For the first time since I started writing the Allen Americans Blog six years ago the season has ended in the opening round with a historic loss. 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 seems like as the years go by more and more blog readers help me out with ideas for stories, ask questions and let me know about errors I make in the blog so I can get them corrected.
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. As of this morning the total number of page views since October of 2012 is 1,311,227. 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 have also 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.
There are a lot of you on Twitter that like and/or retweet the blog. There are a lot of you that like and/or share the blog on Facebook. I notice each and every one and appreciate it so much because it is a way to spread the word about the Allen Americans. I am extremely fortunate that Rick Gosselin and Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News forward the blog to their twitter followers almost every day. That means almost 50,000 sports/hockey fans get publicity about the Americans each day. A special thanks to Rick and Mike for their support.
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 didn't do enough of this season so 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, Tim Abbott, Bryan Parfrey, Luke Chilcott) 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 big help to
me. Tommy 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.
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.
Maurice and myself are two of a big volunteer army that devotes time to the Allen Americans because of their love of the team and love of hockey. Photographers, writers, interns, fan club members and fans too numerous to mention. Certainly an under appreciated group of volunteers.
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 to the entire
Team Sin Bin group which has welcomed me into their group for the fourth 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 front office staff, led by Matt Canavan, who have gone out of their way to help me with tickets as well a provide content for
the blog.
Lastly, I would be remiss if I
didn't thank my lovely wife of almost 40 years (to be precise 40 years on Sunday) 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 many of you are kind enough to let me know of these
errors so corrections can be made promptly. The volunteer proofreader list has gotten too long to list everyone but you know who you are and I thank you for your help. Blog posts live forever on the internet and can always be corrected so I really appreciate when you let me know about errors.
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 periodically. Remember, it is only 168 days until Allen Americans hockey starts again.
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 in 2016 I flew home early to
catch the championship finals. Last 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 was all my fault the Americans lost because I decided
to not go on the fishing trip. Not being the superstitious type myself I once again decided to forego the fishing trip this season so I wouldn't miss the the playoffs. Needless to say come the end of May there will be no playoffs and no fishing trip. I have learned my lesson after two years and promise all of my superstitious friends I am going on the fishing trip next year just to make sure the Americans get back to the Kelly Cup finals.
DID
YOU
KNOW: It is hard to believe it is still April and the Allen Americans are not playing hockey. April 25th is the earliest the Americans have played the last game of the season in the six years Steve Martinson has been the coach but not the earliest in team history. Here is the date of the last game played in each year of the Allen franchise along with the results.
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
April 10, 2012 - A 4-2 loss to the Texas Brahmas in the CHL Berry Conference semi-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
June 14, 2015 - A 6-1 win over South Carolina in the Kelly Cup finals
June 9, 2016 - A 4-2 win over the Wheeling Nailers in the Kelly Cup final
May 9, 2017 - A 4-3 loss to Colorado in the ECHL Mountain Division finals
April 25, 2018 - A 4-1 loss to Idaho in the ECHL Mountain Division semi-finals
Friday, April 27, 2018
Thursday, April 26, 2018
A Heartbreaking and Record-Breaking Ending, Game Recap, Steve Martinson's Comments, Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda and Much More
I am not sure where the blog post is headed this morning because there are so many thoughts and emotions going through my head. Maybe more opinion than facts than normal but I am an expert at my own opinion. Let's get started.
- Allen lost game seven last night in Boise by a score of 4-1. Only 3060 were in attendance to watch the conclusion of a historic comeback by the Idaho Steelheads. It was the second smallest crowd of the entire season for Idaho.
- The game last night was much closer than the final score. Idaho scored the only goal of the first period and second period. Allen scored their only goal of the game early in the third period (6:20) to cut the score to 2-1 but could not get the equalizer. The Steelheads scored two empty net goals in the last 32 seconds of play to make the final score 4-1.
- If you exclude the two empty net goals last night, three of the four Allen losses to Idaho in this series were by the score of 2-1. You can't expect to win scoring one goal per game.
