Chad Costello Moves On - The German Press Release, My Conversation With Chad, His Many Records

The Costello family with Chad's MVP trophy after the 2016 Kelly Cup Championship

It was quite a shock to the system when I heard Chad Costello is heading to Germany next season. His on ice presence is unequaled in the history of the Allen Americans (see DID YOU KNOW below) but it is who he and his family are off the ice that makes it so hard to say goodbye. I had the chance to spend a few minutes with Chad last night talking about his decision to head overseas at this stage of his career. First, here is the translation of the press release issued by his new German team, the Iserlohn Roosters. Iserlohn is a city of around 95,000 in the west central part of Germany. The team plays in the top league in Germany (DEL) in an arena opened in 1971 that holds just under 5000 for hockey. This past season the team finished 13th in a 14 team league. The press release below was translated from German by Google Translate so some of the words don't translate well but you can certainly get the gist of what is being said.


 Iserlohn - The Iserlohn Roosters from the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) have committed another striker for the coming season. From the Allen Americans, the top scorer of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), Chad Costello, switches to the Seilersee. The 30-year-old American, who was also the captain of his team, signed a trial contract at the Seilersee. "Chad has an extraordinary scoring talent, which he has demonstrated in the last three years in impressive form. Nevertheless, we have to look at the training and the first test games to see if he can do it in the DEL. We are very impressed that a player of his quality will accept a trial contract. This is undoubtedly a new sporting chapter in his career, "says Roosters manager Karsten Mende.
Costello was born in Johnston, Iowa, in 1986, and began his career in a variety of US post-graduate students before completing his studies at Northeastern University. In 2008, he signed his first professional contract at the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the IHL. Costello already showed his goalkeeper here. In 2014, Costello moved to the Allen Americans, where he made his final breakthrough with other stations in the AHL, CHL and ECHL. In 272 league games he recorded 426 points, scored 117 goals, celebrated 2015 and 2016, also because of his own efficiency, the ECHL championship, won the so-called Kelly Cup. In 2015, he was also awarded the ECHL Sportmanship Award. In 2016 he was not only the best player in the main round but also the playoffs MVP.
"Chad has been an absolute exception player in his league. We hope that he will find us at the Seilersee quickly and take the step that we all hope for, "emphasized Isarlohn's chef Jari Pasanen. Costello is a family friend and a good friend of the new Iserlohner striker Jack Combs. Both, after their common time in Tulsa, will again go together on goal hunting..


The most important thing Chad wanted me to know when I asked about why he signed in Germany was it had nothing to do with how the season ended in Allen or playing in Allen. As a matter of fact, that is what made the decision to leave so difficult. Chad and Ashley don't see Allen as a place where Chad has a job, they don't see folks as co-workers and fans but they see everyone as friends and that makes it hard to leave. Chad also expressed his admiration and respect for Steve Martinson who he credits in large part for his record breaking success in Allen.


As you might imagine after every season Chad gets offers to play overseas and has never made the leap. Why is this season different?  Costello had another great season in Allen winning the scoring title and the league MVP but he is soon to be 31 years old and you never know how many opportunities will arise in the future. Getting a contract offer from a team in the top league in Germany (DEL) means two things for Chad. First, the financial rewards are much greater than what he could get in the ECHL even as a top player. Second, he will play with his best friend and former teammate Jack Combs.


You may have noticed in the press release the sentence that says, "We were very impressed that a player of his (Chad's) quality will accept a trial contract." I asked Chad about that and he was very straight forward in saying the trial contract caused him no concern whatsoever. He totally agreed with that approach. He wants to earn his place on the team just like he did when he first arrived in Allen. There are no guarantees and Chad is fine with that. It is also important to keep in mind when you have never lived or played in Europe and have a family of five there are a lot of other considerations when you check out where you will live, how are the schools and a myriad of other issues. You can talk and get advice from others but until you arrive and check everything out first hand and in person you just never know how things fit together. I am sure everything will work out great but Chad and Ashley are going into the endeavor with their eyes wide open.


I am sure all Allen fans join me is wishing Chad, Ashley and the entire Costello family the best of luck as they embark on this new adventure and if for some reason things don't work out they will be welcomed back in Allen with open arms.


Finally, on personal level I want to thank Chad for his cooperation and friendship over the last three years. He is always available, always willing to answer any question posed to him, even the tough ones. A true gentleman who is always deflecting credit from himself on to others. It has been such a pleasure being able to watch his vision and precision on the ice as well as his role as a husband and father off the ice. I often kid this blog should be called the "Chad Costello Blog" because he is included so often. I selfishly hope Allen fans have not seen Chad's last game as an Allen American but if they have, he has given Allen fans a lifetime worth of memories. 



DID YOU KNOW: It is hard to know where to start when describing Chad Costello's impressive accomplishments with the Allen Americans. He was in Allen for three seasons, led the league in scoring each year and was selected as the ECHL MVP all three years (by the PHPA in 2015). He won two Kelly Cups, was the Kelly Cup MVP in 2016 and was a captain of the team the last two seasons.

In the 29 year history of the ECHL the scoring champion has won the scoring title by more than 20 points only six times. Chad accomplished that feat three years in a row including in 2014-15 when he won the scoring title by an all time record of 45 points.

Chad is the only player in ECHL history to win the scoring title three years in a row. 

In his three years in Allen, Costello has the #3, #5 and #12 best single seasons for assists in ECHL history. No other player is in the top 12 more than once.


As for Allen Americans team records many of these will never be broken. Here is a list of where Chad stands in the all time and single season record book.


ALL TIME RECORDS
Points - Chad leads with 350 which is 115 more than second place
Assists - Chad leads with 252 which is 114 more than second place
Goals - Chad is tied with Greger Hanson at 98 goals

SINGLE SEASON RECORDS
Points - Chad is #1 (125), #2 (122) and #3 (103) in team history
Assists - Chad is #1 (89), #2 (84) and #3 (79) in team history
Goals - Chad is # 2 with 41 goals in 2014-15

Costello to Germany, Colorado Advances, Playoff Thoughts, Barracuda Update, Beware Futures, Vet Problems, Emotions with Photos

It has been just a week since my last daily blog post but had the urge to write so will cover a wide range of topics that may not be connected at all. Just a random list of things that have happened or thoughts I have had since the Americans were eliminated from the playoffs. Here goes:


- Chad Costello has signed to play in Germany next season. He has signed with the Iserlohn Roosters in the DEL. This is the same team that Jack Combs plays for so a reunion for them. Hope the best for Chad and the family. He will certainly be missed but you never know how these things work out in the long run.   


- Losing in the second round of the playoffs sure makes for a long off season for Allen fans. After playing until the second week of June the past two years it already seems like the season has been over a long time and it isn't the end of May yet.


- Congrats to the Colorado Eagles who eliminated the Toledo Walleye last night by winning the game 6-3 and the series 4-1. Colorado has certainly had their way in the playoffs beating Idaho 4-1 in the first round, Allen 4-2 in the second round and Toledo 4-1 in the third round. They should be a great representative of the Western Conference in the Kelly Cup finals. I know there are many that will disagree but having the Eagles do so well is good for Allen and the Mountain Division so I have been all in for Colorado since they eliminated the Americans.


- Congrats also to Toledo for a great season. When you make it to the final four in a 27 team league that is quite an accomplishment. The Walleye were also the best team during the regular season winning the Brabham Cup with 104 points.


- The Eastern Conference final is a good example of how you fare in the regular season doesn't predict playoff success. Manchester was the #4 seed in the North Division and South Carolina was the #3 seed in the South Division. Here is another way to look at this. Toledo led the ECHL during the regular season with 104 points. There are three teams left vying for the Kelly Cup and they finished as follows in the regular season among all 27 teams:

94 points - Colorado (3rd)
85 points - Manchester (11th)
84 points - South Carolina (12th)

This is why they say in hockey you just need to get to the playoffs and anything can happen.


- You may have noticed Josh Brittain has signed to play in Slovakia next season. I have always been told as players get older and realize they will not make it in the AHL heading to Europe is a great option. They get to see Europe while playing hockey and the pay is higher. For Allen fans another thing to keep in mind is you can only have four veterans (more than 260 pro games) on the roster and Josh most likely was not going to be re-signed by coach Martinson. Chad Costello, Gary Steffes and Joel Chouinard were the other three vets on the team but Greger Hanson will also be a vet next year. Coach Martinson likes to have a vet slot in case he can recruit a great new player that wants to come to Allen. Bottom line is the competition for the four veteran spots will be very competitive. With Costello and Brittain heading to Europe there will be vet spots open.


- June is a busy month as it relates to starting the recruiting process for next season but one of the critical dates you should be aware of is June 13. That is the date all future consideration trades must be completed. Why is that important to Allen fans? If you recall, when the Americans acquired Tyler Barnes and Alex Krushelnyski the transactions included future considerations to Indy (Barnes) and Wichita (Krushelnyski). My guess is that means one player from the playoff roster will be heading to Indy and one to Wichita. If you eliminate veterans because a team would not agree to a veteran in future considerations because a veteran is always a free agent and you eliminate AHL contracted players the pool of who might be headed to Indy and Wichita is not very big. This could end up causing more disappointment for Allen fans. Stay tuned.


