Allen Wins A Strange One, Game Recap, Steve Martinson's Post Game Comments, Rematch Preview, Overtime Stats and More

Allen beat Tulsa last night 6-3 before a crowd of 4861 at the BOK Center. The game started out as an offensive explosion with the first goal scored just 31 seconds into the game and three goals scored in less than a minute at the end of the first period that saw seven goals scored on 27 shots. The Americans gave up the first goal but came back from deficits of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2. Allen scored twice in the last minute of the first period (19:16 & 19:42) to take a 4-3 lead and never looked back.


- Tulsa out shot Allen 22-10 in the second period but the Americans won the period 2-0 to take a 6-3 lead into the third period. There was no scoring in the third period. A game that had seven goals scored in the first 20:36 had one goal scored in the last 39:24, go figure. Allen goalie Zach Sawchenko was a difference maker once again. Though he gave up three goals early, Zach shutdown Tulsa stopping all 31 shots he faced in the last two periods. In total he faced 43 shots and had a save percentage of .930.


- The goal scorers for Allen were Alex Guptill (8), Josh Brittain (2&3), Jack Sadek (1), and Corey Durocher (1&2).


- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/big-first-period-helps-allen-to-6-3-win-over-tulsa/



STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

"It was a strange start for sure. The key for us in the first period is every time they scored we countered with a goal."

"The line of Josh Brittain, Cory Durocher and Jared VanWormer were really good for us tonight. It took Brittain having to go off for stitches to slow them down."

"We have three lines that can score so if one is having a tough night, like tonight, other lines stepped up."


REMATCH PREVIEW

- Allen and Tulsa will be back at it this afternoon (4:05 pm) in a rematch. Allen matches up well against the Oilers as evidenced by their 3-0 record this season with all three wins coming in Tulsa. In total Allen has outscored Tulsa 14-8.


- For having such a good record the Americans have struggled early in games giving up the first goal in 10 of their 19 games. Allen is close to unbeatable when scoring first (8-1) so even though they won last night after allowing the first goal just 31 seconds into the game, they need a better start tonight.


- Both teams failed to capitalize on the power play last night. Allen was 0-3 and Tulsa was 0-4. The Americans road power play is now ranked #18 at 12.0% while their #1 ranked road penalty kill has improved to 95.7%. Tulsa's home penalty kill is now ranked #22 at 11.3% and their home penalty kill is now ranked #21 at 79.3%. A key for Allen in the rematch today is win the special teams battle.


- Another key today is shots on goal. Tulsa leads the ECHL in average shots on goal (38.18) and exceeded their average last night with 43. At one point in the second period the Oilers were out shooting Allen 21-4 and in the final two periods the Oilers out shot the Americans 31-21. While scoring six goals like the Americans did last night will win most games, Allen needs to reduce the shots allowed if they expect to win today.


- Jake Paterson will get the start in goal today. Since Jake gave up nine goals in a relief appearance when Dereck Baribeau was injured on October 18 in a 10-4 loss to Utah, Paterson has lost just one game and that was a 1-0 overtime loss in Cincinnati. Jake has started seven games since October 18th. He won four of them in overtime, two in regulation and his only loss was the 1-0 overtime game in Cincinnati. In those seven games Paterson's save percentage is .935.


- While the line of Brittain, VanWormer and Durocher led the way last night with with four goals, five assists and a plus/minus of +12, the line of Archambault, Asuchak and Gagne had no points and were -9. The strength of the Allen team this season is their depth with three lines that can score. You never know which line will lead the way. Allen has eight players with five or more goals and that doesn't include Brittain who has three goals in three games or Durocher with two goals in seven games.       



OTHER COMMENTS


- Congrats to Jack Sadek who got his first pro goal last night and finished the game +3. For the season Jack is now +13 which leads all Allen defenseman and is #4 league wide for defensemen.


- With his game last night Zach Sawchenko has now played enough minutes (360) to meet the minimum amount of playing time for the qualified goalie stats. He debuted on the goalie charts as #4 in save percentage (.937) and #5 in GAA (2.17).


- Two Mountain Division teams that struggled mightily last season sit atop of the ECHL standings today. Rapid City is #1 with 31 points and is on pace to finish the season with 101 points after totaling just 69 points last season. Allen is #2 in the standings with 30 points and is on pace to a 113 point season after totaling just 56 points last season.


