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| Will Everything Come Together For The Americans Against Tulsa This Afternoon - Photo by SceneByKimberly.com |
The way the later part of this season has gone it is not surprising with a chance to clinch first place, playing at home in front of one of the biggest crowds of the season (5369), best goaltender in the league starting we end up getting beat 4-0 by the Missouri Mavericks. Special teams which should have worked in Allen's favor were once again the deciding factor as the Americans were 0-4 against the worst penalty kill unit in the league. And the Americans number one rated penalty kill unit gave up two goals on six attempts. We have been in this position several times this year where we could lose the points lead and every other time we have but forth a great effort when needed and won the game. Obviously this afternoon in Tulsa a great effort is needed. One game for the regular season championship!!
Here are some of Coach Martinson's comments following the game:
- Sebastian Thinel and his line killed us as they had all four goals. Every time we were soft on the puck they put it in our net.
- We took some bad penalties and you can't come back killing five on threes.
- Our top guys need to win this for us. You can't get soft this time of year. We need to get guys in front of the goalie instead of standing off to the side.
- Garrett Clarke was a healthy scratch tonight. It is the first time in a long time we have had that situation.
- We don't have our top guys on their "A" game. Friday night in Wichita Deitsch, McMillin & McKenzie were fabulous. They are not our most talented players but they were our top line.They worked the hardest. The biggest thing in the playoffs is your top guys need to carry you. It is great to get production from the third line but we need to get our top players to be our top players.
- I think we have the best roster in the CHL and would not trade our group for any other going into the playoffs. But it is not the best roster that wins, it is whoever plays the hardest, the group that will go to the tough spots on the ice, screen the goalie and not stand off to the side that will win most games. It is good in CHL playoffs that the series are best of seven.
- We practice every day taking shots from the point and tipping the puck but right now we are not getting the deflections. This is an area we need to improve in the playoffs.
- Missouri was more desperate than us as we both had something to play for but they wanted it more than us.
- The amateur player we have signed is Justin Kirsch (see info below). He is one of the top scorers on his junior team and has a NHL shot. He can't play until the playoffs. Justin in 20 years old, 6' 2" and weighs 184 pounds. He shoots left and plays left wing. He has 23 goals and 19 assists in 65 games for Moose Jaw.
Kirsch spent the last two years with the Warriors, playing in 112 games, scoring 40 goals and finishing with 90 points. The Chilliwack, BC product broke into the WHL with the Calgary Hitmen in 2009-2010 and was traded to Moose Jaw early in the 2011-2012 season where he played a key role in the team’s 2012 East Division Championship.
During his five year career, Kirsch played in 222 games, scoring 70 goals and finishing with 148 points and 64 penalty minutes. He’s scheduled to leave for Allen over the weekend.
- It looks like Mike Berube might be ready for the playoffs so the Americans will not sign another defenseman at this point.
- The playoff roster is due to the league office by 3:00 PM on Monday. Unless there is a serious injury in the game with Tulsa we will have to leave one player from the current squad off the playoff roster. It will most likely be one of the young guys.
Other Thoughts:
- Heard last night that there is a possibility Ryley Grantham may get called up by the Minnesota Wild (NHL) in the near future.
- You have to admire the play of Sebastien Thinel who had the first two goals last night, assisted on the third and was on the ice for all four goals scored. He not only leads the CHL in scoring with 95 points, he also leads the league in +/- with a +31. He has my vote for league MVP which will be announced tomorrow.
