Script Gets Flipped, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Rubber Game Preview, Allen's NYE Record, ECHL Players on Pace for 90 Points and More

 

A big Saturday night crowd of 5497 at the CUTX Event Center watched the Americans lose 5-1 to the Idaho Steelheads last night. As good as the Americans were in beating Idaho 6-2 Friday night they swere not ready for what Idaho brought to the ice last night. There are several reasons Idaho has the best record in the ECHL over the last two seasons and one of them is how the Steelheads play after a loss. Since the beginning of the 2022-23 season Idaho has never lost back to back games against the same team. 

 

- Both coaches talked about the same keys to winning this series and they have proven to be the difference in the first two games. Staying out of the penalty box was one key and the other key related to Allen getting out of its defensive zone. Allen want to exit its defensive zone with speed and skill. Idaho wants to put pressure on the Americans, create turnovers and slow Allen down exiting the defensive zone.

 

- Allen failed in both keys last night. The Americans struggled to get the puck out of the defensive zone. Idaho scored the first goal of the game on an Allen turnover behind the net. It was the only goal of the first period. Allen was able to come back from giving up the first goal on Friday night and win the game but that is a rarity against Idaho who has a record of 15-2-0-1 when scoring first.

 

- Despite trailing 1-0 after the first period Allen was still in the game. First period shots were close, favoring Idaho 11-9. The Steelheads had the better opportunities but the Americans were holding their own. That all changed in the second period.

 

- After just one minor penalty (against Idaho) in the first period, the second period had nine penalties and 33 penalty minutes. Six of the nine penalties and 25 of the 33 penalty minutes were against the Americans. When the dust settled on the second period Idaho had outshot Allen 16-6 and scored four unanswered goals including two power play goals to put the game out of reach. Idaho took a 2-0 lead early in the period on a Matt Register power play goal while Hank Crone was serving a double minor penalty for cross-checking. The game seemed to change after Idaho scored the power play goal to take the 2-0 lead. By the 7:39 mark of the second period the Steelheads had a 4-0 lead and there was no response from the Americans. Ty Fournier took a five minute major and game misconduct penalty for boarding and Idaho managed to score a second power play goal give Idaho a 5-0 lead.  The second period summary was four goals for Idaho to none for Allen. Two of the four Idaho goals were on the power play and a third goal was just as a penalty expired.  

 

- Allen managed to avoid a shutout when Hank Crone scored his eighth goal of the season assisted by Bennett MacArthur and Blake Murray. The goal extended Crone's point streak to 10 games which is the longest current point streak in the league. Blake Murray's assist was his fifth straight game with an assist which is currently the second longest assist streak in the league. Murray has played eight games for Allen and has 12 points (6G, 6A) for a 1.50 points per game average. Crone has played 19 games since joining Allen and now leads the team in points with 28 (8G, 20A) and has a 1.47 points per game average. 

 

- Here are links to game recaps from both teams and the video highlights:

• Allen Americans game recap: https://allenamericans.com/news/2023/12/game-recap-americans-fall-to-idaho-5-1
• Idaho Steelheads game recap: https://idahosteelheads.com/news/2023/12/steelheads-score-four-times-during-second-period-in-5-1-win 
• Video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/idaho-steelheads-vs-allen-americans-dec-30-2023
  

 

- Inconsistency has been an issue for Allen all season. After allowing just six goals during the Americans three game home win streak, it was back to five goals allowed last night. A reminder this series has the ECHL #1 team in goals scored per game (Idaho - 4.72) and the #28 team in goals allowed per game (Allen- 4.41). When Allen plays good defensive hockey and allows fewer than four goals in a game the Americans record is 9-2-0-0 (.818). When the Americans allow four or more goals their record is 2-15-1-0 (.139). 

 

-  Which Allen team shows up tonight will dictate if the Americans can meet the goal of winning two of three games in every series. Penalties cost Allen last night and they have to stay out of the penalty box tonight. Idaho was 2-8 on the power play and scored a third goal just after a penalty expired, while Allen was 0-4. 

 

- The Americans struggled getting the puck out of the defensive zone last night and they will have to do better tonight if they expect to win. The struggles in the defensive zone creates turnovers which reduces shots for Allen and increases shots for Idaho. That is why the Americans were doubled up on shots last night (41-20). Finally, Allen has given up the first goal in both games in this series. The Americans need to score first tonight.    

 

- Lots of changes in the Allen lineup tonight vs Idaho. Remember early start time of 6:10 pm CST.

 

Forwards

67 Crone - 21 Murray -18 Brodzinski

10 MacArthur - 11 Gould - 19 Puricelli

77 Hebert - 26 Asuchak - 5 Jacobs

                                       14 Fournier 

 

Defense

4 Myllari - 20 William

57 Farmer - 3 Gagnon

28 Jarvis - 44 Orzeck 

                  16 Gatenby

 

Goalies

34 Meriläinen

31 Sinclair (backup)

 

 

- If you watched the game last night you saw plenty of disagreements on the penalty calls. The referee scheduled tonight is the same referee as last night, #24 Andrew Bell.

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 - The Allen Americans New Year's Eve (NYE) game has become a tradition. In 2009-10 Allen played on the road and in 2015-16 they did not play on NYE, but every other season they have played at home. The Americans NYE fortunes have changed recently. In their first seven NYE games the Americans record was 7-0. Since 2017-18 the Americans record is 1-5.  Here are the NYE results:  

• 2022-23 - Lost to Wichita at home 7-3
• 2021-22 - Beat Idaho at home 4-1
• 2020-21 - Lost to Wichita at home 7-2
• 2019-20 - Lost to Idaho at home 6-5
• 2018-19 - Lost to Tulsa at home 3-1
• 2017-18 - Lost to Wichita at home 4-2
• 2016-17 - Beat Utah at home 8-4
• 2015-16 - Did Not Play on NYE
  
• 2014-15 - Beat Rapid City at home 5-3
• 2013-14 - Beat Wichita at home 5-3
• 2012-13 - Beat Quad City at home 4-0
• 2011-12 - Beat Laredo at home 3-2
• 2010-11 - Beat Tulsa at home 10-1
• 2009-10 - Beat Wichita on road 3-1

- There are 12 games on tap around the ECHL today with start times varying from 3:00 pm EST to 7:05 MST. Don't forget the Americans game is an early start with puck drop scheduled for 6:10 pm CST. Here are all the previews. https://echl.com/news/2023/12/echl-today-dec-31    

- The hottest team in the league right now is Toledo who has points in nine straight games with a record of 8-0-0-1. Toledo has taken over the league lead in points percentage from Idaho. Here are the three teams ahead of the pack with point percentages above. 700. Greenville is in fourth place in point percentage (.683) having fallen out of the .700 club with a record of 3-6-1-0 over the last 10 games.