- The top five ECHL teams by winning percentage are:

.875 - South Carolina
.789 - Allen
.705 - Rapid City
.700 -  Cincinnati
.690 - Reading


- Here is the ECHL Today with a preview of the five games on the Sunday schedule:  https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/12/echl-today-dec-1



DID YOU KNOW: Allen is 6-2 in overtime games this season and have 14 of their 30 points (47%) from games that went to overtime. Last season the Americans were 3-4 in games decided in overtime. They also had six games that went to a shootout and were 4-2 in those games. In total the Americans earned 20 of their 56 points (36%) from games that went beyond regulation time. 

Allen vs Tulsa Preview, Garrett Clarke and Colton Yellow Horn Sign With New Teams and More

The Allen Americans were scheduled to leave at 9:00 am this morning heading for Tulsa where they will play the Oilers tonight (7:05 pm) and Sunday afternoon (4:05 pm). The early departure time will have the team arrive in Tulsa (230 miles) at lunch time and they will head directly to the restaurant for lunch.


- Allen will be missing Jordan Topping this weekend. His grandfather is ill and he headed home to spend time with his family. Kayle Doetzel is officially listed as day to day after being injured last weekend but his absence at practice yesterday suggests to me he may not be available this weekend.


- Tulsa will be missing their leading scorer for the weekend. J.J. Piccinich was recalled by San Antonio (AHL) yesterday. Piccinich leads Tulsa with 23 points (7G, 16A) in 21 games. No other player on the team has more than 14 points.


- The game tonight will be the third of 13 times Allen and Tulsa will meet this season. The first two games were played in Tulsa with Allen winning 5-4 on October 12th and 3-1 on November 5th. Tulsa will not visit the Allen Event Center (AEC) until the end of January.


- Tulsa has been inconsistent thus far which has led to their 8-11-2-0 record. The Oilers lead the league in shots per game (37.95) but have a team shooting percentage of just 8.4% which is the third worst in the ECHL. Tulsa has scored 68 goals, tied with Rapid City for the most in the Division but they have allowed 70 goals, the second most in the division. Allen on the other hand has scored 61 goals and allowed 49 and remember the Americans allowed 10 goals in one game. The Oilers have been held to zero or one goal six times but have scored seven or more goals three times.


- The game tonight in Tulsa is the second of six straight road games for the Americans. By December 18th Allen will have played nine of 10 games on the road. Just how good this team is this season will be known by the end of this stretch of 10 games.


- If you look at overall special teams percentages they show Allen at 11.3% and Tulsa at 13.9% on the power play. Their penalty kill percentages are Allen 84.8% and Tulsa at 79.1%. If you look at home vs road percentages it tells a different story. Allen's road power play percentage is 13.6% compared to Tulsa's home percentage of 12.2%. The differences are more pronounced on the penalty kill. Allen is #1 in road penalty kill percentage at 94.7% (1-19). At home Tulsa's penalty kill percentage is ranked #23 at 78.2% (12-55). After a long drought the Americans have scored a power play goal in their last three games. If they can keep that streak alive it will go a long way in getting a victory.


- Allen scored first in the two previous games against Tulsa and the Americans have a record of  8-1 when scoring first this season. Tulsa is 5-2-1-0 when scoring first. As always that first goal will be important.


- If either game this weekend goes to overtime Allen will have the advantage based on their 6-2 record in overtime games. Tulsa has gone extra time three times and lost twice. In the third game they won in a shootout.


- With Piccinich recalled by San Antonio both Tulsa and Allen have three players tied for the team lead in scoring. Miles Liberati, Charlie Sampair and Adam Pleskach all have 14 points for the Oilers. For Allen, Gabe Gagne, Spencer Asuchak and Alex Guptill are tied for the team lead with 16 points.


- Allen has been getting great goalie play no matter who is in goal. You would expect Jake Paterson and Zach Sawchenko will each get a start in Tulsa. Allen's team save percentage is .917. Tulsa on the other hand has struggled when Devin Williams hasn't been in goal. Their team save percentage is .886 but Williams has a .912 save percentage.  Would expect to see Williams play both games this weekend.


OTHER COMMENTS

- What a difference a year makes. Rapid City and Reading, two teams that didn't make the playoffs last season, both won their games last night and now share the ECHL lead with 29 points. Allen, another team that didn't make the playoffs last season, is in third place with 28 points.


