Two Blogs for the Price of One, The Force Was With Allen on Star Wars Night in Wichita, Game Recap, Video Highlights and More

Want to start out today saying sorry for no blog post yesterday as a few of you look forward to the blog each day and that is always my intention. We have high school friends visiting from Minnesota and we ended up at an Urgent Care place yesterday morning. My hunting buddy of over 60 years had an eye issue and I was never able to get back in time to finish the blog. After being prescribed some pills, eye drops, and nasal spray he is on the mend and we are actually headed to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas today. No blog yesterday and blog posted early today, go figure!

In case there are any nuggets in the Tulsa recap from Thursday and to avoid deleting what I wrote yesterday morning, you get two game recaps for the price of one this morning.

 

ALLEN'S 5-2 LOSS TO TULSA (THURSDAY)

It was another loss to the Tulsa Oilers Thursday night for the Allen Americans. This time it was a 5-2 loss at home before a small crowd of 1730. Since the Americans beat Tulsa 8-0 back on January 16 they have lost five of six games to the Oilers. 

 

- Here are some of the keys to the game and stats that helped spell defeat:

• Allen allowed the first goal of the game. The team scoring first has won eight of the ten games between Allen and Tulsa this season.
• Allen was outshot in every period including 16-7 in the second period when Tulsa took a 3-0 lead. Total shots were Allen 24, Tulsa 39.
• Allen trailed 3-0 after the second period. The Americans record when trailing after the second period is now 3-20-3-0.
• Allen scored just two goals. It was the 21st time this season the Americans have scored two or fewer goals. That is 38% of their games scoring two or fewer goals. Allen's record in those 21 games is 1-17-2-1.
  

 

- After a scoreless first period the Oilers scored three unanswered goals in less than four minutes (8:07 to 11:57). The game was essentially over at that point. As they have done many times this season the Americans attempted a comeback, scoring twice early in the third period to cut the score to 3-2 before Tulsa pulled away to the final score of 5-2. The final blow was an empty net goal with 41 seconds remaining in which former Allen player, Jackson Leef, earned an assist. Leef led all players with four points in the game (1G, 3A).

- Allen's two goals came from Spencer Asuchak on the power play at 49 seconds of the third period. It was Asuchak's 20th goal of the season. Josh Winquist scored Allen's second goal. It was his fourth goal since joining the Americans nine games ago. Here are the video highlights: https://youtu.be/ihseMFm7QKI

 

- Game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/oilers-spoil-americans-plans/

 

- Game recap from the Tulsa Oilers: https://tulsaoilers.com/oilers-win-crucial-game-against-americans/

 

- Allen has struggled against Tulsa which has really hurt since the Oilers are the team Allen is battling for a playoff spot. The Americans have excelled against Idaho. Here is Allen's head to head record when playing the teams in the Mountain Division (in standings order):

• 0-3-2-0: Utah
• 2-3-0-0: Rapid City
• 6-1-1-0: Idaho
• 3-5-2-0: Tulsa
• 4-3-1-0: Kansas City
• 7-6-0-0: Wichita

 

- Allen is quickly running out of time to string some wins together. The Americans longest winning streak of the season (five games) came to an end on January 7. Allen was four games above .500. Since that time the Americans have stayed right around the .500 mark, most of the time one or two games above. With the loss last night the Americans are once again one game above .500. The Americans have just one winning streak longer than three games all season. They will have to do better than that over the final 16 games of the season.

 

- What is working in Allen's favor is all the teams in the Mountain Division, with the exception of the top two, are struggling. Here are the points earned over the last 10 games (in standings order):

• 12 points: Utah
• 14 points: Rapid City
• 4 points: Idaho
• 10 points: Tulsa
• 9 points: Allen
• 11 points: Kansas City
• 9 points: Wichita

 

 

ALLEN WINS 8-5 IN WICHITA (FRIDAY NIGHT)

 

 

It was Star Wars night in Wichita last night but the "Force" was with the Allen Americans as they beat the Thunder 8-5 before a huge crowd of 9041 at INTRUST Bank Arena. It was clearly an unusual game in many respects:

• Allen scored first 76 seconds after puck drop
• Allen scored three times in the first 212 seconds of the game and chased the starting Wichita goalie.
• Allen scored on its first two power play goals and were 2-3 overall.
• Wichita did not have a power play opportunity in the game.
• Allen scored the first three goals in the first and second period.
• Allen had leads of 3-0, 4-1 and 6-1.
• Allen and Wichita combined for nine goals in the second period and none in the third period.
• Allen and Wichita combined for 24 penalty minutes, with 22 of them in the second period. The first period had no penalties and the third period had a single minor penalty.
• Allen scored on its first, fourth and sixth shots of the game.
• Allen score eight goals on 30 shots, a 27% shooting average.
• Allen won 8-5 despite being outshot 34-30 in the game.
• Allen matched its highest goal production of the season. What was unusual last night was the Americans scored eight goals in the first 35 minutes of the game and were shutout the final 25 minutes of the game.
  

