On a night when superstition said expect the unexpected, the Allen Americans simply did what they’ve been doing all season—find a way to win. In a tense Friday the 13th showdown with the Idaho Steelheads, the first period passed quietly with no scoring before Allen struck first, early in the second period (1:47). The Americans' best period all season has been the second, a +29 goal differential compared to a -8 in the first period.
- Andre Anania was the goal scorer, assisted by Lukas Sillinger, and Braidan Simmons-Fischer Allen took a 1-0 lead into the second intermission, and the Americans are nearly automatic when leading after two periods, now 22-0-2-0. However, Idaho managed to tie the score 1-1 in the third period to force overtime. After a scoreless overtime, the shootout belonged to Allen. Michael Gildon and Colton Hargrove both buried their chances, while Jackson Parsons slammed the door on Idaho’s attempts to seal a 2–1 victory. Parsons was spectacular all night, turning aside 44 of 45 shots for a sparkling .978 save percentage and proving that if anyone was cursed on Friday the 13th, it definitely wasn’t Parsons or the Americans.
- There are a lot of ways to analyze a hockey game, but the predictability of scoring first and having a lead after the second period is hard to beat. After last night, Allen's record when scoring first is 21-2-3-0 (.865). It is hard to believe that 57 games into the season, the Americans have yet to lose a game in regulation with a second-period lead (22-0-2-0). FYI, Wheeling is the only ECHL team that has not lost a game when leading after the second period (24-0-0-0).
- Allen (2-0) and Idaho (4-0) were both undefeated going into the shootout. After last night, Allen has converted on 6 of 9 shootout attempts, far and away the best percentage in the league. Here are the top five:
- .667 - Allen (6 of 9)
- .444 - Rapid City (4 of 9)
- .409 - Idaho (9 of 22)
- .375 - Adirondack (6 of 16)
- .348 - Indy (8 of 23)
- I was asked after the game last night who had taken the shootout shots this season. Here are all nine of them:
- 3 for 3 - Michael Gildon
- 1 for 1 - Colton Hargrove (also scored on a penalty shot)
- 1 for 1 - Danny Katic
- 1 for 2 - Hank Crone
- 0 for 1 - Brayden Watts
- 0 for 1 - Mark Duarte
- Here are the game recaps from both teams and the video highlights:
- Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/03/game-recap-americans-take-down-idaho-in-a-shootout
- Idaho Steelheads: https://idahosteelheads.com/news/2026/03/steelheads-pick-up-point-in-shootout-loss-to-americans
- Video highlights: https://echl.com/videos/idaho-steelheads-vs-allen-americans-mar-13-2026
- If you want all of the preview stats, look at the blog from yesterday, but it is pretty clear that the team that scores first and maintains the lead has a huge advantage and will win the game tonight. Goalie play at both ends of the ice was key last night. They will be a big key again tonight.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Here are the game notes issued by the Allen Americans for the game tonight: https://allenamericans.com/news/2026/03/wizard-night-in-dfw
- Allen, Kansas City, and Wichita won last night. The losers were Idaho, Tahoe, and Rapid City. Here are the Mountain Division standings by points with games remaining in parentheses:
- Kansas City defenseman, Marcus Crawford, had a goal and an assist last night in the Mavericks' win over Tahoe. Crawford is averaging 1.26 points per game, 73 points (13G, 60A) in 58 games. He has a 13-point lead in the scoring race over Brandon Hawkins, who won the scoring title the last two seasons. Crawford is the big favorite to win the MVP award this season, which would be quite an accomplishment. The one and only time a defenseman won the ECHL MVP Award was in 1999, when Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Valicevic, was the MVP.
- It is a big night in the ECHL with 28 of 30 teams in action, including all eight Mountain Division teams. Here is the ECHL Today with all of the previews: https://echl.com/news/2026/03/echl-today-march-14
- It looks like three of the four divisions are set for playoff teams. Lots of teams still have a mathematical shot of making the playoffs, but realistically, only the Central Division is still in play. Here are the likely playoff teams:
- North Division - Wheeling, Maine, Adirondack, and Reading are in. Fifth-place Trois Riviéres is seven points behind Reading.
- South Division - Florida, South Carolina, Atlanta, and Savannah are in. Fifth-place Orlando is nine points behind Savannah
- Mountain Division - Kansas City, Idaho, Allen, and Tahoe are in. Fifth-place Wichita is five points behind Tahoe.
- Central Division - the top three spots are set: Toledo, Fort Wayne, and Indy. Three teams, Bloomington, Kalamazoo, and Cincinnati, are separated by just one point and are battling for the final playoff spot.
