Allen Wins in Overtime, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson Comments, Mountain Division Update and Zach Pochiro's Record Goal Scoring and More

Nothing comes easy for the 2018-19 version of the Allen Americans and it was true again last night as they beat the Wichita Thunder 6-5 before a St. Patrick's Day crowd of 4389 at the Allen Event Center (AEC). With a 5-3 lead late in the third period Allen gave up two power play goals in 70 seconds (18:15 & 19:25) after Wichita pulled their goalie. Josh Atkinson saved the day for Allen with the game winner at the 1:28 mark of overtime.


- There was plenty of good and bad in this game for Allen fans. Here are a few examples:

Bad: Allen gave up the first goal of the game for the 40th time in 66 games. Their record when giving up the first goal going into the game was 8-30-0-1.

Good: After giving up the first goal Allen answered back and took a 3-2 lead into the first intermission. Wichita's record when trailing after one period on the road going into the game was 1-11-1-1.

Bad: Allen was out shot by Wichita 39-29. It was the 46th time in 66 games this has happened. The Americans record when being out shot at home going into the game was 5-13-1-0.

Good: Allen was 2-4 on the power play. In their last five games against Wichita (all wins) the Americans power play percentage is 40.1% (9-22).

Bad: After holding the best power play in the ECHL (23.1%) scoreless the last four times Allen played Wichita they gave up two power play goals late in the game last night to allow the Thunder to tie the game.

Good: Allen was able to stay out of the penalty box taking just four minor penalties in the game.

Bad: After taking just one penalty in the first 52 minutes of the game the Americans took three penalties in the last eight minutes that allowed Wichita to make a comeback.

Good: Josh Atkinson won the game on Allen's first shot of the overtime period.


- Here is the game recap issued by the Wichita Thunder: https://www.wichitathunder.com/news/press-release/thunder-closes-trip-with-otl-in-allen.html


- Goal scorers for Allen were Josh Atkinson (4.5), Zach Pochiro (34), Adam Miller (15) Jake Doty (5) and Gary Steffes (3). Here are the Sporfie highlights of the goals:


Josh Atkinson





Zach Pochiro





Adam Miller





Jake Doty





Gary Steffes





Josh Atkinson OT game winner





- Here is a video highlight package of all 11 goals scored in the game. The game was Autism Awareness Night and the first part of these highlights is a young man with Autism singing the national anthem. Job well done by Shawn Piper.

STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

"It would have been something to lose that game. It would have made for a long week for everyone."

"We had really good puck possession on our power plays but we didn't shoot the puck enough. We need to make a couple of passes and then when we get a chance for a one timer we need to take it."

"I like the way Ben Owen played. He moved his feet and moved the puck. He got caught jumping into the play that one time that ended up with an odd man rush."

"We will be back to a full lineup by Friday and I might bring in a college guy to add depth. Gogol will be back from suspension, Lange could be ready and I expect Motte will be available this weekend."

"Because we played so poorly last Tuesday against Tulsa we practiced every day this week. We will take a day off tomorrow (Monday) and then get ready for Utah."


- It was a great story to see Ben Owen, a local Allen product, play in his first ECHL game and have it be for his hometown team. Ben is a graduate of Allen High School in his first pro season. He was at training camp with the Americans and played well but didn't make the team. He spent the year in the SPHL (Evansville) before signing with Allen this week. Ben assisted on Jake Doty's goal for his first ECHL point. I had a season ticket holder share with me his kids had Ben and his sister as instructors when they taught skating skills in the Community rink. Ben will be with the Americans for the remainder of the season.


- Gary Steffes scored his 94th goal as an Allen American last night to move into fourth all-time in goals scored. He needs three goals in the last six games to catch third place (Bruce Graham 97) and four goals to tie Greger Hanson and Chad Costello at the top of the list with 98 goals.


- Zach Pochiro scored his 34th goal of the season last night to regain the ECHL lead. Adam Pleskach and J.C. Campagna are tied for second with 33 goals.


- After their win last night Allen's record in overtimes this season is 3-4. In shootouts their record is 4-2. 


OTHER COMMENTS

- There were a couple of wild affairs in ECHL action last night. Idaho beat Orlando 4-1 after losing to the Solar Bears 6-2 on Saturday. Special teams were the key to victory as Idaho scored a power play goal and two shorthanded goals. The wildest game hands down goes to the Newfoundland vs Maine game where the Mariners won 5-4. Maine was the home team and fell behind 4-2 before they scored two third period goals to tie the game 4-4. After a scoreless overtime period the game went to an 18 round shootout before Maine won. Wade Murphy was the hero for Maine as he scored in the 10th round and again in the 18th round. Both teams scored in the 7th, 8th and 10th rounds to keep the shootout going. Were the 36 shooters a record? No, but it was close. On February 22, 2013 Evansville beat Florida 5-4 in a shootout when there were 42 shooters.


- With their win over Orlando last night Idaho locked themselves into a playoff spot. They join Tulsa, Cincinnati and Florida as teams who have already punched their tickets to the Kelly Cup playoffs. For Idaho it is the 22nd consecutive season the team has made the playoffs. The Steelheads have never missed the playoffs in franchise history.


- There is only one game in the ECHL tonight as Rapid City is at Utah. This is the last of the six straight games these teams have played each other. The Rush won the first four games before losing game five on Saturday. It is a must win for both teams. If Utah loses it will almost eliminate their chances to pass Idaho and Tulsa for the top seeds in the Mountain Division and home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. If Rapid City loses their chance of passing Kansas City for the last playoff spot will be virtually gone.