- Several Allen fans, who love the Americans, sent me messages after the game that had the sentiment of epic fail, huge collapse and unbelievable poor finish. There is little doubt that losing a seven game series after taking a 3-0 lead is historic. It has happened only one other time in the 30 year history of the ECHL (2010 Cincinnati Cyclones). Across all major league sports (MLB, NBA, NHL) it is even a more rare occurrence. The historical combined series record for teams that take a 3-0 lead across these major league sports is 346-5. Just a week ago when Allen was up 3-0 and about to play game four at home the the odds of the Americans winning the series (based on historical major league data) was 98.6% and if you just looked at historical NHL data it was 97.9%. Idaho turned a 2% chance of winning into a series victory. I would say that qualifies as an epic win for the Steelheads and epic failure for the Americans.
- How would everyone feel if this series had gone seven games and had the same outcome but Allen had won games two, four and five instead of one, two and three? My guess is there would be a very different feeling today.
- I am reminded this morning of something Steve Martinson has said to me many times over the years. The best team doesn't always win five game series but the best team does win seven game series. Rather than focusing on the four losses just maybe Allen did a great job winning the first three games.
- Before this series started I compared these teams based on the regular season stats and it was pretty clear Idaho was a much better team statistically. Here is the data which shows Idaho better than Allen in 11 of the 13 stats. I have added a number in parentheses which is the average for the seven games in the playoffs.
Goals Scored (average per game)
3.39 - Idaho (3.29)
3.26 - Allen (2.71)
Goals Allowed (average per game)
2.61 - Idaho (2.71)
3.22 - Allen (3.29)
Goal Differential (goals scored minus goals allowed)
+56 - Idaho (+4)
+3 - Allen (-4)
Shots For (average per game)
36.11 - Idaho (35.86)
30.74 - Allen (31.57)
Shots Against (average per game)
28.36 - Idaho (31.57)
36.25 - Allen (35.86)
Shooting Percentage (goals as a percent of total shots)
10.5% - Allen (8.6%)
9.1% - Idaho (9.2%)
Power Play Percentage
17.5% - Idaho (18.8%)
17.1% - Allen (8.3%)
Penalty Kill Percentage
84.2% - Idaho (91.7%)
81.6% - Allen (81.3%)
Power Play Goals Scored
57 - Idaho (6)
51 - Allen (2)
Plus/Minus
+229 - Idaho (-1)
+38 - Allen (-1)
Goals Against Average (GAA)
2.53 - Idaho (2.71)
3.16 - Allen (3.29)
Save Percentage
.912 - Allen (.908)
.909 - Idaho (.914)
Record Last 10 Games
9-0-1-0 - Idaho (4-3 in last seven games)
4-4-2-0 - Allen (3-4 in last seven games)
- If you look at all of these stats my conclusion is Idaho was the better team in the regular season and that carried over to the playoffs. The one category that stands out is special teams where Idaho over performed their regular season numbers in the playoffs and Allen under performed. It is hard to overcome an 8.3% power play percentage which is what Allen had in the playoffs. The Americans had just two power play goals and one of them was five-on-three.
- If you are interested in the details of the game last night which I skipped over above here is a game recap and the video highlights courtesy of the Idaho Steelheads. Have to admit it is painful to watch:
Game recap: http://www.idahosteelheads.com/events/allen-americans-vs-idaho-steelheads-13/#gametab-2
- It is ironic that Allen played Idaho 17 times this season (10 regular season and 7 playoffs) and outshot the Steelheads just two times, The first game of the season (November 10) and the final game of the season last night. Over the 17 games Allen was outshot 641-471.
OTHER COMMENTS
- I know every team has a coulda, woulda, shoulda sob story but what a difference it would have made had Allen had Riley Gill, Olivier Archambault, Vincent Arseneau, Colby McAuley and Jonathan Lessard coming down the stretch and into the playoffs. To me the most frustrating loss for the playoffs was Vincent Arseneau who is on loan to Utica (AHL) but has sat in the stands the last two games as a healthy scratch. Coach Martinson is always willing to loan players to AHL teams to help their careers but usually has an understanding they will be returned to Allen if they are not playing. Would assume Martinson is not very happy with Utica.
