasons with Bruce Graham and two with Adam Pineault and Christian Gaudet who all played in Allen. My last season in Moncton we won the Presidents Cup (QMJHL championship) and lost in the Memorial Cup finals. After junior hockey I went to the University of New Brunswick (UNB). I played there five years and was part of three national championship teams. I earned dual degrees at UNB in Kinesiology and Education.

After UNB I joined the Allen Americans for one season and then jumped right into my coaching career. I got the job of head coach and general manager of the Creston Valley Thunder Cats of the Kootenay International Hockey League so Kathryn and I moved to Creston, British Columbia for two years. We then moved Amherst, Nova Scotia where I was the head coach and general manager of the Amherst Ramblers of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League for one season and then took a job as the head coach and general manager with an expansion team, the St. Stephen Aces. I was with St. Stephen for two years before signing with the Moncton Wildcats. This is my second season with Moncton.


What are your hobbies if you get any time between coaching and family?
Hobbies for me is doing anything outside. I love to golf if I can find time but in the summer we try to spend as much family time as we can outside. We love to camp as much as we can, taking the dog through the trails or swimming. The nice thing about the Maritimes is it is very small so there are lots of nice places for weekend getaways.


What is your fondest memory of playing in Allen?
I would say the rivalry with the Brahmas was a great memory. It was nice having a close opponent which brought out good crowds and made games more exciting.


Who were your closest teammates in Allen?
When I was in Allen I made some great friends. We were already great friends with Bruce and Whitney Graham. Bruce and I coached together for one season in St. Stephen and Whitney now works on the business side of the Moncton Wildcats. We were also friends with Nick and Melissa Layton since I played with Nick at UNB. They are living in Ontario now but still come back to Moncton to visit family. I think we have gotten together almost every summer since we left Allen.

I also spent a lot of time with Colton Yellow Horn, Mike Berube and Jarrett Lukin. They were a great group and we had a lot of fun. I really do wish they were better golfers but you can't have it all...haha


There are several former Allen Americans players that have pursued a coaching career after their playing days were over. Josh Hepditch has gone about it the old fashioned way. He has been coaching for six seasons and has moved four times as he worked his way up. He is only 34 years old so he is just getting started. His Allen fans will be watching with interest his progress. 


DID YOU KNOW: Josh Hepditch led all Allen defenseman in plus/minus in 2011-12 with a +14. Hepditch played 11 seasons between juniors, college and pros and had a negative plus/minus rating just one time. As a freshman at the University of New Brunswick he was -3. In his other 10 seasons his plus/minus rating was always a plus.

Allen Point Streak Reaches Six With Another Overtime Loss, Game Recap, Post Game Comments, Video Highlights, Comparing Conferences and More

The Allen Americans lost 3-2 in overtime last night to the Idaho Steelheads before a sellout crowd of 5259 in Boise. It was a valiant effort by the Americans who came out on the wrong end of overtime for the second straight game. It was a gutsy performance by Allen who played shorthanded (13 skaters) after three players were suspended, Curt Gogol (five games), Emerson Clark (five games), Zach Pochiro (two games) and Etienne Boutet sat out with an injury.


- With the overtime loss Allen picked up one point to finish the three game series in Idaho coming away with four of a possible six points. This against the top team in the division. The Americans have earned points in six straight games. Allen's record in January now stands at 5-1-2-0. How good have the Americans been recently? Very good as 40% of their points (12 of 30) for the entire season have come in the last three weeks.


- One thing that has coincided with Allen's recent success is scoring first. That happened again last night as it did in all three games against Idaho and in five of the last six games. Last night Braylon Shmyr deflected a shot from the point by Dalton Thrower at the 7:32 mark of the first period. Allen would take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.


- The second period would produce five goals starting with a shorthanded goal by Riley Bourbonnais. After Idaho cut Allen's lead to 2-1 Braylon Shmyr scored his second goal of the night on the power play to give the Americans a 3-1 lead midway through the second period and it looked like an upset in the making. However, the Steelheads answered back and the second period ended tied 3-3.


- There was no scoring in the third period so the game headed to overtime. Both teams had good opportunities early in the overtime but could not get the puck in the net. At the 3:28 mark Allen was called for a penalty and Idaho scored a 4-on-3 power play goal with 39 seconds remaining in overtime. It is ironic that a no call along the boards on Friday night, when Josh Atkinson went down, led to a breakaway and Idaho's game winning goal and last night a tripping call along the boards against Allen led to the game winning power play goal.


- Despite giving up the game winning overtime goal on a Steelhead's power play (4-on-3), Allen still won the special teams battle which they have done in every game in their six game points earning streak. Last night the Americans were 1-4 on the power play while Idaho was 1-5 but Allen also scored a shorthanded goal. The Americans had killed 23 straight power plays over the last six games prior to giving up the one last night. Here is a stat to ponder, over the last six games the Allen penalty kill percentage is 95.8% and the penalty kill unit has outscored their opponents 2-1. That's right, over the last six games the penalty kill unit has given up one goal and scored two shorthanded goals.


- Here are the video highlights from last night which includes Shmyr's ninth and tenth goals of the season and the ninth goal of the season (fifth with Allen) by Riley Bourbonnais.