- I want to end this post with some information I saw on the chlforum.com site. One of the posters on the forum "MavsFanJoe" has done an excellent job of keeping everyone up to date on magic numbers over the last six weeks and it now comes down to the final day. I want to thank MavsFanJoe for all of the time and effort he put into this and also share with you his magic numbers for the last day of the season. It gives you all of the specifics and unknowns as we go into today's final games:
Re: Magic Numbers
by MavsFanJoe » Sun Mar 24, 2013 4:53 am
The champagne stayed on ice and uncorked last
night at the Allen Events Center. The Wichita Thunder defeated the
Tulsa Oilers 5-2 at the BOK. The delay in celebrating the winning of
the Bud Polie Governor's Cup was assisted by the streaking Missouri
Mavericks dealing a 4-0 shutout of the Americans. Allen needs a
regulation victory tonight against the Oilers in what should be a very
emotional game for the Oilers as this will be Captain Tyler Fleck's
farewell performance. Or, they become huge Maverick fans rooting for a
Missouri victory over the Thunder.
The Rapid City Rush kept their tenuous grip on 4th place by battling to a 2-1 shoot out win over the Denver Cutthroats. This regular season finale for the Rush kept them a single point in front of the Missouri Mavericks. The game-in-hand for the Mavericks now comes into play, as the Mavericks needs at least an OTL to gain a points tie with the Rush. The Mavericks will then move into the final home-ice playoff spot as they own a 5 non-shoot out win advantage over the Rush. The only thing that can be said with certainty is that the Rush and Mavericks will meet each other in the first round of the playoffs. But who will have the home-ice advantage?
The Fort Worth Brahmas closed out their regular season with a loss to the Arizona SunDogs 3-nil. But, comfortably in 3rd, the Brahmas now get ready to face the 6th place Quad City Mallards at home in the first round of the Ray Miron Cup Playoffs. This match-up was solidified with the Flock defeating the Bloomington Blaze 4-2 at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum. Quad City's hopes of overtaking the Missouri Mavericks for 5th place were squashed by the aforementioned 4-0 victory by the Mavs over Allen. Arizona, by virtue of their 3-0 blanking of the Bulls, solidified their 7th place position. Their opponent in the first round is still undecided, but will be either the Thunder or the Americans.
The same can be said by the Denver Cutthroats. Their SO loss to the Rush kept them in the 8th and final playoff spot. Today's season-ending game between Missouri and Wichita will decide to which city they will travel for their opening round.
So, here's what we do know for sure: The Fort Worth Brahmas will host the Quad City Mallards on Friday, March 30? The Americans and Wichita will host either Arizona or Denver. The Rush and the Mavs will meet, but where.
All will become crystal clear by tonight (keep the Captain Obvious comments to yourself),
The Rapid City Rush kept their tenuous grip on 4th place by battling to a 2-1 shoot out win over the Denver Cutthroats. This regular season finale for the Rush kept them a single point in front of the Missouri Mavericks. The game-in-hand for the Mavericks now comes into play, as the Mavericks needs at least an OTL to gain a points tie with the Rush. The Mavericks will then move into the final home-ice playoff spot as they own a 5 non-shoot out win advantage over the Rush. The only thing that can be said with certainty is that the Rush and Mavericks will meet each other in the first round of the playoffs. But who will have the home-ice advantage?
The Fort Worth Brahmas closed out their regular season with a loss to the Arizona SunDogs 3-nil. But, comfortably in 3rd, the Brahmas now get ready to face the 6th place Quad City Mallards at home in the first round of the Ray Miron Cup Playoffs. This match-up was solidified with the Flock defeating the Bloomington Blaze 4-2 at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum. Quad City's hopes of overtaking the Missouri Mavericks for 5th place were squashed by the aforementioned 4-0 victory by the Mavs over Allen. Arizona, by virtue of their 3-0 blanking of the Bulls, solidified their 7th place position. Their opponent in the first round is still undecided, but will be either the Thunder or the Americans.
The same can be said by the Denver Cutthroats. Their SO loss to the Rush kept them in the 8th and final playoff spot. Today's season-ending game between Missouri and Wichita will decide to which city they will travel for their opening round.
So, here's what we do know for sure: The Fort Worth Brahmas will host the Quad City Mallards on Friday, March 30? The Americans and Wichita will host either Arizona or Denver. The Rush and the Mavs will meet, but where.
All will become crystal clear by tonight (keep the Captain Obvious comments to yourself),
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