The Week Ahead, PIMS Stats by Conference, Kelly Cup Champions PIMS Stats, Breakdown of 80 ECHL Shutouts and More

 

 

It is a typical Monday morning when you say Allen has three critical games this week with the playoffs on the line. Seems like that has been the case for many weeks. The good news is Allen just swept Rapid City on the road and is in second place in the Mountain Division which would give the Americans home ice for the first round of the playoffs. The bad news is Allen is two points from being out of the playoffs.

 

-  It is unusual for the Americans to play a team outside of the division and conference this late in the season. First year Savannah Ghost Pirates visit Allen this week for games on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. When the Allen schedule was released last summer, some pointed to this series as a good break for Allen since first year ECHL teams typically struggle. Savannah did just that, falling to last place in the South Division, a place it still holds. However, this series will not be an easy opportunity for a sweep. The standings are clearly deceiving as the Ghost Pirates arrive in Allen as one of the hottest teams in the ECHL. In the last month Savannah has a record of 8-3-0-0 (.727). Even more impressive is seven of the eight wins came against teams that are playoff bound. 

 

- Idaho has been Allen's Achilles heel this season with a perfect 8-0-0-0 record against the Americans. Idaho is in a class by itself this season, but every other Mountain Division team has earned points against the Steelheads, ranging from three to eight points. If you eliminate games against Idaho, the Americans have a record of 23-8-0-1 (.734) over the last three months. Making the playoffs as the #2 or #3 seed has to be the goal for Allen to avoid Idaho until the second round. Winning the Kelly Cup after winning the Brabham Cup rarely happens, but the Brabham Cup winner almost never loses in the first round of the playoffs. The #4 seed will almost certainly have an early playoff exit against #1 seed Idaho.   

 

- Here is how the week looks for the five division teams battling for three playoff spots. It could be a tough week for Utah playing Idaho three times. Teams that sweep the week or win two of three games will take a big step toward the playoffs. By Saturday night these five teams will have just two games remaining (Wichita), three games remaining (Kansas City, Utah, Rapid City) or four games remaining (Allen) in the regular season. The games in hand advantage for Allen will be crucial. Here is the schedule for this week.

• Allen (.523) hosts Savannah (.470) on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday
• Kansas City (.515) hosts Rapid City (.477) on Tuesday and visits Tulsa (.392) on Friday and Saturday
• Rapid City (.477) visits Kansas City (.515) on Tuesday, Wichita (.493) on Thursday and Friday
• Wichita (.493) hosts Tulsa (.392) on Wednesday, Rapid City (.477) on Thursday and Friday
• Utah (.508) visits Idaho (.826) on Wednesday and hosts Idaho on Friday and Saturday 

 

- I recently posted about the style of play being different between the two ECHL conferences as indicated by penalty minutes. I had a couple of questions about the PIMS Stats. Here is some additional information:

• 1000 PIMS teams: Western Conference 6 - Eastern Conference 1
• Total PIMS: Western Conference 13,914 - Eastern Conference 12,080
• Western Conference has the #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 and #6 ranked ECHL teams in PIMS
• Eastern Conference has the #24, #25, #26, and #28 ranked ECHL teams in PIMS

 

- Do high PIMS translate to championships? With one exception recent Kelly Cup champions have been 1000+ PIMS teams.

• 1644 PIMS - Allen, 2015
• 1189 PIMS - Allen, 2016
• 1415 PIMS - Colorado, 2017
• 1377 PIMS - Colorado, 2018
• 786 PIMS - Newfoundland, 2019
• 1305 PIMS - Fort Wayne, 2021 (PIMS adjusted to 72 games since Komets played only 51)
• 1071 PIMS - Florida, 2022

 

- Came across these stats while doing research on Savannah and Idaho. Very impressive attendance stats. Not sure if other teams have similar stats but these are impressive:

• Savannah - With one home game remaining the first year Ghost Pirates have sold out their arena (7300 hockey capacity) 32 of 35 games.
• Idaho - With two home games remaining the #1 team in the ECHL has sold out its arena (5002 hockey capacity) 32 of 34 games including 31 straight sellouts and counting.  

 

 

DID YOU KNOW:  The ECHL Stat post today is about shutouts. Allen has had one shutout this season. On January 28 in a home game, Chase Perry had 37 saves as the Allen Americans shutout the Tulsa Oilers 6-0.

There have been 80 ECHL shutouts this season ranging from 17-46 saves. One goalie has two of the top three shutouts with the most saves. The top three in shutout saves:

 

46 saves: Isaiah Saville, Savannah, defeated Fort Wayne 4-0 

43 saves: Mark Sinclair, Cincinnati, defeated Fort Wayne 6-0

42 saves: Isaiah Saville, Savannah, defeated South Carolina 5-0

 

Shutout breakdown by score

*0-0: 1 time

1-0: 7 times

2-0: 12 times

3-0: 20 times

4-0: 14 times

5-0: 13 times

6-0: 9 times

7-0: 3 times

**11-0: 1 time

 

*Savannah goalie Michael Bullion and Jacksonville goalie Parker Gahagen didn’t allow a goal in 60 minutes of regulation time and seven minutes of overtime. It took nine rounds of shootout before Savannah won the game 1-0.