- My opinion going into the playoffs was the the #1 seed Colorado and #2 seed Idaho were clearly the best two teams in the Mountain Division and would meet in the Division finals. The statistical matrix I use to assess the playoff teams actually rated Idaho ahead of Colorado but it was very close. Idaho is going into the series against Colorado with a lot of momentum. The division final should be a hard fought series that could very easily go seven games. With no dog in the fight it will be an enjoyable series to watch. The division Allen has been in has won the last three Kelly Cups and that is one streak I want to see continued.
- I have had the pleasure of working with fellow Team Sin Bin writer C.C. Hawkley, aka Sin Bin Steelheads, during this series and want to thank him for all of his work to make this series enjoyable for fans in Boise and Allen. He is a class act and a lot of fun to collaborate with. I wish C.C. and the Steeleheads the best and look forward to his coverage as the playoffs resume in Colorado this weekend.
- It is never easy to lose in the playoffs and it is even more disappointing this season losing in the first round the way the Americans lost. There is no doubt Allen fans as well as the coach and players have high expectations. I see so many teams congratulating themselves for making the playoffs and losing in the first round. Not the case in Allen as everyone sees this season as a failure. The goal in Allen is never to just make it to the playoffs. With that said the body of work by the Allen Americans since Steve Martinson arrived six years ago is unprecedented. Four championships, a second round loss and a first round loss and a playoff series record of 15-2.
- The season ended abruptly and with great disappointment after Allen went up on Idaho 3-0. I will have my usual thank you post tomorrow but this will be the last daily post for the season. It has been 225 straight days of blogs posts so a break will be nice. I will still keep everyone up to date on an as needed basis but it will be much more sporadic until September rolls around. I will say this again tomorrow but thanks for all of the support and encouragement as it keeps me going throughout the season.
- Sometime in the next week or so I will interview coach Martinson and go in depth with him about the season, the playoffs and his plans for next season. I did ask him to give me a quote for today now that the season is over. Here is what he said, "It is a painful ending. Idaho added some AHL players from their affiliate which gave them a strong push and we didn't have the ability to close out the series. We struggled the second half of the season and some guys didn't have much left when we needed it."
DID YOU KNOW: Since starting the Allen Americans Blog on October 8, 2012 there have been 1505 blog posts and the total number of unique page views just passed the 1,310,000 mark.
- Allen lost game seven last night in Boise by a score of 4-1. Only 3060 were in attendance to watch the conclusion of a historic comeback by the Idaho Steelheads. It was the second smallest crowd of the entire season for Idaho.
- The game last night was much closer than the final score. Idaho scored the only goal of the first period and second period. Allen scored their only goal of the game early in the third period (6:20) to cut the score to 2-1 but could not get the equalizer. The Steelheads scored two empty net goals in the last 32 seconds of play to make the final score 4-1.
- If you exclude the two empty net goals last night, three of the four Allen losses to Idaho in this series were by the score of 2-1. You can't expect to win scoring one goal per game.
- Several Allen fans, who love the Americans, sent me messages after the game that had the sentiment of epic fail, huge collapse and unbelievable poor finish. There is little doubt that losing a seven game series after taking a 3-0 lead is historic. It has happened only one other time in the 30 year history of the ECHL (2010 Cincinnati Cyclones). Across all major league sports (MLB, NBA, NHL) it is even a more rare occurrence. The historical combined series record for teams that take a 3-0 lead across these major league sports is 346-5. Just a week ago when Allen was up 3-0 and about to play game four at home the the odds of the Americans winning the series (based on historical major league data) was 98.6% and if you just looked at historical NHL data it was 97.9%. Idaho turned a 2% chance of winning into a series victory. I would say that qualifies as an epic win for the Steelheads and epic failure for the Americans.
- How would everyone feel if this series had gone seven games and had the same outcome but Allen had won games two, four and five instead of one, two and three? My guess is there would be a very different feeling today.
- I am reminded this morning of something Steve Martinson has said to me many times over the years. The best team doesn't always win five game series but the best team does win seven game series. Rather than focusing on the four losses just maybe Allen did a great job winning the first three games.
- Before this series started I compared these teams based on the regular season stats and it was pretty clear Idaho was a much better team statistically. Here is the data which shows Idaho better than Allen in 11 of the 13 stats. I have added a number in parentheses which is the average for the seven games in the playoffs.