- Two former Allen players signed with new teams this week. Colton Yellow Horn was released by his Austrian team (Graz 99ers) and signed in Slovakia (HK Nitra). He has several boyhood friends on the team including former NHL player Kris Versteeg and former Allen player Judd Blackwater. Kale Kerbashian also plays for Nitra.


- Garrett Clarke, who has battled injuries recently, just signed with Jonquiere Marquis of the LNAH. The LNAH is a lower level professional league based in Quebec. It used to be known unofficially as the toughest hockey league in the world and has many enforcer type players primarily known for fisticuffs. In the press release announcing Clarke's signing his coach said, "He is a guy that can take care of himself and has a lot of experience in terms of toughness but that is not the first reason he was signed. We have signed a hockey player and we are going to ask him to play hockey."


- Here is a story written by Justin Cohn about the youth movement in Fort Wayne. It wasn't by design but Allen has just two vets (Asuchak & Brittain) with O'Donnell and Hedden gone and Register in Iowa. By the way the four youngest teams in the ECHL according to Elite Prospects are Wheeling (23.96), Newfoundland (24.04), Allen (24.10) and Fort Wayne (24.23). In his story Justin covers the pros and cons of having fewer vets and also has some interesting stats on the topic. Check it out here:  https://www.journalgazette.net/sports/professional/komets/20191128/komets-seek-success-in-youth


DID YOU KNOW: Tulsa is the one rival from the CHL days that Allen has had a tough time with since joining the ECHL in 2014. Here are the stats:

2-0-0-0      Head to head record against Tulsa in 2019-20
3-9-1-0      Head to head record against Tulsa in 2018-19
27-24-4-2  Last five year record against Tulsa
14-14-2-2  Last five year record against Tulsa in Tulsa
13-10-2-0  Last five year record against Tulsa in Allen

Geoff Gill - Getting to Know the Man on the Zamboni

I have been attending Allen Americans games since day one (2009) and writing this blog for the eighth year. Like many of you I have gotten to know many fans, ushers, off ice officials, vendors, sponsors, front office staff, event center staff and ice technicians to name a few. While I make small talk, discuss hockey and maybe ask about their health or their family there are very few I really get to know. Everyone has a story and I know they are all fascinating in their own way. I have decided this season in addition to interviewing players, I should be fun getting to know the story of some of the folks you see at all of the games.


The first person I want to talk about is one of the most recognizable people at the hockey games. He gets as much ice time as many of the players and we all watch him over and over again. His name is Geoff Gill (no relation to Riley Gill) and his formal title is Ice Technician but he is better known as the Zamboni driver.  Here is Geoff's story.

Geoff Gill in his Zamboni office

Geoff has been a Zamboni driver since 1997 and he gets his interest in hockey from his dad who was born in Treherne, Manitoba but went to school in Wahpeton, North Dakota where he was a star hockey player. Geoff showed me a scrapbook with all kinds of articles and stories about his dad's hockey excellence back in the late 1930's. After high school his dad enlisted in the Army and was in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. His mom and dad met during the war while they were both on vacation in Bermuda. Geoff's mom was from New York City (Brooklyn). After the war they got married and moved to Long Island where Geoff was born. He has four brothers, one older and three younger.


When Geoff was around three years old the family moved to Security, Colorado which is adjacent to Colorado Springs. A few years later they were transferred to Denver.  His dad worked for the old "Ma Bell" aka AT&T before it was broken up in the 1980's. Geoff played youth hockey and was coached by his dad.  He told me he never considered himself a great player but when he was a senior in high school he played for the Denver Country Club team and they won what would be called the state tournament today.

Geoff's 1970 championship team, he is back row left next to the coach

In addition to coaching, Geoff's dad was an off ice official serving as the official scorer for many teams and leagues in the area. He worked for the Denver Spurs (Western Hockey League) and when the NHL Colorado Rockies came to Denver (1976-1982) he was their official scorer. When the Rockies folded and moved to New Jersey, Geoff got an original Rockies jersey and a pair of Mike Gillis's skates.  


When he was 17 Geoff enlisted in the US Navy and had a 20 year career (1970-1990). He spent those 20 years in the Western Pacific. He spent time on aircraft carriers including the USS Hancock, USS Carl Vinson and USS Constellation. He had three tours in Vietnam and was stationed in the Philippines for three years. He met his wife in San Francisco who was from the Philippines so they enjoyed their time in the Philippines.