- Here is the game recap issued by the Idaho Steelheads: https://www.idahosteelheads.com/en/articles/steelheads-take-second-ot-thriller-over-americans-4-3


- Here is the post game press conference with the #1 and #2 stars of the game:

 

- I had a chance to check in with coach Martinson this morning and his comment to me was, "It is disappointing to have the effort the team put in last night playing shorthanded with only 13 skaters and have the game end that way. I could go on but it doesn't change anything. We will be back to 15 skaters by Friday."


- The Americans will fly home today and won't play again until next weekend when they visit Tulsa for three games (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). It will be another big challenge for the Americans as Tulsa has the best record in the division over the last 10 games. The Oilers lost 4-1 last night in Utah but have won six of their last seven games and 10 of their last 12 games.


OTHER COMMENTS

- There was a lot of discussion on social media when the ECHL handed down suspensions yesterday after the 127 penalty minute game Friday night. If you listened to Steve Martinson's pregame interview with Tommy Daniels last night he explained that yes you could take issue with how and why the penalties were or were not called in the game but you can't take issue when players get suspended for leaving the penalty box or leaving the bench to engage in the fracas.


- Alex Breton will fly home with the team today only to turnaround and head to Toledo to participate in the ECHL All-Star game. One of Alex's all-star teammates is Idaho goalie Thomas Sholl who Breton scored on Friday night. Here are the details on the All-Star game which takes place Monday night at 7:10 EST. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/1/rosters-set-for-2019-ccm-echl-all-star-classic


- For those of you not on social media you may not have heard that Bruce and Whitney Graham welcomed baby number four into the world on Friday. Oakley Benjamin arrived weighing in at 9lbs.12oz. Oakley joins big sisters Harper (8) and London (7) and big brother Beckett (3) in the Graham clan. The Graham's plan on being in Allen for the Alumni weekend.


- Allen gained another point in their quest to escape the Mountain Division cellar. Rapid City lost to Florida (5-1) so Allen now trails the Rush by seven points. The Americans have gained 10 points on Rapid City in the last month. I know the Americans have much higher goals than escaping the cellar. They now stand seven points out of sixth place, 11 out of fifth place and 12 points out of a playoff spot. Just to keep things in perspective, even with earning four of six points this weekend, Allen will have to have a record of about 23-4-1-0 in their final 28 games to make the playoffs.


 - Allen will play nine straight games including the three in Idaho this past week, the three in Tulsa next weekend and the three at home the week after with Idaho against division foes with winning percentages above .600.


- It is always eye opening to compare the two ECHL conferences. Here are a few facts.

There are seven ECHL teams with 50 or more points, five of them are in the Western Conference (Cincinnati, Idaho, Tulsa, Toledo, Utah).

The leading team in the Eastern Conference in penalty minutes is Orlando with 691. The leading penalty minute team in the Western Conference is Allen with 947.

The Western conference has no teams with less than 500 penalty minutes. The Eastern Conference has six teams with fewer than 500 penalty minutes including Reading with 398 and Manchester with 376.

Both conferences have just three teams with winning percentages below .500.

The difference in points between the top and bottom teams in the North Division is 17 points, the South Division 31 points, the Central Division 20 points and in the Mountain Division 23 points.

The Western Conference has won the last five Kelly Cups.



DID YOU KNOW:  So far, this season has been just the opposite of last season for the Allen Americans. If you remember last season the Americans had a good start but then struggled after January and barely made the playoffs. This season Allen struggled early but have played better in January. Allen fans can only hope the rest of this season matches 2016-17 when the Americans came from way behind to win the division. The final 37 games of that season Allen's record was 29-4-3-1 and they won 15 of their last 16 games with the only loss coming in overtime.

Allen Loses in Overtime, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Allen vs Idaho Rubber Match Preview and More

If you didn't stay up late to watch or listen to the game last night and checked the score this morning it looked like a mundane 3-2 overtime win for the Idaho Steelheads before a sold out crowd of 5107 at CenturyLink Arena. The overtime loss snapped the Americans four game losing streak but they have now earned points in five straight games.


-  The game was anything but normal as the teams combined for 127 penalty minutes. The penalties played a big part in the game and disrupted the flow and rhythm, especially in the first two periods. Penalties included five fighting majors, three continuing altercation 10 minute penalties, three game misconduct penalties (Kale Kessy for Idaho, Adam Miller & Emerson Clark for Allen), five minute major penalties for spearing and cross-checking and 12 minor penalties. When the dust had settled the combined penalty minutes (127) was the second most in the ECHL this season and Allen's 72 penalty minutes was the third highest total in an ECHL game this season.


- The game was atypical from what has been successful for Allen during their recent winning streak. Allen did get off to a good start, scoring the only goal in the first period on Curt Gogol's first goal since joining the Americans. Allen out shoot Idaho 11-7 in the first period.


- The second period was all Idaho as they scored the only two goals and out shot Allen 19-4. The Americans spent a lot of the period killing penalties.


- Allen scored the only goal of the third period at the 5:50 mark to tie the score 2-2 on Alex Breton's seventh goal of the season. Breton took a pass from Dante Salituro and blasted a shot home from the top of the circle. Goalie C. J. Motte kept Allen in the game as they hung on down the stretch. Idaho was credited with the last six shots in the third period while Allen didn't record a shot on goal the final seven minutes of the game.