• .778 - Toledo
• .776 - Idaho
• .750 - Kansas City
   

- DID YOU KNOW: Here is the ECHL stats post for today. It is interesting that Hank Crone is one of the few ECHL players on pace to score over 90 points this season. Crone missed the first 10 games of the season which is 35% of the season thus far:

Last season (2022-23) two ECHL players scored more than 90 points, both from Allen. Hank Crone had 105 points and Jack Combs had 95. Will any players reach 90 points this season?

 

Five ECHL players are currently on pace to reach 90+ points this season if they play in all remaining games for their team and maintain their current points per game average. Here are the projections: 

 

104 - Brandon Hawkins, Toledo

97 - Wade Murphy, Idaho

95 - Isaac Johnson, Newfoundland

92 - Peter Bates, Wichita

91 - Hank Crone, Allen 

 

It won’t be easy because these projections assume the player will not miss any games due to injury and will not get loaned or recalled to the AHL.

   

Allen Wins, Game Recap. Video Highlights, Costello Extended Comments, Tonight's Preview, My All-Star Player Pick, Points Leaders and More

 

Allen beat Idaho 6-2 last night and in the process handed the Steelheads their worst defeat since the 2021-22 season. The last time Idaho lost a game by four goals was April 9, 2022. The last time the Steelheads lost a game by more than four goals was January 14, 2017. A Friday night crowd of 3027 at the CUTX Event Center watched the Americans extend their home winning streak to three games. It was the third straight game Allen has allowed just two goals. Allowing two goals last night was particularly impressive since Idaho is the #1 scoring team in the ECHL averaging 4.71 goals per game.

 

- It didn't look good for Allen early when Idaho got on the scoreboard at the 6:17 mark of the first period with a power play goal. Idaho's record was 14-1-0-1 (.906) coming into the game when scoring first. Allen bounced back with a power play goal of its own at the 14:10 mark of the first period. Hank Crone scored his fourth power play goal to go along with 11 power play assists. The game was tied 1-1 after the first period and that presented another statistical challenge for Allen, which they overcame with the win. Prior to last night Allen was 0-7 when tied after the first period while Idaho was 8-0 when tied after the first period.

 

-  Allen blew the game open in the second period outscoring Idaho 3-0 despite being outshot 17-11. Kris Myllari scored his seventh goal of the season (tops among ECHL defensemen) and Easton Brodzinski scored his eighth and ninth goals of the season. Brodzinski has scored his nine goals in the last nine games and is now second on the Americans in goals. Colby McAuley leads the team with 15 goals but missed the game with an injury. He is listed as day to day but is unlikely to play tonight.

 

- Allen took a 4-1 lead into the second intermission and the stats turned in the Americans favor. Allen's record with a second period lead is now a lofty 8-1-0-0. Idaho's record when trailing after the second period is now 2-6-0-1.

 

- It was great to see Allen continue to push in the third period. The Americans added two goals, less than a minute apart, midway through the period to make the score 6-1. Solag Bakich scored his fourth goal of the season and Colin Jacobs, playing his first game for the Americans, lit the lamp. Allen gave up a meaningless goal to make the final score 6-2. I say meaningless but it would have been nice for goalie Leevi Meriläinen to have only one goal against. He was the difference maker in the game stopping 41 of 43 shots for a .953 save percentage. 

 

- Here are the game recaps and video highlights:

• Allen Americans game recap: https://allenamericans.com/news/2023/12/game-recap-americans-hand-idaho-6-2-loss
• Idaho Steelheads game recap: https://idahosteelheads.com/news/2023/12/demetrios-koumontzis-nets-first-pro-goal-in-loss-at-allen
• Video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/idaho-steelheads-vs-allen-americans-dec-29-2023  

 

- Both teams went 1-2 on the power play as both coaches accomplished one of their stated keys for the game, staying out of the penalty box. Both teams went 50% on the power play and improved their percentage slightly while retaining the #1 (Idaho - 31.7%) and #3 (Allen 27.2%) positions in the ECHL power play rankings. If you look at home vs road percentages Allen is #1 in the league at home (31.0%) and Idaho is #1 on the road (42.1%). Needless to say both teams will have staying out of the penalty box as a key to the game tonight.   

 

- It may not sound all that big but Allen's three game win streak is the longest win streak of the season for the Americans. Only four ECHL teams currently have longer win streaks than Allen:

• 7-0-0-1: Toledo
• 5-0-0-0: Orlando
• 4-0-0-0: Worcester
• 4-0-0-0: Kansas City
• 3-0-0-0: Allen
   

 

  - Allen has caught Idaho at a good time as the Steelheads have some key players injured, loaned to the AHL, called up to the AHL or left for Europe. Both goalies last night were playing in their first game for the Steelheads having just been signed. They had a combined four games played this season before arriving in Boise. Idaho will get no sympathy from Allen who has suffered by far the ECHL's most players on injured reserve this season. The Americans been at the bottom of the list for NHL/AHL contracted player assigned for much of the season.

 

-  The Americans will have their hands full trying to extend the home win streak to four games tonight. Idaho has not lost back to back games to a team since the 2021-22 season. Mark Sinclair will get the start in goal for the Americans. In his last outing he had 41 saves and a .953 save percentage in a win over Rapid City. Other than the change in goalie the lineup tonight is likely to be the same. If the Americans can repeat the effort from last night they will have a good chance of another win, but it won't be easy.