 

**Tyler Wall (South Carolina) had just 17 saves in an 11-0 win over Cincinnati.

 

Allen Sweeps Rapid City with Comeback OT Thriller, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Week Ahead, Standings, ECHL Net Goal Leaders and More

 

There have been more than a few spectacular wins among the Allen American 33 wins this season. Given the circumstances, last night was one of the best as Allen defeated Rapid City 4-3 in overtime before a crowd of 4851 at The Monument Ice Center. Here is a partial list of what the Americans overcame to win the game last night and sweep Rapid City:

• Allen started the game with 14 skaters, missing Massicotte (recalled), Butcher (injury) and Finlay (injury).
• Mikael Robidoux left the game in the second period and didn't return so Allen played with 13 skaters.
• Rapid City scored the first goal. Allen's record when giving up the first goal was 11-22-0-1 (.338).
• Rapid City led 1-0 after the first period, Rush record at home with a first period lead is 12-3-1-0 (.781).
• Rapid City led 2-1 after the second period, Allen's road record when trailing after the second period was 1-13-0-0 (.071)
• Allen was outshot 41-17 over the first two periods.
• Trailing 3-1 in the third period Allen had an apparent goal disallowed.

 

- With all of the obstacles Allen found a way to stage a great comeback. The power play played a big role. After being scoreless in the first two games of the series the power play was 2-4 last night. Colton Hargrove had both power play goals. Allen trailed 1-0 after the first. Hargrove's first power play goal tied the score 1-1 early in the second period. Just 41 seconds later Rapid City regained the lead (2-1) which they took into the second intermission. The Rush outshot Allen 22-8 in the second period but thanks to some great saves by Chase Perry, the Americans were still in the game.

 

- Rapid City took a 3-1 lead early in the third period and it appeared Allen would have to settle for winning the series but not the game. Things went from bad to worse when an apparent goal by Grant Hebert to cut the scored to 3-2 was disallowed for goalie interference.

 

- The disallowed goal seemed to give the Americans energy. Three minutes later Colton Hargrove scored his second power play goal to cut the score the 3-2 and less than two minutes after the Hargrove goal, Jack Combs tied the score 3-3. Neither team was able to get the game winner over the last half of the third period. Allen won the third period 2-1 and outshot Rapid City 17-10 to earn a point and send the game to overtime.

 

- It took just 24 seconds into overtime for Allen to end the comeback with a win. Ironically, Grant Hebert, who had a goal disallowed earlier, was a big part of the overtime goal. Hebert won the opening faceoff, took the puck on a handoff from Kris Myllari behind the Allen net, skated the length of the ice beating two defenders and took a shot that was stopped and deflected into the corner. Hebert beat two guys in a puck battle in the corner and put the puck out front to Jack Combs who made no mistake putting a backhander by the goalie for the win.

 

- Coach Costello said after the overtime win on Friday it was a huge character win for Allen playing a desperate team on the road. You would have to say it was all that times two the way the team showed its character against an even more desperate Rapid City last night. Costello's quote after the game says it all, "This is one of the best wins I have ever been part of."

 

- In what could be an indication of what this team can deliver down the stretch. Allen won on Friday night (4-3) despite a rare night when the four 30 goal scorers were held scoreless. Last night the 30-goal group had all four goals. 

 

- Goal scorers for Allen were Colton Hargrove (36,37) and Jack Combs (32,33). Here are the video highlights. Note the role Hebert plays on the overtime goal. https://www.echl.com/en/video/2023/4/allen-americans-vs-rapid-city-rush---apr-1-2023-DXOAGhjQ     

- Game recaps:

Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/game-recap-combs-scores-overtime-winner-to-beat-rapid-city/

Rapid City Rush: https://www.rapidcityrush.com/en/news/2023/4/rapid-city-falls-in-ot-to-allen-4-3 

 

- Allen won't have long the celebrate the sweep in Rapid City. The Americans put themselves in an excellent position with the six points earned against the Rush. Yes, Allen is in second place in the division, but they are a mere two points from fifth place and out of the playoffs. Allen will host the Savannah Ghost Pirates for three games next week. Allen can't sleep on the Ghost Pirates. Savannah is in last place in the South Division out of playoff contention. However, only two teams (Idaho and Cincinnati) have more wins in the last 10 games than Savannah who is 7-3-0-0 in the last 10.

 

- You could see some roster changes this week with all of the injuries Allen sustained in Rapid City. Remember, Dalton Skelly was placed on injured reserve last week so he will not be available against Savannah. Zachary Massicotte did not play for Belleville last night after playing on Friday. Aidan Brown and Dalton Gally were not with the team in Rapid City but are healthy and available. It could be a busy week for general manager Costello.