- Both teams had excellent opportunities in the overtime. On the game winner C.J. Motte made a great save on a breakaway but Idaho was able to put in the rebound. Motte played another outstanding game stopping 42 of the 45 shots he faced. The Americans were out shot 45-29 for the game and after the first period the Steelheads out shot Allen 38-18.  


- Allen's power play was blanked (0-4) for the first time in the last five games but the penalty kill unit continued their great play. Idaho was 0-6 on the power play last night and the Americans have now killed off their last 19 power plays including several 5-on-3's.


- Here are the video highlights:

- Here is the game recap issued by the Idaho Steelheads: https://www.idahosteelheads.com/en/articles/steelheads-outlast-americans-in-wild-3-2-overtime-finish


- Here is a post game video from the Idaho Steelheads with interviews with several players and Idaho coach Neil Graham:

 



ALLEN VS IDAHO GAME THREE PREVIEW

- Despite the overtime loss last night the Americans have to feel good that they have earned three of a possible four points in the first two games against Idaho. To win the rubber game of this three game series the Americans will have to get back to what has been successful recently.


- There was some things that went well last night. Allen scored the first goal of the game and had a 1-0 lead after the first period. The Americans came back in the third period to tie the game after giving up the lead. Allen's penalty kill continues to be excellent. Goalie play by C.J. Motte has been rock solid, his save percentage last night was .933.


- What didn't work well last night and needs to improve tonight is shots on goal. Allen fell into the bad habit of old by being out shot 45-29. Some of this is attributable to taking too many penalties that resulted in power play opportunities for the Steelheads. The Americans gave up a total of 13 power play opportunities in their four game win streak. Last night they gave Idaho six.


- Allen was 0-4 on the power play last night after going 9-20 in their previous four games. It didn't help that Adam Miller was given a game misconduct penalty for spearing, nine minutes into the game. Miller has been a key part of the Allen power play unit with 10 points (3G 7A). It will be key to get the power play back on track tonight.


- There will be definitely be supplemental discipline/suspensions from all of the penalties in the game last night. The only question is how many players will be suspended and for how long.  


- The officiating crew will be the same tonight as last night, referee Steven Sailor (#5), linesmen Ryan Nevins (#86) and Daniel Spore (#73). 



OTHER COMMENTS

 - Josh Thrower was recalled by Iowa (AHL) but did not play in their game last night. Iowa is playing Ontario this weekend and probably wanted to add some toughness in case it was needed.


- With the results last night in the Mountain Division the standings have tightened up. Wichita beat Kansas City 4-0, Rapid City beat Florida 3-2 and Tulsa beat Utah 7-3. These teams will play each other again tonight. Here are the current Mountain Division standings based on winning percentage:

.654 - Idaho
.649 - Utah
.634 - Tulsa
.541 - Kansas City
.488 - Wichita
.440 - Rapid City
.337 - Allen


- The three teams at the top of the Mountain Division standings are ranked #5, #6 and #7 in the ECHL in winning percentage. Only two teams have winning percentages above .700, Florida (.738) and Cincinnati (.737). Last season four teams finished with a winning percentage above .700. You don't necessarily need a .700 winning percentage to win the Kelly Cup. Here are the regular season winning percentages of the last five Kelly Cup champions.

.708  2017-18  (Colorado)
.688  2016-17  (Colorado)
.618  2015-16  (Allen)
.736  2014-15  (Allen)
.683  2013-14  (Alaska)



- The Mountain Division teams with the best record over the last 10 games are Tulsa (9-1-0-0), Idaho (8-2-0-0) and Allen (6-3-1-0).


DID YOU KNOW: When it comes to 10 minute misconduct penalties and game misconduct penalties Idaho and Allen are in a league of their own. Their combined 10 minute misconduct penalty total is 29 (Allen 15, Idaho 14). That represents 22% of all 10 minute misconduct penalties in the ECHL this season. Allen and Idaho have combined for 25 game misconduct penalties (Idaho 13, Allen 12). That represents 26% of all game misconduct penalties in the ECHL this season. Extracurricular activities are the norm for these teams.     
 

Allen vs Idaho Game Preview, Getting to Know Curt Gogol, Etienne Boutet & Emerson Clark, Allen Now Has Six Vets, Allen's Single Season Record for Average Goals Per Game, Mountain Division Schedule & More

It is game day for the Allen Americans as they try to extend their four game winning streak. The Americans are in Idaho to take on the Steelheads in game two of their three game series. Puck drop is 8:10 CST.


- It will be a tough task for the Americans since Idaho has not lost back to back games since mid November. Prior to the loss to Allen on Wednesday the Steelheads had lost only two home games in the last two months and over that period had a home record of 13-2.


-  The Americans are a good road team. Eight of Allen's 13 wins this season have come on the road and they have won four of their last five road games.


- The keys to victory tonight match how Allen has been playing recently which is much different than how they were playing earlier in the season. Those keys include:

Scoring first - Allen has scored first in three of the last four games, prior to that Allen had scored first in only 10 of their first 38 games. The team scoring first has won 73.8% of the time this season (ECHL stats).

Shots - The shots on Wednesday were tied 30-30 and over the last four games Allen has out shot their opponents by an average of 33-31. That compares to the first 38 games of the season when Allen was out shot 37-31 per game.