- In case you haven't been tracking the AHL playoffs, the San Jose Barracuda have advanced to the final four and are taking on the Grand Rapids Griffins in the Western Conference finals. It is the Syracuse Crunch vs Providence Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals. San Jose lost game one of the series against Grand Rapids at home last night by a score of 3-1. Game two is in San Jose tonight at 7:00 pm CDT.


- Spencer Asuchak is still playing hockey. He was loaned to San Jose after Allen lost to Colorado and has played in the Barracuda's last three games. Spencer is playing ahead of several AHL contracted players so congrats to him.


- The ECHL playoffs aren't even over however a team in Austria's top league (EBEL) has already announced that Matt Register has signed to play next season. The team, Villacher SV, was founded in 1923 and it will have a familiar mascot for Matt as it is an Eagle. This would not prevent Register from re-signing with Colorado but seems unusual to issue the press release prior to the completion of the ECHL playoffs.


- You may have seen the 2017-18 Allen Americans schedule that was released last week. I will do a "deep dive" on the schedule later in the summer but thought it was interesting to look at the schedule in terms of who the Americans will play and how many times they play each team. Allen will play 13 different ECHL teams next season but only nine different teams at home.  Below is a complete list of the 72 games by team:

13 games - Tulsa (7 home 6 away)
12 games - Wichita (6 home 6 away)
10 games - Idaho (4 home 6 away) 
8 games - Kansas City (4 home 4 away)
8 games  - Rapid City (5 home 3 away)
6 games - Colorado (4 home 2 away)
6 games - Utah (4 home 2 away)
2 games - Orlando (2 home 0 away)
2 games - Florida (0 home 2 away)
2 games - Fort Wayne (0 home 2 away)
1 game - Jacksonville (0 home 1 away)
1 game - Indy (0 home 1 away)
1 game - Atlanta (0 home 1 away)

The biggest change in the schedule is with Missouri/Kansas City as Allen played them 13 times last season and will play them only eight times next season. Division realignment has to happen since two teams (Alaska & Elmira) are no longer operating and two new teams (Worcester & Jacksonville) will start. The decision on the division alignment will likely happen at the Board of Governors (BOG) meeting which takes place in Las Vegas next month. You wonder if the reduced number of games against Kansas City is a tell the Mavericks will be moving to the Central Division. If you look at a map, putting Tulsa and Wichita in the Mountain Division and Kansas City in the Central Division makes some sense. If it happens to end up that way Allen would play 55 of their 72 games against teams in the Mountain Division. In 2016-17 Allen only played 31 of 72 games against Mountain Division opponents and 13 of the 31 were against Missouri.


- All season long I used Dianne Webster's images to so show so many great moments in an amazing season. Almost all of the images showed happiness, celebrations, effort, hard work, toughness and all of the things that made the team great. After the game six loss to Colorado on May 9th Dianne sent three photos to me that I am sure many of you have seen. As a professional photographer Dianne has often shared with me her goal is to capture the emotion in her photos, not just the action. These three photos do an outstanding job of capturing the emotion of the moment. To set the stage for these photos Matt Register had put the Eagles ahead with 69 seconds remaining in the game. This timeout was taken with 23.6 seconds left in the game.

Dyson Stevenson was a player that gave everything for this team. Dianne captured the raw emotion of defeat from Dyson

Coach Martinson's eyes say it all

This is Chad Costello after that final timeout. The pain is heartbreaking. A picture it truly worth a 1000 words.

DID YOU KNOW:  Toledo followed a long list of teams that have won the regular season championship and failed to win the Kelly/Riley Cup. In the 29 year history of the ECHL only three teams have accomplished that feat. Alaska has done it three times (2014, 2011, 2006), Cincinnati did it in 2008 and South Carolina in 1997. Some call it the curse of the Brabham Cup and it bit Toledo this season. 

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

 For the first time since I started writing the Allen Americans Blog five years ago the season has ended with a loss. Almost hard to comprehend it has been five years and the first season ending loss was on Tuesday. No time for sorrow or disappointment. It is time for me to say my thanks to all involved in making Allen Americans hockey the best fan experience anywhere. While I will still be posting blogs during the summer when there is news to report, it will no longer be each day.


It is quite an undertaking to write about the team seven days a week during the season and it does indeed take a village to make it all possible. So please indulge me for this once a year post about the blog and all of the people that help me.


It wouldn't be right to have a blog post without some stats so here are a couple that amaze me. I write somewhere around 250,000 words during the hockey season. Readership varies but has steadily increased to around 1200 unique page views per day. Last month it totaled over 40,000. The blog reached quite a milestone last Saturday that is almost unimaginable as the 1,000,000th unique page view took place. Who would have imagined a blog started for the Heritage Ranch Allen Americans fan club now reaches people all over the US and Canada as well as the hockey hotbeds in Europe on a daily basis.  It proves fans of the Allen Americans are all over the world.


I want to start out by thanking all of the fans that frequent this blog. It has been my pleasure to meet many of you and your words of encouragement in person, comments at the end of each blog, posts on Twitter, Facebook, message boards, and email have been very satisfying and inspiring. A special thanks to Mary Betz and Ted Hosterman who kindly fill in when I am gone.


Thanks to the many fans, bloggers, and media from all over the league that have promoted the blog as fair and balanced and also have shared information with me about their teams. One of the unexpected benefits of writing the blog has been getting to know all of the broadcasters, writers, bloggers and passionate fans from other teams.
 

Thank you to the players who have never said no to a single request I have made of them for a chat, an interview or a question.  I have gotten to know most of these young men both professionally and personally and they have represented the Americans in an outstanding manner. You see the players at their best when they are visiting schools and hospitals or are interacting with the young fans in any environment. 


One of my goals when I started the blog was to share the personal stories of the players. It is something I have gotten away from and hope to do more next season. The wives/girlfriends, parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and friends I have met have been great about sharing family stories which I have then been able to share in the blog. Thanks to all of you.


Thanks to Steve Martinson and his staff  (Jason Deitsch, Thomas Speer, Luke Chilcott, Jaime Garcia, Tim Abbott) for always being willing to talk to me and help educate me. A special thanks to coach Martinson, for allowing me to stop by his office after every game and every practice to ask questions and talk about the team. It is his openness and trust that has allowed the blog to have information you can't find anywhere else.


Thanks to Tommy Daniels, Director of Communications & Broadcasting for the Allen Americans, who has been a tremendous help to me. He is the one who encouraged me to start the blog, made me feel like part of the media team, answered many questions, publicized the blog to attract new readership, and invited me to be part of the between periods conversation on his radio broadcast to talk hockey and promote the blog. Tommy is the best broadcaster in the business and is always willing to share his knowledge with others. It was a special treat to be part on an hour long pregame show during the home playoff games this year. It is always fun to talk Allen Americans hockey with Tommy and Maurice.


Thanks to Tommy's radio sidekick, Maurice Fitzgerald, for all the between periods chats on the radio broadcast. Maurice has forgotten more about hockey than I will ever know but we are a good combo with all of my day to day information about the team and their stats. I always describe myself as the between periods fill-in guest when nobody else is available. There are plenty of people around during the playoffs but for those midweek games in October and November I am in high demand.
 

Thanks to team photographer Dianne Webster who works tirelessly to provide pictures for the blog and many others. Dianne has immersed herself in this team and spends an inordinate about of time, effort and money to deliver a high quality product for everyone to see.


 Joe Babik, Director of Communication for the ECHL has once again spent more time with me this season than I deserved to help educate me about the policies, rules, procedures and records of the ECHL. Joe has gone above and beyond the call of duty and seems to respond to questions 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Thanks also to Joe Ernst, Vice President of Hockey Operations, for his willingness to answer all of my questions whenever asked.


Thanks to the entire Team Sin Bin group which has welcomed me into their group for the third year and made it very easy for me to get my stories on their site (thesinbin.net). A special thanks to Matt Harding (SinBinThunder) and Joe Rozycki (SinBinMavs).


Unlike most writers, bloggers, and other media types that cover the Americans I have a dual role as in addition to being a blogger I also coordinate the activities of the fan club (over 200 members) at Heritage Ranch where I live. In this capacity I spend a lot of time in the front office of the Americans arranging for season tickets, suites, individual game tickets, seats for soldiers tickets, and other promotions. I want to thank the entire sales and marketing staff and especially Mike Martin and Robert Fatta who have gone out of their way to help me and the residents of Heritage Ranch. Thanks also to Tom Manning and Robert Ciccotelli of the Allen front office staff for all of their help in providing content for the blog.


Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't thank my lovely wife of almost 40 years, Nancy, who is kind enough to proofread the blog each morning. It is a tireless task. Despite our best efforts we miss plenty of errors in both substance and form. Luckily a few readers are kind enough to let me know of these errors so corrections can be made. Their help is greatly appreciated. Thanks John, Paul, Mary, Ted, Matt and Madison. I am sure they will find a mistake somewhere in this blog post.