DID YOU KNOW: Zach Pochiro scored his 34th goal last night and moved into a tie for fourth all time in Allen franchise history for goals in a season. With six games remaining the only question left is how many more goals will Pochiro score. It has been an amazing progression for Zach over the last three seasons. He scored just three goals in 42 games in 2016-17, last season he had 18 goals and this season he has 34 with six games remaining. Based on his average goals per game this season (.60) Zach would end up with 37 or 38 goals. Here are the top six all-time in regular season goals.

44 - Gary Steffes   (2014-15)
41 - Chad Costello (2014-15)
35 - Greger Hanson  (2016-17)
34 - Zach Pochiro (2018-19)
34 - Bruce Graham (2010-11)
34 - Nino Musitelli (2010-11)      

Allen vs Wichita Preview, Playoff Outlook for the Mountain Division, Baby News and More

It's game day for the Allen Americans as they take on the Wichita Thunder, the one team they have played well against this season. The game today will be the 11th of 14 games between these teams and the Americans record against the Thunder stands at 6-2-0-2. Since January 1st Allen has won four in a row when facing Wichita.


- Head to head Allen has the edge in goals (41-31). Total shots are almost even (348-349). If you look at season long averages Allen is #23 in goals per game (2.82) and Wichita is #20 (3.00). If you compare shots per game Allen is #19 (30.88) and Wichita is #23 (29.32).


- Allen has dominated special teams in the four games they played against Wichita since the beginning of January. The Americans were 7-18 (38.9%) on the power play and 100% on the penalty kill (0-13). It is hard to expect those kind of stats tonight but if Allen can win the special teams battle it will go a long way in securing a win. If you look at season long special team stats it is a different story because Wichita has the best power play in the ECHL at 22.7%. At home Allen is 15.0% on the power play and 80.6% on the penalty kill.  On the road the Thunder are at 26.3% on the power play and 82.0% on the penalty kill.


- Both teams have the exact same record over the last 10 games at 5-5-0-0 and both lost their last game. Allen was shutout 4-0 by Tulsa on Tuesday. Wichita lost to Kansas City 3-2 on Friday. 


- Penalties will play a big part in the game today. With these team's history you never know what will transpire. In their 10 head to head match ups this season they have had as few as nine penalties for a combined 18 minutes and as many as 33 penalties for 112 minutes. Both teams will be missing key players when it comes to dropping the gloves. Allen will be missing Curt Gogol (suspended) and possibly Josh Thrower (injury) who are second and third on the team in fighting majors. Wichita will be missing Dyson Stevenson (loaned to AHL) and Pierre-Cedric Labrie (suspended) who are first and third on the Thunder in fighting majors. 


- In addition to Gogol being out of the lineup serving his one game suspension, Allen is missing Riley Bourbonnais and Alex Breton who are still on loan to AHL teams. C.J. Motte, Chase Lange and Mitch Maloney are out with injuries. Motte has started practicing and is listed day to day. Kevin Sundher, who has been out since the end of December, has also been practicing and is also listed as day to day.


- Allen still has a mathematical chance to pass Wichita in the standings and escape last place but it is a real long shot. The magic number is seven points. Any combination of seven points won by Wichita or lost by Allen will seal the Americans fate. To have any chance Allen will have to sweep the four games they have remaining with Wichita starting with the game today. If Allen wins their remaining seven games, Wichita could lose all four of the games against the Americans, finish the season 4-6-0-0 (they have 10 games remaining) and still finish ahead of Allen. It is not going to happen but it is mathematically possible.


-  Allen has the second worst record in the league when scoring first. They have scored first in only 26 of their 65 games. The Americans record when scoring first is 14-7-4-1. Wichita's record when scoring first is 21-10-3-2. When you consider Allen's record when they don't score first is 8-30-0-1 it is clear scoring first is the better option. The Americans have won four in a row against Wichita and scored first in three of the wins.


- Neither team has played all that well with a lead. At home Allen is 4-6-1-0 when leading after the first period. On the road Wichita is 6-2-2-1 when leading after the first period. If Allen does get a first period lead you have to like their chances because Wichita is 1-11-1-1 when trailing after the first period on the road.


- Dante Salituro has been the leading scorer for Allen against Wichita. He has 14 points (6G, 8A) in 10 games. Zach Pochiro has seven goals in eight games against the Thunder.


- The referee schedule for the game tonight is Steven Rouillard (#3) and the linesmen will be Chris Provost (#50) and Addison Brush (#80).


OTHER COMMENTS

- By most any measure the Mountain Division has not been as strong as the other divisions this season. The North and Central Divisions have no teams with a winning percentage below .500, the Mountain has three. The Mountain Division has the #23, #24 and #27 ranked teams in the ECHL in winning percentage. The top team in the Central Division has 97 points, in the South Division 95 points and in the North Division 83 points. The top team in the Mountain division has 78 points. The Mountain Division has a losing record against the other three divisions in inter-divisional play. Here is the Mountain division record against the other divisions:

Central - 19-27-4-3
South - 5-8-0-0
North - 3-7-0-1


- Congrats to the Tulsa Oilers who beat Kansas City 6-2 last night to clinch a spot in the playoffs for the first time since joining the ECHL five seasons ago. The Oilers are in first place in the Mountain Division, three points ahead of Idaho and four points ahead of Utah.


- Utah finally stopped the bleeding after losing four straight to Rapid City and 11 of their last 12 games. The Grizzlies are still in the hunt for the top spot in the division. They trail Tulsa by just four points and have a game in hand over the Oilers.