- Branden Troock got the party started at the 1:16 mark of the first period. Chad Costello (2:55) and Chad Butcher (3:32) quickly followed to make the score 3-0. The game was pretty much decided at that point as the Americans never had a lead of less than two goals the rest of the game. Allen built a 7-2 lead midway through the second period. Wichita scored two goals late in the period to close the gap to 8-5, but Allen was never really threatened though the defense broke down in the last half on the second period. 

 

- After nine goals in the second period it was a surprise neither team could scored in the third period. After a combined 27 shots in the second period the teams managed just 16 in the third.

- It was another second period lead for the Americans last night. This time it was an 8-5 lead. Allen is almost unbeatable when leading after the second period, with a record of 14-0-1-1.

- The goals scorers for Allen were Branden Troock (16,17), Chad Costello (25), Chad Butcher (8), Josh Winquist (8,9), J.C. Campagna (11) and Spencer Asuchak (21). Here are the video highlights: https://youtu.be/sP-McHjpU8M

 

 

 - Allen Americans game recap: https://allenamericans.com/media/game-recap-americans-offense-explodes-for-eight-goals/

 

- Wichita Thunder game recap: https://www.wichitathunder.com/en/news/peters-nets-hat-trick-in-loss-to-allen

 

- The win last night was important in the tight race to make the playoffs, especially after the disappointing loss at home to Tulsa on Thursday. Here are the current Mountain Division standings:

•  .625 - Utah
  
• .586 - Rapid City
• .526 - Tulsa
• .525 - Idaho
• .518 - Allen
• .484 - Kansas City
• .475 - Wichita

 

- While Allen is idle tonight, the two teams it is chasing for a playoff spot are in action. Tulsa is at home against Toledo and Idaho is at home against Utah. As strange as it sounds but true, given how close the race is for the final playoff spot, Allen could move from fifth to third place in the standings tonight if Tulsa and Idaho both lose in regulation time. This is how the standings would look:

 

• .518 - Allen
• .517 - Tulsa
• .516 - Idaho

 

- The 8-5 win last night was just the second time all season (1st in regulation time) Allen allowed five goals and won the game. Way back on November 17 the Americans were in Rapid City and won their only shootout of the season by a score of 6-5.

 

 

- As great as the win in Wichita was last night, the rematch with the Thunder on Sunday will be critical.
In the last two months, Allen has spent just one day when it was three games above the .500 mark in points percentage. The Americans have a chance to go three games above .500 with a win on Sunday. A loss on Sunday and Allen will be back to one game above .500, with three games on the road in Toledo next week.   

 

YESTERDAY'S DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post yesterday was about the players leading the ECHL in power play points: Here were the Allen leaders:

• 19 points - Chad Costello
• 12 points - Jack Combs
• 11 points - Spencer Asuchak
• 11 points - Eric Roy
  
• 11 points - Phil Beulieu

 

The odd stat of the day. With less than 20% of the ECHL season remaining, five players are tied for the most power play points with 22:

 

*Kris Bennett - Iowa

Zach O’Brien - Newfoundland

Marcus Crawford - Kansas City

Mike Lee - Kansas City

Jesse Schultz - Cincinnati 

 

*Rookie

 

 

TODAY'S DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about road power play goals. Allen is in the middle of the pack with 21 road power play goals. FYI, nine (50%) of Allen's league leading shorthanded goals allowed (18) have come on the road.  

Road power play goals by ECHL teams range from a high of 28 to a low of 13.

 

MOST

28 - Newfoundland

28 - Wheeling

28 - Kansas City

27 - Iowa

 

FEWEST

13 - Norfolk

15 - Kalamazoo

15 - Toledo

16 - Cincinnati

Allen Back in Playoff Spot, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments, Allen vs Tulsa Winner Takes Fourth Place Preview and 2nd Period Leads Stats

 

It was a big game and the Allen Americans put forth a big effort in beating Wichita 4-1 last night before a crowd of 2926 at the CUTX Event Center. With the win the Americans moved back into fourth place and the final playoff spot by the slimmest of margins in the tight Mountain Division standings. Allen and Tulsa are tied at .518 in the standings, but Allen's points percentage is .5182 while Tulsa is at .5175. Ironically, Tulsa is in Allen tonight to play the Americans with the winner taking over the fourth playoff spot.

 

- There were so many positives in the win against Wichita. It definitely had the feel of playoff hockey. 

Here are a few of the positives:

• Allen outshot Wichita 35-25 to improve its record when outshooting the opponent to 11-3-1-0.
• Allen had seven more shots than its average and allowed 10 fewer shots than average.
• Allen and Luke Peressini allowed one goal for the third time in the last six games.
  
• Allen scored first and had a 2-1 lead after the first period to improve its record when leading after the first period to 10-2-1-1.
• Allen had a 3-1 lead after the second period and improved its record with a second period lead to 13-0-1-1.
• Allen got great depth scoring. Of the four Allen goals, none came from the five players with 15+ goals this season.