 

- With his two power play goals last night, Colton Hargrove now has a total of 17 which is three more than any other player in the league. Hank Crone is tied for second with 14 power play goals. Allen has three of the top four in the ECHL in overall goals, #1 Crone (42), #2 Hargrove (37) and #4 Combs (33). 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- After the games last night, the Mountain Division standings remain very close. There won't be any changes today. There are eight games on the ECHL schedule today but only one Mountain Division team (Tulsa) plays. Here are the current standings by points with games remaining in parenthesis: 

• 109 points - Idaho (6)
• 68 points - Allen (7)
• 68 points - Kansas City (6)
• 67 points - Utah (6)
• 66 points - Wichita (5)
• 63 points - Rapid City (6)
• 51 points -Tulsa (8)

 

- Idaho clinched the regular season championship last night and now must deal with the Brabham Cup curse. A reminder the last team to win the Brabham Cup and Kelly Cup in the same year was the Alaska Aces in 2014. 

 

- Fort Wayne punched its ticket to the playoffs last night. All four Central Division playoff teams are now determined (Cincinnati, Toledo, Indy, Fort Wayne). The opposite is true in the South Division where no teams have qualified for the playoffs.

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: ECHL teams with the most and fewest net power plays goals this season. Net power goals are derived by subtracting shorthanded goals allowed from power play goals scored:

 

MOST

62 - South Carolina*

60 - Allen*

58 - Toledo*

57 - Newfoundland*

57 - Wichita*

 

FEWEST

21 - Norfolk

27 - Florida*

30 - Wheeling

31 - Iowa

31 - Kalamazoo 

 

*Teams currently in playoff positions.

  

Novak Hat Trick Leads Allen to OT Win, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Costello Comments, Great ECHL Performances Last Night and More

Rookie Jakov Novak, playing in his sixth pro game, scored his first pro hat trick last night including the overtime game winner to lead Allen to a 4-3 win over Rapid City. With the win the Americans moved into a tie for third place in the division with 66 points, just two points behind second place Kansas City

 

- It was another great start for Allen, scoring the first and only goal of the opening period when Stefan Fournier stuffed in a loose puck at the goal mouth at the 2:19 mark. Allen's record when scoring first is now 21-8-1-0 (.717). Allen's road record when leading after the first period is now 9-2-0-0 (.818).

 

- After the first period the teams traded goals over and over again. Rapid City would tie the score and then Allen would retake a one goal lead and the Rush would tie the score again. This pattern continued all the way to the overtime win. Jakov Novak gave Allen a 2-1 lead with his first goal in the second period, a 3-2 lead with his second goal in the third period and a 4-3 final score with his third goal in overtime. 

 

- Luke Peressini got the start in goal and face 42 shots in the game. He made 39 saves for a .929 save percentage to secure his team leading 16th win of the season. Goalies have been a big part of Allen earning four points in the first two games of the three-game series against Rapid City. Combined Perry and Peressini have faced 83 shots the last two nights and saved 79 for a save percentage of .952. Can't ask for much more from the goalies.

 

- You never want to play shorthanded when the team has to play three games in three days but that happened again last night. Allen started the game two players short. Zachary Missicotte was recalled to Belleville and played for the Senators. Chad Butcher is with the team but was not in the lineup, most likely from an injury from the game on Friday. Allen started the game with 15 skaters rather than 17 (5 defensemen, 10 forwards). It got worse when Liam Finlay left the game after the first period, so Allen played the last 40 minutes plus overtime with just 14 skaters. It will be a tired group for the game tonight. Hopefully Allen will get a player back, so they don't have to play with 14 skaters. 

 

- Mikael Robidoux had what by my count was his eighth fight of the season last night. That means he has one more fight remaining before he starts getting suspended for one game each time he fights. 

 

- Here are the game recaps from both team:

Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/americans-beat-rapid-city-in-ot/

Rapid City Rush: https://www.rapidcityrush.com/en/news/2023/3/rush-settle-for-a-point-in-ot-loss-to-allen-4-3 

 

- Here are the video highlights with the goals, the fight and some excellent saves: https://www.echl.com/en/video/2023/4/allen-americans-vs-rapid-city-rush---mar-31-2023-MCuwMqTJ

 

- Stats from the game

• Total Shots: 42-27 favoring Rapid City
• 1st Period Shots: 9-8 favoring Allen
• 2nd Period Shots: 17-7 favoring Rapid City
• 3rd Period Shots: 14-10 favoring Rapid City
• Overtime Shots: 3-1 favoring Rapid City
• Allen Power Play: 0-2
• Rapid City Power Play: 0-4
• Allen scored one goal in every period and in overtime.
• Allen's top four was held without a point.
• Rookies has three of the four goals and three of the six assists.
• Allen has won four straight against Rapid City.

 

- I had a chance to touch base with coach Costello this morning. Here are a few of his comments:

"Last night was a huge character win for us given we were playing so shorthanded. I am very proud of all of them."

"With us being so short bodies, we will need to play a very smart hockey game tonight to get a win."

"I won't know if any of the injures players will be in the lineup until later in the day."

"Chase Perry will be in goal tonight."

 

- Allen has scored first the last two nights and never trailed, leading to two victories. A good start again tonight will be a key to getting a sweep in this series. Both teams are scoreless on the power play though Allen had only three chances in two games. Would be nice to see a power play goal tonight from the Americans.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- The odd stat of the day has two parts. Allen has had seven hat tricks this season and five have been by rookies. The hat tricks have been scored in pairs so there may be another Novak hat trick on the way. Here are Allen's seven hat tricks in date order. Will the pattern continue?