 

COACH'S COMMENTS

- Chad Costello met with the season ticket holders after the game and brought Easton Brodzinski (2 goals) along to share his thoughts on the game. Here is what they had to say:

"We played a very solid 60 minutes tonight against a very good team. Idaho is very hard to beat so we did something special tonight but we can't get too ahead of ourselves or we won't be playing the right way. We have to stick to the process and make sure everyone recognizes what they are doing and why we are having more success.".....Costello

"To me the team is buying in as a group, they are cheering for each other and you can probably feel the camaraderie all the way up in the stands.".....Costello

"We played together tonight, we have had some games in the past where it has been more individual efforts. We are coming together as a team and being able to put a full 60 minutes together with each and every guy contributing is pretty special. Having the crowd behind us every night hyping us up is appreciated. We will try and fix our home record over the next couple of games and get back after it.".....Brodzinski

"As a fan I was watching a Sidekicks soccer game recently and was doing the same stuff you probably do at our hockey games, saying things like try harder, shoot the puck, you guys suck, etc. So I get it for sure. However, as a coaching staff we have a process we are sticking to and we think it will work and we believe in our approach 100% no matter what anybody says. When we watch the video and if our approach isn't working that is when we make small adjustments to what we have to do. The players are catching on right now to what we are trying to do as a team with extra effort and buying into the defense. We want to defend and then attack with skill and speed. That is what you saw tonight and I thought we could have even more of it. We can't ride that roller coaster I rode when I was watching the Sidekicks, that is crazy, so I feel for you as fans. As coaches we have to remain patient, positive and persistent in getting the players to do this at a higher rate. That is what we have been doing recently in our three game home win streak.".....Costello

"Colin Jacobs is a good faceoff guy as you saw tonight and he takes pride in his faceoff ability. Faceoffs are important and anytime you are above 50% that is good. Over the last four or five games we have been over 60%.".....Costello

"Gavin Gould is an unreal player. I think he has assisted on my last five goals. It is nice to be out there with him. He is very shifty and he can get you the puck because he sees the ice so well. He wants to pass as he is a pass first type of player and when you are on the ice you have to be ready for his pass. He is definitely a great addition to this team and we are lucky to have him here."..... Brodzinski

"I tell the players all the time their careers are so short so don't waste time being grumpy at the rink, let me do that. Marty was even better at that than me. I say to the players before every single game to go out and enjoy it and have fun.".....Costello

"I think as players we are buying in more. Each and every guy wants to do better for the guy sitting next to him. That is one of the biggest things, we are finally starting to come together as a team and play for one another and focusing more on the defensive side than the offensive side.".....Brodzinski

"We will have some of the injured guys back very soon. Hebert looks game ready, Robidoux looks game ready and Skelly looks game ready. With the break those guys couldn't be on the ice but they will be ready very soon.".....Costello

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Hank Crone has played 18 games for Allen since being assigned by the Chicago Wolves in mid November. Hank is rocketing up the ECHL scoring chart having missed the first 10 games of the season. He has already had a seven game point streak and is currently on a nine game point streak. Crone's total for 18 games is 27 points (7G, 20A) and a points per game average of 1.50. 

 

- The ECHL All-Star game is scheduled for January 15 in Savannah. Each ECHL team gets a representative on the All-Star team. Last season Allen's representative was Liam Finlay. I have no idea who the Allen representative will be this season and I don't get a vote, but being a stats guy if I had a vote it would go to Kris Myllari. What Kris has accomplished this season is off the charts. To start with he is wearing the "C" for the team and hasn't missed a game all season. He was voted by his PHPA peers in the off season as the best defensive defensemen in the Western Conference. All Myllari has accomplished this season is to become the best offensive defenseman in the league. Check out these stats for Kris among all ECHL defensemen:

• #1 - Goals (7)
• #1 - Power play points (18)
• #1 - Power play goals (3)
• #1 - Power play assists (15)
• #2 - Points (27)
• #2 - Average points per game (.96), minimum 10 games played
  
• #4 - Assists (20) 

- With the win last night Allen has jumped over the .400 point percentage mark and is gaining ground in the standings. Here is the latest by point percentage with points in parenthesis:

• .768 - Idaho (43)
• .741 - Kansas City (43)
• .537 - Tulsa (29)
• .464 - Rapid City (26)
• .429 - Wichita (24)
• .411 - Allen (23)
• .346 - Utah (18)

- 24 of 28 ECHL teams will be in action tonight including all seven Mountain Division teams. In addition to Idaho at Allen, Kansas City is at Wichita, Tulsa is at Utah and Iowa is at Rapid City. Here is the ECHL Today with previews of all 12 games on the schedule: https://echl.com/news/2023/12/echl-today-dec-30

DID YOU KNOW: Offensive defensemen, ECHL points leaders among defensemen:

 

33 points (6G, 27A) - Jalen Smereck, Cincinnati

27 points (7G, 20A) - Kris Myllari, Allen

26 points (5G, 21A) - Patrick Kudla, Idaho

26 points (4G, 22A) - Jonny Tychonick, Newfoundland 

 

Power Play Points Leaders

18 points (3G, 15A) - Kris Myllari

14 points (3G, 11A) - Jonny Tychonick

13 points (1G, 12A) - Jalen Smereck

    

Allen vs Idaho Series Preview, Colin Jacobs Player Profile, One Team Dominates Plus/Minus Stats and More

 

It is game day for the Allen Americans as they open a three games in three days series against the Idaho Steelheads, the best team in the ECHL. How big of a challenge does Allen face? 

• Idaho hasn't lost back to back road games in two seasons.
• Idaho has the best record in the ECHL at 21-5-0-0 (.796). 
• Idaho's road record is 10-2-0-0 (.833). 
• Allen's regular season record against Idaho since the beginning of the 2022-23 season is 1-12-0-0 and in the one win Allen was outshot 45-19.

 

- A stats comparison between Allen and Idaho is one-sided as you would expect given the records . Here are some examples:

• Allen scores fewer goals per game: 3.4 vs 4.8
• Allen allows more goals per game: 4.5 vs 3.2
• Allen takes fewer shots per game: 28.9 vs 38.5
• Allen allows more shots per game: 42.0 vs 30.7
• Allen's team plus/minus is -171, Idaho's is +168
• Allen's goal differential is -30 (GF 91, GA 121), Idaho's is +44 (GF 130, GA 86)

 

- Allen's power play is ranked #3 in the ECHL at 26.7% (27-101). Idaho is even better ranked #1 at 31.3% (31-99). Both teams have matching penalty kill percentages at 78.8%. On a positive note Allen has scored three shorthanded goals this season and all have been against Idaho. 