This will be the last daily blog post for the season.  I will still blog on an as needed basis as new information becomes available. If you are on Facebook or Twitter you can see whenever there is a new post on the blog by liking my page on Facebook at "Allen Americans Blog" or following me on Twitter at @allenamericans1. Maybe the easiest way to stay in touch is by making allenamericansblog.blogspot.com one of the favorites on whatever search engine you use and checking in once and a while. Remember, it is only 163 days to opening night at the Allen Event Center!


Finally, on a personal note you may know I have been taking a two week fishing trip to Ontario and Minnesota for over 20 years with some buddies from Minnesota. The trip is always the last week of May in Canada and first week of June in Minnesota. This worked fine when Allen was in the Central Hockey League as the playoffs were always over by the time the fishing trip started but that is not the case since joining the ECHL. In 2015 I missed the finals series and last season I flew home early to catch the championship finals. This season I made the tough choice to forego the fishing trip as it made no sense to cover the team every single day and then miss the playoffs. My fishing buddies told me I was making a big mistake by not going on the fishing trip as the team won four straight championships and if I didn't go on the fishing trip the team would lose. Then my superstitious Allen fans (you know who you are) said it would be all my fault if the Americans lost because I decided to not go on the fishing trip. So I guess it is my fault the team lost because I opted to not sign up for the fishing trip this year. Turns out there is a silver lining to the dark cloud with Allen losing in the second round of the playoffs. Talked to my fishing buddies yesterday and they are making room for me on the trip. Since I am the camp cook and a couple of these guys couldn't even find the kitchen in their own homes, I think they were elated Allen lost.  




DID YOU KNOW: If you are a student of Allen Americans history this week is the most memorable of any single week of the year. In five of Allen's eight year history the season ended this week. Do you remember these games?

May 4, 2010 - A 4-3 loss to Rapid City in the CHL Presidents' Cup finals
May 8, 2011 - A 5-3 loss to Bossier-Shreveport in the CHL Berry Conference finals
May 11, 2013 - A 4-3 OT win over Wichita in the CHL Presidents' Cup finals
May 10, 2014 - A 5-2 win over Denver in the CHL Presidents' Cup finals
May 9, 2017 - A 4-3 loss to Colorado in the ECHL Mountain Division finals

The Streak is Over, Colorado Moves on to Conference Finals, Everything in Perspective, Martinson's Record

The streak is over for the Allen Americans but an amazing streak it was. Four straight championships, 15 straight playoff series wins and 12 straight elimination game victories all came to an end last night as the Colorado Eagles beat the Americans 4-3 to win the Mountain Division series 4-2 and advance to the Western Conference finals against the Toledo Walleye.

I have been writing this blog for five years and have never witnessed a loss to end the season before last night so I don't have a lot of experience but it is the way the team lost the game and the series that is so disappointing. Here are some of my random thoughts about the game and the series:

-  To lose at home after two great road wins in Colorado to get back in the series was the most disappointing. Allen's home record the last two months of the regular season was 12-1-1-0. They finished the playoffs with a four game home losing streak including three in a row against Colorado.


- It is well documented Colorado and Allen are the two toughest teams to beat in the ECHL when they score first. It took just 94 seconds for Colorado to get on the score board last night and it was the fifth time in six games they scored first. Allen won the only game in this series when they scored first (game five) and managed to win game four even though the Eagles score first. Credit to Allen for scoring  just 37 seconds after the first Colorado goal last night. This is the last time I will mention this stat (this year) but it says all you need to know about the importance of scoring first, especially as it relates to Allen and Colorado. In the playoffs this year they are a combined 10-1 when scoring first and if you add in the regular season their record is 85-5-2-2.


- As frustrating as it was to watch the first goal scored by Colorado at the 1:34 mark of the first period it pales in comparison to watching Matt Register score the game winner with 69 seconds left in the game. Hockey is a game of mistakes as coach Martinson likes to say and there were several on the game winning and series winning goal. Matt Register was part of Allen's Kelly Cup championship team last season and he has owned the Americans this season. Colorado beat Allen six times this season going 2-0 in the regular season and 4-2 in the playoffs. Matt Register had the game winning goal in four of the six Eagles wins. That is what you call payback.


- Prior to last night Allen had scored three goals and allowed 11 in the second period in 10 playoff games. When the Americans outscored Colorado 2-1 in the second period last night and took a 3-2 lead into the second intermission a victory seemed likely. Allen has owned the third period all season. In the 10 playoffs games prior to last night the Americans had scored 21 third period goals and allowed only four. Last night they were outscored 2-0 in the third period. It was the first time Allen had blown a second period lead in the playoffs and one of the few all season. Between the regular season and playoffs the Americans record when leading after two periods was 36-2-0-1.


- It was disappointing the referees decided to swallow their whistles last night. Officiating isn't the reason Allen lost but the lack of penalties certainly hurt the Americans the way they dominated special teams the last three games of this series. It is hard to believe a team that plays the style that Colorado plays was perfect and didn't have a single rules infraction for the entire game.


PERSPECTIVE

- Expectations have always been very high in Allen. After all, the Americans went to the championship finals in their first year of existence, have never missed the playoffs and under Steve Martinson known nothing but championships. Allen is probably the only team in the league that considers anything less than a Kelly Cup a disappointing season. 


- The team has had a heck of a season and most fans in other markets would be thrilled to have the success Allen has had this season. The most remarkable thing about the team's success is they were 8-11 at the end of November and in last place in the Mountain Division. From that point the Americans finished the season with a  record 41-6-4-2. The Americans went 15-0-1-0 over their last 16 regular season games to overtake Colorado for the top spot in the Mountain Division. Allen finished with 104 points which was #2 in the league trailing Toledo by just two points.


- When Allen lost last night 22 of the 27 teams in the ECHL were already on vacation. Not making it to the ECHL final four/conference finals is certainly painful but the team had an extraordinary season by any measure other than their own.


- Congrats to the Colorado Eagles who have an excellent team and were the better team in this series. To beat Allen three times on the road is quite an accomplishment. The Eagles are a perfect 6-0 in road games in the playoffs and since Toledo will have home ice advantage in the conference finals that excellent road record will come in handy for Colorado.


- Everyone has different reasons for who they support once their favorite teams is eliminated from the playoffs. My reasoning has always been straight forward. If your team beats my team I hope you go all the way. If Colorado goes on to win the Kelly Cup it reflects well on Allen and the entire Mountain Division. It is also nice to see former Allen champions do well once they move on and three of Colorado's key players are former Americans.



DID YOU KNOW: Steve Martinson just completed his 21st year as a head coach. Here are his playoff results for his 21 years of coaching.

10 - won championship
1 - lost in finals
7 lost in second round
2 lost in first round
1 - out of playoffs 

Allen vs Colorado Preview, Scoring First & Special Teams Key, Updated ECHL Bracket & More

It is game day at the Allen Event Center (AEC) and all eyes will be focused on the Allen vs Colorado game as it is the only division championship yet to be decided. Toledo (Central Division), Manchester (North Division) and South Carolina (South Division) have already advanced to the conference finals.


- The game tonight will be the third straight elimination game for Allen in this series but when you have won four straight championships and 15 straight series, elimination games are something you are used to dealing with. Under coach Martinson the Americans have faced elimination games on the way to all four championships. Allen's record under Martinson in elimination games now stands at 12-0.


- Getting the series back to Allen after being down 3-0 and winning the last two games in Colorado is a job well done by the Americans but if anyone thinks the home team is now in the driver's seat only needs to look at the record. As I mentioned yesterday Allen's record at home in the playoffs this year is 1-3 and Colorado's road record in the playoffs this year is 5-0. The game tonight will be a battle of will as much as skill.


- The outcome of the game tonight will be determined by keys such as who scores the first goal, who wins the special teams battle, goalie play and commitment to the defensive end of the ice. However, the real question to ask is what team shows up for Allen and Colorado. This series has not had close games as one team or the other has dominated. In the first three games, all Colorado wins, the Eagles outscored Allen 13-5. In the last two games, Allen wins, the Americans outscored Colorado 8-1. Maybe the game tonight will be different and go down to the wire or into overtime but based on the first five games the margin of victory is more likely to be two or three goals.


- There will be lineup changes for both teams tonight. Bryan Moore will return after serving a two game suspension. That means one of the forwards that played on Sunday will be a healthy scratch tonight. 


- Colorado will get defenseman Mason Geertsen back after he served a one game suspension. The eagles will not have the services of the top scoring player in the playoffs, Alex Belzile who will be serving the second of his two game suspension.


- When you get to game six of a series goalie play is so important and you would have to give the edge to Allen with the experience of Riley Gill. In the last two games, which were both elimination games for Allen, Gill has stopped a total of 52 of 53 shots for a save percentage of .981. Colorado rookie goalie, Lukas Hafner, has been outstanding in the playoffs winning his first seven starts. However, in the last two games, both losses, Hafner has allowed seven goals and saved 42 of 49 shots for a save percentage of .857.


- You cannot overemphasize the importance of the first goal tonight. Allen was able to win game four after Colorado scored first but they probably don't want to tempt that fate again. In the playoffs Allen and Colorado have a combined record of 9-1 when scoring first. If you add in the regular season their combined record is 84-5-2-2. The quick math would tell you the team that scores first tonight has 90% chance of winning the game.