• Liam Finlay - November 19
• Liam Finlay - January 28
• Colton Hargrove - February 4
• Colton Hargrove - February 15
• Hank Crone - March 4
• Hank Crone - March 16
• Jakov Novak - March 31
• Jakov Novak -???????? 

 

- Mountain Division teams have between six games (Wichita) and nine games (Tulsa) remaining. Here are the standings by points percentage with points in parenthesis:

• .823 - Idaho (107)
• .523 - Kansas City (68)
• .516 - Allen (66)
• .500 - Wichita (66)
• .500 - Utah (65)
• .477 - Rapid City (62)
• .389 - Tulsa (49)

 

- Just like last night, it is a big and important night in the ECHL tonight with all 28 teams in action. Mountain Division games are the same as last night. The winners last night were Allen, Utah, Kansas City and Maine.

• Allen at Rapid City
• Wichita at Utah
• Kansas City at Idaho
• Tulsa at Maine

Here is the ECHL Today with previews of all 14 games. Reading punched its ticket to the playoffs last night, becoming the sixth team to qualify for the playoffs. Fort Wayne and Maine can clinch playoff spots tonight. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/4/echl-today-april-1

 

- Playoff qualifiers by division:

• Central Division - Cincinnati, Toledo, Indy
• North Division - Newfoundland, Reading
• Mountain Division - Idaho
• South Division - None  

 

- Haven't posted this for a while. Here are the league leaders in points by rookies. Just four rookies have more than 60 points:

• 91 points (42G, 49A) - Hank Crone, Allen
• 76 points (25G, 51A) - Alex Ierullo, Greenville
• 68 points (31G, 37A) - Liam Finlay, Allen
• 65 point (30G, 55A) - Max Newton, Reading

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Great performances in the ECHL last night with three hat tricks and three shutouts. One team had both:

 

HAT TRICKS

Anthony Repaci, Worcester - included game winning OT goal

Kevin O’Neil, South Carolina

Jakov Novak, Allen - included game winning OT goal

 

SHUTOUTS

Tyler Wall, South Carolina - 17 saves in 11-0 win over CIN

Cale Morris, Norfolk - 19 saves in 4-0 win over NFL

Charles Williams, Jacksonville - 27 saves in 1-0 win over ORL

 

South Carolina, the #1 team in the South Division visited the #1 team in the Central Division, Cincinnati. South Carolina had a hat trick and a shutout, outshot the Cyclones 45-17 and outscored them 11-0.

 

Allen Wins 4-1, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Costello Comments, Massicotte Recalled, Standings Update, Roster Update, Rookie Goalies Shine and More

 

The Allen Americans used great defense led by goalie Chase Perry to defeat the Rapid City Rush 4-1 last night before a crowd of 2579 at The Monument Ice Arena. Perry stopped 40 of 41 shots (.976 save percentage) in a game that wasn't decided until the Americans scored two empty net goals at the end of the game. This was exactly the type of game coach Costello has said Allen needs to win to have success in the playoffs. 

 

- Colby McAuley scored the only goal of the first period at the 8:03 mark and the Americans never trailed the rest of the game. Kris Myllari scored the first of his two goals early in the second period (1:52) to give Allen a 2-0 lead. Alex Aleardi scored Rapid City's lone goal of the game midway through the second period to make the score 2-1. 

 

- Even though it was a tight game the Americans were well situated with a 2-1 lead after the second period. That has happened on the road 14 times this season and Allen's record in those games is 12-2-0-0. Neither team scored in the third period until Rapid City pulled its goalie with 1:36 remaining. Allen scored two empty nets goals (Kris Myllari & Mikael Robidoux) to make the final score 4-1. With the win Allen moved into fourth place in the Mountain Division in points (64) and is tied with Wichita for third place in points percentage (.508).

 

- Goal scorers for Allen were Colby McAuley (7), Kris Myllari (5,6), and Mikael Robidoux (9). For Myllari it was the first two goal game of his pro career. Hank Crone assisted on the first two goals. Here are the video highlights with the goals and some great saves: https://www.echl.com/en/video/2023/3/allen-americans-vs-rapid-city-rush---mar-30-2023-dYTEepJY

 

- Here are the game recaps from both teams:

Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/media/game-recap-americans-4-rapid-city-1-final/

Rapid City Rush:  https://www.rapidcityrush.com/en/news/2023/3/rush-dropped-by-allen-4-1

 

- Stats from the game:

• Allen scored in all three period (1, 2, 1).
• Rapid City outshot Allen 41-25 (1st period 15-9, 2nd 10-10, 3rd 16-6).
• Both teams were scoreless on the power play (Allen 0-1, Rapid City 0-3).
• With two assists in the game Hank Crone has 91 points and an eight-point lead in the scoring race.
• Allen allowed one goal in a game for the sixth time this season to go along with one shutout.

 

CHAD COSTELLO COACH'S COMMENTS

"We did a really good job managing the game."