 

- The Americans practiced last night at 7:45 pm because of ice availability as there was a Sidekicks soccer game on the main ice. Idaho was scheduled to practice at 9:00 pm. There were a lot of players on the ice when you consider Allen now has 30 players on the roster. Four or five of the players on injured reserve were practicing, however, none will be available for the game tonight. Colin Jacobs, who just signed with Allen will be in the lineup tonight wearing #5. 

 

- Allen's home record is 3-7-0-0 but the Americans won back to back home games against Rapid City before the Christmas break, winning 7-2 and 3-2. The goalie play was outstanding in both games. Leevi Meriläinen had a save percentage of .950 in the 7-2 win and Mark Sinclair had a save percentage of .953 in the 3-2 win. I would expect Meriläinen to get the start tonight and Sinclair on Saturday.

 

- In talking to coach Costello before practice last night about what it will take for Allen to beat Idaho, two points kept coming up. First, Allen needs to be better in getting the puck out of the defensive zone. Idaho is excellent at putting on pressure with its forecheck and the Americans need to move quickly with speed to overcome the pressure. The other key to the game mentioned by Costello is staying out of the penalty box. The stats tell you why staying out of the penalty box is critical. Idaho has a road power play percentage of 41.7% (15-36) and the Steelheads have scored a man advantage goal is 12 of their last 13 games. 

 

- Scoring first is always important but even more so in this series. Idaho is almost unbeatable when it scores first with a record of 14-1-0-1 (.906). Allen is 6-5-0-0 (.545) when scoring first.

 

- Here is an odd stat related to Allen and Idaho. The Americans are the only team in the league who have not won a game when tied after the first period (0-7) and Idaho is the only team in the league that has not lost a game when tied after the first period (8-0). 

 

- ECHL teams typically do a weekly update that recaps the prior week and previews the coming week. The update also has other good stats and info. Here is the weekly update issued by both teams:

• Allen Americans Weekly Update: https://allenamericans.com/news/2023/12/americans-weekly3
  

• Idaho Steelheads Weekly Update: https://idahosteelheads.com/news/2023/12/idaho-steelheads-weekly-week-10-122723
         

-  Allen's scoring in the five head to head games against Idaho is spread evenly with no player having more then two goals. Kris Myllari leads in points with five (1G, 4A). Hank Crone joined Allen for its second trip to Idaho and had four points (1G, 3A) in three games. Crone is currently on an eight game point streak with a total of 15 points (3G, 12A). 

- The referee scheduled tonight is #28 Rocco Stachowiak. This is his third season as an ECHL referee and he also works in the Western Hockey League. I can only find one game he has worked in Allen in the past. His bio says he has lived in Dallas in the past while working  for the NAHL, USHL and SPHL.  

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen's newly signed forward Colin Jacobs has been playing in Europe the last few seasons and has now returned home as he grew up in the DFW area (Coppell). The 6'3" and 215 pound forward was the fourth round draft choice of the Buffalo Sabres in the 2011 NHL draft. Jacobs left Texas to play junior hockey in the Western Hockey League for the Seattle Thunderbirds (4 years) and Prince George Cougars (1 year). Some of his teammates in juniors that have played for Allen include Jacob Doty, Zach Pochiro, Dallas Ehrhardt, Sam Ruopp, Jonathan Parker and Branden Troock.

 In his last year in juniors (2012-13) Colin led the Prince George Cougars in points (53), goals (25), assists (28) and was second in PIMS (98). Jacobs turned pro after the 2012-13 season and has played in 46 AHL games (2G, 5A), 236 ECHL games (Elmira, Atlanta, Toledo, Wichita, Kalamazoo and Utah) where he totaled 103 points (42G, 61A) and 414 PIMS. Jacobs spent the last five seasons in Europe (Slovakia, Hungary, Norway, Germany).

Coach Costello signed Jacobs because he was looking for a big, right shot center that was good on faceoffs, had some toughness and could chip in offensively. Jacobs will most likely play a third line center role for the Americans when everyone gets healthy.

When Jacobs was drafted, scouting reports described him as a strong skating center with good jump in his stride, the ability to make plays and could play with an edge. This season in Germany he played in 22 games and led his team in points (30), goals (14) and penalty minutes (56). Here is a highlight video from his time in Germany. There is no audio but look for #23:

Here is an interview with Colin from a few years ago when he got traded from Atlanta to Toledo:

- There are 12 games in the ECHL tonight with all seven Mountain Division teams in action and all will play three games in three nights. In addition to Idaho at Allen, Tulsa is at Utah and Iowa is at Rapid City. Wichita and Kansas City also play 3-in-3 but Friday and Saturday are in Wichita with Sunday in Kansas City. Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews: https://echl.com/news/2023/12/echl-today-dec-29

  

DID YOU KNOW: Here is the ECHL stats post for the day. Another stat that show just how strong Idaho is at both ends of the ice:

Stick taps to the Idaho Steelheads, dominating the ECHL plus/minus stat for the second straight season. Idaho had a team plus/minus of +571 in 2022-23 and is +168 thus far in 2023-24. Here are the individual leaders, almost exclusively Idaho Steelheads:

 

2023-24

+23 Ty Pelton-Byce, Idaho

+20 Patrick Kudla, Idaho

+20 Wade Murphy, Idaho

+19 Dawson Barteaux, Idaho

+19 Xavier Bernard, Fort Wayne 

 

2022-23

+53 Cody Haiskanen, Idaho

+53 Matt Register, Idaho

+38 Wade Murphy, Idaho

+36 Ryan Dmowski, Idaho

+35 Owen Headrick, Idaho

Stats, Stats and More Stats - Team and Individual

 

 The ECHL is on a break so decided to take some time this morning to take a look at where Allen stands across a variety of team and individual stats. If you don't like stats this might not not the blog for you. Here goes:

TEAM STATS

- The ECHL Stats post today (see DID YOU KNOW below) was about the ECHL teams with the biggest point percentage change between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here is a look at the Mountain Division teams. Stats include the Christmas point percentages with the Thanksgiving point percentages and difference in parenthesis. Biggest mover up in point percentage was Wichita and down was Utah. In general the top teams went down and the bottom teams went up but the gap is still quite large.