- It didn't take Dyson Stevenson long to make his presence known in his first AHL action since the 2014-15 season. Dyson was loaned to Utica where he was reunited with former teammate and good friend Vincent Arseneau. Utica lost to Hartford 5-3 in a game Dyson dropped the gloves on his second shift and he was the clear winner. Check it out on the game highlights:

- I was informed last night by the Allen Americans unofficial team mom that I have been remiss in my Americans family reporting. Not my strong suit if not reported on hockeydb or elite prospects. Anyway, former Allen captain Mike Berube and his wife Chantal welcomed their third child, Arabelle Rita Rose into the world on Friday. Arabelle joins big brother Brekan and big sister Ellyauna in the Berube clan. Congrats to all!


- In other tardy baby news Ashley and Chad Costello are expecting their fourth child, a girl, in August. It will make two boys and two girls for the Costellos. Congrats!


- It is really getting to be crunch time in the ECHL with numerous playoff spots still to be decided. The North Division has three points separating third place and sixth place. The Central Division has three teams within two points battling for the final playoff spot.


- One game to keep an eye on today is Idaho at Orlando. Both teams are in second place in their Division. They are in the midst of a three game series which started last night with the Solar Bears winning handily, 6-2. Orlando and Idaho will play game three on Tuesday. These three games could be a proxy for the strength of the South and Mountain Divisions.



DID YOU KNOW: The last five Kelly Cup champions have come from the Western Conference but prior to that four of five were from the Eastern Conference. Has the style of play in the west, where teams are generally more physical, given them an advantage in the playoffs? Is it a coincidence that in everyone of the last five Kelly Cup finals the Western Conference team had more penalty minutes during the regular season than the Eastern Conference finalist and the Western Conference won all five Kelly Cups. Will the Western Conference win the Kelly Cup for the sixth straight season?   

Allen's Individual Records Since Joining the ECHL, Playoff Picture, ECHL Attendance, Former Allen Players Overseas Update, Gary Steffes Book Signing and More

Yesterday I took a look at team stats for the five years the Allen Americans have played in the ECHL. Today I want to take a look at individual leaders for the five ECHL seasons. There have been just two players that have played in all five seasons, Spencer Asuchak and Gary Steffes. There are three others that have played four of the five years; David Makowski, Mike Gunn and Eric Roy. Here are the team leaders for the five ECHL seasons (2014-19) combining regular season and playoff stats.

Games Played
295 - Spencer Asuchak
277 - Gary Steffes
276 - Chad Costello
251 - David Makowski
216 - Joel Chouinard


Goals
122 - Gary Steffes
117 - Chad Costello
107 - Greger Hanson
92 - Spencer Asuchak
65 - David Makowski


Assists
309 - Chad Costello*
140 - David Makowski
129 - Spencer Asuchak
126 - Greger Hanson
99   - Joel Chouinard


Total Points
426 - Chad Costello*
233 - Greger Hanson
221 - Spencer Asuchak
219 - Gary Steffes
205 - David Makowski


Points Per Game (100 games minimum)
1.543 - Chad Costello*
1.137 - Greger Hanson
0.962 - Zach Pochiro
0.947 - Bryan Moore
0.817 - David Makowski


Penalty Minutes
505 - David Makowski
359 - Bryan Moore
358 - Spencer Asuchak
317 - Dyson Stevenson
303 - Aaron Gens


Here are the top five individual seasons since Allen joined the ECHL. These season totals combine regular season and playoffs. Some remarkable seasons on this list.

Games Played
97 - Chad Costello (2014-15)
97 - Jamie Schaafsma (2014-15)
97 - Aaron Gens (2014-15)
96 - Chad Costello (2015-16)
96 - Kevin Young (2014-15)


Goals
57 - Gary Steffes (2014-15)*
50 - Chad Costello (2014-15)
40 - Greger Hanson (2014-15)
38 - Greger Hanson (2016-17)
36 - Chad Costello (2016-17)


Assists
108 - Chad Costello (2015-16)*
103 - Chad Costello (2014-15)*
98  - Chad Costello (2016-17)*
56 - Aaron Gens (2014-15)
50 - Greger Hanson (2014-15)
50 - Casey Pierro-Zabotel (2017-18)


Total Points
153 - Chad Costello (2014-15)*
139 - Chad Costello (2015-16)*
134 - Chad Costello (2016-17)*
91  - Gary Steffes (2014-15)
90  - Greger Hanson (2014-15)


Points Per Game (50 games minimum)
1.61 - Chad Costello (2016-17)*
1.58 - Chad Costello (2014-15)*
1.45 - Chad Costello (2015-16)*
1.22 - Greger Hanson (2016-17)
1.13 - Greger Hanson (2014-15)


*The asterisks represent stats that not only led the Allen Americans but the entire ECHL. Said another way if you look at all players over the last five ECHL seasons and combine regular season and playoffs, Chad Costello (who only played in three of the five seasons) is the leader in assists, points and points per game. If you look at individual seasons, Chad has the top three of all ECHL players in assists, points and points per game.


- After trending down for several years the ECHL attendance was up last season. With 141 games remaining the league's average attendance (4337) is down 87 per game from last season. To match last season's attendance the league will have to average 4937 per game over the final 141 games. Many of the teams at the top of the attendance chart (Fort Wayne, Toledo, Orlando, Wichita) have a lot of home games remaining so exceeding last seasons average attendance is certainly possible.