"Chase Perry played great again and came up with some big saves when we needed them."

"We need to clean up our execution with the puck and our passing in the next two games."

"I liked the way we competed hard the entire game. That helped us win a tough road game."

"Liam Finlay's gear never arrived, that is why he wasn't in the lineup. We got it late in the night so he will be in the lineup on Friday."

"Massicotte has been recalled by Belleville."

 

 

TONIGHT'S PREVIEW

• With Zachary Massicotte recalled by Belleville the Americans are down to five defensemen. I am sure coach Costello is trying to find a way to get a sixth defenseman to Rapid City to bolster the lineup. Allen gets Liam Finlay back in the lineup tonight so will likely be playing one player short. Which goalie gets the start won't be known until Costello gets to the rink this morning.
• There were only four power plays in the game last night and Allen had just one. It didn't give Allen a chance to use its advantage on the power play. That will likely change tonight.
• Allen needs to reduce the shots allowed as the Americans were outshot by 16 last night (41-25). Allen's style of play produces more grade A chances on fewer shots, but Perry had to stop too many great shots last night.
• Allen had a good start last night and never relinquished the lead. That will be a key to the game again tonight. 

 

  

OTHER COMMENTS

 - Dalton Skelly was placed on injured reserve yesterday effective March 26. Injured reserve requires a player to sit out a minimum of 14 days (no maximum). 

 

- Allen was able to gain ground on every Mountain Division team last night. Here are the current standings by points with games remaining in parenthesis: 

• 107 points - Idaho (8)
• 66 points - Kansas City (8)
• 66 points - Wichita (7)
• 64 points - Allen (9)
• 63 points - Utah (8)
• 61 points - Rapid City (8)
• 48 points -Tulsa (10)

 

- It is a big and important night in the ECHL tonight with all 28 teams in action. Here are Mountain Division games:

• Allen at Rapid City
• Wichita at Utah
• Kansas City at Idaho
• Tulsa at Maine

Here is the ECHL Today with previews of all 14 games. Note Reading and Fort Wayne can clinch playoff spots tonight and Idaho can clinch the Brabham Cup. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/3/echl-today-march-31  

 

- I see lots of discussion about how much the Allen team has changed over the season, rather than being the same team that has turned the season around. When coach Costello says he has stuck with his players even when the team was in last place late in December, he is referring to the core group of players that have not changed during the season. Here is that group that was on the opening day roster and is still with the team:

 Goalies

• #31 - Luke Peressini

 

Defensemen

• #3 - Ryan Gagnon
• #4 - Kris Myllari
• #23 - Colton Saucerman
• #24 - Dalton Skelly

Forwards

• #7 - Colton Hargrove
• #15 - Liam Finlay
• #21 - Jack Combs
• #26 - Spencer Asuchak
• #28 - Justin Young
• #32 - Mikael Robidoux
• #67 - Hank Crone

 

- While the core group of 12 players is still with the team, Costello has made many changes during the season to upgrade the roster. Here are the 11 players on the current roster added since opening day, along with the date they played their first game for Allen. 

• Zachary Massicotte - November 4 (just recalled by Belleville)
  
• Aidan Brown - December 2
• Chad Butcher - December 9
• Dalton Gally - December 16
• Grant Hebert - January 11
• Chase Perry - January 13
• Colby McAuley - January 20
• Stefan Fournier - February 24
• Eric Williams - March 14
• Jakov Novak - March 19
• Ty Farmer - March 30 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: ECHL rookie goalies with most wins this season (save percentage is in parenthesis):

24 - Sebastian Cossa, Toledo (.914)

22 - Luke Cavallin, Newfoundland (.916)

21 - Zach Driscoll, Indy (.903)

20 - David Hrenak, Greenville (.901)

19 - Remi Poirier, Idaho (.928)

17 - Mark Sinclair, Cincinnati (.922)

 

- The last rookie goalie to earn 30 wins in a season was Kevin Carr (Tulsa) in 2014-15.

 

- The ECHL all-time record for wins by any goalie in a single season is 38, shared by two players:

 

Brian Eklund - Pensacola, 2003-04

Mark Michaud - Hampton Roads, 1993-94

  

Allen vs Rapid City Series Preview, ECHL Top Special Teams, First Women to Play Organized Hockey in Minnesota and More

 

Utah beat Wichita 8-5 at home last night to pass Allen for fourth place in the Mountain Division standings by points, but Allen has games in hand. Allen, Utah and Rapid City are in a battle for the fourth playoff spot. Here are the standings by points and points percentage for the fourth, fifth and sixth place with games remaining in parenthesis:

POINTS

• 4. 63 points - Utah (8 games)
• 5. 62 points - Allen (10 games)
• 6. 61 points - Rapid City (9 games)

POINTS PERCENTAGE

• 4. .500 - Allen
• 5. .492 - Utah
• 6. .484 - Rapid City
  

 

- How important is the game tonight when Allen takes on Rapid City? If Allen wins the Americans will be in fourth place by points. If they lose, they will be in sixth place.