 

- Goal scorers for Allen were Phil Beaulieu (4), Jared Bethune (6.7) and J.C. Campagna (10). Here are the video highlights: https://youtu.be/t2jMc1RaZ0Q

 

- Game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/americans-win-round-1-battle-against-wichita/

 

- Game recap from the Wichita Thunder: https://www.wichitathunder.com/en/news/thunder-falls-in-allen-4-1  

 

COACH'S CORNER WITH STEVE MARTINSON

"I liked the way we played, especially in the first two periods. We got depth scoring which really helps and we got goals by going to the net."

"It is a good night when we hold an opponent to 25 shots while we get 35." 

"The Costello line didn't score any goals had a lot of quality chances."

"Jack Combs did a good job of screening the goalie on Beau's goal.

"Frank Marotte will get the start in goal tonight."

"Branden Troock's injury is not serious. He has been cleared and I expect he will be in the lineup tonight."

"Nolan Kneen is not ready to play as he recovers from getting hit by a puck in Charlotte."

ALLEN VS TULSA PREVIEW

- The game tonight against Tulsa will be every bit as important as the win last night. The winner will take over fourth place in the division. 

- The question is will the game go like last Friday when Allen beat Tulsa 5-1 or like Saturday when the Oilers beat the Americans 7-3. 

- One thing is sure and that is Tulsa will put a lot of shots on goal as it leads the league in that category. Tulsa played on Tuesday in Kansas City, lost 4-3 in overtime but outshot the Mavericks 51-25.

- Allen has played Tulsa nine times this season, all since January 7. Allen's record in those nine games is 3-4-2-0 The Americans record in Allen is 1-2-0-0. The easy conclusion to draw from the games against Tulsa it is feast or famine for the Americans offense. The three Allen wins were 6-3, 8-0 and 5-1. The six losses were 4-2, 4-1, 2-1, 2-1, 5-4, and 7-3. In the Americans three wins they scored 19 total goals, in the six losses Allen scored a combined total of just 12 goals. 

 

- The keys to the game are the same whenever Allen plays Tulsa. Score first (the team scoring first has won seven of the nine games), win the special teams battle (Allen did in the three wins) and play good team defense from the forwards to the defensemen to the goalie. Odds are Tulsa will have a shot advantage but the Americans need to keep the shot total close. 

 

OTHER COMMENT

- J.C. Campagna continued his torrid scoring pace with another goal last night, his 10th goal in just 12 games. J.C. is now tied for sixth on the team in goals. Campagna's goal scoring streak is reminiscent of 2012-13 when Scott Howes started the season with Allen and scored 21 goals in 22 games. Scott was then promoted to the AHL and never returned. 

- Allen is playing Tulsa tonight and then getting on the bus to head to Wichita right after the game. The Americans play the Thunder tomorrow night, Wichita had to travel home after the loss in Allen last night and will play Toledo tonight before taking on the Americans tomorrow night. Then the Americans and Wichita will finish the weekend playing in Allen Sunday afternoon. Love the ECHL schedule.

- Chad Costello had an assist on Allen's first goal last night and is now in a three way tie for the ECHL scoring lead with 63 points. 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL Stats post today is about teams leading and trailing after the second period. Here is Allen's record:

• 10-2-1-1: Leading after the 1st period
• 13-0-1-1: Leading after the 2nd period
• 2-11-1-0: Trailing after the 1st period
• 3-19-3-0: Trailing after the 2nd period

It’s hard to find any perfect team stats this late in the ECHL season. Here are two perfect teams related to the 2nd period score:

 

- Adirondack is the only team perfect when leading after the 2nd period (15-0-0-0).

- Indy is the only team perfect when trailing after the 2nd period (0-23-0-0).

 

 

Some other second period lead stats:

- Cincinnati is 16-0-0-0 at home with a second period lead.

- Iowa is 10-0-0-0 on the road with a second period lead.

- Not perfect but very impressive is Newfoundland. The Growlers have had a second period lead in 59% of its games, with a record of 29-1-0-0.

Allen vs Wichita Preview, Nolan Kneen Returns, ECHL Schedule Favors Some Teams and More

 

 Crunch time starts for the Allen this week as the Americans play four games in five days against a couple of familiar foes:

• Tonight at home against Wichita
• Thursday at home against Tulsa
• Friday on road against Wichita
• Sunday at home against Wichita

 

- Wichita will have a lot to say about Allen's quest for a playoff spot. The teams have already played 12 times this season and they still have five games to go, starting tonight. They have split the first 12 games, 6-6-0-0, but the 12 games have been anything but even:

• Wichita won the first game, on opening night in Allen, by a score of 7-0
• Allen was 4-0 against the Thunder in December including three wins in Wichita
• Wichita was 3-0 against the Americans in February with two wins in Allen 

 

- It has been almost a month since Allen has played Wichita. Both teams have struggled to get into a playoff spot. Since they last met Allen is 3-3-1-0 and Wichita is 2-3-1-0. Allen is one game above .500 and Wichita is at .500, so you can see just how important this three game series is for both team. 

 

-  Both teams will play four game in five days. They will take a break in the three game series on Thursday with Allen entertaining Tulsa at home and Wichita taking on Toledo at home. 