Penalties - Over the last four games Allen has taken 26 penalties for 72 minutes while their opponents have taken 32 penalties for 112 minutes. In their first 38 games Allen had taken 783 penalty minutes while their opponents had taken 585 penalties minutes. If Allen can continue to stay out of the penalty box relative to their opponent it will be a big help.

Power play - Allen's power play has been the single biggest factor in their four game winning streak. They have had more power play opportunities (20-13) than their opponents and have converted on 9 of their 20 power plays for an off the chart 45% power play percentage. In the last four games the Americans have raised their season power play percentage from 15.9% to 19.2% which is ranked #8 in the ECHL.

Penalty Kill - Allen's penalty kill over the last four games is 100% (0-13). As important as the 100% is, just as important is how low the number of power play opportunities Allen is giving up during this winning streak. It averages 3.25 per game. In their first 38 games Allen gave up an average of 5.15 power plays per game.

Goalie play - C.J. Motte's save percentage over his last 14 games is .921. In the other 28 games this season the Americans three goalies (Motte, Hayton, Brodeur) have a combined save percentage of just .895.


- It is easier said than done but if Allen can get off to a good start, match Idaho in shots, take fewer penalties than the Steelheads, win the special teams battle and get solid goaltending they will win the game tonight. The Americans have accomplished most of these keys in every game during their four game winning streak so there is no reason to believe Allen can't do again tonight but it won't be easy against one of the best teams in the ECHL.


- All three players Steve Martinson acquired for trading the rights to Olivier Archambault to Orlando will be in the lineup tonight. Archambault, by the way, played one game for Orlando (January 5th) and was injured and is now on injured reserve. Here is a little more detail about Allen's three new players.


CURT GOGOL

Curt Gogol

 Curt has played four games with the Americans so his arrival has coincided with Allen's four game winning streak. In his four games Gogol has three assists and two fights. He is in his eighth professional season with 179 AHL and 131 ECHL games played so he is a veteran. Curt is 27 years old, 6'1" and 190 pounds. He is a left shot who can play both forward and defense. Gogol was a member of the Kelowna Rockets that won the Western Hockey League (WHL) championship in 2008-09. His teammates on that WHL championship team included Jamie Benn, who had 46 goals in 56 games, and two former Allen Americans, Ryley Grantham and goalie Mark Guggenberger. Curt was second on the team in penalty minutes (144). In his hockey career Curt has 145 fights and some of his combatants include some familiar names to Allen fans, Mike Berube, Brett Lyon, Ian Schultz, Jessey Astles, Reid Halabi and Jake Marchment. Here is his fight with former Allen tough guy Brett Lyon who was 20 pounds heavier and a couple of inches taller than Curt. This is a toe to toe battle with both players taking a shot to give a shot. In the end Gogol lands a huge blow that drops Lyon.

Curt comes by his style of play from his dad, Brent, who also played pro hockey. His dad set the WHL record for most penalty minutes in a season in 1977-78 when he had 511 penalty minutes. If you have watched Curt you have noticed he plays with high energy on the ice, something he attributes to the fact that he has never gotten first line minutes in his career. 


ETIENNE BOUTET

Etienne Boutet

Boutet is a 6'1" 215 pound, 26 year old, left shot defenseman playing in his second pro season. He played five years in the QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) and had 113 points (28G, 85A) in 289 games. He turned pro in 2013-14 with the Idaho Steelheads. Etienne did what many young hockey players do that play major junior in Canada. He played 25 games with Idaho and decided at the end of December to use the college scholarship he earned playing junior hockey and left for McGill University. He played for four seasons at McGill including one season with his brother, Jasmin, who was a freshman when Etienne was a senior. Boutet went to NHL camps with the Dallas Stars in 2010 and Philadelphia Flyers in 2011. He was an alternate captain on his college team and graduated with a degree in economics. Last season Boutet played for the Wichita Thunder where he had 14 points (3G, 11A) and 57 penalty minutes in 68 games. He describes himself as a two player that will jump into the play but is a defense first player. He will be more of a defensive defenseman for the Americans.

Here is a video from way back in 2010 when Boutet had just turned 18 and was eligible for the NHL draft. Joel Chouinard has shared with me how difficult it is for young players to conduct interviews in English when French is their first language. Boutet's English is vastly improved since this interview in 2010.

   


EMERSON CLARK

Emerson Clark

Emerson Clark is a 5'10" 181 pound, 26 year old, left shot forward who was born in the same town (LeGardeur, Quebec) as Olivier Archambault. Clark has ended up in Allen as a result of Steve Martinson trading Archambault's rights to Orlando. Emerson Clark has been assigned to Allen by the Toronto Marlies. Clark is under contract with the Marlies and has split the last four seasons between the AHL and ECHL. Allen fans may remember last season Clark started the season in Jacksonville and had 22 points (8G, 14A) and 113 penalty minutes 19 games. In early December he was signed by the San Jose Barracuda and spent the remainder of the season in the AHL. Clark is skilled, physical and not afraid to drop the gloves. A great addition for coach Martinson who has tried to recruit Clark in the past.

Clark's brother plays for the Jacksonville IceMen. Clark is in his sixth pro season and has played in 95 AHL games with 29 points (14G, 15A) and 206 penalty minutes. He has played in 216 ECHL games an accumulated 122 points (62G, 60A) and 878 penalty minutes. He is a player that will add skill, toughness and leadership to the roster.