Goals Scored (average per game)
3.39 - Idaho (3.29)
3.26 - Allen (2.71)
Goals Allowed (average per game)
2.61 - Idaho (2.71)
3.22 - Allen (3.29)
Goal Differential (goals scored minus goals allowed)
+56 - Idaho (+4)
+3 - Allen (-4)
Shots For (average per game)
36.11 - Idaho (35.86)
30.74 - Allen (31.57)
Shots Against (average per game)
28.36 - Idaho (31.57)
36.25 - Allen (35.86)
Shooting Percentage (goals as a percent of total shots)
10.5% - Allen (8.6%)
9.1% - Idaho (9.2%)
Power Play Percentage
17.5% - Idaho (18.8%)
17.1% - Allen (8.3%)
Penalty Kill Percentage
84.2% - Idaho (91.7%)
81.6% - Allen (81.3%)
Power Play Goals Scored
57 - Idaho (6)
51 - Allen (2)
Plus/Minus
+229 - Idaho (-1)
+38 - Allen (-1)
Goals Against Average (GAA)
2.53 - Idaho (2.71)
3.16 - Allen (3.29)
Save Percentage
.912 - Allen (.908)
.909 - Idaho (.914)
Record Last 10 Games
9-0-1-0 - Idaho (4-3 in last seven games)
4-4-2-0 - Allen (3-4 in last seven games)
- If you look at all of these stats my conclusion is Idaho was the better team in the regular season and that carried over to the playoffs. The one category that stands out is special teams where Idaho over performed their regular season numbers in the playoffs and Allen under performed. It is hard to overcome an 8.3% power play percentage which is what Allen had in the playoffs. The Americans had just two power play goals and one of them was five-on-three.
- If you are interested in the details of the game last night which I skipped over above here is a game recap and the video highlights courtesy of the Idaho Steelheads. Have to admit it is painful to watch:
Game recap: http://www.idahosteelheads.com/events/allen-americans-vs-idaho-steelheads-13/#gametab-2
- It is ironic that Allen played Idaho 17 times this season (10 regular season and 7 playoffs) and outshot the Steelheads just two times, The first game of the season (November 10) and the final game of the season last night. Over the 17 games Allen was outshot 641-471.
OTHER COMMENTS
- I know every team has a coulda, woulda, shoulda sob story but what a difference it would have made had Allen had Riley Gill, Olivier Archambault, Vincent Arseneau, Colby McAuley and Jonathan Lessard coming down the stretch and into the playoffs. To me the most frustrating loss for the playoffs was Vincent Arseneau who is on loan to Utica (AHL) but has sat in the stands the last two games as a healthy scratch. Coach Martinson is always willing to loan players to AHL teams to help their careers but usually has an understanding they will be returned to Allen if they are not playing. Would assume Martinson is not very happy with Utica.
- My opinion going into the playoffs was the the #1 seed Colorado and #2 seed Idaho were clearly the best two teams in the Mountain Division and would meet in the Division finals. The statistical matrix I use to assess the playoff teams actually rated Idaho ahead of Colorado but it was very close. Idaho is going into the series against Colorado with a lot of momentum. The division final should be a hard fought series that could very easily go seven games. With no dog in the fight it will be an enjoyable series to watch. The division Allen has been in has won the last three Kelly Cups and that is one streak I want to see continued.
- I have had the pleasure of working with fellow Team Sin Bin writer C.C. Hawkley, aka Sin Bin Steelheads, during this series and want to thank him for all of his work to make this series enjoyable for fans in Boise and Allen. He is a class act and a lot of fun to collaborate with. I wish C.C. and the Steeleheads the best and look forward to his coverage as the playoffs resume in Colorado this weekend.
- It is never easy to lose in the playoffs and it is even more disappointing this season losing in the first round the way the Americans lost. There is no doubt Allen fans as well as the coach and players have high expectations. I see so many teams congratulating themselves for making the playoffs and losing in the first round. Not the case in Allen as everyone sees this season as a failure. The goal in Allen is never to just make it to the playoffs. With that said the body of work by the Allen Americans since Steve Martinson arrived six years ago is unprecedented. Four championships, a second round loss and a first round loss and a playoff series record of 15-2.