 

- Wichita has a record of 5-3-2-0 over the last 10 games, Allen has a record of 4-5-1-0.

- A comparison of the two teams based on the 12 head to head games this season shows how closely matched they are:

• Goals - Wichita has more goals (43-38) which includes the 7-0 shutout on opening might.
• Shots - Wichita has the edge 367-362.
• Power Play: Allen 7-46 (15.2%%), Wichita 12-45 (26.7%)
• PIMS: Allen 154 PIMS (61 infractions), Wichita 169 PIMS (64 infractions)

- Here is a comparison of overall stats:

• Goals per game - Allen scores more (3.3 vs 2.9)
• Goals allowed per game - Allen allows more goals (3.5 vs 3.3)
• Shots per game - Wichita shoots more (31.2 vs 28.3)
• Shots allowed per game - Wichita allows more shots (36.8 vs 34.8)
• Team shooting percentage: Allen 11.4%, Wichita 9.2%
• Team save percentage: Allen .901, Wichita .912

 

- As always, special teams will be key in this three game series against Wichita. Allen's power play is ranked #17 at 18.4% (38-207) and Wichita's power play is ranked #8 at 21.5% (43-200). Penalty kill stats favor Wichita who is ranked #6 at 82.9% (36-211). Allen is ranked #16 at 80.2% (40-202). Wichita has scored eight shorthanded goals, Allen has scored seven. Allen has allowed 18 shorthanded goals compared to seven by Wichita.

 

- None of the 12 games Allen and Wichita have played this season have gone to overtime. If one of the games does get to overtime it will pit two teams that have a combined record in overtimes of 3-14. Allen is 1-6 and Wichita is 2-8. If a game happens to get to a shootout, Wichita has the edge 3-0 vs 1-1.

 

-  More stat facts:

• Scoring first hasn't been the magic bullet in this series. The team that scored first has won seven of the 12 games.

• What has been a good predictor of outcome is shots on goal. The team with the most shots has won 10 of the 12 games. 

 

 

- Defenseman Nolan Kneen arrives back in Allen today after being released from his PTO by Charlotte yesterday. Nolan was injured when hit by the puck in the last game he played for the Checkers (March 9) and just started skating again. While he is listed day to day, coach Martinson confirmed Kneen will not be in the lineup tonight. Martinson also confirmed Luke Peressini will get the start in goal. 

- The referee scheduled for the game is Riley Yerkovich (#7). It will be sixth time he has called a game in Allen this season. 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen has had a great rivalry with Wichita going back to the beginning of the franchise in 2009-10. Back in the CHL days both teams played a hard-nosed style of hockey with plenty of fisticuffs. You combine that with Allen's first championship in 2013, when the Americans beat Wichita in game seven of the finals in overtime and the rivalry reached new heights. Since joining the ECHL in 2014-15, Allen has dominated Wichita with a record of 62-18-8-5. Wichita has never won more than six games in a single season since these teams joined the ECHL. The Thunder can surpass that mark with a win tonight.

-  There are seven games in the ECHL tonight. Wichita at Allen is the only Mountain Division game. Here is the ECHL Today with previews: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2022/3/echl-today-march-16

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Six of Allen's last 10 games will be at home and 10 of the Americans remaining 18 games are at home. Here is the ECHL Stats post from today with teams that have a lot or very few home games remaining. 

As the ECHL season winds down and teams battle to make the playoffs or improve their position, the home vs road schedules vary widely. Here are some teams that will play most of their games at home or on the road. The most lopsided schedules:

 

Most games on the road:

Worcester - 12 of last 15 on road

Cincinnati - 10 of last 13 on road

Jacksonville - 9 of last 11 on road

 

Most games at home:

Trois Rivières - 10 of last 12 at home

Norfolk - 9 of last 11 at home

 

 

If you look at the final 10 games of the season for all ECHL teams, here are the teams with the most and fewest games at home:

 

Most home games of final 10:

8 - Norfolk

7 - Orlando

7 - Utah

 

Fewest home games of final 10:

2 - Jacksonville

3 - Cincinnati

3 - Iowa

3 - Kansas City

3 - Tulsa

3 - Worcester

Practice and Roster Update, AHL News, Allen's Goals Allowed, Best Teams Over Last 10 Games and More

 

I attended practice yesterday to get an update on the Allen Americans roster. It seems like every day there are roster changes and yesterday was no exception. Here is a status on the roster from my observations at practice and a discussion with coach Martinson:

 

- Kolten Olynek has been released. He played 19 games with Allen and had three points (0G, 3A). Olynek got caught up in a numbers game as the roster had to be trimmed.

 

- Ryan Lohin was recalled by Charlotte yesterday. Just like when Nolan Kneen was returned to Allen for the series in Cincinnati, the expectation was Lohin would be in Allen for more than two games. When Lohin arrived in Allen (March 3) he had played just one game for Charlotte since January 2 and was coming off an injury. In his two games with the Americans, Lohin had one assist. The Checkers have a game on Thursday so maybe Lohin will be in the lineup.