• .796 - Idaho (.875, down .079)
  
• .732 - Kansas City (.765, down .033)
  
• .558 - Tulsa (.563, down .005)
  
• .444 - Wichita (.368, up .076)
  
• .444 - Rapid City (.382, up .062)
  
• .389 - Allen (.344, up .045)
  
• .320 - Utah (.462, down .142) 

 

- Here is how Allen ranks among the 28 ECHL teams in some key stats: 

• #9: Ave. goals scored (3.37)
• #28: Ave. goals allowed (4.48)
• #24: Ave. shots for (28.85)
• #28: Ave. shots against: (41.96)
• #3: Power play percentage (26.7%)
• #16: Penalty kill percentage (78.8%)  
• #3: Ave. penalty minutes (16.96)
• #19: Team save percentage (.893)

For comparison here are the same stats from one year ago:

• #21: Ave. goals scored (2.88)
• #24: Ave. goals allowed (3.67)
• #23: Ave. shots for (29.42)
• #25: Ave, shots against: (35.04)
• #11: Power play percentage (21.0%)
• #11: Penalty kill percentage (82.6%)  
• #3: Ave. penalty minutes (16.58)
• #17: Team save percentage (.895)

The most telling conclusion from the stats above is this season Allen is better offensively and worse defensively than one year ago at this time. Allen is scoring 0.49 more goals per game but allowing 0.81 more goals per game than last season. Another was to look at this is in 2022-23 at the end of December Allen's average goal differential (goals for minus goals against) was -79. In 2023-24 the goal differential is -1.11.

- Special teams also reflect better offensively and worse defensively this season than last season. The power play is better, 26.7% vs 21.0% and the penalty kill is worse. 78.8% vs 82.6%.

- Scoring first is a key stat that gives a team a clear advantage. So far this season across the ECHL the team that scores first gets 72.5% of the points. The point percentage when scoring first ranges from .906 (Idaho) to .500 (Maine). Maine is the only team in the league with a lower point percentage than Allen (.545). Definitely an area for improvement going forward.

 

- How has Allen held leads and how often have the Americans come back when trailing. Here are the records:

• 7-0-1-0: Leading after 1st period
• 7-1-0-0: Leading after 2nd period
• 0-7-0-0: Tied after 1st period
• 1-4-0-0: Tied after 2nd period
• 3-9-0-0: Trailing after 1st period
• 2-11-1-0: Trailing after 2nd period

With the exception of the tied numbers above, Allen's records are typical. If a team has a lead they win the vast majority of the games and if they trail they lose the vast majority of games. The Americans record when tied after the first period of 0-7-0-0 is perplexing and the worst in the league. Allen does better trailing after the first period (3-9-0-0) than when tied. 

- Stats definitely show some strange things at times like the tied record above. Here is another one based on shots. Allen's record when outshooting opponents versus being outshot by opponents:

• 0-3-0-0: when outshooting opponents
• 10-13-1-0: when outshot by opponents

It doesn't happen often but outshooting opponents has not been a good sign this season.

INDIVIDUAL STATS

-   With 38% (27 of 72) of the season in the books here are the Allen stats leaders of players currently on the roster (active, reserve and IR). The ECHL rank is in parenthesis:

• Points
• 27: Colby McAuley (18th)
  
• 26: Hank Crone (22nd)
  
• 25: Kris Myllari (29th)
  

 

• Goals
• 15: Colby McAuley (5th)
  
• 8: Blake Murray (73rd)
• 7: Easton Brodzinski (97th)
  

• Assists
• 20: Hank Crone (11th)
  
• 19: Kris Myllari (12th)
• 12: Colby McAuley (71st) 

• Average Points Per Game (min. 12 games)
  
• 1.53: Hank Crone (1st)
  
• 1.17: Colton Hargrove (20th)
  
• 1.00: Colby McAuley (44th)
  

• Plus/Minus (Allen games only)
  
• +2: Ryan Gagnon (190th)
• +1: Easton Brodzinski (241st)
  
• +1: Justin Allen (241st)
• +1: Blake Murray (241st)
  

 

• PIMS
• 56: Mikael Robidoux (15th)
  
• 46: Ty Fournier (35th)  
• 35: Colby McAuley (58th)
  

• Ave. Penalty Minutes Per Game
  
• 9.33: Mikael Robidoux (1st)
• 2.19: Andrew Jarvis (46th)
  
• 2.09: Ty Fournier (55th)
  

 

• Shots
• 69: Colby McAuley (50th)
  
• 58: Kris Myllari (97th)
  
• 57: Hank Crone (100th)
  

 

• Shooting Percentage (min. 30 shots)
• 21.7%: Colby McAuley
  
• 20.6%: Easton Brodzinski
  
• 20.0%: Blake Murray
  

 

• Save Percentage (games played in parenthesis)
  
• .918: Kevin Mandolese (2)
  
• .914: Leevi Meriläinen (8)
• .899: Mark Sinclair (13)
• .875: Chase Perry (6)
  

 

• GAA
• 3.34: Leevi Meriläinen
  
• 3.53: Kevin Mandolese
• 4.31: Mark Sinclair
• 5.45: Chase Perry 

- How are the three teams in the Ottawa, Belleville and Allen affiliation doing?  Here are the stats:

• Ottawa is in last place in the eight team Atlantic Division with a 12-17-0 record.
• Belleville is in fifth place in the seven team North Division with a 11-11-2-2 record. Five teams will make the playoffs.
• Allen is in sixth place in the seven team Mountain Division with a 10-16-1-0 record. Four teams will make the playoffs.

 

 

- Plus/minus is not a great individual stat because a player can be great on a play and end up with a minus and do poorly on a play and get a plus. Team plus/minus also doesn't always tell the story. I decided to compare Allen's current plus/minus with the Kelly Cup championship teams of 2015 and 2016. Here are the team plus/minus stats:

2023-24: -171 (thru 27 games)

2015-16: -11

2014-15: +291 

2014-15 was the season Allen's top three in points also had plus/minus numbers greater than +30. How is this for a top trio on a Kelly Cup championship team.