4337 - 2018-19 (831 of 972 games played)
4424 - 2017-18
4251 - 2016-17
4385 - 2015-16
4598 - 2014-15
4706 - 2013-14


- In the only Mountain Division action last night Kansas City was at home and beat Wichita 3-2. Rapid City and Wichita are hanging on by a thread in their attempt to catch Kansas City for the final playoff spot. The magic number for Wichita is eight and Rapid City is nine. The Mavericks could go 4-7-1-0 over their last 12 games and still make the playoffs even if the Thunder and Rush win all of their remaining games. Tonight Kansas City plays Tulsa at home and Rapid City is at Utah. Wichita is idle.


- I was having a conversation after practice yesterday about teams that are built for the playoffs with the premise being tough physical teams tend to the wear down less physical teams in seven game series. The teams in the upper half of the league in winning percentage and the upper half in penalty minutes include Cincinnati, Florida, Idaho, Orlando, Utah and Fort Wayne. Teams in the upper half in winning percentage and the lower half in penalty minutes include Newfoundland, Toledo, Tulsa, Adirondack, Kansas City, Maine and Brampton.


- Gary Steffes will be having a pre-sale event of his new book, "The Mental Side" in the team store this afternoon. Gary will talk about the book and take questions starting at 2:00 pm. The books will be discounted to $12 (his retired number) and all proceeds will go to charity. The publicity on this event says it will go until 3:30 but the team has practice this afternoon so I would assume Gary will have to leave the book signing around 3:00 to get ready for practice. My advice is to get to the book signing early (2:00 pm).


-  The playoffs have started in many leagues in Europe. Chad Costello and Greger Hanson played for a team (Krefeld) in the top German league (DEL) that did not make the playoffs so their season is already over. Rylan Schwartz also plays in the DEL and his team lost in the first round of the playoffs.


- Alex Lavoie and Colton Yellow Horn play in the EBEL (Austrian League) and the playoffs have just begun. Lavoie's team (Innsbruck) did not make the playoffs. Yellow Horn's team (Graz 99ers) are tied 1-1 in the first round of the best of seven playoff series.


- The EIHL (Great Britain) has not started their playoffs. Rick Pinkston (Fife), Tanner Eberle (Sheffield) and Alex Guptill (Nottingham) are all in position to make the playoffs with two weeks remaining in the regular season.


- Jonathan Lessard plays in the French League for Bordeaux. His team made the playoffs but lost in the first round in a series that went seven games.


- Kale Kerbashian and Judd Blackwater play for the same team (HK Nitra) in the Slovakian League. Nitra finished third in the regular season so they were automatically seeded into the second round (quarterfinals) of the best of seven series. They are currently trailing 2-1 in the series with game four taking place today.


- Other former players already done with their seasons overseas include Jack Combs and Josh Brittain.
  


DID YOU KNOW: This week Dallas Stars goalie Ben Bishop set a team record with a shutout streak that now stands at 230 minutes and 53 seconds. He left his last game with an injury so the streak is still intact. Bishop broke the record of Ed Belfour that was 219:26 set in 2000. The ECHL record for longest shutout sequence is held by Jeff Jakaitis. Playing for the South Carolina Stingrays, Jakaitis didn't allow a goal between March 6-21, 2015, a total of 321 minutes and 46 seconds of playing time. Second place all time is more than 85 minutes behind Jakaitis (236:03).        

Practice Update, Mountain Division News and Comparing Allen's Five ECHL Seasons

- Nothing new to report from practice yesterday as the Allen Americans prepare to play Wichita on Sunday. It would appear the Americans will be playing shorthanded by one player as Curt Gogol will be serving a one game suspension after receiving a game misconduct penalty in the game against Tulsa on Tuesday. When a player is suspended their salary still counts toward the salary cap so even if the team has 16 healthy skaters they may not have the salary cap room to play all 16.


- The Americans will practice today (2:45-3:45) in the Community Rink. The practice is open to the public.


- Games between Allen and Wichita are typically physical affairs with plenty of fights but that may not be the case on Sunday. Allen will be missing Gogol and Jake Doty left the ice after a fight in the game against Tulsa on Tuesday and did not return. He has practiced all week but may not be 100% on Sunday. Gogol and Doty account for half of Allen's fights. Wichita will be missing Dyson Stevenson, who was loaned to Utica (AHL) yesterday and Pierre-Cedric Labrie who is suspended. Stevenson leads Wichita in fighting majors (10) and Labrie is third with five.


- This could be a big weekend in the Mountain Division. No teams have assured themselves of a playoff position but Tulsa, Idaho and Utah have a chance to clinch playoff spots this weekend.   


- Rapid City beat Utah 2-1 last night in Utah. The Rush and the Grizzlies are in the midst of playing each other six straight games. Rapid City has won the first four games. Utah was in first place in the Mountain Division but have been in a free fall over the last month losing 11 of their last 12 games. Miraculously the Grizzlies are still in third place with a five point lead over fourth place Kansas City. Rapid City has won four straight but it is too little, too late to catch fourth place Kansas City.   


- The youngest and oldest ECHL teams are both in contention for their division titles. The oldest ECHL team is the Tulsa Oilers with an average age of 28.78. The youngest team is the Newfoundland Growlers with an average age of 24.96. The Allen Americans are ranked #7 in average age at 26.84.


- Allen will have a very rare Friday and Saturday off. It usually happens once per season. The Americans have played two more games (65) than any other team in the league. Some teams have  played as few as 59 games.