Here is a post game interview with Clark from the start of this season when he got his first goal as a member of the Toronto Marlies

Steve Martinson has been reshaping the Allen Americans roster and with the addition of Gogol, Boutet and Clark he has added three players that will make the Americans very hard to play against. Allen has added experience (274 AHL games played), toughness (342 fights) and skill (133G 147A) to the lineup.


OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen now has six veterans on the roster, Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Joel Chouinard, Spencer Asuchak, Thomas Frazee, Curt Gogol and Emerson Clark. The ECHL limit is four vets but that doesn'r count players on injured reserve. Pierro-Zabotel and Frazee are on injured reserve so the vets spot are not a problem now but that could be an issue later in the season.


- It will be an exciting night for the Mountain Division tonight with all seven teams in action. It is starting to be crunch time in the battle for the playoffs. The games on tap tonight are Kansas City at Wichita, Florida at Rapid City, Allen at Idaho  and Tulsa at Utah. The same teams play again tomorrow (Saturday) night with the only change being Kansas City vs Wichita game switches to Kansas City. Lot's of points at stake this weekend.


- There are 12 games being played in the ECHL tonight. Here is the ECHL preview on all 12 games: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/1/echl-today-jan-18



DID YOU KNOW: Zach Pochiro is averaging .63 goals per game (23 goals in 37 games) this season which is sixth best in the ECHL. Zach's average stacks up pretty well with other players that played the majority of the season in Allen. These are ECHL only stats:

.70 - Gary Steffes  2014-15
.63 - Zach Pochiro  2018-19 (after 42 games)
.61 - Bryan Moore  2016-17
.60 - Greger Hanson  2016-17
.57 - Chad Costello  2014-15 

Special Teams Carry Allen to Victory, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Post Game Comments, Forward Emerson Clark Assigned to Allen, Playoff Picture, 1000 Win Countdown and More

The Allen Americans extended their winning streak to four games last night beating the Idaho Steelheads 3-2. Allen has used a new formula in this winning streak and it worked again last night. The Americans scored first on an Adam Miller power play goal just 78 seconds into the game. The Americans would never trail from that point forward.


- Two of the three Allen goals came on the power play. Special teams have been a big key in this turnaround by the Americans. Last night Allen was 2-5 on the power play and they held Idaho scoreless on three power play opportunities.  Over this four game win streak Allen has had 20 power play opportunities while allowing only 13 to their opponents. In those four victories Allen is 9-20 (45%) on the power play and 100% on the penalty kill (0-13). You are not going to lose very often with special team stats like that.


- The shots last night were 30-30. Allen has been in a pattern of keeping the shot totals close and also limiting the shots allowed. Allen is #25 in the ECHL in shots allowed per game (36.02). During this four game win streak the Americans have allowed 33, 28, 29 and 30 shots and have out shot their opponents 132-123. That is a far cry from what was happening earlier in the season.


- Goals scorers for Allen were Adam Miller (12), Joel Chouinard (5) and Zach Pochiro (23). Pochiro's game winning goal came on the power play at the 8:21 mark of the third period less than two minutes after C.J. Motte stopped Kale Kessy (who scored Idaho's first two goals) on a penalty shot.


Here are the video highlights:

- Here is the game recap issued by the Idaho Steelheads: https://www.idahosteelheads.com/en/articles/steelheads-fall-to-americans-3-2

- Here is a post game video which includes comments from Idaho coach Neil Graham where he talks about what went wrong for the Steelheads and what has to change for game two.

- The teams will take a break today before playing back to back games on Friday and Saturday. One addition to the lineup for the weekend will be forward Emerson Clark who has been assigned to Allen by the Toronto Marlies. Clark is under contract with the Marlies and has split the last four seasons between the AHL (95 games) and ECHL (104 games). Allen fans may remember last season Clark started the season in Jacksonville and had 22 points (8G, 14A) and 113 penalty minutes 19 games. In early December he was signed by the San Jose Barracuda and spent the remainder of the season in the AHL. Clark is skilled, physical and not afraid to drop the gloves. A great addition for coach Martinson who has tried to recruit Clark in the past.



OTHER COMMENTS

- Steve Martinson hit a home run when he traded the rights to Olivier Archambault to the Orlando Solar Bears. Curt Gogol has already had an impact having played both forward and defense and stuck up for his teammates a couple of time. Defenseman Etienne Boutet played in his first game for Allen last night and will strengthen the defensive group. Finally, Martinson was able to flip the ECHL rights of Sam Jardine to Newfoundland and in return the Toronto Marlies (Newfoundland's AHL affiliate) have assigned Emerson Clark to Allen. Anytime you can get three quality players without  giving up anyone on your roster that is quite a feat. Keep in mind that Emerson Clark is under contract with Toronto so he could be recalled or traded by the Marlies at any time, it is unknown how long he will be assigned to the Americans.


- Allen gained two more points last night in their quest to get out of last place in the Mountain Division. While the Americans were winning in Idaho, Rapid City was losing at home to Florida by a score of 4-0. Allen has won four straight while fifth place Wichita has lost eight straight and sixth place Rapid City has lost nine of their last 10 games. Allen is now seven points out of sixth place, 10 points out of fifth place and 12 points from the final playoff spot.