 

- Allen will have a full lineup of 19 players for the series in Rapid City. Chad Butcher will be in the lineup for the first time since March 5. Rookie defenseman Ty Farmer will see his first pro action after signing with the Americans this week. Two goalies, six defensemen and 11 forwards made the trip. Aidan Brown, Dalton Gally and Dalton Skelly stayed home. Here is the roster for the Rapid City trip.

 

Goalies

• #31 - Luke Peressini
• #35 - Chase Perry

 

Defensemen

• #3 - Ryan Gagnon
• #4 - Kris Myllari
• #5 - Ty Farmer
• #20 - Eric Williams
• #23 - Colton Saucerman
• #49 - Zachary Massicotte

Forwards

• #7 - Colton Hargrove
• #10 - Jakov Novak
• #15 - Liam Finlay
• #17 - Chad Butcher
• #21 - Jack Combs
• #28 - Justin Young
• #29 - Colby McAuley
• #32 - Mikael Robidoux
• #44 - Stefan Fournier
• #67 - Hank Crone
• #77 - Grant Hebert

 

- Allen is 2-3-0-0 against Rapid City this season with all five games being played in Allen. The three losses (6-5, 8-2, 3-2) came in early December when the Americans were struggling. The two wins (3-2, 7-5) came in early March.

Stat Comparisons

1. Allen is 4-5-0-1 in its last 10 games; Rapid City is 6-4-0-0.
2. Allen has scored 221 goals and allowed 234 for a -12 goal differential.
3. Rapid City has scored 214 goals and allowed 239 for a -25 goal differential.
4. Allen averages 18.7 PIMS and 6 minor penalties per game
5. Rapid City averages 13.9 PIMS and 4.7 minor penalties per game
6. Allen is 19-8-1-0 (.696) when scoring first.
7. Rapid City is 23-11-1-0 (.671) when scoring first.
8. Allen's road power play is 23.6% (33-140), road penalty kill is 81.2% (26-138)
9. Rapid City's home power play is 17.5% (20-114), home penalty kill is 75.5% (27-110)

 

- Special teams are always a key but even more so in this series. You can see from the stats above Allen has a big advantage on special teams. If you add overall power play and penalty kill percentages together Allen is at 105.2% which is considered outstanding. Rapid City's percentage is 91.0% which is considered poor. Rapid City has the worst overall penalty kill percentage (75.2%) in the ECHL. Allen has to take advantage of its special teams in this series.

 

- Goaltending will also be a key to this series. With three games in three days, it is likely both teams will play two goalies. Here are the stats for the goalies:

Allen

• Luke Peressini - 31 games, 3.73 GAA, .892 save percentage.
• Chase Perry - 19 games, 3.20 GAA, .914 save percentage.

Rapid City

• Daniil Chechelev- 38 games, 3.59 GAA, .893 save percentage.
• Adam Carlson - 30 games, 3.36 GAA, .895 save percentage.

 

- Team defense is another key for the weekend and that covers everything from breakouts, getting shots on goal, avoiding turnovers in the neutral zone, fore checking, getting pucks in deep and goaltending. Allen is ranked #26 in shots allowed (35.6) and #23 in goals allowed (3.77). The Americans have allowed five or more goals in 60% of its games over the last seven weeks. Since February 1, Allen is 8-1-0-1 when allowing three or fewer goals. When allowing four or more goals the Americans are 3-8-0-0. It is hard to win trying to outscore bad defense.

 

- Don't forget the importance of playing with the lead. Allen is 17-4-0-0 with a first period lead and 21-3-1-0 with a second period lead. Rapid City is 16-4-1-0 with a first period lead and 20-2-1-0 with a second period lead. Playing from behind will be bad news for both teams in this series.

 

- Neither team plays a lot of overtime games. Allen has gone to overtime just six times (9.7%), fewer than any team in the league. Rapid City has just eight overtime games (12.7%). With that said, Rapid City is ranked #1 in the league in overtime and shootouts. Rapid City is 5-1 in overtimes and 2-0 in shootouts for a points percentage of .875. Allen is 3-1 in overtime and 1-1 in shootouts for a .667 points percentage.

 

- Linemates Hank Crone and Colton Hargrove have had their way against Rapid City. In the five head-to-head games both players have 11 points. Crone has seven goals and four assists. Hargrove has three goals and eight assists. Combined they are averaging 2.0 goals per game and 2.4 assists per game.

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- There are only two games in the ECHL tonight. In addition to Allen at Rapid City, Newfoundland is at Norfolk. With all other Mountain Division teams idle tonight is a great opportunity for Allen to gain ground on the field.