- Special teams as always will be a factor tonight and Allen has had the edge in both the power play and the penalty kill in this series. In the last three games of this series Allen is 4-15 (26.7%) on the power play while holding Colorado to 1-12 (8.3%). The penalty kill unit also has a couple of shorthanded goals. If the Americans can win on special teams they should win tonight.   


- One thing different for Allen in the playoffs this season from the two prior years has been very balanced scoring. Last year Greger Hanson had 15 playoff goals and Gary Steffes had 13. In the 2015 playoffs Steffes had 13 goals and Hanson had 12. This season after 10 playoff games nobody has more than three goals. An indication of just how balanced the scoring is so far in the playoffs is there are six players tied for the team in goals scored with three (Costello, Hanson, MacLeod, Brittain, Barnes, Chouinard). In addition, there are five players with two goals.


- The referees scheduled tonight are Alex Garon (#9) and Stephen Thomson (#27) and the linesmen will be Lucas Bisbee (#72) and Charlie O'Connor (#43).





OTHER COMMENTS

- Here is the updated ECHL playoff bracket courtesy of Robert Ciccotelli:

- If you look at the percentages in seven game series across all major league sports the Colorado still have a big advantage based on historical data. History would say Colorado has a 55% chance of winning game six and a 75% chance of winning the series. With Allen's record in elimination games (12-0) they will be looking to defy the odds tonight.


- I will once again be joining Tommy Daniels and Maurice Fitzgerald for a pregame show tonight. Tune into your mixlr.com app if you are listening at home or 107.3 FM if you are at the Allen Event Center. Pregame show starts at 6:00 pm.


DID YOU KNOW: I had a question about a comment Steve Martinson made in his pregame interview with Tommy Daniels in Colorado. It has to do with Colorado captain Sean Zimmerman tripping an opposing player and then deliberately falling on top of the player he just tripped. I was asked if I could show a video of what Martinson was referring to. The video below from a Colorado vs Wichita game is a good example. Zimmerman did the same thing to Tristan King last season which resulted in a concussion and he did it to Gary Steffes the other night. The league is aware of Zimmerman doing this. Hope this answers the question.   

Allen With a 4-0 Shutout, Heads Home Needing Two Wins, Martinson Comments, Interesting Stats & Quotes

For the second time in as many games the Allen Americans came through with a victory when facing elimination. It was a 4-0 shutout yesterday afternoon in Colorado that saw the Americans fight their way back into this series. They still have a lot of work to do but they head back to Allen for game six (Tuesday) and hopefully game seven (Wednesday) trialing in the series 3-2.


- Allen won game five by accomplishing something they had not done all series. They get off to a fast start and scored the first goal of the game at the 2:33 mark of the first period. Allen has not lost a game in the playoffs when they score first. If you combine the regular season and playoffs the Americans record when scoring first now stands at 44-2-2-1.


- The other key to the game was winning the special teams battle. There were not a lot of power plays as only four penalties were called in the entire game. Allen scored on their lone power play and the Americans penalty kill unit killed off all three Colorado power play opportunities.


- You don't see this stat very often but the Allen penalty kill unit outscored the Colorado power play unit 2-0 in the last two games. The Americans penalty killers held the Eagles to 0-8 on the power play while scoring a shorthanded goal in each of the last two games. In game four it was Tyler Barnes with the shorty in what has been the most important goal in the series thus far for Allen. In the game yesterday Spencer Asuchak got an empty net shorthanded goal.


- The other key to the game was the goaltending of Riley Gill who stopped 35 shots for his second shutout of the playoffs. Riley has not allowed a goal to Colorado since the 3:28 mark of game four which is a total of 116:32 minutes. Riley's nine shutouts this season (7 regular season, 2 playoffs) is the best of his illustrious career.


- Goal scorers for Allen were Chad Costello (3) who has a goal in three straight games, Tyler Barnes (3), Gary Steffes (2) and Spencer Asuchak (2). You can check out all of the goals at ECHL Rewind and it won't take long as the highlight package is a mere 38 seconds. http://www.echl.com/


- Here is the Allen Americans game recap: https://allenamericans.com/gill-americans-extend-series-after-4-0-win-over-colorado/


- Here is the game recap by Cris Tiller from the Loveland Reporter-Herald with great detail, great pictures and great quotes from players and coach Schneekloth. http://www.reporterherald.com/sports/ci_30972019/allen-forces-series-back-home-shutout-win-over




STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS


- Riley Gill is in his playoff zone which makes him tough to beat as shown by giving up just one goal in the last two games.

- We are defending much better now than we were at the beginning of this series. Our top players have really stepped up.

- We have scored eight straight goals over the last two games and we need to carry that momentum back to Allen.

- I am not sure how the disallowed goal was called. The referee that was right there signaled numerous times the goal was good. If they had actually seen the play they would have known Register tackled Asuchak just as he was about to poke the puck into an open net.



OTHER COMMENTS


- I know everyone is excited about the great effort put forth by the team to get the series back to Allen for game six and hopefully a game seven. But there is still a lot of heavy lifting before the Americans can advance to the Western Conference finals. There will be a complete game preview tomorrow but one stat that bears remembering proves this won't be easy. Allen's record at home in the playoffs this year is 1-3 and Colorado's road record in the playoffs this year is 5-0. Allen has proven time and again they have the heart of a champion but anyone who thinks they have this series won because the last two games are at home is sadly mistaken. It will be a battle to the end.


- If you read the Chris Tiller game recap above you may have been struck by the quote from Colorado captain, Sean Zimmerman, who obviously wasn't impressed with Allen's back to back wins in Colorado. "We just have to bear down and decide whether we want to be here or not. That's it really," captain Sean Zimmerman said. "There is no way this team (Allen) should be able to play with us." We have to make up our minds and decide we want to be here. Once we do that, we'll move on. We have two games, we need to win one. That's it." Sounds like bulletin board material to me. To say a team that has won 15 straight playoff series and just outscored Colorado 8-1 in the last two games can't play with Colorado. C'MON MAN!


DID YOU KNOW: Coming back to win a series after being down 3-0 has happened one time in the history of the ECHL. Cincinnati accomplished the feat against Reading in the 2010 American Conference finals. Cincinnati went on to win the Kelly Cup. Two other teams have forced a game seven after trailing 3-0 and lost. Cincinnati against Atlantic City in the 2003 Northern Conference finals and Toledo against South Carolina in the 2015 Eastern Conference finals.  

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

 For the first time since I started writing the Allen Americans Blog five years ago the season has ended with a loss. Almost hard to comprehend it has been five years and the first season ending loss was on Tuesday. No time for sorrow or disappointment. It is time for me to say my thanks to all involved in making Allen Americans hockey the best fan experience anywhere. While I will still be posting blogs during the summer when there is news to report, it will no longer be each day.


It is quite an undertaking to write about the team seven days a week during the season and it does indeed take a village to make it all possible. So please indulge me for this once a year post about the blog and all of the people that help me.


It wouldn't be right to have a blog post without some stats so here are a couple that amaze me. I write somewhere around 250,000 words during the hockey season. Readership varies but has steadily increased to around 1200 unique page views per day. Last month it totaled over 40,000. The blog reached quite a milestone last Saturday that is almost unimaginable as the 1,000,000th unique page view took place. Who would have imagined a blog started for the Heritage Ranch Allen Americans fan club now reaches people all over the US and Canada as well as the hockey hotbeds in Europe on a daily basis.  It proves fans of the Allen Americans are all over the world.


I want to start out by thanking all of the fans that frequent this blog. It has been my pleasure to meet many of you and your words of encouragement in person, comments at the end of each blog, posts on Twitter, Facebook, message boards, and email have been very satisfying and inspiring. A special thanks to Mary Betz and Ted Hosterman who kindly fill in when I am gone.


Thanks to the many fans, bloggers, and media from all over the league that have promoted the blog as fair and balanced and also have shared information with me about their teams. One of the unexpected benefits of writing the blog has been getting to know all of the broadcasters, writers, bloggers and passionate fans from other teams.
 

Thank you to the players who have never said no to a single request I have made of them for a chat, an interview or a question.  I have gotten to know most of these young men both professionally and personally and they have represented the Americans in an outstanding manner. You see the players at their best when they are visiting schools and hospitals or are interacting with the young fans in any environment. 


One of my goals when I started the blog was to share the personal stories of the players. It is something I have gotten away from and hope to do more next season. The wives/girlfriends, parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and friends I have met have been great about sharing family stories which I have then been able to share in the blog. Thanks to all of you.


Thanks to Steve Martinson and his staff  (Jason Deitsch, Thomas Speer, Luke Chilcott, Jaime Garcia, Tim Abbott) for always being willing to talk to me and help educate me. A special thanks to coach Martinson, for allowing me to stop by his office after every game and every practice to ask questions and talk about the team. It is his openness and trust that has allowed the blog to have information you can't find anywhere else.