- As this season has progressed I have many times compared stats to prior seasons. The Americans are in the process of setting records for ineptness in almost every statistical category you can track. This is the fifth season for Allen in the ECHL so I thought I would close today with a sample of stats comparing all five seasons. Here goes:

Winning Percentage
.385   2018-19
.542   2017-18
.722   2016-17
.618   2015-16
.736   2014-15


Points
50    2018-19 (through 65 games)
78    2017-18
104  2016-17
89    2015-16
106  2014-16


Goals Scored
203   2018-19 (projected)
235   2017-18
294   2016-17
222   2015-16
292   2014-15


Goals Allowed
268   2018-19 (projected)
232   2017-18
203   2016-17
204   2015-16
203   2014-15


Goal Differential (goals for minus goals against)
2018-19    -59 (through 65 games)
2017-18    +3
2016-17   +91
2015-16   +18
2014-15   +89


Team Save Percentage
.898   2018-19
.912   2017-18
.920   2016-17
.909   2015-16
.906   2014-15


Team GAA
3.65   2018-19
3.16   2017-18
2.76   2016-17
2.75   2015-16
2.73   2014-15


Times Shutout by Opponents
8 - 2018-19   (through 65 games)
5 - 2017-18
2 - 2016-17
2 - 2015-16
1 - 2014-15


Team Shooting Percentage
8.9%     2018-19 (through 65 games)
10.5%   2017-18
12.9%   2016-17
10.6%   2015-16
12.2%   2014-15


Power Play Percentage
16.0%   2018-19 (through 65 games)
17.1%   2017-18
24.4%   2016-17
21.1%   2015-16
21.9%   2014-15


Penalty Kill Percentage
81.4%   2018-19 (through 65 games)
81.6%   2017-18
84.4%   2016-17
86.4%   2015-16
87.5%   2014-15


Team Plus/Minus
-267   2018-19
+38    2017-18
+334  2016-17
-11     2015-16
+291  2014-15


Penalty Minutes
2018-19   1547 (projected)
2017-18   1411
2016-17   1432
2015-16   1189
2014-15   1644


- I have never laid out all of these stats at one time and when you look at them there are several conclusions that jumped out at me.

1. You can see how much worse this season is than any other but things have been going down hill since the 2016-17 season.

2. The 2014-15 championship team was a complete team that could score, defend and was very physical. They are the leaders in most of the stats above.

3. The 2015-16 championship team was not that good in the regular season. The stats were good but not great, however, the team peaked during the playoffs.

4. Maybe the most surprising of the stats above is just how good the 2016-17 team was in the regular season. The team was loaded with talent and coach Martinson had the best team ever by his own analysis. Based on the stats above you could certainly agree it was the best team ever assembled by Martinson.



DID YOU KNOW: There were eight players on that 2016-17 team that averaged a point per game. Compare that to this season where there are no players averaging a point per game. Zach Pochiro leads the team averaging .96 points per game. The 2016-17 team was unbeatable after adding Wade MacLeod, Tyler Barnes and Alex Krushelnyski late in the season. From February 8 to the end of the regular season the Americans record was 20-1-2-0. The Americans were the clear favorite to win their fifth straight championship and third straight Kelly Cup. However, Allen lost in the second round to the eventual champions, the Colorado Eagles.  

Thanks for the Feedback, Practice Update, Roster Update, Exciting ECHL Games Last Night, Who Will Win the Kelly Cup and More

I want to start this morning by thanking you for hanging in with me as this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad season winds down. I can see from the number of page views each day the interest is waning. I was encouraged this morning to wake up and see so many insightful comments about the team in general and specifically about the list of veterans I talked about yesterday. Thanks to Jon, Andrew, Gilley, Mark and Kari for the comments at the end of yesterday's post. Here is some  additional information based on your questions and comments:


- The number of players Allen has used this season is not any different than in the past so that is not the root cause of the poor season. The number may go up one or two if Martinson brings in amateurs. Here is the number of players on the Allen roster for each of their five ECHL seasons. You will note the year they used the most players Allen won the Kelly Cup.

41 - 2018-19
41 - 2017-18
42 - 2016-17
46 - 2015-16
41 - 2014-15


- Tulsa has used 36 players this season. The range of players used goes from 53 by Atlanta, who is fourth in winning percentage in the South Division, to 28 by Cincinnati who is the top team in the league. There are good teams that have used a lot of players (Orlando and Maine have used 51) and there are non playoff teams that have not used a lot of players (Indy and Wheeling have used 39). Systems and skill have as much to do with chemistry as playing with the same players all of the time. The best example of this for the Americans this season is Dante Salituro and Riley Bourbonnais who had instant chemistry and became the top two point scorers on the team.


- Another issue that was raised was about the motivation of players not interested in moving up to the AHL and whether this contributed to the lackluster performance this season. That could be a factor but in my opinion it is much more complex than that. If you look at the Americans two Kelly Cup champions there were plenty of players not looking to move up to the AHL and were just focused on winning in Allen. Led by three time MVP Chad Costello and Riley Gill but also players like Jamie Schaafsma, Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Aaron Gens, Kevin Young, the Ludwig brothers and Brian McMillin who were not focused on moving to the AHL. In my opinion what distinguished the championship teams were how tight they were on and off the ice. I think Martinson's goal is to have a core group of top experienced players in Allen all season supplemented with younger players that can move to the AHL.


- There are as many opinions about veterans as there are names on the potential veteran list. With only four veterans allowed on the active roster it is a resource that is critical to success. It will be one of coach Martinson's toughest tasks to determine the four vets he will sign.