Part of Geoff's military memorabilia wall

 


Geoff left the Navy in 1990 while stationed in San Diego because it was time to for him to deploy to sea duty and he didn't want to leave his wife who was battling cancer. His wife passed away in 1997. While living in San Diego, even before he got out of the Navy, Geoff and his friends would go to San Diego Gulls games and drive up to attend Los Angeles Kings games. Allen coach Steve Martinson was still playing in San Diego in the early 1990's before he started coaching the Gulls in 1995-96.

A small portion of Geoff's hockey memorabilia wall in his home

After his wife passed away Geoff started to get involved in some hockey/ice related activity at the San Diego Ice Arena which was close to where he lived. His brother played in a house league at the arena and the manager was also in the Navy. Geoff helped with skate schools and asked if the manager needed any Zamboni drivers. That was 1997 when it all started. The only way to learn was to drive around when there was nothing going on so he would get up at 1:00 am and go to the rink and drive around just to learn how to drive the Zamboni. In 2002 Geoff moved from the San Diego Ice Center to the newly opened Kroc Community Center which was built by the Salvation Army and funded by a $87 million donation from Joan Kroc, widow of McDonald's founder, Ray Kroc. Geoff worked at the Kroc center for seven years. It was at the Kroc Center that Geoff got to know Steve Martinson who had become the coach of the San Diego Gulls. The Gulls didn't play at the Kroc Center but would periodically hold practices there.


- Geoff got remarried in 1999 and that is how he eventually got to Dallas in early 2010. His wife (Sherry) is an auditor for the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) and was transferred to Texas. He was living in Plano and started working at the Plano Stars Center which was not far away. There were some serious foundation issues with the facility so after four months Geoff did some research and made the move to the AEC in December of 2010.


- In 2005 Sherry and Geoff adopted their daughter Mei from China. Sherry is Chinese and that helped them go through the process of adoption quicker. Geoff told me when you adopt from China you don't have much say in which child you get but as it turned out Mei was destined to be part of the family. For some reason, which Geoff cannot explain, they used purple folders to organize all of their files related to the adoption. As it turned out Mei's full Chinese name includes the word purple. If that wasn't enough it also turned out Mei and Sherry share the same birthday.

Mei, Sherry and Geoff Gill

Sherry and Mei wearing traditional costumes on visit to China

- If you have ever seen a sharp looking Corvette parked behind the AEC it belongs to Geoff and it has quite a story. He bought the 1968 Corvette in 1976 and has owned it ever since. It traveled with him to the Philippines and other destinations while he was in the Navy. However, from 1997 to just this year it has been in storage at home and in his brothers garage in San Diego when the Gill's were transferred to Dallas. Geoff had the Corvette shipped to Dallas on a flat bead truck where it sat in his garage for eight more years before he started the restoration. When I asked Geoff why he decided now to restore the Corvette he said, "I am getting old and I either had to get rid of it or spend the money to restore it. It wasn't worth anything as it was inoperable so I decided to get it fixed." The Corvette is now new from front to back. The only things not new are the frame, front end hardware, the body and the hardtop itself. Everything else from the engine, transmission, rear end, and electrical system including all of the wiring is new.

 It took 10 months and a lot of $$$ but the 1968 corvette is as good as new

- Geoff is a big part of the Allen Americans family. He greets the players with a fist bump before and after practice and on game days takes their gloves and puts them on the glove warmer between periods. He takes such pride in his job and strives to make the ice perfect. He has been known to give staff and officials hell if they walk on the ice before it has dried as he prepares it on game night.


- I found out accidentally a couple of years ago that Geoff, for many years, has purchased season tickets to the Allen Americans and donated them back to the team to be distributed as part of the Seats for Soldiers program. I found out while interviewing Geoff for this story that he also is one of the sponsors of the Allen Ice Angels. When some players expressed an interest in attending the alumni game last season but could not afford the airfare, Geoff offered to buy tickets for them.

Geoff is one of the sponsors of the Ice Angels

- Geoff's other duty is to act as tech support for coach Steve Martinson. Because of his computer background in the Navy and interest in computers Geoff is called upon to help out when things go awry which seems to happen frequently. He is always willing to help.



- How long is Geoff going to keep getting on the Zamboni? He says he is enjoying what he is doing and even last season when the team didn't do well it was still fun to come to the rink. He likes to help the team by providing the best surface to play on. As he says, "I want the ice to be perfect before anyone arrives on game night." I think we will see Geoff Gill taking care of the ice and the players for many years to come.