• Chad Costello, 125 points, 41 goals, +43
• Gary Steffes, 73 points, 44 goals, +31
• Greger Hanson. 61 points, 28 goals, +35
  

 

DID YOU KNOW: How quickly fortunes can change. Here are the ECHL teams with the biggest moves up and down by point percentage between Thanksgiving & Christmas. Point percentage change is in parenthesis. A point percentage change of .100 or more, up or down, in a months time is significant:

 

UP

*South Carolina - .500 to .680 (+.180)

Reading - .333 to .458 (+.125)

Indy - .357 to .479 (+.122)

*Kalamazoo - .400 to .500 (+.100)

 

DOWN

*Trois Rivières - .733 to .482 (-.251)

Atlanta - .600 to .400 (-.200)

*Greenville - .875 to .714 (-.161)

Utah - .462 to .320 (-.142)

Iowa - .594 to .482 (-.112)

 

*Teams currently in playoff position (by point percentage)

 

Merry Christmas, Allen Wins Again, Game Recap. Video Highlights, Power Play on Historic Pace, Coaches Swap Bench Positions and More

Camden, Avery, Ashley (front), Chad, Cayne (back)

 

 I want to start the blog today by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays. I hope you all can spend time with friends and family. A special thank you to the Allen coaches, players and staff for giving me their time so I can write this blog. From the archives, the photo above is a Christmas photo of coach Costello and family from his playing days in Allen, 2016.

 

Two power play goals and a stolen puck from the goalie put into into an empty net led Allen to a 3-2 come from behind win last night over Rapid City. The second largest crowd of the season (5486) at the CUTX Event Center attended the Teddy Bear Toss game last night. They witnessed the Americans come back from 1-0 deficit after the first period and 2-1 early in the third period to secure a victory and head into the Christmas break with a two game win streak.

 

- It took until the midway point of the second period (10:57), when Kris Myllari scored a power play goal, for fans to let the teddy bears fly. The game was delayed just over eight minutes for the teddy bears to get collected from the ice. Last season just over 4000 bears and stuffed animals were collected to be donated to area hospitals. It will be a few days before the count from last night's teddy bear toss is known.

 

- Allen's power play was the difference last night (2-4) and in this series. The Americans power play was 6-13 (46.2%) in the three games against Rapid City and has now climbed to #3 in the ECHL with a power play percentage of 26.7%.. How does the current Allen power play compare to past seasons? If the Americans keep up the current rate all season it would be the best ever. Here is Allen's power play percentage for each season since joining the ECHL:

• 26.7% - 2023-24 (thru 25 games)
• 23.9% - 2022-23
• 18.5% - 2021-21
• 20.5% - 2020-21
• 18.5% - 2019-20
• 16.7% - 2018-19
• 17.1% - 2017-18
• 24.4% - 2016-17
• 21.1% - 2015-16*
• 21.9% - 2014-15*

*Won Kelly Cup

 

 - Allen clearly battled the odds to get the win last night. Here are a few examples:

• Allen gave up the first goal. Prior to last night the Americans were 2-12-0-0 when allowing the first goal.
• Allen trailed 1-0 after the first period. Prior to last night the Americans were 2-9-0-0 when trailing after the first period.
• Prior to last night Allen had won back to back games just once all season. 
• Allen outscored Rapid City 2-1 in the third period. Prior to last night Allen had scored 30 goals in the third period, but allowed 41, the highest in the league.
• Allen won despite being outshot 20-10 in the first period and 43-32 for the game. 

 

- Here are the game recaps from both teams with all the details: 

• Allen Americans: https://echl.com/videos/rapid-city-rush-vs-allen-americans-dec-23-2023
• Rapid City Rush: https://rapidcityrush.com/news/2023/12/allen-scores-twice-in-third-to-best-rush
  

 

- Goal scorers for Allen were Kris Myllari (6) and Blake Murray (7,8). It was Murray's fifth and sixth goal since joining Allen. Here are the video highlights.  https://echl.com/videos/rapid-city-rush-vs-allen-americans-dec-23-2023

- Here are a few examples of why Allen won the game:

• For the sixth time in December Allen allowed three or fewer goals. The Americans are 5-1 in those games. The five December games Allen allowed four or more goals its record was 0-5.
•  Goalie Mark Sinclair stopped 41 of 43 shots for a .953 save percentage.
• Blake Murray was the #1 star last night just like he was the #1 star in the win on Friday. His totals in the two wins, four goals on four shots, two assists and two game winning goals.
• Hank Crone continued his point streak with assists on both power play goals. He now leads the Americans in assists (20) even though he missed the first 10 games of the season. Crone is #3 in the ECHL in power play points (14) and power play assists (11).
  
•  Kris Myllari had a power play goal last night and is #1 in the ECHL in power play points (17) and power play assists (14). 

 

- You may have noticed after the 10-5 loss on Wednesday the coaches switched position on the bench for the games on Friday and Saturday. Coach Costello is now at the end with the defensemen and coach Gens is with the forwards. The two coaches discussed it and decided to give it a try. My observation is it takes less time to manage the six defensemen during the game than the 11 forwards. With Costello handling the defense he also has some time time to talk to the forwards. Whatever the process, you can be assured nothing will change given Allen is 2-0 since the coaches made the switch.    

OTHER COMMENTS

-  With the back to back wins over Rapid City the Americans have returned to the Mountain Division playoff race. The three teams in 4th thru 6th place have all played 27 games and are separated by just three points. 

• 24 points - Wichita
• 24 points - Rapid City
• 21 points - Allen

 

- It will be a tough task for Allen to gain ground on Wichita and Rapid City after the Christmas break and before the new year. The all have three December games remaining but the Americans have the toughest schedule. Here is the schedule:

• Allen - three home games against Idaho, the #1 team in the league (.796).
• Wichita - three games (2 home, 1 away) against Kansas City, the #3 team in the league (.732).
• Rapid City - three home games against Iowa, the #17 team in the league (.482).

 

- It was a good day for Allen fans with a win on Teddy Bear Toss day and also a good day for Allen Americans owner Myles Jack. He played for the first time since signing with Pittsburgh and was on the field calling the defensive signals for the Steelers. Even better, Myles had one of three Steelers sacks in the game as Pittsburgh beat Cincinnati 34-11.