- This is the time of year where fans start to count up games to see who will become a veteran for the first time. As a reminder, if you are a game counter the definition of a veteran from the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is, "Veteran shall mean any player, other than goaltender, who has played in at least 260 regular season games in any recognized professional hockey league as defined by the rules." Here are the defined leagues from the CBA:

North America
- NHL
- AHL
- ECHL
- CHL (defunct but games played count toward veteran status)

Europe
- Czech Extraliga (Czech Republic)
- Liiga (Finland)
- DEL (Germany)
- KHL (Russia)
- Slovak Extraliga (Slovakia)
- SHL (Sweden)
- National League (Switzerland)


- Some current and former Allen players that will become veterans next season include David Makowski, Adam Miller, Dyson Stevenson and Vincent Arseneau who all passed the 260 games threshold during this season. Miller is the most interesting case since he is 34 and just becoming a veteran. The reason is he played seven years overseas in leagues that don't count toward vet status.


PRACTICE UPDATE

- Allen is practicing in the afternoon this week (2:45-3:45) in the community rink and everyone is invited to attend. With the kids on Spring break it is a good chance to stop by and watch practice.


- Some good news for Allen and a surprise after coach Martinson's comments to the season ticket holders after the game on Sunday was Jake Doty participating in practice yesterday. Doty left the ice on Sunday after a fight and did not return. There was fear he was injured and would be out of the lineup.


- C.J. Motte took part in a portion of the practice and is getting  closer to returning. Per coach Martinson it is not expected Motte will play on Sunday.


- Etienne Boutet was a full participant in practice and he should be back in the lineup on Sunday. Kevin Sundher is still practicing in the yellow no contact jersey so he is getting closer to being ready to play.


- Chase Lang and Mitch Maloney did not practice as they are still recovering from upper body injuries. Lang was injured in practice and hasn't played since February 16. Maloney was injured when he crashed head first into the goal post last Saturday.


- Curt Gogol will not play against Wichita on Sunday. He will be serving a one game suspension after receiving a game misconduct penalty on Tuesday. Gogol was penalized under rule 46.22 which calls for an automatic one game suspension for instigating an altercation in the last five minutes of a game.



OTHER COMMENTS


-  There were only three games in the ECHL last night but they were all exciting. Florida came back from a 4-1 deficit to beat Orlando in a shootout. Cincinnati trailed Fort Wayne 4-1 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game and scored four unanswered goals to beat the Komets. The game winner was scored with 19 seconds left in the game by a rookie defenseman playing his first pro game. The third comeback of the night saw Atlanta come back from a 3-0 deficit to tie the score and eventually win in a nine round shootout against South Carolina. The game was also unique as there were only two penalties called, both against South Carolina.


- There is only one game on the ECHL schedule tonight as Rapid City is in Utah to take on the Grizzlies. These teams are in the midst of playing each other six straight games. The first three games were in Rapid City and the Rush won all three. The next three games will be in Utah. 


-  Five of the last six Kelly Cup champions have had regular season winning percentages above .682. The only exception was Allen who had a winning percentage of .618 when they won the 2016 Kelly Cup. With the season winding down there are just four teams with a winning percentage above .618. The odds are one of these four teams will be the 2019 Kelly Cup champion. Here is the list:

.775 - Cincinnati
.722 - Florida
.680 - Newfoundland
.627 - Toledo



DID YOU KNOW: Here is another interesting stat I found and posted on my ECHL Stats Twitter account (@ECHLStat). In the last 10 seasons there have been just six players in the ECHL who have played in 50 or more playoff games and averaged a point per game. Two of them won championships in Allen. Here are the six:

1.258 - Chad Costello
1.177 - Trent Daavettila
1.135 - Ryan Hayes
1.032 - Andrew Rowe
1.017 - Greger Hanson
1.000 - Shawn Szydlowski

   

Allen Shutout by Tulsa, Game Recap, Martinson Comments, Vets for Next Season, Brabham Cup Curse and Revisiting the 2015 and 2016 Kelly Cups

The records keep falling for the Allen Americans and unfortunately they are not good records. Last night the Tulsa Oilers shutout the Americans 4-0 before a crowd of 4011 at the Allen Event Center. It was the eighth time this season Allen has been shutout (a record), the 43rd loss of the season (a record), the 242nd goal allowed (a record) and the winning percentage fell to .385 (a record) which is the worst in the entire league.


- I was on the radio/ECHL-TV broadcast between periods last night talking with Maurice Fitzgerald about the game and the season and afterwards got a message from one of the blog readers and long time season ticket holder that said, "WOW Barry....That has got to be the most depressing report I have ever heard you deliver on air, and you are normally the glass half-full type of guy."


- There is no longer any way to sugarcoat what has transpired this season. There are numerous reasons to explain what has happened this season from injuries that averaged almost five players missing per game to a record of 5-24 when C.J. Motte was recalled to Iowa or injured to everything in between.


- The records being set are off the charts compared to Allen's previous seasons in the ECHL. Here are a few examples:

Allen's winning percentage is .389, the lowest before is .542.
Allen has been shutout eight times, in their first three ECHL seasons the total shutouts were five.
Allen has allowed 242 goals, 10 more than ever before and they have seven games remaining.
Allen has scored 183 goals, the fewest they have ever scored in the ECHL is 222.
Allen's goal differential is -59, the worst it has been in the past is +3.
Allen's team plus/minus is -267, just two years ago it was +334.


- In losing 4-0 last night Allen missed all of the keys to the game. They gave up the first goal to a team that is 23-1-3-1 when scoring first. They managed just 21 shots on goal, one of the five fewest shot totals of the season, while allowing 42 shots to the Oilers. The Americans lost the special teams battle and took too many penalties that gave Tulsa six power plays compared to Allen's three.


- Here is the game recap issued by the Tulsa Oilers: https://tulsaoilers.com/oilers-blank-americans-4-0/


STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

"Tulsa was just better than us and faster than us tonight and we just got out played."