- Tyler Poulsen was at practice wearing the yellow no contact jersey. Tyler hasn't played since early February when he was sidelined with an injury. Tyler wasn't allowed to skate while he was out so conditioning will dictate his return. It is possible he could return before the end of the weekend.

 

- Zach Hall was also wearing a yellow no contact jersey but was a full participant in practice yesterday and looked like he is ready to play. Hall has been out of the lineup since February 16. He is listed as day to day so you could see him anytime.

 

- D-Jay Jerome was the third player in a no contact yellow jersey who also was a full participant in practice. Per coach Martinson, he will be available this week. Jerome last played in the Cincinnati series (February 27).

 

- Chad Butcher was practicing without the yellow jersey so he looks like he is ready to come back into the lineup, but a final decision won't be made until today.

 

- Newly acquired defenseman Nick Albano was at practice and will be ready to go. He didn't have a number assigned at practice but it looks like he will be wearing #5.

 

- Branden Troock, Ben Carroll and Andrew Jarvis were not at practice. Per coach Martinson, the team has not gotten the results of Troock's MRI so the extent of his injury is still unknown. 

 

- Martinson is confident despite all of the roster pluses, minuses and maybes, he will have a full lineup for the games this week.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Charlotte's roster still shows 12 defensemen and that number could increase as NHL and AHL teams are starting to sign a lot college players now that the college seasons are coming to an end. Between acquiring college players and injured players returning to the lineup in Charlotte, you have to expect it won't be long before Nolan Kneen is returned to Allen.

 

- Here is the latest AHL update on teams not in playoff positions. As I wrote last week a big factor in ECHL playoff success is the help teams get from their AHL affiliates. It is no secret if a team's AHL affiliate doesn't make the playoffs it can be a big help in getting players sent to the ECHL. Here are the AHL teams currently not in a playoff position with their ECHL affiliate. The ECHL team's rank in their division is in parenthesis (top four make the playoffs).

• Bridgeport Islanders - Worcester (3rd)
  
• Lehigh Valley Phantoms - Reading (1st)
  
• Syracuse Crunch - Orlando (4th)
  
• Cleveland Monsters - Kalamazoo (6th)
  
• Iowa Wild - Iowa (5th)
  
• Texas Stars - Idaho (3rd)
  
• Tuscon Roadrunners - Rapid City (2nd)
  
• San Jose Barracuda - Orlando (4th)

 

- Allen has 10 home games remaining with three of them this week. The Americans finish the season with six of their last eight games at home, including the final three (April 13,14,16) against Iowa. I am sure many Allen fans saw finishing the season against an expansion team that was mired in last place for much of the early part of the season as a big advantage. Turns out Iowa is now one of the hottest teams in the ECHL, with a record on 9-1-0-0 over the last 10 games. 

- Chad Costello continues to be in the thick of the ECHL points race. Four players have reached the 60 point plateau:

• 63 points (20G, 43A) - TJ Hensick, Toledo
• 63 points (15G, 48A) - Will Grader, Fort Wayne
• 62 points (24G, 38A) - Chad Costello, Allen
• 60 points (25G, 35A) - Blake Winiecki, Florida

 

 

- Allen gave up seven goals in the loss to Tulsa on Saturday, tied for the most goals allowed all season. That game was an aberration and disguises just how good the Americans have been in allowing goals over the last six weeks. Here are the goals allowed by the Americans over the last 19 games with the record for those games:

 

7 goals: 0-1-0-0

5 goals: 0-0-1-0

4 goals: 1-2-1-0

3 goals: 1-4-0-0

2 goals: 4-1-0-0

1 goal:  3-0-0-0

 

Maybe the most telling of these stats is the Americans have lost four of five games when allowing three goals. By the way, the lone win when allowing three goals was a 4-3 overtime win. 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL stats post today is about the best teams over a 10 game period right now. These are the teams playing well as the season winds down. Allen's record over the last 10 games is 4-5-1-0. There are 14 ECHL teams with more than four wins in the last 10 games and and just six teams with fewer than four wins. The Americans will clearly have to pick up the pace over the next 10 games if they have any hopes of making the playoffs. 

 

 

Having a points percentage of .800 or more over a 10 game period is great anytime of the season, but to accomplish that at this time of the season is especially satisfying. Here are the ECHL teams playing great down the stretch. Playoff contenders for sure. Best points percentages and records over the last 10 games:

 

.950: Reading, 9-0-0-1

.900: Atlanta , 9-1-0-0

.900: Iowa, 9-1-0-0

.800: Florida , 8-2-0-0

.800: Newfoundland, 8-2-0-0

   

 

Roster Update, It's Crunch Time, Player Profile - Defenseman Nick Albano, PIM Leaders and More

 

It is a new week and a new opportunity for the Allen Americans as they prepare to play four games in five days:

• Wednesday at home against Wichita
• Thursday at home against Tulsa
• Friday on road against Wichita
• Sunday at home against Wichita

 

- Allen now has 18 games remaining in the season. Here is a breakdown, including the opponents current points percentage: 

• 5 games (2H, 3A) - Wichita (.500)
• 4 games (3H, 1A) - Kansas City (.483)
• 3 games (2H, 1A) - Tulsa (.518)
• 3 games (0H, 3A) - Toledo (.700)
• 3 games (3H, 0A) - Iowa (.518)

 If the Americans win two thirds of the remaining games (12 of 18) they will finish with a points percentage of .549. Based on the current standings that would get Allen the #3 seed in the Mountain Division and the #12 ranked team in the ECHL. Allen hasn't won 12 of 18 games all season so it will be a big ask to accomplish that, and even if the Americans can make that happen, going into the playoffs as a #3 seed does not normally bode well for a deep playoff run. 