- The Americans will now take a few days off for Christmas. Most of the players plan to stay in Allen but some will make a quick trip home to be with family. They Americans have ice on Wednesday and will start preparing for the Idaho series to close out the year. Here are the games and start times against Idaho next week:

• Friday, December 29 (7:10 pm)
• Saturday, December 30 (7:10 pm)
• Sunday, December 31 (6:10 pm)

 

- The ECHL All-Star game will be held in Savannah on January 15. It is strange the ECHL schedules games the same day as the All-Star game. There are three games that conflict with the All-Star game this season. Tulsa is at Allen, Cincinnati at Iowa and Maine at Reading. This has to create a dilemma for the players from these six teams selected for the All-Star team. I know in the past some of the players in this situation have opted to stay with their team rather than attended the All-Star game.  

 

DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL comers and goers from the standings:

 

A few weeks ago there were four ECHL teams with point percentages above .800. Today there are none and just four teams are above .700:

 

.796 - Idaho

.771 - Toledo

.732 - Kansas City

.714 - Greenville

 

 

Best & worst teams last 10 games:

 

BEST

9-1-0-0: South Carolina

8-1-0-1: Toledo

7-2-0-1: Adirondack

7-3-0-0: Idaho

7-3-0-0: Newfoundland 

 

WORST

1-9-0-0: Atlanta

1-8-1-0: Trois Rivières

2-8-0-0: Utah

 

 

Longest Streaks

 

WINNING

6 games (Toledo)

5 games (Reading)

5 games (South Carolina)

 

LOSING

7 games (Trois Rivières)

6 games (Utah)

 

 

Allen's Bounce Back Win, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Coaches Comments, Rubber Match Preview, ECHL All-Star Game and More

 

The Allen Americans bounced back in style last night. After losing to Rapid City by five goals (10-5) on Wednesday the Americans won by five goals last night. Allen held Rapid City to just two goals in a 7-2 victory before a crowd of 2887 at the CUTX Event Center. Allen's December record now stands at 4-5-0-0. When allowing fewer than four goals the December record is 4-1-0-0. Team defense and goaltending were both great in the game.

 

- Gavin Gould got the party started with an unassisted goal at the 5:33 mark of the first period. He intercepted a clearing attempt by the Rush goalie from behind the goal and put the puck into an open net. Later in the period Gould found Easton Brodzinski open in the slot with a nifty pass from behind the net and Allen had a 2-0 lead which it took into the first intermission. It was a good sign because Allen's record when leading after the first period is 7-0-1-0 and Rapid City's record when trailing after the first period is 1-8-1-0.

 

- Allen added to its lead in the second period with two power play goals. Blake Murray scored early in the period and Colby McAuley scored his league leading (tied) eighth power play goal late in the period to give Allen an insurmountable 4-0 lead after the second period.

 

- Leevi Meriläinen lost his shutout on a power play goal at the 1:27 mark of the third period but the outcome of the game was never in doubt. Rapid City cut the score to 5-2 at one point in the period but Allen added two more goals to make the final score 7-2. Allen outscored Rapid City 3-2 in the third period on goals by Hank Crone, Blake Murray and Easton Brodzinski. 

 

- Goal scorers for Allen were Gavin Gould (1), Easton Brodzinski (6,7), Blake Murray (5,6), Hank Crone (6) and Colby McAuley (15). Here are some stats on these goal scorers:

• Blake Murray was selected as the #1 star of the game with a three point night (2G, 1A). Since Murray arrived in Allen five games ago he has seven points (4G, 3A). He has a point in all five games.
  
• Hank Crone had a three point night (1G, 2A) to extend his point streak to seven games. In those seven games Hank has 14 points (3G, 10A). 
• Colby McAuley has 15 goals on the season to lead the team. Eight of his 15 goals have come in the last seven games. He also has 11 goals in the last 12 games. 
• Easton Brodzinski had two goals last night and now has seven goals in the last seven games after scoring no goals in his first 14 games.
   

- Goalie Leevi Meriläinen stopped 38 of 40 shots for a save percentage of .950. One of the two goals he allowed was a power play goal. 

- Allen's power play was 2-4 last night after going 2-5 in the loss on Wednesday. The Americans are now ranked #5 in the ECHL in power play percentage at 25.8%. 

 

- Winning or losing ECHL games by 5+ goals is rarity and having it happen in back to back games is even more rare. Allen has been inconsistent all season and nothing says inconsistency more than losing 10-5 followed by winning 7-2. Which Allen team will show up this afternoon. It will be a great opportunity for the Americans to show what they can do before a big crowd on Teddy Bear Toss day. If you didn't have a chance to read my story about the history of the Teddy Bear Toss, it is a good read and has a local connection. Here is a link to the story: https://allenamericansblog.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-history-of-teddy-bear-toss.html   

 

- Here is the game recap from both teams and the video highlights: 

• Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2023/12/offense-comes-alive-in-7-2-win-over-rapid-city
• Rapid City Rush: https://rapidcityrush.com/news/2023/12/rush-fall-7-2-to-americans
  
• Video Highlights: https://echl.com/videos/rapid-city-rush-vs-allen-americans-dec-22-2023 
   

-  As I mentioned yesterday if there is one key to Allen winning it is allowing three or fewer goals. If they can accomplish that this afternoon the team will meet coach Costello's goal of winning two of three games in every series. With that said here are some other keys to this rubber match game. 

• Score the first goal of the game. Leaguewide the team that scores first gets 73.6% of the points.
• Leading after the first period is critical. Allen and Rapid City have a combine record of 16-3-2-0. Odds are heavily in favor of the team leading after the first period.
• The team that wins the special teams battle will likely win the game. Allen is 4-9 (44.4%) on the power play in the first two games. 