"Tulsa got a couple of guys down from the American League and were a better team than when we played them on Saturday. We had a hard time matching their speed." 

"We had a crappy practice yesterday, I didn't like the practice and I didn't like the effort."

"Doty hurt his hand in that fight so he is out."

"I will spend the next couple of days trying to get some amateurs signed. Guys that can skate and work hard. Boutet will be back and Motte is close but will not be ready by Sunday."

"We gave up six power plays and that ends up with our few good penalty killers spending too much time on the ice killing penalties. We emphasized before the game we couldn't afford to take bad penalties."

"Each year the league gets faster and that will be true next season. Players that are big, physical and also fast are getting harder to find and are in high demand. If players are having trouble keeping up this season it will be harder to play here next year. That is just the way the league is going."


OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen has seven games remaining, four against Wichita and three against Utah. The next five games are at home with the last two in Wichita. If Allen has any chance to pass Wichita for the worst record in the Mountain Division they will have to sweep the four remaining games with the Thunder. That is not out of the question since Allen's record against Wichita this season is 6-2-0-2.


- Veteran spots are always a premium since there can only be four vets on the roster. The definition  of a veteran is a players with more than 260 pro games played. The other unique aspect of becoming a veteran is they are free agents and can sign with any team. Here are the players from this season that are veterans or will be vets next season:

Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Spencer Asuchak
Joel Chouinard
David Makowski
Thomas Frazee
Adam Miller
Gary Steffes
Curt Gogol

Some of these players may sign in Europe, some may retire and some may sign with other ECHL teams but it is clear only four could return and coach Martinson may be recruiting other veterans in the off season.


- Here are a few other veterans from the past that could sign with Allen if they so desired. I would say these are not likely but one can dream:

Chad Costello - already signed to play in Europe next season
Greger Hanson - playing in Europe
Vincent Arseneau - just passed vet status and has AHL contract for this season
Dyson Stevenson - just passed vet status and could sign with any ECHL team
Emerson Clark - under AHL contract for this season


- Of all of the players on the vet lists above the one that is most intriguing to me is Dyson Stevenson. If the Thunder don't make the playoffs and there is a coaching change in Wichita is it possible Stevenson would return to Allen to help lead the team back to prominence? He would be a great building block in retooling the team for the 2019-20 season.


- It is the time of year where the battle for the Brabham Cup, given to the ECHL regular season champion, gets decided. It looks like a two team race with Cincinnati the clear favorite. Here are the top three teams with games remaining:

91 points - Cincinnati (13 games remaining)
89 points - Florida (10 games remaining)
83 points - Newfoundland (11 games remaining)



- Winning the Brabham Cup is not an indication of success in the Kelly Cup playoffs. In the 31 year history of the ECHL only three teams have accomplished that feat. Alaska  (2014, 2011, 2006), Cincinnati (2008) and South Carolina (1999). Some call it the curse of the Brabham Cup. Will the curse live on again this season?



DID YOU KNOW:  When you think back to Allen's two Kelly Cups in 2015 and 2016 they were two very different teams in the regular season. The 2015 team was an offensive juggernaut that lead the ECHL in goals (292) and penalty minutes (1644). They had the only two 40 goals scorers in team history in Gary Steffes (44 goals) and Chad Costello (41 goals). Aaron Gens lead the league in points by a defensman and Riley Gill led the league in wins (33). Allen's winning percentage was .736 and their goal differential was +89.

The 2016 Kelly Cup team was only average in the regular season with a winning percentage of .618 and a goal differential of +18. Chad Costello led the team in goals (24) and Gary Steffes was second (22). The team was ranked #11 in goals scored and #13 in goals allowed. Riley Gill had only 13 regular season wins. The team had 1189 penalty minutes which is the fewest of any Allen team since joining the ECHL.

Two very different regular seasons that both ended up with Allen raising the Kelly Cup.   




    

Allen vs Tulsa Preview, Roster Update, Allen's Best Shooters, Average PIMS by Division and More

It is game day for the Allen Americans as they take on the Tulsa Oilers for the 13th and final time this season. The Americans record against Tulsa is only 3-8-1-0 but one of the three wins came on Saturday when Allen beat the Oilers 3-2 for Steve Martinson's 1000th victory.


- You may ask what do the Americans have left to play for over the final eight games of the season and the honest answer is not much. They have been eliminated from the playoffs and have little or no chance of getting out of last place in the Mountain Division standings. The only realistic goal left is to avoid having the worst record in the ECHL. Allen has 50 points and a winning percentage of .391 on a record 22-36-4-2. Greenville is the only team with a worse record. The Swamp Rabbits have 48 points and a winning percentage of .387 on a record of 21-35-3-3. Playing for pride and an ECHL contract for next season is about all that is left for the players.


- I attended practice yesterday and it is clear to me coach Martinson is pushing the team just as he has in the past when they were battling for a division championships. It was a spirited practice and Martinson challenged the team to play like they did on Saturday against Tulsa rather than lapse back into the poor defensive performances against Kansas City.


- Kevin Sundher and Etienne Boutet participated in practice wearing the yellow no contact jersey. Sundher has been out of the lineup since the end of December so I am sure he isn't ready to return but Boutet is listed as day to day so he could return soon. Mitch Maloney and C.J. Motte did not practice and will not play.