 

- Here is a video where the Idaho broadcaster (Cam McGuire) is interviewing coach Everett Sheen. The first few minutes of the video has coach Sheen talking about the three game series in Allen last week and the undefeated season (8-0) against the Americans. He also talks about the role Allen played last season in eliminating Idaho from making the playoffs for the first time since the team joined the ECHL in 2003-04. Allen was 6-1-1-0 against the Steelheads in 2021-22. https://youtu.be/tm6_0GVlFAw

 

 

- Here is another video you might find interesting. Bonnie Shea became the first girl to play organized hockey in Minnesota in 1951 and she is still playing at the age of 78. Here is her story: https://youtu.be/-8GNyYJoBi8

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Combined power play + penalty kill percentage of 105% is considered outstanding special teams play. Six ECHL teams currently meet the 105% standard. However, it doesn’t guarantee overall success. The teams overall rank in the ECHL standings by points percentage is in parenthesis:

 

 

110.0% - Toledo (3rd)

107.3% - Idaho (1st)

106.9% - Savannah (23rd)

105.5% - Fort Wayne (12th)

105.7% - Wichita (18th)

105.2% - Allen (19th)

 

 

Allen Heads to Rapid City, Player Profile - Defenseman Ty Farmer, Allen Flavor in 3ICE Draft, 500 PIMS Players Since 2018-19 and More

 

It is travel day for the Allen Americans as they fly to Rapid City tonight for a critical three game series against the Rush on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. All games will start at 8:05 CDT. I will have all the details tomorrow but expect Chad Butcher will be back in the lineup and Ty Farmer (wearing #5) to make his professional debut in Rapid City. Allen signed defenseman Farmer to an ATO (amateur tryout contract) yesterday. Here is his player profile.

 

 TY FARMER PLAYER PROFILE

Ty Farmer

 

Farmer is 25 years old, 5'11" 190 pound, right shot defenseman from O'Fallon, Missouri. O'Fallon is a large (91,000 pop) suburb of St. Louis. 

Farmer played for the University of North Dakota this season after spending his first four college seasons at the University of Massachusetts. 

If you read the story I did on Hank Crone (https://allenamericansblog.blogspot.com/2023/02/hank-crone-in-depth-interview-with.html) it is very similar to Ty Farmer's story. They both grew up as elite youth players, left home for the USHL at 16 to play against older players, bounced around to different teams until they ended up with the USHL Fargo Force and coach Cary Eades. He saw their potential and turned their careers around. Crone and Farmer didn't play in Fargo at the same time but were teammates on the USA Select Under-17 select team. The team was coached by Eades and finished second in the Five Nations Tournament in 2014, beating the host German team 8-2. 

Farmer played one season in Fargo (2017-18) and led all defensemen with 39 points (9G, 30A). The leading scorer on that team with 54 points (15G, 39A) is another familiar name to Allen fans, rookie Grant Hebert. Hebert and Farmer helped lead Fargo to the USHL championship (Clark Cup) in 2017-18.   

Here is an in-depth story about Ty from 2020 that will give you all of the details from his days in St. Louis to winning the Clark Cup against a team that traded him. This is a great read and good introduction to Farmer. https://dailycollegian.com/2020/04/i-dont-know-how-he-didnt-quit-through-all-the-hardship-ty-farmer-is-still-standing/    

Farmer played one season in Fargo and then moved on to college at the University of Massachusetts. In four years at UMass he played in 135 of 141 games and scored 44 points (11G, 33A). In 2021 UMass won its first National championship.

For his fifth year of hockey eligibility Farmer decided to transfer to the University of North Dakota. Here is a story about how and why that happened:  https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/und-hockey/umass-defenseman-ty-farmer-to-transfer-to-und-for-fifth-season

Here is a recent video of Ty talking about his hockey career: https://youtu.be/_33IaKUYbUs

 What type of player will Farmer be for the Americans? Here are a few quotes from his prior coaches:

"He has been around some wars. He's been on two championship teams, one in juniors and one in college. You can't have enough winners on your team."....Cary Eades Fargo Force

"He is an all-around defenseman, sometimes guys are labeled as an offensive or defensive guy. Farmer is an all around player with or without the puck. When he is on the ice you are going to notice a guy who is in control all the time.".....Brad Berry, University of North Dakota

"His skating allows him to play against top players because he is quick, fast and strong on his feet. The game is so fast now that being able to skate is a big deal.".....defensive coach

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Idaho has gone from missing the playoffs last season to a record setting season this year. Here is a story from John Wustrow of the Idaho Press about all of the potential records and why the team is so good. Part of the success is depth. Idaho's leader in points is ranked #19 in the league, the leading goal scorer is ranked #20 and the leader in assists is ranked #14. https://www.idahopress.com/sports/localpro/steelheads/steelheads-chasing-team-league-records-as-hockey-season-winds-down/article_df2d5dcc-cdac-11ed-8817-6bb727c8e0d5.html

 

- 3ICE announced its teams yesterday. Teams are selected through a draft. Here are the current and former Allen Americans players that were drafted. Five of the eight teams will have players with Allen connections. You can find the rosters for all eight teams and the schedule that begins on June 28 and runs through August 12 at https://www.3ice.com/   

• Team Johnston (blue team) - Chad Costello
• Team Murphy (green team) - Colton Hargrove, Hank Crone, Matt Register
• Team Fuhr (white team) - Jack Combs
• Team LeClair (black team) - Colton Saucerman
• Team Carbonneau (red team) - Jeremy Brodeur

 

DID YOU KNOW: Five currently active ECHL players have 500+ penalty minutes since 2018-19. Games played since 2018-19 is in parenthesis.