 

- The injury list is still long but hopefully the team will get some players back this week. Here are the players out with injuries: 

• Gavin Gould
  
• Chad Butcher 
  
• Ben Carroll
  
• Tyler Poulsen
  
• Andrew Jarvis
  
• Zach Hall
  
• D-Jay Jerome
• Branden Troock 

NICK ALBANO PLAYER PROFILE

-  Allen acquired defenseman Nick Albano over the weekend in a future considerations trade with Worcester. He is a 25 year old, 6'1", 190 pound, right shot rookie defenseman from Beverley, MA (Boston suburb). Steve Martinson has been looking to add a right shot defenseman for a while.

Albano has an interesting story as he was committed to play lacrosse in college but also played junior hockey and his love for hockey grew as his junior career took off. He credits his brother for convincing him to give up lacrosse and pursue hockey.  He wasn't offered an opportunity to play by any Division I hockey schools so he played at Division III UMass-Boston. As a freshman he was named National Division III Rookie of the Year and an All-American. He was named All-American all three seasons he spent at UMass-Boston.

Pro scouts don't normally spend a lot of time scouting D-III teams but Nick had a teammate, Colin Larkin (brother of NHL player Dylan Larkin) that garnered a lot of interest from NHL teams. Albano caught the eye of one of the scouts and was invited to the Boston Bruins development camp after his freshman season. It was a dream come true for a local kid that grew up as a huge Boston Bruins fan.

Some quotes about Albano:

"We had high expectations of Nick, he has exceeded those expectations quite a bit and really showed a lot of maturity as a freshman, He was a complete defenseman and his numbers reflect just how important he is to our team'".....college coach Peter Belisle

"Nick is a skilled player that will make plays with the puck and works extremely hard to get it back when we don't have it. I love the fact that he has second and third effort to his game."....Worcester coach David Cunniff

"Nick is a skilled defenseman that has good feet and deception reminiscent of Les Lancaster. He should be a good fit in Allen."...Allen coach Steve Martinson  

His stats:

• College - 79 games, 85 points (21G, 64A)
• ECHL - 28 games, 18 points (5G, 13A)
• AHL - 14 games, 3 points (0G, 3A)

 

- Here is a get to know you interview with Nick when he signed with Worcester last August: https://youtu.be/XwWy6IOkH1U

 

 OTHER COMMENTS

- Which Mountain Division teams have been playing the best hockey over the last 10 games? Here is the list with current points percentage in parenthesis:

• 7-1-0-2: Rapid City (.579)
• 6-4-0-0: Utah (.619)
• 5-3-2-0: Wichita (.500)
• 4-5-1-0: Allen (.509)
• 4-5-1-0: Kansas City (.483)
• 3-6-1-0: Tulsa (.518)
• 2-8-0-0: Idaho (.534)

 

- Another way to look at the standings is the number of games above or below .500:

• +14: Utah
• +9: Rapid City
• +4: Idaho
• +2: Tulsa
• +1: Allen
• 0: Wichita
• -2: Kansas City

This list shows how many games the bottom five teams need to win to catch the top two teams. When you consider the bottom five teams have between 12 (Kansas City) and 18 (Allen) games remaining, it will be difficult to catch the top two teams. It has come down to five teams battling for two playoff spots. 

 

- The most exciting division races are taking place in the Eastern Conference where the top two teams in the North and South Divisions are in a tight battle and are playing the best hockey in the league. In the North Division, second place Newfoundland, 8-2-0-0 in the last 10 games, is trying to chase down Reading, 9-0-0-1. In the South Division, second place Florida (8-2-0-0) is trying to chase down first place Atlanta (9-1-0-0). 

- The Allen player from the current roster with the most career penalty minutes is pretty easy to come up with, but the two players tied for second place might surprise you. Here are the top five in career penalty minutes with the Allen Americans (from the current roster):

• 507 minutes - Spencer Asuchak
• 118 minutes - Chad Costello
• 118 minutes - Darian Skeoch
• 82 minutes - Eric Roy
• 80 minutes - Dawson Butt
  

 

DID YOU KNOW: Six active ECHL players have 500+ penalty minutes since 2017-18:

 

637 - Mike McKee, Tulsa

536 - Yannick Turcotte, South Carolina

530 - Travis Howe, Jacksonville

518 - Garrett Klotz, Rapid City

503 - James Melindy, Newfoundland

500 - Justin Vaive, Cincinnati 

 

The all-time PIMS leader among active ECHL players:

1270 - Michael Pelech, Atlanta

Opportunity Lost, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Steve Martinson's Comments, Next Week's Challenge, ECHL's Best Home Records and More

 

It was a big opportunity lost by the Allen Americans as they were defeated in Tulsa last night by a score of 7-3 before a crowd of 5565 at the BOK Center. Rather than heading home in third place in the Mountain Division, Allen has dropped to fifth place and out of the playoffs. The Mountain Division is so tight right now it takes one loss to drop two spots in the standings. If there is a silver lining in the loss, it is the Americans will play four games next week with another opportunity to climb back into the playoff picture.