- Tulsa will have two players in the lineup tonight that did not play on Saturday. Forward Stephan Perfetto has spent most of the season in San Antonio (AHL) and was just assigned to Tulsa. Perfetto has played 12 games in Tulsa this season and has 12 points (2G, 10A). Forward Ryan Tesink was just returned from loan to San Diego (AHL). He is Tulsa's second leading scorer with 54 points (23G, 31A) in 58 games.


- Tulsa will certainly arrive in Allen motivated to play better than they did in the loss to the Americans on Saturday. The loss cost the Oilers first place in the division as they are in a battle with Idaho and Utah for the top spot. The top two spots are critical because of home ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs.


- In their 12 head to head games Tulsa has outscored Allen 35-30. The biggest difference between Allen and Tulsa relates to shots. Tulsa is ranked #1 in the ECHL in average shots taken per game (36.05) compared to Allen who is ranked #19 (31.03). To go along with taking the most shots the Oilers are also ranked #1 in allowing shots, giving up an average of 26.26 shots per game. This compares to Allen who is ranked #27 allowing an average of 36.09 shots per game. It computes to a shot differential of  +9.79 for Tulsa and -5.06 for Allen. Tulsa and Allen have played 12 times this season and the Oilers have out shot the Americans in 11 of them. Both teams had 38 shots in Allen's win on Saturday. Tulsa's total shots advantage is a staggering 481-330. The Americans will have to keep the shots close tonight if they expect to win.



- If you look at the 12 head to head games on special teams the Americans power play is 7-46 (15.2%) and Tulsa's power play  7-58 (12.1%). What is notable in these numbers is Tulsa has had 12 more power play opportunities than Allen. The Americans lead the ECHL with 370 minor penalties, Tulsa has been called for 293 minor penalties.  In the Americans win on Saturday both teams were 2-6 on the power play. If the power play opportunities are even that will be a good sign for Allen.


- If you look at season long special team stats these teams are close. The Oilers road power play percentage is 15.2% compared to Allen's home power play percentage of 15.4%. The Oilers road penalty kill percentage is 84.9% compared to Allen's home penalty kill percentage of 80.5%.


- Scoring first is always key but even more so against Tulsa. The Oilers are ranked #1 in the league when scoring first with a record of  22-1-3-1. Allen's record when scoring first is 14-7-4-1.


- Tulsa is almost unbeatable with a first period lead on the road with a record of 11-1-1-0. Not so true for the Americans who have managed a first period lead at home 11 times with a record of 4-6-1-0.


- Fans will have the chance to see the top two goals scorers in the ECHL tonight. Adam Pleskach and Zach Pochiro have a lot in common. They both wear #18, they have both had a four goal game this season and they are #1 (Pochiro, 33 goals) and #2 (Pleskach 32 goals) in the league in the goal scoring race. As an aside the #3 player in goals is J.C. Campagna with 31. Campagna started the season with Allen but was traded to Fort Wayne in October.


- Zack Pochiro leads the ECHL with 13 power play goals, Adam Pleskach is tied for second with 12 power play goals.


- The referee scheduled tonight is Liam Sewell (#7). The linesman will be Chris Provost (#50) and Addison Brush (#80).



OTHER COMMENTS


- It is great to see coach Martinson getting recognition for his 1000th win which results in publicity for the Allen Americans. It is very difficult to get local media interested in anything related to the Americans but even they couldn't resist a feat like 1000 wins. I have seen coverage on local radio and television. Martinson was honored at a Dallas Sidekicks game and the Rick Gosselin story has been widely circulated in the US and Canada.


- The top teams are good at both ends of the ice and the stats back that up. Cincinnati is the #1 team in the league in points and winning percentage, Florida is #2 and Newfoundland is #3. Here are the ECHL leaders in goals for, goals against and goal differential:

Goals scored
236 - Florida
235 - Cincinnati
222 - Newfoundland

Goals allowed
141 - Cincinnati
154 - Florida
169 - Newfoundland

Goal differential (goals scored minus goals allowed)
+94  Cincinnati
+82  Florida
+53  Newfoundland



- Allen has scored 183 goals and allowed 238 goals for a goal differential of -55. Only Greenville (-58) is worse.



- Three of the four best power play teams in the ECHL may not make the playoffs. The top four:
23.0% - Wichita
22.0% - Adirondack
21.6% - Kalamazoo
21.0% - Wheeling

Wheeling and Wichita are in fifth place in their division, Kalamazoo is in fourth place and Adirondack is in second place.



- Who is the best at converting their shots? The best shooting percentage on the Allen team  (minimum of 25 games). The Americans team shooting percentage is 9.0%.

18.1% - Riley Bourbonnais
16.6% - Zach Pochiro
14.6% - Alex Ranger
11.9% - Braylon Shmyr
11.6% - Adam Miller




DID YOU KNOW: I posted this info on my ECHL Stats Twitter account (@ECHLStats) and found it interesting. The style of play between the four ECHL divisions and two conferences varies widely. The biggest difference is between the North Division and the Mountain Division. Five of the seven teams in the Mountain Division have over 1000 penalty minutes and the other two have over 800. In the North Division no team has more than 864 penalty minutes and four of seven teams have fewer than 700.

The average penalty minutes per team in the Western Conference is 994 minutes, the average in the Eastern conference is 806 minutes.

Here are the average penalty minutes per team in the four divisions;

1073 - Mountain Division
914 - Central Division
895 - South Division
717 - North Division

The last four Kelly Cup champions (Colorado & Allen) have been physical, high penalty minute teams with 1377, 1415, 1189 and 1644 regular season penalty minutes. When you consider there are four grueling best of seven rounds to win the cup the tougher teams seem to wear down the softer teams that rely primarily on skill. The question is will the recent trend continue this season.