ECHL Playoff Predictor: It's Thanksgiving - Are the Playoff Teams Already Decided?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you are able to spend time with family and friends today. I had to chuckle when I saw this description of Thanksgiving by comedian Jim Gaffigan: "Thanksgiving. It's like we didn't even try to come up with a tradition. The tradition is, we overeat. 'Hey, how about at Thanksgiving we just eat a lot?' 'But we do that every day!' 'Oh. What if we eat a lot with people that annoy the hell out of us after three hours?"



- It is time for my annual "Thanksgiving Day Playoff Theory" blog which predicts the 16 ECHL playoff teams based on the standings as of today. No need to worry any more as the fate of your favorite team is already decided. A little overstated but not by much.



- I have talked about this in the past after reading numerous articles about the history in the NHL where data proves somewhere between 75% - 80% of playoff teams are already decided by Thanksgiving. Here is one of the more informative stories about this subject from the Hockey News several years ago: http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/article/out-of-the-playoffs-december-1-done-like-thanksgiving-dinner

  

- It is strange to think with about 25% of the ECHL season complete you can predict who will be in the playoffs with close to 80% accuracy. Nothing ventured, nothing gained so here are the playoff teams strictly by the numbers plus where I think the "Thanksgiving Day Playoff Theory" might be wrong. The numbers in parentheses are the current winning percentages. Here are your 2019-20 playoff teams.



North Division
1. Reading (.711)
2. Brampton (.647)
3. Newfoundland (.611)
4. Adirondack (.556)


The top three in the North Division look pretty solid but the last playoff team will come down to Maine or Adirondack. Last season Maine faded down the stretch (6-7-1) and missed the playoffs. Adirondack is currently in fourth place in the division and has finished the last three seasons in first or second place. Adirondack should take the fourth playoff spot. Worcester is the one North Division team already destined to not make the playoffs based on their .281 winning percentage, the worst in the league.



South Division
1. South Carolina (.867)
2. Florida (.639)
3. Atlanta (.563)
4. Greenville (.525)


The South Division has a big break between the top four teams and the bottom three. Orlando (.412), Jacksonville (.375) and Norfolk (.310) are unlikely to make the playoffs. 



Central Division
1. Cincinnati (.711)
2. Toledo (.633)
3. Fort Wayne (.611)
4. Wheeling (.588)

Of all of the divisions the Central looks to be a lock for predicting the playoff teams. The top four will remain the top four all season but how they end up being seeded may change. Kalamazoo (.375) and Indy (.353) are already seven points out of a playoff spot and will not recover.



Mountain Division
1. Allen (.778)
2. Rapid City (.650)
3. Idaho (.650)
4. Wichita (.579)

Last season the Thanksgiving Day theory was 100% accurate in the Mountain Division predicting Rapid City, Wichita and Allen would miss the playoffs. This season they are all in the top four and if history is correct will all make the playoffs. Those on the outside looking in have winning percentages of .500 (Utah), .429 (Tulsa), and .412 (Kansas City) and will have a tough time making the playoffs. This is the division where the #4 team (Wichita) might be overtaken. Tulsa was predicted to compete for the division title but got off to a terrible start (2-6-1). The Oilers play Wichita nine more times this season. The last two times these teams played (both in Wichita) Tulsa won by identical scores of 7-2.   



- History says if you are more than five points out of the playoffs at Thanksgiving the chances of making it into a playoff spot are almost nonexistent. That is bad news for Worcester, Jacksonville, Indy, Kalamazoo and Kansas City because if history is correct they can start making plans for next season now.


- Historically, teams more than five points clear of the final playoff spot at this point can start selling playoff tickets as they rarely miss the playoffs. Teams in this category include Reading, South Carolina, Cincinnati and Allen.


- The bottom line is most playoffs teams are already decided but as important it is to make the playoffs it is a myth that once you make the ECHL playoffs any team can win the Kelly Cup. In the last 15 seasons the Kelly Cup champion has never finished worse than seventh in the regular season. In 13 of the last 15 seasons the Kelly Cup champion finished in the top five during the regular season.
     

- This is all done in fun and I will definitely revisit this at the end of the season. If your favorite team is currently out the playoffs, remember even with 80% accuracy the "Thanksgiving Day Playoff Theory" will have three teams wrong.


- As a reminder, last season history repeated itself again as 13 of the 16 teams in the Kelly Cup playoffs were in a playoff spot at Thanksgiving. That means 81% of the playoff teams were decided by Thanksgiving.