 

- It was how Allen lost that was so disappointing after winning three straight including a 5-1 win over Tulsa on Friday night. Here are a few examples that led to the disappointing loss:

• Allen allowed seven goals in a game for the first time in four months (November 13).
• The score was tied after the first period but the Americans were outshot 13-4.
• Allen had a combined total of seven shots in the first and third periods.
• Allen managed 12 shots in the second period but allowed 18.
• Overall shot total was 45-19, one of the most lopsided shot totals of the season.
• Allen allowed its league leading 18th shorthanded goal with a minute remaining in the game.
• Allen was 0-4 on the power play.

- Despite being outplayed and outshot, Allen had a chance to win until late in the third period. The Americans got off to a bad start from the opening puck drop. Tulsa took the first seven shots of the game and halfway thought the period had a 11-1 shot advantage. Allen was lucky to survive the first period scoreless, given the shot total of 13-4. 

 

- Allen broke the scoring ice early in the second period on J.C. Campagna's eighth goal since joining the Americans 11 games ago. Just when it looked like the Americans had seized the momentum, Tulsa proceeded to score four unanswered goals by the end of the second period, to take a 4-1 lead. When you consider Allen hasn't won a road game all season when trailing after the second period (0-11-3-0) it didn't look good.

 

- To their credit the Americans fought back in the third period, to close the gap to 4-3 on goals by Darian Skeoch, his first on the season, and J.C. Campagna's second goal of the game and ninth of the season. It looked like a comeback in the making when Campagna scored at the 12:09 mark with plenty of time to get the equalizer. Tulsa burst that bubble by scoring just eight seconds later to take a 5-3 lead and it was downhill from that point. The Oilers scored an empty net goal and shorthanded goal late in the period to make the final score 7-3.

 

- Here are the video highlights: https://youtu.be/wLgWMU0-MuU  

 

- Game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/americans-fall-to-tulsa-in-series-finale/

- Game recap issued by the Tulsa Oilers: https://tulsaoilers.com/gilmours-hat-trick-jettisons-oilers-over-allen/

 

COACH'S CORNER WITH STEVE MARTINSON

"We had too many puck turnovers and we were weak on puck pursuit. It is hard to win when you don't pressure the puck."

"Tulsa did a better job of getting pucks to the net with traffic in front."

"It was a simple case of will over skill. They clearly outworked us."

"We finally got back in the game in the third period and then immediately gave up a goal off a simple center ice faceoff loss."

"The empty net goal was the icing on the cake and showed how poorly we forechecked the entire game."

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen is now back to one game above .500 with 18 games remaining in the season. It is clearly crunch time and the next two weeks (7 games) will tell the story of the season for the Americans. Next week Allen plays four games in five days:

• Wednesday at home against Wichita
• Thursday at home against Tulsa
• Friday on road against Wichita
• Sunday at home against Wichita

Splitting these four games will not be good enough. Allen will have to get a minimum of six points next week.

The following week Allen will travel to Toledo for three games in three days (25, 26, 27) against the best team in the league. The Americans will have to find a way to win that series to stay in the playoff race. 

 

- Despite the loss last night the Americans continue to put together a stronger lineup and that should continue this week. Defensemen Nick Albano, who was acquired in a trade yesterday arrives in Allen today, Chad Butcher should return to the lineup this week and other injured players may return. Branden Troock will be out of the lineup and just how serious his injury is will be determined in the next day or two. The bottom line is there are now 27 players on the roster which is way too many once injured players start to return. The maximum a team can carry is 22 players (20 active plus two reserve) but because of the salary cap Allen can't afford 20 players on the active roster. Players on injured reserve don't count. You have to assume there will be roster moves this week to accommodate the addition of Albano and injured players returning to the lineup. 

 

- Idaho is the only Mountain Division team in action today. The Steelheads are in Toledo for a third game. Idaho is trying to snap a six game losing streak that has seen what was a comfortable lead for second place in the division just a month ago, with a points percentage above .610, to battling for a playoff spot with a points percentage of .526. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL stats post today is about the teams that play best at home. Allen's home points percentage is .538 on a record of 13-11-2-0. That ranks the Americans sixth in the division. Allen's road points percentage is .482 on a record of 11-12-4-1, which is the fourth best road record in the Mountain Division.  