- Allen has closed the gap in the standings a lot over the last week but the task at hand to make the playoffs is still quite daunting. Here are the facts. The lowest point total to make the Western Conference playoffs in the last four seasons (since Allen joined the ECHL) was 80, 80, 79 and 76. If you take the lowest total it was 76 points by Wichita last year. Allen currently has 28 points so will need to earn 48 points over their last 30 games to just reach 76 points which still may not be enough to make the playoffs. What it means is Allen's record will have to be 24-6 or better the remainder of the season to make the playoffs.


- The countdown to 1000 wins for Steve Martinson now stands at eight. The odds are becoming greater this will happen at home. Between February 15 and the end of March, Allen plays just one road game. The Americans have 10 games between now and February 15th.


- The top of the Mountain Division tightened up last night with Idaho losing to Allen and Tulsa beating Utah. Tulsa now leads with 50 points followed by Idaho with 49 and Utah with 48. Kansas City holds down the last playoff spot with 40 points.


- Allen has four wins in four games in the last six days. At the start of the season Allen went from October 12 to November 30 (20 games) and had a total of four victories. Now that is progress.  



DID YOU KNOW: Allen's record this season with C.J. Motte in goal is 11-11-0-2. C.J. has won six of his last eight starts. When Motte is not in goal Allen's record is 2-16-0-0.

Allen vs Idaho Preview From Stats to Steelhead History, ECHL Today, 1996-97 Fort Worth Fire Documentary & More

It is game day for the Allen Americans as they take on the Idaho Steelheads tonight at 8:10 (CST). It is the first of three games this week against Idaho as the teams will also play on Friday and Saturday. The game tonight will be the first of six games between Allen and Idaho this season and all six games take place in the next 18 days. The Steelheads visit the Allen Event Center (AEC) for the Americans next three home games starting on January 30.


- Allen arrives in Boise to face the hottest team in the ECHL. Idaho has won eight of their last nine games and just finished a three game sweep of Toledo who is the second best team in the Western Conference in points (50).


- If there is an heir apparent in the Mountain Division to the teams that won the last four Kelly Cups (Allen & Colorado) it just could be Idaho. The formula for success in the playoffs as set by the last four Kelly Cup champions is a combination of skill and physicality along with good goaltending. Idaho has the best goal differential in the Mountain Division (+29), is ranked #4 in the league in goals allowed, #3 in penalty minutes (806), #3 in fighting majors (39) and their top goalie (Tomas Sholl) has the second best GAA in the league (2.03) and second best save percentage (.935).


- Allen's challenge will be to continue their great play from the three game sweep of Wichita last week. The Americans are riding their longest winning streak of the season (three games) and their best offensive production with 19 goals in the last three games.


- Since joining the ECHL, Allen's regular season record in Idaho is 4-6-0-0. Idaho is also the location of Allen's lowest point in their playoff history when the Steelheads came back from a 3-0 deficit to eliminate the Americans in the first round of the playoffs last season.


-  If you compare Allen and Idaho based on season long stats the Steelheads have a big advantage. Allen has scored 112 goals and allowed 155 for a goal differential of -43. Idaho has scored 125 goals and allowed 96 for a goal differential of +29. Here are some other comparisons:

Ave. PIMS per game: Allen 20.59 - Idaho 21.78
Minor penalties: Allen 237 - Idaho 198
Fighting majors: Allen 15 - Idaho 39
Ave. goals per game: Allen 2.73 - Idaho 3.38
Ave. goals allowed: Allen 3.78 - Idaho 2.59
Ave. shots per game: Allen 31.66 - Idaho 31.95
Ave. shots allowed: Allen 36.17 - 31.00
Team shooting percentage: Allen 8.4% - Idaho 10.4%
Team save percentage: Allen .897 - Idaho .918
Team plus/minus: Allen -210 - Idaho +82



- One of the real telling stats between these teams is how they have performed in the third period. Allen has given up the most third period goals in the league (56) while Idaho has given up the fewest (19). 


- Idaho is ranked #3 in the ECHL in power play percentage at 21.3% but in a strange twist they have the best road percentage (29.4%) but at home are ranked only #20 with a power play percentage of 14.6%. Allen has a lower overall power play percentage than Idaho (18.6%) but on the road Allen's power play is 20.0%. Add this to the Americans going 7-12 on the power play in their last three games and special teams could favor Allen tonight.


- A good start and playing with a lead is always a key to victory but even more so against Idaho. With a first period lead the Steelheads have a record of 11-1-1-1 and when leading after the second period they are 13-0-1-1. Even when tied after the second period Idaho's record is 6-0-0-1. On the other hand when Allen is tied after the second period their record is 3-8-0-0.


 - The three upcoming games against Idaho will be a good test for the Americans who are clearly playing their best hockey of the season. Allen is scoring more, allowing fewer goals and have received great goaltending since C.J. Motte returned from his recall to the ECHL. However, it should be noticed the Americans three game win streak came against Wichita who has lost eight straight games.


- Roster changes for this road trip include the addition of defenseman Etienne Boutet who Allen got in a trade with Orlando but was on loan to the AHL. Alex Ranger and Johnny McInnis did not accompany the team to Idaho because of injuries.