DID YOU KNOW: Here are the ECHL's longest current streaks for number of consecutive seasons making the playoffs in their current geographical location. Based on the "Thanksgiving Day Playoff Theory" all five of these teams will extend their streaks this season.

16 - Idaho
12 - South Carolina
6 - Fort Wayne
5 - Toledo
5 - Florida   

Practice Update, Individual and Team Stats Leaders, Ownership Update, Allen's Roster Compared by Height, Weight and Age and More

With a rare five days off between games the Allen Americans didn't practice on Monday and Tuesday was a captain's practice with the majority of the time devoted to having fun with a scrimmage. The teams started with a full ice scrimmage and ended with a 3-on-3 cross ice scrimmage. Over the years these captain's practice scrimmages have been a source of fun for the players, just playing hockey with no coaches observing. I have seen the team divided in many different ways from coach Martinson picking the teams, to the Western Hockey League (WHL) guys versus the rest, USA vs Canada, left shots vs right shots and even by the captains doing a secret draft. Yesterday it was the Rookies vs Veterans with second year players Jordan Topping and Alex Breton playing with the rookies.


-  It was no contest as the veterans got bragging/chirping rights by smoking the rookies 13-6. You would think the MVP for the veterans with 13 goals scored would be a forward but from what I observed their best offensive weapon was defenseman Stepan Falkovsky.


- The good news at practice was all the players were present and nobody was wearing the yellow no contact jersey. Looks like everyone will be available for the back to back games against Tulsa this weekend.


INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS AND TEAM STATS

- I thought it might be instructive to take a look at Allen's stats leaders after 18 games. Below are the team leaders in various statistical categories with the league rank in parentheses:

Points:
16 - Gabe Gagne (26th)
16 - Spencer Asuchak (26th)
16 - Alex Guptill (26th)


Goals:
8 - Gabe Gagne (18th)
7 - Alex Guptill (31st)
7 - Olivier Archambault (31st) 


Assists:
12 - Les Lancaster (15th)
11 - Spencer Asuchak (25th)
10 - Tyler Sheehy (34th)


Plus/Minus:
+13 - Alex Guptill (2nd)
+10 - Jack Sadek (9th)
+9 - Spencer Asuchak (12th)


Penalty Minutes:
24 - Spencer Asuchak (49th)
17 - Alex Guptill (101st)
16 - Cole Fraser (111th)
16 - Brett Pollock (111th)
 

Shots On Goal:
66 - Gabe Gagne (7th)
51 - Olivier Archambault (35th) 
47 - Alex Guptill (45th)
47 - Jordan Topping (45th)


Points by Defensemen
13 - Les Lancaster (4th)
10 - Alex Breton (15th)
6 - Stepan Falkovsky (44th)


Goals by Defensemen
3 - Stepan Falkovsky (10th)
2 - Alex Breton (29th)
1 - Les Lancaster (52nd)
1 - Turner Ottenbreit  (52nd)


Assists by Defensemen
12 - Les Lancaster (5th)
8 - Alex Breton (11th)
5 - Jack Sadek (38th)


Save Percentage
.939 - Zach Sawchenko (3rd)
.914 - Dereck Baribeau (13th)
.907 - Jake Paterson (19th)



- If you can draw any conclusion from the individual stats above it would be how balanced scoring has been by the Americans this season.


-  Here is how the Americans rank in the ECHL in some critical statistical categories:

Goal differential:  4th (+12)
Average PIMS per game:  25th (9.56)
Power play:  22nd (11.3%)
Penalty kill:  6th (84.8%)
Ave. goals scored:  9th (3.39)
Ave. goals against:  5th (2.72)
Ave. shots for per game:  8th (33.06)
Ave. shots against per game:  19th (32.89)
Shooting percentage:  16th (10.3%)
Team save percentage:  4th (.917)


- The two stats above that standout are penalty minutes where Allen is ranked #25 averaging under 10 penalty minutes per game. The Americans have taken just four fighting majors and no 10 minute misconduct, game misconduct or match penalties.


- The other standout stat above is the team save percentage of .917 which is #4 in the league. Allen has allowed 49 goals in 18 games but 10 of those goals came in one game. If you eliminate that one game the Allen goalies have a save percentage of .930 which would be tops in the league.



OTHER COMMENTS


- Eight of Allen's 18 games have gone to overtime with none going to a shootout. The Americans overtime record is 6-2.