 

To be successful you have to play well at home. The five ECHL teams with home points percentage above .700 with home record:

 

.739 - Reading, 15-4-3-1

.732 - Idaho, 20-7-1-0

.717 - Atlanta, 21-8-1-0

.714 - Toledo, 19-7-1-2

.714 - Fort Wayne, 19-7-2-0

 

Just two teams have a road points percentage above .700:

.741 - Florida, 19-5-4-1

.712 - Toledo, 18-7-0-0

  

Allen Wins Third Straight, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Steve Martinson's Comments, Rematch Preview and More

 

A big win in Tulsa last night vaulted Allen into a playoff spot in the Mountain Division. Allen beat the Oilers 5-1 before a crowd of 4818 at the BOK Center. The Americans used their depth and offensive power, with five different players scoring goals, to come away with a decisive victory. The win was the third straight for the Americans, just the fourth time all season they have won three in a row. 

 

- Here are some keys to the game:

• Allen scored first (in 7 of 8 games this season against Tulsa the team scoring first won).
• Allen led 2-0 after the first period (Allen's record with a 1st period lead is 9-2-1-1).
• Allen led 3-1 after the second period (Allen's record with a 2nd period lead is 12-0-1-1).
• Allen won the special teams battle (Allen was 1-2 on the power play, Tulsa was 0-3)
• Luke Peressini stopped 38 of 39 shots. Peressini's save percentage the three games was .974, .941 and .969. He has given up just four goals in the three games.
  
• Five different players scored goals, eight different players had assists. 

- Goal scorers for Allen were JD Dudek (5), Chad Costello (24), Kris Myllari (7), Josh Winquist (6) and Spencer Asuchak (19). In addition, Asuchak and J.C. Campagna had two assists in the game. Here are the video highlights: https://youtu.be/4-MceLHCKQU

 

- Game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/americans-win-the-opener-over-the-oilers-5-1/

 

Game recap from the Tulsa Oilers: https://tulsaoilers.com/oilers-fall-to-americans/

 

COACH'S CORNER WITH STEVE MARTINSON

"We had a lot of skill in the lineup last night. We are at a point now where every line can generate scoring opportunities on every shift."

"You could see our skill in action last night with three tap in goals after some great passing."

"I still have to finish doing a complete review of the game but we still have too many unforced errors. We are turning  over the puck in the neutral zone. The end result is we don't get a shot on goal and the turnovers often end up with a shot for our opponent."

"We are getting better and the results show that, but we are not where we want to be just yet."

"Branden Troock was injured in the game last night and will be replaced by Dawson Butt in the lineup tonight. We won't know how serious Troock's injury is until we get home and he gets an MRI."

"Luke Peressini will get the start in goal tonight. I thought he was the #1 star of the game last night."

"We have been playing with five defensemen for a while. I have made a trade for another defenseman that will be announced later today."

 

 

REMATCH PREVIEW

- As big as the game was last night, another win by the Americans tonight will have them head home in fourth place (at a minimum). If Idaho loses in Toledo, the Americans will head home in third place in the division. On the other hand, if the Americans lose tonight they will be flirting with .500 again.

 

- Allen has won three straight games which is the second longest win streak in the ECHL right now. The Americans have scored a power play goal in each game of the win streak going a total of 3-7 (42.9%). The penalty kill has been perfect over the last three games (0-7). 

 

- Allen outshot Tulsa 23-20 over the first two periods but were out shot in the third period 19-6 despite outscoring the Oilers 2-0. Avoiding a lopsided period in terms of shots, like the third period last night will be a key tonight.

OTHER COMMENTS

- The Americans have plenty of opportunities to gain on the teams ahead of them in the standings if they continue to play well. Allen has four games in hand over third place Idaho and second place Rapid City. They have five games in hand over first place Utah. 

 

- Current Mountain Division Standings with ECHL points percentage rank in parenthesis:

• .612 - Utah (7th)
  
• .579 - Rapid City (9th)
  
• .535 - Idaho (14th)
  
• .519 - Allen (15th)
  
• .509 - Tulsa (18th)
  
• .500 - Wichita (21st)
  
• .492 - Kansas City (22nd)

 

- With a goal and an assist last night, Chad Costello now has 61 points (24G, 37A) and is tied for the ECHL scoring lead. Jack Combs is ranked #11 with 52 points (18G, 34A).

- There are 11 games in the ECHL tonight with five Mountain Division teams in action. In addition to Allen at Tulsa, Kansas City is at Utah and Idaho is at Toledo. Rapid City is idle until the 18th and Wichita's next game is in Allen next Wednesday. Here is the ECHL Today with a preview of the 11 games on tap tonight. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2022/3/echl-today-march-12

 

- Luke Peressini has been outstanding in goal since joining the Allen Americans but especially recently. His record in Allen is now 5-3-0-0 with a GAA of 2.27 and a .936 save percentage.

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL stats page today is about top scorers since the beginning of last season. Spencer Asuchak leads Allen in scoring with 82 points (40G, 42A).

 

Just four ECHL players have 100+ points since the beginning of last season (2020-21).

123 - John McCarron, Florida

109 - Darik Angeli, Kansas City

101 - Aaron Luchuk, Orlando

101 - Patrick Watling, Wheeling

 

Also close to 100 points:

99 - Tristan Langan, Orlando

99 - Joe Pendenza, Florida