Thanks to Tommy Daniels, Director of Communications & Broadcasting for the Allen Americans, who has been a tremendous help to me. He is the one who encouraged me to start the blog, made me feel like part of the media team, answered many questions, publicized the blog to attract new readership, and invited me to be part of the between periods conversation on his radio broadcast to talk hockey and promote the blog. Tommy is the best broadcaster in the business and is always willing to share his knowledge with others. It was a special treat to be part on an hour long pregame show during the home playoff games this year. It is always fun to talk Allen Americans hockey with Tommy and Maurice.


Thanks to Tommy's radio sidekick, Maurice Fitzgerald, for all the between periods chats on the radio broadcast. Maurice has forgotten more about hockey than I will ever know but we are a good combo with all of my day to day information about the team and their stats. I always describe myself as the between periods fill-in guest when nobody else is available. There are plenty of people around during the playoffs but for those midweek games in October and November I am in high demand.
 

Thanks to team photographer Dianne Webster who works tirelessly to provide pictures for the blog and many others. Dianne has immersed herself in this team and spends an inordinate about of time, effort and money to deliver a high quality product for everyone to see.


 Joe Babik, Director of Communication for the ECHL has once again spent more time with me this season than I deserved to help educate me about the policies, rules, procedures and records of the ECHL. Joe has gone above and beyond the call of duty and seems to respond to questions 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Thanks also to Joe Ernst, Vice President of Hockey Operations, for his willingness to answer all of my questions whenever asked.


Thanks to the entire Team Sin Bin group which has welcomed me into their group for the third year and made it very easy for me to get my stories on their site (thesinbin.net). A special thanks to Matt Harding (SinBinThunder) and Joe Rozycki (SinBinMavs).


Unlike most writers, bloggers, and other media types that cover the Americans I have a dual role as in addition to being a blogger I also coordinate the activities of the fan club (over 200 members) at Heritage Ranch where I live. In this capacity I spend a lot of time in the front office of the Americans arranging for season tickets, suites, individual game tickets, seats for soldiers tickets, and other promotions. I want to thank the entire sales and marketing staff and especially Mike Martin and Robert Fatta who have gone out of their way to help me and the residents of Heritage Ranch. Thanks also to Tom Manning and Robert Ciccotelli of the Allen front office staff for all of their help in providing content for the blog.


Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't thank my lovely wife of almost 40 years, Nancy, who is kind enough to proofread the blog each morning. It is a tireless task. Despite our best efforts we miss plenty of errors in both substance and form. Luckily a few readers are kind enough to let me know of these errors so corrections can be made. Their help is greatly appreciated. Thanks John, Paul, Mary, Ted, Matt and Madison. I am sure they will find a mistake somewhere in this blog post.


This will be the last daily blog post for the season.  I will still blog on an as needed basis as new information becomes available. If you are on Facebook or Twitter you can see whenever there is a new post on the blog by liking my page on Facebook at "Allen Americans Blog" or following me on Twitter at @allenamericans1. Maybe the easiest way to stay in touch is by making allenamericansblog.blogspot.com one of the favorites on whatever search engine you use and checking in once and a while. Remember, it is only 163 days to opening night at the Allen Event Center!


Finally, on a personal note you may know I have been taking a two week fishing trip to Ontario and Minnesota for over 20 years with some buddies from Minnesota. The trip is always the last week of May in Canada and first week of June in Minnesota. This worked fine when Allen was in the Central Hockey League as the playoffs were always over by the time the fishing trip started but that is not the case since joining the ECHL. In 2015 I missed the finals series and last season I flew home early to catch the championship finals. This season I made the tough choice to forego the fishing trip as it made no sense to cover the team every single day and then miss the playoffs. My fishing buddies told me I was making a big mistake by not going on the fishing trip as the team won four straight championships and if I didn't go on the fishing trip the team would lose. Then my superstitious Allen fans (you know who you are) said it would be all my fault if the Americans lost because I decided to not go on the fishing trip. So I guess it is my fault the team lost because I opted to not sign up for the fishing trip this year. Turns out there is a silver lining to the dark cloud with Allen losing in the second round of the playoffs. Talked to my fishing buddies yesterday and they are making room for me on the trip. Since I am the camp cook and a couple of these guys couldn't even find the kitchen in their own homes, I think they were elated Allen lost.  




DID YOU KNOW: If you are a student of Allen Americans history this week is the most memorable of any single week of the year. In five of Allen's eight year history the season ended this week. Do you remember these games?

May 4, 2010 - A 4-3 loss to Rapid City in the CHL Presidents' Cup finals
May 8, 2011 - A 5-3 loss to Bossier-Shreveport in the CHL Berry Conference finals
May 11, 2013 - A 4-3 OT win over Wichita in the CHL Presidents' Cup finals
May 10, 2014 - A 5-2 win over Denver in the CHL Presidents' Cup finals
May 9, 2017 - A 4-3 loss to Colorado in the ECHL Mountain Division finals

Allen vs Colorado Game Preview, Suspensions Announced, Kelly Cup Chase Down to 5 Teams, Another Gill Record

And then there were five, that is five teams left competing for the 2017 Kelly Cup. Toledo beat Fort Wayne 5-0 at home last night to win that series 4-1 and claim the Central Division championship. Here are the details about the Komets loss and future courtesy of Justin Cohn of The Journal Gazette in Fort Wayne: http://www.journalgazette.net/blog/ice-chips/20170507/questions-answers-after-ks-season-ends


- Toledo joins Manchester (North Division) and South Carolina (South Division) as division champions. Only the Mountain Division, where Colorado holds a 3-1 series lead over Allen, has yet to be decided. They play game five this afternoon (4:05 pm CDT).


GAME PREVIEW

- The ECHL put their fingerprints all over game five between Allen and Colorado with three suspensions that were announced yesterday afternoon. Allen will be without the services of Bryan Moore who was suspended for one additional game (two total) for an incident with a fan after the game on Wednesday.  Colorado's Mason Geertsen was given a game misconduct aggressor penalty in the last five minutes of the game on Thursday which is an automatic one game suspension so he will miss the game this afternoon. Finally, the Eagles Alex Belzile, who is leading the ECHL in playoff goals (10) and points (17), was suspended for two games for a cross-checking penalty (that targeted the head) in the third period on Thursady. Here is the ECHL press release announcing the suspensions. http://www.echl.com/echl-announces-fine-suspensions-may-6


-  I had a chance to ask coach Martinson about Bryan Moore getting suspended for an additional game (two total) after Moore reacted to a Colorado fan spitting on him as he was in the tunnel leaving the ice after game three on Wednesday. Here is what Martinson had to say, "That incident was so avoidable. Colorado should follow the league rule that requires they have the exit covered. Colorado knows having the tunnel uncovered is a problem because they have a police officer come down at the end of the game. We should have been notified of potential issues with the fans."


- To win the game this afternoon Allen needs to survive the first 10 minutes and score the first goal of the game, something they have not been able to do in the first four games of this series. Colorado has scored the first goal in all four games and the goals came early. In game one it was at the 3:30 mark, game two at 4:46, game three at 10:00 and game four at 3:28. Even though the Americans came back to win game four after giving up the first goal of the game that is a rare occurrence against Colorado.


- Special teams will be another big key in the game today. The power play is still not firing on all cylinders but the Americans did manage to score one power play goal while going 1-8 in the win on Thursday. In the last game the Allen penalty kill not only held Colorado scoreless on five power play opportunities but really turned the game around on a Tyler Barnes shorthanded goal with 63 seconds remaining in the second period. That goal gave Allen their first lead (2-1) in the entire series and seemed to energize the team for the rest of the game. In the first four games of this series Allen (4-24) and Colorado (3-18) have the exact same power play percentage (16.7%) though Allen has had more opportunities. Winning the special teams battle will most likely determine the winner of this game. An advantage for Allen is Colorado will be missing a key component of their power play in Alex Belzile.


- The totals for the first four games of this series have Colorado outscoring Allen 14-9 and outshooting the Americans 113-108. The penalty minutes are 100 for Colorado and 79 for Allen.


-  Here is an update to show how Allen and Colorado rank in some statistical categories among the eight teams that were in the division finals:

Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 3rd (17.11) - Colorado 4th (16.78)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 6th (3.00) - Colorado 1st (3.78)
Goals Allowed per Game: Allen 4th (2.67) - Colorado 4th (2.67)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 3rd (22.7%) - Colorado 5th (21.6%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 3rd (88.9%) - Colorado 8th (79.1%)


- Allen wins today if they get off to a fast start, score the first goal, win the special teams battle and avoids giving up odd man rushes because they gamble offensively. The Americans allowed only 18 shots on goal in game four after allowing more than 30 shots in the first three games. A defensive effort like game four will go a long way to extending this series.  


- Officials scheduled for the game this afternoon are referees Jonathan Sitarski (#23) and Jeremy Tufts (#6) and linesmen Erik Contino (#89) and Jon Shaw (#6).



OTHER COMMENTS:


- I mentioned yesterday that this game is a 50-50 game based on historical records across all major league sports when a team has a 3-1 lead and is playing game five at home. It is also good to remember Allen is 10-5 in game fives since Steve Martinson became the coach and most of those game fives were on the road. Throw in the fact Allen is 4-1 on the road in the playoffs this year while Colorado is 2-2 at home. None of these stats have any bearing on the game today but some good signs nevertheless.