- Allen is ranked #17 in average attendance at 3801 per game. Fort Wayne has the highest average attendance (8038) and Wheeling has the lowest average attendance (2278).


- Allen's power play is ranked #22 at 11.3%. Newfoundland and Toledo have the best power play in the ECHL at 26.8%. The worst power play percentage is Florida's at 8.1%.


- Allen's penalty kill is ranked #6 at 84.8%. Orlando has the best penalty kill percentage (89.3%), Reading has the worst at 71.6%.


- I get asked all of the time about what is happening with the potential change of ownership of the Allen Americans and as you might imagine everyone is tight lipped and not saying anything officially. However, my reporting is a group is still actively working to buy the team. Stay tuned.

  


DID YOU KNOW: If you use the metric system, according to the Elite Prospects website, the current Allen roster is #2 in height at 187.57 centimeters (6'2") and #1 in weight at 90 kilograms (198 pounds). The Americans are the fourth youngest team in the ECHL with an average age of 24.10 years. 
 

ECHL Fighting Down Dramatically - The Rules and The Numbers

 I get a lot of questions about the big change in the number of fighting majors the Allen Americans have taken this season compared to prior seasons. Here are the number of fighting majors taken by Allen since 2016-17:

2016-17:  76
2017-18:  55
2018-19:  42
2019-20:  4 (through 18 games)

At the current pace Allen would finish this season with 16 fights. You would expect if Jake Doty, who has been loaned to the AHL (Ontario) since the beginning of the season, was in Allen the numbers would be much higher.


- There is no doubt fighting is slowly disappearing from all levels of hockey. The number of fights are less than half of what they were just 10 years ago. Here is a look at the ECHL numbers: 


- Close to 25% of the ECHL season in the books and the number of fighting penalties are down dramatically. When the ECHL changed the rules for 2019-20 to add suspensions for more than 10 fights by a player it was predictable it would have an impact on the number of fights. As a reminder, here is the rule:

ECHL Rule 23.7 - Suspensions - Fisticuffs Category: This rule has major changes for 2019-20:
When players reach 10 fighting majors they will be suspended for one game. Each subsequent fighting major will be a one game suspension. When a player reaches 14 fighting majors the suspension becomes two games.


- Here is the data:

Fighting majors through November 24th:
2018: 269
2019: 187

Five players are tied for most fights with four:
Matt Boudens - Fort Wayne Komets
Taylor Crunk - Rapid City Rush
Travis Howe - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Patrick McGrath- Utah Grizzlies
Ben Wilson - Kalamazoo Wings

Teams with most fights:
17 - Jacksonville Icemen
14 - Fort Wayne Komets
13 - Kalamazoo Wings
12 - Cincinnati Cyclones


- This is just an anecdote but I was talking to an off ice official recently who shared that he overheard a referee telling a player in the penalty box he was giving him a roughing penalty to help him out. It made me wonder if the number of roughing penalties this season have increased as the number of fighting penalties have decreased. I contacted my friend Joe Alsman, better known as "MavsFanJoe" who is the self described keeper of obscure data you have trouble finding elsewhere, to get the answer. Sure enough roughing penalties are up this season. It seems as if both the players and referees are trying not to cross the line from roughing to fighting. While the number of fighting penalties are down by 82 (269 to 187) this season the number of roughing penalties are up 46 (273 from 227).  


- While the new ECHL rule on suspensions has certainly had some impact on the number of fights the downward trend in fighting at all levels of hockey has been going on for many years. As the game has gotten faster there is no longer a role for players who just fight. In the ECHL where only 10 forwards typically dress for a game, players that fight also must be able to play a regular shift. The concern about head injuries/concussions has also had an impact on players willingness to drop the gloves.


- While the number of fights is on the decline the role of toughness and physicality is still part of the fabric of hockey. Here is a story from the Boston Herald that talks about how fighting and physicality has changed: https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/04/07/fighting-physicalitys-place-in-hockey-is-changing/ 


- Here is another good read on the subject that says in part. "Hockey, in one sense the most gladiator-like of all major sports, is changing. Long an integral and celebrated part of hockey, fighting is rapidly diminishing on the rinks of North America as injuries, rule changes, and cultural shifts around player welfare make the spectacle of settling scores by fist increasingly an anachronism. https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2019/1004/Last-of-the-enforcers-How-hockey-skated-away-from-fights



DID YOU KNOW: It is likely Allen will finish the 2019-20 season with fewer fights as a team than a single player had in past seasons. Here is a list of the players with the most fights each year since the start of the Allen Americans franchise.