- The rights to Sam Jardine (acquired from Orlando as part of the Archambault rights trade) were traded to the Newfoundland Growlers on Monday with no announcement of a player coming to Allen in return. When coach Martinson addressed the season ticket holders after the last home game he shared that he expected to get an AHL contracted player assigned to Allen for Jardine's rights but the deal fell through. Now that a deal has been made with Newfoundland I would expect an AHL contracted player from the Growler's AHL affiliate (Toronto Marlies) to be assigned to Allen any day. I would assume that player's name is already known by the Americans but just hasn't been announced.     


- The referee scheduled tonight is Alex Normandin (#26). The linesmen will be Daniel Spore (#73) and Ryan Nevins (#86).



OTHER COMMENTS

- After a good start to the season the Rapid City Rush have come on hard times recently. They have lost eight of nine games and yesterday suspended their leading scorer, Andrew Radjenovic, and removed him from the roster. He most likely is headed overseas. Rapid City has fallen to sixth place in the Mountain Division, nine points ahead of the Americans. Things won't get any easier for Rapid City this week as the best team in the ECHL (Florida Everblades) is in town for three games. To make matters worse the Rush attendance in averaging only 2551 per game which is 500 fewer than last season.


- The other three game series starting tonight that is worth keeping an eye on is Tulsa at Utah. These teams are tied for second place in the Mountain Division with 48 points. By winning percentage Utah leads the division at .686 with Tulsa ranking third at .615. Both teams have been playing excellent hockey recently. Tulsa has won seven of their last eight games and Utah has won five of their last six games.


- Here is a link to the ECHL Today which gives you a preview of all eight games being played tonight around the ECHL: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/1/echl-today-jan-16


- I was doing some research for the "Where Are They Now" story I wrote yesterday about Nino Musitelli and came across this documentary about the 1996-97 Fort Worth Fire championship team. Bill McDonald was the coach of that team and Dwight Mullins was the captain of the team. The teacher/coach (McDonald) and the student/captain (Mullins) switched roles in 2009-10 when Mullins became the first head coach of the Allen Americans and hired McDonald as his associate coach. These two men put that first Allen team together in the image of their 1996-97 Fort Worth Fire team that won the Central Hockey League championship. It was a skilled team that played a very physical game. That became the template/genetic code for the Allen Americans that has now lasted for 10 seasons. Here is the 50 minute documentary about the Fort Worth Fire 1996-97 championship season with interviews and video highlights. You hear from McDonald and Mullins and among the video highlights is MacDonald and an opposing coach's altercation on the bench. You also hear about another player on that team, Wichita coach Malcolm Cameron. Whether you are an Allen fan or just a hockey fan and especially if you followed Texas minor league hockey back in the 1990's you will enjoy this program with the title, "Blaze of Glory."

DID YOU KNOW: The Idaho Steelheads were founded in 1997 and played in the West Coast Hockey League (WCHL) until they joined the ECHL for the 2003-04 season. Similar to the Allen Americans, the Steelheads won the Kelly Cup in their first season in the ECHL. Idaho also won the Kelly Cup in 2007. Idaho is one of only six teams that have won multiple Kelly Cups. The others are Alaska, Allen, Cincinnati, Colorado and South Carolina. Idaho has never missed the playoffs and now has a 15 year streak of making the playoffs. The Steelheads are named for a species of seagoing rainbow trout native to Idaho streams and rivers and popular with local anglers.   

Where Are They Now - Nino Musitelli

Nino Musitelli

Today we catch up with one of the original Allen Americans, Nino Musitelli. To tell Nino's story you have to go back to the beginning of the Allen Americans franchise, their head coach, Dwight Mullins and associate coach, Bill McDonald. The DNA of the Americans can be traced to Mullins and McDonald who won a championship together in 1996-97 with the Fort Worth Fire. McDonald was the coach of that team and Mullins was the captain. The Fire were a team that had a lot of skill but were also a very physical team. They had 80 fights that season led by Mullins with 19 fights and 301 penalty minutes. The Fire's second leading scorer, Stephane Larocque, had 41 goals, 80 points and 354 penalty minutes. Compare that to Allen's all-time single season penalty record of 274 minutes.


Fast forward to 2009-10 and Dwight Mullins has been selected as the first head coach of the Allen Americans and he hires his old coach, Bill McDonald, as his associate coach. McDonald had been the head coach of the Dayton Bombers (ECHL) in 2008-09 but the team had ceased operations after that season. There is no doubt the kind of team this duo would build. Allen would be a skilled but physical team that would be hard to play against. The nucleus of that first Allen team came from McDonald's defunct Dayton Bombers team. He was able to convince six players from his 2008-09 ECHL roster to  to join him in the Central Hockey League with the upstart Allen Americans. Those six players included the Bombers leading scorer, Nino Musitelli, second leading scorer, Jarret Lukin and their top points per game player, Justin Bowers, who spent part of the season in the AHL. Forward Christian Gaudet, defenseman Tyler Wooddisse and enforcer Britt Dougherty were the other players from Dayton on the 2009-10 Americans roster.


That is a long winded way of telling how Nino Musitelli, the 5'8" 180 pound forward from Macomb, Michigan arrived in Allen. Nino didn't stray far from home to attend college. He played his college hockey at Miami University (Ohio) where his teammate for two years was another Allen great, Gary Steffes. After graduating from college Nino turned pro, signing with Bill McDonald and the Dayton Bombers in 2008-09.