 

COACHES COMMENTS

 - I had a chance to stop by the coaches office after the game and get their thoughts on the win and what they said to the team after the 10 -5 loss on Wednesday:

"I challenged the team to play harder, play more as a team, play more physical and with more pace.".....Costello

"I delivered this message in a certain way which was different than in the past and the team responded well and everyone contributed".....Costello

"Leevi played great in front a group of hard working forwards and defensemen.".....Costello

"I don't want to get too ahead of ourselves, but if we play like we did tonight I like our chances in getting back in the fight for the playoffs.".....Costello

"It takes time for some of these young players to develop and become consistent pros. With 20-25 games of development you are starting to see what they can do.".....Gens

"We are starting to get healthy and could see a couple of more players back soon. There is also a chance we could get players assigned by Belleville after the Christmas break".....Costello  

OTHER COMMENTS

- It is small progress but Allen's win last night along with Utah's loss to Idaho has the Americans out of last place in the Mountain Division:

• .788 - Idaho
• .732 - Kansas City
• .580 - Tulsa
• .462 - Rapid City
• .423 - Wichita
• .365 - Allen
• .333 -Utah

- Five Allen players are averaging over a point per game this season. Unfortunately two of the four are no longer playing:

• 1.50 - Hank Crone
• 1.17 - Colton Hargrove
• 1.17 - Matt Marcinew
• 1.04 - Colby McAuley
   

Blake Murray is averaging 1.40 points per game in the five games he has played in Allen but overall is at 0.76. Defenseman Kris Myllari is averaging 0.92 points per game which is ranked #3 among all regular ECHL defensemen.

 

-  It is another busy night around the ECHL with 12 games on the schedule. Kansas City is the only idle  Mountain Division team. Here are the previews: https://echl.com/news/2023/12/echl-today-dec-23
 

DID YOU KNOW: The 2024 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic takes place on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024.

In this year’s All-Star event, the host Savannah Ghost Pirates will take on a team of ECHL All-Stars representing the other teams in the League, as well as feature several Skills events which will count as a goal towards the winning Player’s team score. The 2024 ECHL All-Star Skills Competition will take place between periods of the game, with results counting towards the cumulative score. The first two periods of the game will be 5-on-5 while the final period will consist of 3-on-3.

 

All-Star players will be announced in early January following a vote of ECHL coaching staffs, captains, and media.

 

Savannah’s record is 9-14-3-1 (.407) which is the third lowest point percentage in the ECHL. Have to wonder how the Ghost Pirates will perform against the All-Stars.

 

The History of the Teddy Bear Toss Featuring Brad Lukowich

 

Brad Lukowich: Stanley Cup Champion & Teddy Bear Toss Champion

 

DFW hockey fans know the name Brad Lukowich from his 568 game, 13 year NHL career that included Stanley Cup championships with Dallas in 1999 and Tampa Bay in 2004. What many don't know is Brad is famous around the world as the first player recorded scoring a goal that triggered a Teddy Bear Toss.

 

- The Teddy Bear Toss was the brainchild of the Marketing Director, Don Larson, of the Kamloops Blazers (WHL) in 1993. How did Larsen come up with the idea? It all started with a truck according to an article from the local Kamloops paper (CFJC Today). Here is how Larson described how he came up with this marketing idea. "I was sitting at home one day, I think a truck went by and rattled the house and a little mini teddy bear fell of the mantle. For some stupid reason the idea popped into my head." It took some convincing by Larson to get the Kamloops management and the Western Hockey League to approve the idea but he got approval "to give it a shot."

 

- The first Teddy Bear Toss game just passed its 30 year anniversary. It happened in a game between the Kamloops Blazers and Portland Winterhawks on December 5, 1993. A 17 year old rookie defenseman, Brad Lukowich, scored the goal that sent the teddy bears flying and started a tradition that has been copied by amateur and professional hockey teams all over the world. It has grown outside of hockey to include basketball and soccer.

 

- Larsen expected around 200 bears would be tossed after the Lukowich goal in 1993 but to his surprise over 2400 were tossed on the ice. Other teams saw what happened and latched on to Larson's marketing idea and the rest is history.

 

- The record for the most Teddy Bears tossed has been an every moving number. Here are a few records from over the years I found from an internet search that claimed to be world records at the time. It is appropriate the AHL Hershey Bears have the title of king of the Teddy Bear Toss.

• 2400 - Kamloops Blazers (1993)
• 28,815 - Calgary Hitmen (2015)
• 34,798 - Hershey Bears (2018)
• 45,650 - Hershey Bears (2019)
• 52,341 - Hershey Bears (2022)

 

- Here is a video from after Hershey set a new record in 2022 that covers the history of the Teddy Bear Toss and all of the good that comes from these events. It is well worth watching and includes Brad Lukowich's first ever teddy bear toss goal from 1993.

 

 

 

- Hershey set another record for most bears collected last January 29th in a game that the officials opted to end early. There was a mutiny by the Hershey fans as the clock ticked down with their the team being shutout 2-0. Fans started throwing bears with 5.4 seconds left in the game so the referees ended it early. The final count was 67,309 bears and stuffed animals. When you consider there were 10,583 in attendance it averages  just over six bears per fan. The teddy bears and stuffed animals go to more than 35 local organizations in the Hershey area. The game was delayed 41 minutes while all the bears and stuffed animals were collected.

 

 

If you think you have seen a lot of teddy bears on the ice, check out this video from Hershey's record night last January 29. It is eight minutes long but worth every minute:

 

   

 

- While the NHL still allows fans to throw hats on the ice after hat tricks, the league will not allow any team to start a Teddy Bear Toss night. It is a matter of safety as well as the delay caused to pick up all the bears that would fly in a big arena. At NHL arenas, anything thrown from the stands would likely hit other fans. 

- Brad Lukowich, the player that started it all 30 years ago will be in attendance at the CUTX Event Center for Allen's Teddy Bear Toss this afternoon (Saturday). Remember game time is 4:10 pm CST. Brad lives in Celina, coaches youth hockey and owns a solar business called Power Play Solar. Brad will drop the ceremonial puck and will also meet fans and sign autographs from 3:00 pm to 3:50 pm right outside sections 115-116. When I talked to Brad about his memory of that very first teddy bear toss goal it was all about what happened afterward. As a teenager he got to deliver teddy bears to children who were in the hospital and that was so rewarding to him and gave him great satisfaction. So his memory wasn't about the goal but all  the good that came from the goal.     

DID YOU KNOW: One of the assists on Brad Lukowich's historic goal was from another future NHL player, Shane Doan. The 1993-94 season ended with the Kamloops Blazers winning the Memorial Cup (the national championship of Canada's three major junior hockey leagues).