 

572 - Mike McKee, Tulsa (273)

523 - Mikael Robidoux, Allen (88)

520 - Sean Allen, Cincinnati (209)

507 - Loren Ulett, Kansas City (245)

506- James Melindy, Newfoundland (181)

 

All but Melindy play in the Western Conference

Practice Update, Mountain Division Schedule, Chris Brown Behind the Bench, Brabham Cup Winners, Tiebreakers and More

 

 It was back to practice yesterday for the Allen Americans and I think it is fair to say the team is coming into the final 10 games of the season as healthy as they have been in a very long time. From my observation and talking to the coaches afterwards the practice was fast paced, very spirited and fun. Maybe it is because Allen is relieved after playing five of its last eight games against Idaho without a win. Time to look forward to Rapid City and the team looks ready. 

 

- With five teams battling for three playoffs spots being separated by just five points, this week will be critical. Here are the matchups this week with current points percentage:

• Allen (.500) visits Rapid City (.484) on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
• Kansas City (.524) visits Idaho (.833) on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
• Wichita (.516) visits Utah (.369) on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
• Tulsa (.492) visits Maine (.595) on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

 

- Allen has 10 games remaining, five at home and five on the road. Here is a breakdown including Allen's record against each team:

• Rapid City: Three games at Rapid City (March 30, 31, April 1. Allen is 2-3-0-0 against the Rush this season.
• Savannah: Three home games (April 5, 7, 8). First games ever against Savannah.
• Tulsa: One game at Tulsa on April 9. Allen is 4-4-0-0 against the Oilers this season.
• Kansas City: one game at home on April 12. Allen is 4-1-0-0 against the Mavericks this season.
• Wichita: Allen finishes the season with two games against the Thunder. In Wichita on April 14 and in Allen on April 15. Allen's record against Wichita this season is 6-6-0-0.

 

-  Several of you have asked me about the new coach that has been behind the Allen bench recently. The new coach is Chris Brown, a friend of Chad Costello who is volunteering his time to help out. Chris grew up in Flower Mound and returns home after each hockey season. Brown, Costello and Jack Combs played together in Germany in 2017-18 for the Iserlohn Roosters of the DEL. While Costello and Combs have returned to North American, Brown is still playing in the DEL. 

Chris played his college hockey at the University of Michigan under famed coach Red Berenson. He was the second-round draft choice (#36 overall) of the NHL Phoenix Coyotes in 2009. Brown was a member of the U18 USA team that won the gold medal at the 2009 IIHF World U18 Championships. The US team beat Russia in the finals 5-0. Brown had a goal and assist in the game. The Russian team included future NHL stars Vladimir Tarasenko, Evgeni Kuznetsov, Dmitri Orlov and Nikita Zaytsev to name a few.

As an AHL rookie in 2012-13 playing for the Portland Pirates, Brown led all AHL rookies with 29 goals. Over his 11-year pro career Brown has the following games played:

• AHL: 299 games, 160 points (82G, 78A), 356 PIMS
• DEL: 261 games, 164 points (63G, 101A), 299 PIMS
• NHL: 23 games (Phoenix & Washington) 3 points (2G, 1A), 21 PIMS

 

- Here is the Mountain Division Update issued by the ECHL: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2023/3/mountain-division-notebook-march-27

 

- Former Allen forward Zane Franklin leads the ECHL in shooting percentage. Franklin has 16 goals in 66 shots for a 24.2 shooting percentage. Franklin's stats against Allen were eight games played, nine points (5G, 4A) and +11. 

 

- The NCAA Frozen Four takes place in Tampa on April 6 (Minnesota vs Boston U. and Michigan vs Quinnipiac) with the winners meeting championship game on April 8. With the season for all other teams now completed there are a lot of free agent hockey players looking for ATO's (amateur tryout contract) in the AHL and ECHL. Stay tuned.    

 

- I will have a complete Allen vs Rapid City series preview on Thursday. One stat that the Rush rank #1 in the league is overtime and shootouts. Rapid City is 5-1 in overtimes and 2-0 in shootouts for a points percentage of .875.   

 

- Idaho has all but locked up the Brabham Cup which is awarded to the ECHL regular season champion. Here are the Brabham Cup winners since Allen joined the ECHL in 2014-15. What do these teams all have in common? None added the Kelly Cup to the Brabham Cup.

• 2021-22: Toledo
• 2020-21: Florida
• 2019-20: Not awarded (COVID)
• 2018-19: Cincinnati
• 2017-18: Florida
• 2016-17: Toledo
• 2015-16: Missouri
• 2014-15: Toledo

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: ECHL teams have between 7-10 games remaining in the regular season. There are lots of close races in making the Kelly Cup playoffs and seeding in the playoffs. A reminder of how the ECHL break ties?

 

1. Regulation wins

2. Regulation + OT wins

3. Goal differential

4. Points, head-to-head (for two teams that have not played the same number of home games against the other tied team, the first game(s) played in the city that has the extra home game(s) shall not be included)

5. Winning percentage, division (if tied teams are from same division; if not, skip to 6)

6. Winning percentage, conference

7. Goals for, regular season

8. Goals against, regular season

9. Coin toss