- Toledo is now waiting around to see who they will meet in the Western Conference final. If Allen comes back to win they would not finish the series until Wednesday. If the series with Colorado gets extended to six or seven games it will be a short turnaround for whoever wins. The Mountain Division champion will start the Western Conference finals series with Toledo on the road and the first two games are already scheduled for next Friday (May 12) and Saturday (May 13).



- The San Jose Barracuda beat San Diego 5-1 at home last night to even their second round series 1-1. The series now shifts to San Diego for the next three games on Wednesday, Friday & Saturday.



DID YOU KNOW: Haven't seen this mentioned anywhere but Riley Gill has set another career playoff record in this series against Colorado. In game two Riley became the ECHL career leader in playoff minutes played and now has a total 4975 minutes, surpassing the old record of 4841. Riley already holds the record for most career playoff game appearances with 88 surpassing the old record of 80. He also has the record for most playoff wins at 52 surpassing the old record of 43. It was one year ago today that Riley tied the record for most career playoff wins with a 4-2 victory over Missouri. Here is what I said at the time. - There was a huge milestone reached last night as Riley Gill became the winningest playoff goalie in ECHL history. The win last night was number 43 all time for Riley and ties him with Nick Vitucci who played in the 1990's. Riley took 70 games to get his 43 wins while Vitucci played in 80 playoff games. Congrats Riley!

 

Playoff Update, The Tale of Two Conferences, Allen's Playoff Stat Leaders, Suspension Possibilities

- Back in October, 27 ECHL teams had aspirations to win the Kelly Cup. That number is now down to just six teams (Manchester, South Carolina, Toledo, Fort Wayne, Colorado, Allen). The Manchester Monarchs eliminated the Brampton Beast last night winning game six by a score of 5-4 and taking the series 4-2. The Monarchs are the North Division champions and will now take on the South Division champions (South Carolina Stingrays) in the Eastern Conference final.

- You often hear in all sports but especially in hockey, teams just need to make the playoffs and then anything can happen. The Eastern Conference final is a perfect example. Eight teams made the playoffs and the finals pit the #6 seeded team (Manchester) against the #7 seeded team (South Carolina). Who would have thought Manchester, who finished in fourth place in the North Division during the regular season would have home ice advanatge in the Eastern Conference finals. The Monarchs have home ice advantage in that they get four of the seven games at home. However, as happens so often in the ECHL building availability in Manchester and South Carolina plays a role that could impact the series. The first three games will be held in South Carolina with the last four in Manchester.


- The Western Conference is going much more according to Hoyle as the top four seeds are still vying for division titles. In the Central Division, last night Fort Wayne beat Toledo 4-1 at home to avoid elimination. The Komets were led by former Allen captain, Jamie Schaafsma, who scored two goals and was selected as the #1 star of the game. Fort Wayne trails 3-1 in the series and must win tonight in Toledo to stay alive.


- In the Mountain Division Allen is hanging on by a thread against Colorado, trailing 3-1 in the series with game five at the Budweiser Event Center (BEC) on Sunday afternoon (4:05 puck drop Allen time). The Americans will be hoping for some divine intervention to get this series back to Allen for games six and seven. In case you were wondering what the scheduling conflict is at the BEC that didn't allow game five to be played until Sunday it is the Archdiocese of Denver's Confirmation Ceremony. Nearly 800 students from all of the local parishes will be confirmed this afternoon.


BY THE NUMBERS

- If you compare the regular season stats to the playoff stats Allen is doing a little better in goals allowed having averaged 2.82 goals allowed during the regular season and 2.67 thus far in the playoffs. Goals scored is a different story as the Americans averaged 4.08 goals per game in the regular season, are averaging 3.00 in the playoffs and in the series against Colorado are averaging only 2.25 goals per game. 


- During the regular season Allen had eight players average a point per game led by Chad Costello at 1.69 and Greger Hanson at 1.31. During the playoffs only two players are averaging a point per game. Chad Costello is averaging 1.11 points per game and Bryan Moore 1.00 but Moore has only played in four playoff games.


- During the regular season only two players on the playoff roster had negative plus/minus numbers. So far in the playoffs there are 10 players with negative plus/minus numbers.


- Here are the top players in various stat categories for the playoffs. The number in parentheses is the rank among all ECHL players in the playoffs.

Points:
10 - Chad Costello (13th)
8  - Greger Hanson (27th)
7 -  Wade MacLeod (37th)
7 -  David Makowski (37th)

Goals:
3 - Greger Hanson (31st)
3 - Wade MacLeod (31st)
3 - Josh Brittain (31st)
3 - Joel Chouinard (31st)

Assists:
8 - Chad Costello (3rd)
5 - Greger Hanson (31st)
5 - David Makowski (31st)
4 - Wade MacLeod (48th)

Plus/Minus:
+7 - Joel Chouinard (5th)
+3 - Josh Brittain (30th)
+2 - Dyson Stevenson (56th)
+2 - Harrison Ruopp (56th)

Penalty Minutes:
24 - Josh Brittain (12th)
21 - Dyson Stevenson (17th)
17 - Bryan Moore (27th)
16 - Spencer Asuchak (31st)


Points By Defensemen:
7 - David Makowski (5th)
6 - Joel Chouinard (9th)
3 - Eric Roy (24th)
3 - Mike Brodzinski (24th) 


- If you look at the numbers above what stands out is the lack of scoring by the forwards. In prior years Allen's forwards were all over the top ten in all scoring categories. Last season for example Allen's forwards were #1, #2, #10 & #12 in goals, #1 in assists and #1, #3 & #8 in points. If the Americans are to come back against Colorado they will need more point production from the players upfront.


OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen's AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, started their second round playoff series against the San Diego Gulls last night. It was a heart breaker for San Jose as they lost at home 3-2 in overtime. San Diego tied the score 2-2 with under four minutes remaining in the game and took just 38 seconds into overtime to get the game winner. Here are all of the details from Paul Gackle of the Mercury News: http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/05/05/missed-opportunities-haunt-barracuda-in-game-1-loss-to-gulls/


- There were no announcements yesterday by the ECHL concerning suspensions from the Allen vs Colorado series but would assume something will be out this morning. Allen is awaiting a decision on how long the indefinite suspension to Bryan Moore will last hoping it will be just the one game he has already served. Colorado has a couple of players that could be suspended for actions at the end of the game on Thursday. Mason Geertsen was given a game misconduct aggressor penalty penalty in the last five minutes of the game which is normally an automatic one game suspension though the suspension may be rescinded by the Vice President of Hockey Operations. Alex Belzile was given a cross-checking penalty and the cross check was to the head so there is a possibility he could also be suspended. Whatever decisions the ECHL makes it could have a big impact on game five on Sunday. UPDATE: Moore gets one additional game, Geertsen gets one game and Belzile gets two games. Here are the details: http://www.echl.com/echl-announces-fine-suspensions-may-6


DID YOU KNOW: Allen is 10-5 in game fives under Steve Martinson. According to the website Who Wins, looking at major league sports results, Allen has a better than 50% chance of winning game five but less than a 10% chance of winning the series. A 10% chance of winning the series is a big improvement from the 1.49% chance the Americans had when they were down 3-0. If Allen wins on Sunday the odds of winning the series will increase to 25%.

Allen Wins 4-1, Avoids Sweep, Game 5 on Sunday, Playoff Update, Moore Suspended, Road Trip Diary

The Allen Americans took a big step back from the abyss last night in Colorado. Faced with elimination the Americans beat the Eagles 4-1 before a disappointed crowd of 4499 at the Budweiser Event Center. It was a big win for Allen who still trails in the series 3-1 and will be facing another elimination game on Sunday (4:05 pm Allen time) afternoon in Colorado.


- The game last night started out as usual with Colorado scoring an early goal at the 3:28 mark of the first period but the Americans did not allow another goal the rest of the way. The four unanswered goals by the Americans included a power play goal, a shorthanded goal and two even strength goals. Even more impressive was the defensive effort by Allen who allowed Colorado just 18 shots on goal in the game and only four in the decisive third period.


- The power play is still not firing on all cylinders but the Americans did manage to score one power play goal while going 1-8 on the night. The penalty kill not only held Colorado scoreless on five power play opportunities but really turned the game around on a Tyler Barnes shorthanded goal with 63 seconds remaining in the second period. That goal gave Allen their first lead (2-1) in the entire series and seemed to energize the team for the rest of the game.


- After Allen took a 4-1 lead just past the midway point of the third period Colorado resorted to the rough stuff trying to make a point. When all was said and done there were 97 minutes of penalties handed out in the third period and for the game the total was 121 minutes. Contrast that with the first three games of the series that had a combined total of 58 penalty minutes.