The 2009-10 Allen season was memorable for so many reasons. For a rookie team in the Central Hockey League, which was seen as inferior to the ECHL by many, the roster Mullins and McDonald assembled was top notch. In addition to the six players McDonald recruited from Dayton, that team included Bruce Graham, a second round NHL draft choice, and Jordie Benn who would go on to a long NHL career. Colton Yellow Horn joined the team in December.


Because the Allen Event Center (AEC) was still under construction the Americans played the first seven games of the season on the road going 5-2. The team went on to a fantastic first season finishing second in their conference including a home record of 23-5-4. The team also had 64 fights that season. Nino played on a line with Bruce Graham and Justin Bowers most of the time and they finished as the top three scorers on the team. Nino had a point in 20 of his first 23 games including a streak of 17 games. He played in 62 regular season games and had 63 points (23G 40A).

Allen had a great run in the playoffs in that inaugural season beating the #1 seed (Odessa) in the semi finals by winning game seven in Odessa. Musitelli had the game winner in that game. Allen lost in the finals to Rapid City in six games but had put themselves on the map. Nino finished the playoffs with 26 points (13G, 13A) in 20 games. He had a point in 15 of Allen's 20 playoff games including 10 of their last 11 games.


When that first season was complete, Allen had set a standard of excellence and style of play that has been in place ever since. Nino Musitelli was a big part of setting that standard.


Nino returned to Allen for the 2010-11 season and was part of what many feel was the best team in Allen history. The Americans won their conference by 20 points, finishing with 97 points in 66 games. They had a league leading 271 goals averaging over four goals per game. In Allen's 10 year history 30+ goals have been scored just eight times and three of those were in 2010-11. Nino and Bruce Graham tied for the team lead with 34 goals and Colton Yellow Horn tallied 33 goals. Three other players (Jarret Lukin, Dave Bonk, Judd Blackwater) had 20+ goals. The great regular season was overshadowed when the Americans lost in the third round (Conference Finals) in the playoffs, 4-1 to the eventual champion (Bossier-Shreveport).


Nino Musitelli's total for those first two seasons was 133 points (57G, 76A) in 121 regular season games and 37 points (18G, 19A) in 33 playoff games. Nino was a big part of laying the foundation for the franchise that has been synonymous with excellence.


 Since I was a fan and not a blogger in those early years I asked Tommy Daniels to share his thoughts about Nino Musitelli on and off the ice. Here is how Tommy described Nino.

"Nino Musitelli was a fast skater who was good at delivering the puck to his teammates but was also a great finisher.

"Nino was the type of player that every single night showed up on the scoresheet. He didn't get the publicity that his linemates Bruce Graham and Justin Bowers got but they would tell you one of the keys to the success of their line was Nino Musitelli."

"Everyone loved Nino in the locker room. He was a prankster and a lot of fun. I can remember a prank Nino played on Bruce Graham which will go unmentioned but was one of the best pranks ever. Graham threatened Nino with bodily harms for that prank and remember Graham is 6'6"and Nino is 5'8"."

"Of all the teams over the years, I think that first year team was the most close knit group of guys I have ever seen. Definitely the closest room ever. Those guys were inseparable." 


Here is an update from Nino in his own words:

Can you give us an update on you and your family?
I currently reside in my hometown of Macomb, Michigan. I an using my competitive mentality as an account manager. I have been with my company for five years now. I am happily married to Joyce Musitelli and we have three daughters. Layla Anne who is two years old and twins Rosie Marie and Lilianna Isabella who are six months old. We have two dogs who I actually adopted from the SPCA of Texas after my first year in Allen. Their names are Zetty and Romeo.

The Musitelli Clan

The Musitelli pets were adopted in Allen

 
What involvement do you have in hockey?
I coached for a few years after I retired, but have not been involved much with hockey since 2013 when I retired.


What are your hobbies/interests now that you no longer play professional hockey?
I am pretty busy raising my girls but I love playing golf every chance I get. My siblings are all having kids now so it is nice to be around family as much as we can.


 Can you share something about your experience playing in Allen?
Allen was a very close knit community that loved the Americans. I met a lot of people that I still talk to today. I loved my time in Allen and would love to come back in the near future.


What is your fondest memory of your time in Allen?
I did not get a chance to win a championship in Allen, but I would say just the experience itself was great. We were treated very well during my time there and I am sure it has only gotten better. Great city to play in.


Who was your favorite/closest teammate in Allen?
I cannot just pick one teammate. We had a very close group of guys that would go to battle for each other every time we stepped on that ice. From the locker room to the road trips, it was like hanging out with your brothers. There are a lot of stories that can be shared, but I think it is better to keep them between the boys.  


Do you plan on attending the alumni game in February?
I am working on it and would love to but it just depends on the situation with the kids. We cannot just pack up and go like we used to. It would be very nice to get back to Allen and see a lot of fans and friends again.   


Here is an interview with Nino after Allen defeated the Missouri Mavericks on St. Patrick's Day in 2010. 

DID YOU KNOW: In January of 2013 Allen's new coach, Steve Martinson, traded Nino Musitelli to the Rapid City Rush for Alex Penner.