Arizona Trip, Halfway Stats, Franchise Records & More

After a day off yesterday to recover from playing three games in three days the Americans will be back at practice today preparing for their next three games against the Arizona Sundogs. They will practice today (Tuesday) and tomorrow at the Community Rink before departing for Arizona Wednesday afternoon (scheduled for 1:30 pm). The bus trip is close to 20 hours. The team is scheduled to practice in Arizona at noon on Thursday. I will attend practice today to see what if any roster changes will be made this week.

- Here is what the CHL put in their press release yesterday about the Americans:
Don’t look now but the Allen Americans have slowly made their way back to familiar territory.  The defending Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup Champs and Bud Poile Governors’ Cup Champs have been the best CHL club since mid-December going 9-2-1 in their last 12 games.  The offense has been balanced with five players recording 11 points or more in their last 10 games.  Defenseman Tyler Ludwig has scored seven goals in his last 10 games.  In net, Mark Guggenberger is 4-1-0 in his last five decisions and Bryan Pitton is 3-1-1.  Allen will be tested in their coming days facing the red-hot Arizona Sundogs on Friday and Saturday in Prescott Valley and on Monday in Allen for Martin Luther King Day.    


- With no games scheduled in the CHL until Friday, this is the informal halfway point of the season. Here is how the teams rank in goals for, goals against and penalty minutes if you look at per game averages:

GOALS FOR
1. Missouri:     3.69
2. Allen:          3.68
3. Rapid City:  3.56
4. Tulsa:           3.51
5. Quad City:   3.42
6. Denver:        3.15
7. Brampton:    3.14
8. Wichita:       2.93
9. Arizona:       2.64
10. St. Charles: 2.36

GOALS AGAINST
1. Rapid City:    2.53
2. Missouri:       2.94
3. Quad City:     2.94
4. Denver:          3.03
5. Allen:             3.12
6. Arizona:         3.15
7. Wichita:         3.30
8. Brampton:      3.47
9. Tulsa:             3.54
10. St. Charles:   3.83

PENALTY MINUTES
1. Allen:             23.38
2. Brampton:      22.83
3. Arizona:         20.88
4. Tulsa:             20.03
5. St. Charles:     20.00
6. Denver:          18.06
7. Missouri:        16.94
8. Quad City:      16.16
9. Rapid City:     15.06
10. Wichita:        14.70

- Here are some other interesting halfway point statistics:

- The team has scored eight shorthanded goals in the first half which is more than they scored in any entire year other than 2010-2011 when they had thirteen. Six different players have scored a shorthanded goal thus far and Spencer Asuchak leads the CHL with three.

- Alex Lavoie has 47 points and will soon surpass the points leader from last year (Anthony Maiani 55). Lavoie is on pace to exceed the single season franchise record for points which is held by Colton Yellow Horn (88 in 2010-2011).

- Tyler Ludwig is on pace to set a new franchise record for goals by a defensemen which is held by David Strathman (13 in 2010-2011). His 10 goals at the halfway point is already ranked 4th all time.

- The team is on pace to have the lowest +/- in franchise history. They are currently at +36. The lowest full season +/- was last year when the team finished at +61. Jamie Schaafsma led the team last year in plus/minus with a +15 and is the team leader this year along with Kale Kerbashian at +9.

-  Allen has scored on 10.8% of their shots in the first half of the season which is the highest percentage in franchise history except 2010-2011 when they scored on 12.3% of their shots.

- The Americans could threaten the number of 20 goal scorers in a season. The record is held by the 2010-2011 team with six. By the way that team had three 30 goals scores. In every other year the Americans had only three 20 goals scorers. At the halfway point there are seven players on this team on pace to score 20 goals.

- The halfway point of the season as described by the CHL;
The CHL’s unofficial midway point of the season is this week as the clubs will all be idle until Friday night.  Quad City has played the fewest games at 31 and Tulsa has played the most games at 39.  Rapid City (23-9-0) leads the way with Allen (21-10-3), Missouri (21-10-1) and Denver (18-10-6) also making up the top half of the clubs that would qualify for the post-season.  Eight teams will make it to the playoffs and if things ended today, the Rush would play the Arizona Sundogs (14-18-1), the Americans would play the Brampton Beast (18-16-2), the Mavs would play the Quad City Mallards (16-8-7) and the Cutthroats would face the Tulsa Oilers (19-18-2).  Although currently out of the playoffs, Wichita (12-17-4) and St. Charles (8-23-5) are both still within reach.
 


DID YOU KNOW: The 2010-2011 Allen Americans team holds almost every offensive record in franchise history and in most categories by a wide margin. That team holds the franchise record for most points (97), wins (47), goals (271), assists (464), power play goals (78), shorthanded goals (13), shots (2196), & shooting percentage (12.3%) to name just a few.