- Goal scorers for Allen were Chad Costello (2), Tyler Barnes (2), Alex Krushelnyski (2) and Josh Brittain (3). As usual you can find all of the goals and video highlights at ECHL Rewind. Here is the link: http://www.echl.com/


- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/special-teams-lead-americans-over-colorado/


- Here is the game recap from the Loveland Reporter-Herald: http://www.reporterherald.com/sports/ci_30967078/allen-comes-back-postpone-elimination-game-4-win



OTHER COMMENTS


- Things have gotten a little ugly in Colorado. Bryan Moore did not play last night as he was suspended indefinitely by the league for a confrontation with a fan as he was in the tunnel leaving the ice after the game on Wednesday. What isn't in dispute is a fan spit on Moore. What is in dispute is whether Moore made "slight contact" with the fan with his stick. One Allen witness who saw the entire incident said it was very clear no contact was made and another fan told me Moore confirmed to him no contact was made. The league took the word of others that contact was made. Seems like the league should be more interested in protecting players from fans that clearly cross the line of fan behavior.


- Last night after Allen took a 4-1 lead it appeared Colorado took a page out of the Florida playbook in their series against Orlando. Deliberately going after skill players with an attempt to injure. It will be interesting to see what if any actions are taken by the league office for the penalties taken by the Eagles in the third period after the game was decided. A couple of Allen players are questionable for Sunday as a result of these incidents.


- South Carolina beat Florida 2-1 last night and eliminated the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference 4-1. South Carolina moves on to the conference finals for the third straight year. Here are the details from the local paper. http://www.postandcourier.com/sports/south-carolina-stingrays-down-florida-everblades---clinch-series/article_b3fe99b8-3


- There are two games on tap tonight and they are both elimination games. Manchester is at Brampton for game six of their series. Manchester leads the series 3-2. Toledo takes a 3-0 series lead into game four in Fort Wayne.


- Here is the updated bracket courtesy of Robert Ciccotelli:

- Daniel Tetrault, who won a championship in Allen in 2014 and is now the assistant coach for the Rapid City Rush joined Tommy Daniels as a between period guest last night and at Tommy's invitation did color commentary in the third period. Daniel is no stranger to the radio booth. The majority of the 2015-16 season after he retired and before being named assistant coach in Rapid City, Tetrault served as color analyst alongside broadcaster Mark Bineti for Rush home games. Tetrault was excellent on the broadcast and the Americans played great in the third period so Tommy invited Daniel back in the radio booth for game five on Sunday. Stay tuned. By the way Tetrault shared that he is a candidate for the vacant head coaching job in Rapid City. While he has only been an assistant coach for one season Daniel has been a leader on and off the ice ever since he was member of the Team Canada under 18 team in 1996 that won the world championship. Allen fans wish him good luck in his endeavor to become a head coach.


- Here is a story from SBNation that talks about Allen's success over the last four years and the possibility of the historic win streak coming to an end for the San Jose affiliate. This story was written prior to the win last night but it is a good read: http://www.fearthefin.com/2017/5/4/15540252/the-daily-chum-sharks-echl-affiliates-historic-run-near-an-end


DID YOU KNOW: Mary Betz and Ted Hosterman were kind enough to send along the following about their road trip to Colorado. They are headed back to Dallas today along with the other members of the "Fireball Group" Bud, Paul and Leonard. Sounds like they had a great trip highlighted by the win last night. I know there were many others that made the trip to Colorado and all of the players really appreciate the support. Here is Ted and Mary's diary:

This adventure started somewhat enthusiastically as our plane departed Dallas Love field at 6:10 AM (yawn) on Wednesday, arriving in Denver two hours later. We arrived at our hotel in Loveland with enough time to see the team’s morning skate. The players morale was high in anticipation of the game Wednesday night. We had the chance to meet Tanner Eberle’s father and Harrison Ruopp’s mother at the morning skate. They are neighbors in Regina, SK and had driven all night to get to Loveland.

The staff at the Budweiser Events Center were very receptive to the invasion of us Allen fans, they willingly told us where to go in the arena to watch the morning skate. The players were also appreciative of our support. A few sent us texts to thank us for making the trip.
After some late afternoon refreshments we made our way to the arena for game three. Our early enthusiasm soon waned as the Eagles quickly gained control of the game. We were welcomed by many Eagles fans during the intermissions. Overall attitude was that we are all members of one big hockey family. Opponents on the ice but friends in the concourse.

After a bit of sightseeing on Thursday and talking with many of the players, it was time for game four! Our thoughts remained optimistic that we would avoid elimination. The team responded to adversity and totally controlled the game emerging victorious. The warmth shown by the Eagles fans cooled substantially as the game progressed, but some still offered us congrats as we exited the arena.
Post game celebrations were many at the hotel with several of the players and coach Martinson in attendance.
 

Allen Loses 4-2, Now on the Brink of Elimination, Martinson's Comments, Teams that Beat the Odds

The Allen Americans put themselves in the most precarious position in playoff hockey by losing to the Colorado Eagles 4-2 last night before an enthusiastic crowd of 4534 at the Budweiser Events Center. The Americans are now down 3-0 in the series and must hold on to the slim hope they can become part of the one percent club. To be precise it is the 1.49% club which represents, based on historical data across all major league sports, the odds of Allen winning this series.


There are some pretty startling facts that put Allen in the position of needing a win tonight or go home. Here are some examples:

- The loss last night was the fifth straight against Colorado (2 regular ,3 playoffs) this season.

- For the third straight game Allen had early opportunities to score but did not capitalize. Last night the Americans had a power play 20 seconds into the game and again two minutes into the game.

- After squandering early scoring chances Allen gave up the first goal for the third straight game which has been proven decisive in every game in this series. I am sure you are tired of seeing this stat but Colorado and Allen have a combined record of 82-4-2-2 this season when scoring first and in the playoff are now 9-0 when scoring first.

- Allen has not had an answer for Colorado forward Alex Belzile who has eight points (5 goals 3 assists) in the three games in this series. Belzile had two goals last night but could have had five with the great scoring chances he created. Even though he has played two or three fewer games than any other player in the top ten in the ECHL playoff scoring race Belzile leads the league in goals (10) and points (17).

- Allen has struggled to score goals in this series with a grand total of five for a per game average of 1.67 while allowing 13 goals for a per game average of 4.33.

- Allen's only goals last night came on the power play which is good news since they were 1-10 going into the game. The Americans are now 3-16 (18.8%) on the power play. However, Allen was held scoreless even strength for the second time in the series. The Americans have just two even strength goals in the three games.

- Allen has never had a lead in this series. Last night was the first time they have even been tied and they came back twice to tie the game but could never grab the lead.

When you string all those facts together you can see why Allen lost last night and is holding on by a thread in this series. It will be a gut check for the team tonight to try and avoid elimination. The same historical data that shows little chance of winning the series says the odds of Allen winning tonight is around 40%.


- The goal scorers for Allen last night were David Makowski who scored his second of the playoffs and Chad Costello who scored his first. You can check out all of the goals in the video highlights posted to ECHL Rewind. Here is the link: http://www.echl.com/


- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans. https://allenamericans.com/americans-down-3-0-to-colorado-after-a-4-2-loss-on-wednesday-night/


- Here is the game recap from the Loveland Reporter-Herald: http://www.reporterherald.com/sports/ci_30964596/luke-salazars-winner-grabs-3-0-series-stranglehold



STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

- I think we can turn the tables but not the way we are playing. Hockey is a game of mistakes but we keep repeating the same mistakes.

- In each game in this series we have had full possession of the puck and made unforced turnovers near our net which have resulted in goals.

- We have negative plus/minus players because they are not defending hard enough most notably on odd man rushes.

- On Colorado's second goal our defenseman jumps in on a low probability play and all three forwards come in while the Eagles have full possession of the puck. Our third forward skates right by his man into the offensive zone. Colorado makes one simple pass for a two on one which becomes a four on three with their best player getting the puck. If that started out as a two on two you can kill the play before they get help.

- Our penalty kill handed them a great scoring chance which they buried.

- It is pretty simple. If we want to beat them we have to play harder than we have. 



GAME PREVIEW

- It is down to win or go home for the Allen Americans tonight. One thing you learn about a team that has won four straight championships is they don't quit just because the odds are stacked against them. Expect a great effort tonight.


- It is imperative Allen gets off to a good start tonight. They must capitalize early by scoring the first goal of the game.


- The Americans were 2-6 on the power play last night. They will need a repeat performance of that success tonight in order to win. They will also have to score even strength if they expect to win. Colorado has scored four or more goals in their last six playoff games. If the Americans can't hold the Eagles down defensively they need to score a lot more goals tonight. Based on past performance the winning team will have four or five goals.


- Officials scheduled for the game tonight are referees Andy Howard (#2) and Andrew Wilk (#24) and linesmen Erik Contino (#89) and Chris Wilson (#88). Howard and Wilk were the referees last night.



OTHER COMMENTS

- It looks like a Colorado vs Toledo matchup for the Western Conference championship unless something really unusual happens. Both team are up 3-0 with the odds of a comeback by Allen or Fort Wayne highly unlikely based on past history. Not impossible but somewhere between slim and none.