2018-19:   Jake Doty (13 fights)
2017-18:   Josh Thrower (10 fights)
2016-17:   Derek Mathers  (29 fights)
2015-16:   Dyson Stevenson  (16 fights)
2014-15:   Garrett Clarke  (16 fights)
2013-14:   Garrett Klotz  (20 fights)
2012-13:   Garrett Clarke  (12 fights)
2011-12:   Brett Clouthier  (13 fights)
2010-11:   Liam Huculak  (15 fights)
2009-10:   Liam Huculak  (16 fights)
 

 

Another Overtime Win for Allen, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments, Stats and More

The Allen Americans finished a grueling weekend on Sunday with a 3-2 overtime win over the Wichita Thunder before a crowd of 3314 at INTRUST Bank Arena. Three games in three days against your biggest rival is exhausting. From when the puck dropped on Friday night to the final horn on Sunday the elapsed time was exactly 47 hours and 20 minutes. In that time Allen played three games, two of which went to overtime, and came away with five of six points. Throw in 12 hours of bus time to and from Wichita and you have quite the weekend.


- How exhausting was this three game series? Allen and Wichita combined for 97 shots on goal Friday night. By Sunday the combined total was just 52. The Americans went from their largest shot total (58) since joining the ECHL on Friday to their lowest shot total (28) of the season on Sunday.


- Allen allowed the first goal in all three games against Wichita. To come away with two wins and an overtime loss is a tribute to the comeback ability of this team. If you look at the combined totals for the weekend the Americans were outscored 4-1 in the first period but outscored the Thunder 6-1 in the third period.


- If you watched the game on Sunday it was apparent both teams were tired and the weekend had taken a toll. To make matters worse a couple of defensemen got dinged up during the game. With five defensemen in Iowa the team can't afford more defensemen out of the lineup. The team will find out today the extent of the injuries.


- The script on Sunday was a familiar one. Wichita scored first and took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. Alex Guptill tied the score early in the second period and that was the extent of the second period scoring. Guptill got his second goal of the game and seventh of the season midway through the third period (9:42) but Wichita countered exactly three minutes later (12:42). Neither team could break the 2-2 tie, so for the second time in as many days the game went to overtime. It took just 50 seconds for Alex Breton to steal the puck in his own zone, skate the length of the ice and score the game winner.


- Allen had a power play goal in all three games this weekend going 3-15 (20%). When you consider the Americans have just eight power play goals all season, getting three this weekend is a big step forward. Wichita, however, has given up a power play goal in eight straight games.


 - Here is the game recap issued by the Wichita Thunder:  https://www.wichitathunder.com/news/press-release/thunder-closes-weekend-with-ot-loss.html


- Here is the video highlight package from the game:

- I had the chance to touch base with coach Martinson after the game and got his comments:

"It was a good win to end the weekend. We played shorthanded with a couple of defensemen injured."

"Wichita made good shots on their goals with both going in off the post."

"Three games in less than 48 hours is tough but I thought we outplayed them consistently throughout the game."

"Cole Fraser has been getting a big hit in every game and it happens fast."



OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen has now scored at least one point in 12 of their last 13 games with a record of 9-1-2-0. The Americans lead the ECHL with 28 points.


- With the overtime win yesterday, 50% of Allen's 28 points have come from overtime games. The Americans are now 6-2 in overtime games. No other ECHL team has more than three overtime wins.


- With the win yesterday Jake Paterson improved his season record to 8-1-1-0. His eight wins is the second most in the ECHL trailing only Pat Nagle (Toledo) who has nine wins.


- There is a three way tie for the Allen scoring lead. Gabe Gagne (8G, 8A), Alex Guptill (7G, 9A) and Spencer Asuchak (5G, 11A) all have 16 points.


- Alex Guptill has a plus/minus of +13 which is the second best in the league. Jack Sadek is #2 among the ECHL defensemen at +10.


- The Americans do not play again until next weekend when they travel to Tulsa for games against the Oilers on Saturday and Sunday.



DID YOU KNOW: Allen has 13 wins in 18 games. The Americans didn't get their 13th win last season until January 16. Allen has 28 points on November 25, 2019 and is in first place. One year ago today the Americans were in last place with 10 points. What a difference a year makes!