- In the Eastern Conference Brampton won in Manchester last night 2-1 to avoid elimination. Brampton trails in the series 3-2 but will have the final two games at home. In the South Division #1 seed Florida lost in South Carolina 4-2 last night. Florida trails in the series 3-1 with game five tonight in South Carolina. The Everblades came from behind in round one of the playoffs after being down to Orlando 3-1. Can they do it again?


- Here is the updated playoff bracket courtesy of Robert Ciccotelli:

- The odds are very long that Allen or Fort Wayne can comeback from a 3-0 deficit but they are not impossible. The historical record across all major league sports when a team has a 3-0 lead is 335-5. The breakdown by sport is 35-1 in MLB, 121-0 in the NBA and 179-4 in the NHL. Here are the five teams that beat the odds.

1942 Stanley Cup Final - Toronto came back to beat Detroit
1975 NHL Quarterfinals - New York Islanders came back to beat Pittsburgh
2004 Major League Baseball (ALCS) - Boston came back to beat the Yankees
2010 NHL Conference Semifinals - Philadelphia came back to beat Boston
2014 NHL Conference Quarterfinals - Los Angeles Kings came back to beat San Jose


- The road trip diary team is missing in action so no report today. Don't blame them if they went out drinking after the loss last night rather than filing a report. Maybe we will hear from them tomorrow about their experiences in Colorado.
  



DID YOU KNOW: The last time the Allen Americans lost a playoff series was April 10, 2012. It was a different coach (Dwight Mullins), different team (not one players remains from that team) and a different league (Central Hockey League). Allen lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Texas Brahmas 4-2. Allen won game one of the series 5-0 and then proceeded to lose four of the next five games.

Allen vs Colorado Game 3 Preview, Playoff Update, Barracuda Advance, Reality Check & Playoff Attendance

The term "must win game" is used all too often in sports and I am as guilty as anyone but for the Allen Americans the game tonight in Colorado is a must win game even though it is not an elimination game. Trailing in the series 2-0, a loss tonight would put the Americans in a hole that very few teams have ever been able to crawl out of. According to the the website Who Wins the all-time record over all sports in seven game series when one team takes a 3-0 lead is 335-5 which equates to a 1.49% chance of a comeback.

- A more positive stat from Who Wins is in NHL second round games when a team has a 2-0 series lead and started the playoffs on the road they win game three at home only 52% of the time. As bleak as being down 3-0 in the series would be, if Allen wins tonight they are right back in the series. The road has been good for both teams in the playoffs. Allen and Colorado have a combined record of 8-0-0 on the road but just 2-4 at home.


- It will be interesting to see how coach Martinson approaches the lineup tonight. With Bryan Moore returning from a four game suspension you would assume he will be reunited on a line with Zach Hall. The question is who will be the third forward on that line. It could be Alex Krushelnyski or Gary Steffes or Dyson Stevenson or Tanner Eberle. The top two lines of Hanson, Asuchak, Costello and MacLeod, Brittain, Barnes have stayed pretty much intact. Under normal circumstances only 10 forwards would be in the lineup so two of the names above would be healthy scratches. Another option for coach Martinson, which he has used in the past, is to dress 11 forwards and only five defensemen and have Dyson Stevenson help out on defense when necessary. With 22 players on the roster the one fact that is known is four players will be sitting out tonight.


- Here is a comparison between Allen and Colorado looking at the playoff stats:

                                     ALLEN                               COLORADO

Playoff Record           4-3-0                                    6-1-0
Home Record             1-3-0                                   1-1-0
Road Record              3-0-0                                   5-0-0
Goals For                    21                                       29
Goals Against             19                                       18
Power Play                 23.3% (7/30)                       25.0% (7/28)
Penalty Kill                  88.9% (4/36)                      79.3% (6/29)
Most PIM's                  Moore (15)                         Belzile (10)
Leading Scorer           Hanson  (3-5-8)                  Belzile (8-6-14)
                                   Costello (0-7-7)                   Register (4-6-10)


-  Here is how Allen and Colorado rank in some statistical categories among the eight teams remaining in the playoffs:

Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 4th (13.29) - Colorado 7th (10.14)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 6th (3.00) - Colorado 1st (4.14)
Goals Allowed per Game: Allen 6th (2.71) - Colorado 4th (2.57)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 4th (23.3%) - Colorado 3rd (25.0%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 3rd (88.9%) - Colorado 8th (79.3%)


- The special team stats above are misleading because Allen was great on the power play in the first round against Utah (30%) but in the two games against Colorado are just 1-10 (10%).  If Allen is going to win tonight the power play will have to score.


- The team that scored first won games one and two in this series and I don't see that changing in game three. The first goal will be critical tonight. A reminder Allen and Colorado have a combined record of 81-4-2-2 when scoring first this season. Just looking at the playoffs they are a combined 8-0 when scoring first. 


- This game will come down to which team has the greater will to win. It comes down to will not skill. These are two very talented teams so you can look for who works the hardest, who wins the battles for the puck and who wants it more. If Allen plays up to their potential they will win tonight.


- Officials scheduled for the game tonight are referees Andy Howard (#2) and Andrew Wilk (#24) and linesmen Erik Contino (#89) and Robert Keltie (#83).


OTHER COMMENTS

- Here is a article written by Chris Tiller of the local paper in Colorado that talks about the familiarity between the Americans and Eagles who were once friends and are now foes.  http://www.reporterherald.com/sports/ci_30961487/chad-costello-highlights-player-turnover-rosters-colorado-eagles


- Mary Betz and Ted Hosterman along with a group of friends are in Colorado for the road games the next two nights. Ted & Mary do the blog when I go on vacation and have agreed to do a road trip diary the next two days. Should be interesting to get their perspective.


- The San Jose Barracuda won last night to advance to the second round of the AHL playoffs. There was plenty of drama in the winner take all fifth game of the series against Stockton. The game went to overtime and the Barracuda scored shorthanded for the game winner. Final score was 2-1. San Jose will now play San Diego in the Division finals. Here are the details. http://www.csnbayarea.com/sharks/barracuda-advance-second-round-thrilling-fashion


- There was only one ECHL playoff game last night and that saw the Manchester Monarchs beat the Brampton Beast 6-1. Manchester, who is the #4 seed in the North Division has a 3-1 series lead with a chance to close it out at home tonight. The Monarchs beat #1 seed Adirondack in the first round and is now one win away from reaching the Eastern Conference finals.


- It is a full slate of ECHL playoff games tonight. Brampton is at Manchester (Manchester leads series 3-1). Florida is at South Carolina (South Carolina leads the series 2-1). Toledo is at Fort Wayne (Toledo leads the series 2-0). Allen is at Colorado (Colorado leads the series 2-0).


- Here is the updated playoff bracket courtesy of Robert Ciccotelli of the Americans front office. The best bracket graphic I have seen.

- I had a reality check in the responses I received after the blog post the last couple of days. On Monday I wrote about the conflict I was experiencing between the optimistic and pessimistic thoughts I was having about this series against Colorado. Yesterday it was about fan and player superstitions. The reality check for me was a reminder that regardless of how the series with Colorado turns out, the fans of the Allen Americans love this team and the young men that go out of their way to be accessible. I was also reminded of what a great group of dedicated fans or more appropriately what a great family makes up the Allen fan base. I wanted to share a few responses that make the point very well.

Danielle says, "Our four and seven year old's do lend a different perspective as they seem to have lost interest in the game but are significantly more upset by the thought of not getting to talk to their "buddies" (the players) until the fall. They were spoiled by the amazing kindness and warm reception from the players on the concourse over the last few weeks. So while the season may not end up as we planned, for theses kiddos, it will always be special because of these great young men."

Wendy says, "Win or lose we have an awesome group of guys who not only play great entertaining hockey but who we have the privilege of getting to know as more than just hockey players. The hockey family in Allen is like no other. Yes, we are spoiled, no team, no matter how great can win every year. No coach, no matter how great can win every championship. So win or lose we will be proud of these young men, proud of the people they are, proud of the season they gave us and blessed to have them in Allen. Would we like to comeback - you bet. Do we believe the boys can comeback - absolutely. But if this isn't our year it changes nothing about how we feel about our guys and our team!"

Karen says, "Barry, you are right on with the superstitions. We try to make sure what we wear is something we have worn when the team won a game. We wear the same shoes and eat at Whataburger before the game. I carry the same stuff in my car until the end of the season. Don't want to throw off the mojo! I even have a vinyl decal I bought two seasons ago. It's in my driver's side door pocket in my car. I can't apply it because we have been winning championships since it has been in that pocket. Don't mess with what works!"

Anonymous says, "Barry, I got my hair cut before the last home games and people were telling me to leave, they said short hair was bad luck. They may be on to something, two losses with short hair." 

Allen Fan says, "I'm not superstitious because it would be bad luck."


DID YOU KNOW: Average attendance for the ECHL playoffs thus far is 3770 but the variance from team to team is very large. Here is the average playoff attendance for the eight teams remaining in the playoffs. Western Conference teams are drawing much better than the Eastern Conference teams.

6937 - Toledo
5902 - Fort Wayne
5289 - Colorado
4670 - Allen
3165 - Manchester
3132 - Florida
2717 - South Carolina
2486 - Brampton