- The season ended abruptly and with great disappointment after Allen went up on Idaho 3-0. I will have my usual thank you post tomorrow but this will be the last daily post for the season. It has been 225 straight days of blogs posts so a break will be nice. I will still keep everyone up to date on an as needed basis but it will be much more sporadic until September rolls around. I will say this again tomorrow but thanks for all of the support and encouragement as it keeps me going throughout the season.
- Sometime in the next week or so I will interview coach Martinson and go in depth with him about the season, the playoffs and his plans for next season. I did ask him to give me a quote for today now that the season is over. Here is what he said, "It is a painful ending. Idaho added some AHL players from their affiliate which gave them a strong push and we didn't have the ability to close out the series. We struggled the second half of the season and some guys didn't have much left when we needed it."
DID YOU KNOW: Since starting the Allen Americans Blog on October 8, 2012 there have been 1505 blog posts and the total number of unique page views just passed the 1,310,000 mark.
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Allen Loses, Series Deciding Game Seven Tonight, Game Recap, Steve Martinson's Comments, Game Seven Preview, Josh Brittain's Inspiration and the Cincinnati 2010 Comeback
The wheels came off on the Allen Americans in Idaho last night as the Steelheads scored early and often to win the game 6-3 and force a winner take all game seven tonight. Every key to victory fell to Idaho as they scored first, led 3-2 after the first period, 5-2 after the second period, scored two power play goals (2-8) and allowed no power play goals (0-5).
- Allen has now squandered a 3-0 series lead and allowed the Steelheads to become the fourth team in the 30 year history of the ECHL to force a game seven after trailing 3-0. Idaho will be battling long odds if they are to win the series tonight. In the history of the NHL there have been 187 series where one team has taken a 3-0 series lead and just four times (2.1%) has a team comeback to win the series.
- Here is the full game recap from the Idaho Steelheads: http://www.idahosteelheads.com/events/allen-americans-vs-idaho-steelheads-12/#gametab-2
- The goal scorers for Allen were Joel Chouinard (1), David Makowski (4) and Spencer Asuchak (1). Here are the video highlights where you can check out the Allen goals and the numerous defensive breakdowns on the Idaho goals.
- I exchanged messages with coach Martinson this morning and he said, "We didn't play good enough. The positive is they are not beating us at our best. We need to bring our best tonight."
ALLEN VS IDAHO GAME SEVEN PREVIEW
- There is not much to be said when it comes to game seven other than the series is now at that point where it is win or go home for both teams. It really doesn't matter how it got to this point the fact of the matter it is one game for the right to continue to chase the Kelly Cup. Stats don't matter, percentages don't matter, what matters is which team is going to impose their will on the other. If you have followed coach Steve Martinson's coaching career you know that in 21 years of playoff hockey he has lost just one game seven. He will have his team ready to go tonight and it will be up to them to put themselves in the position to win.
- Special teams was the Achilles heel once again last night for the Americans as it has been all series and much of the regular season. Allen gave up two power play goals last night and has allowed a power play goal in five of the six games in this series. Allen was unable to score a power play goal in five opportunities last night including a five-on-three for over a minute early in the second period. Of the 16 teams in the playoffs Allen is ranked #14 on the power play at 9.5% and #15 on the penalty kill at 80.0%. If the Americans can't turn around their special teams play and win the battle tonight they will not win the game.
- Here is the ECHL Today with their take on game seven tonight along with the winningest playoff coaches in ECHL history. With a win tonight Steve Martinson will be tied for #2 all-time with 50 playoff wins. https://www.echl.com/echl-today-april-25-2018
- Maybe the Allen Americans can take some inspiration from former Allen Americans forward Josh Brittain who I wrote about yesterday. His team (Banksa Bystrica) blew a 3-0 series lead and after they lost game six at home disgruntled fans berated the team and started a brawl. The story has a happy ending because Josh's team came through yesterday in game seven, winning 5-1 on the road to claim the Slovakian championship.
DID YOU KNOW: Only one time in the history of the ECHL has a team comeback from a 3-0 deficit to win a seven game playoff series. It was the 2010 Cincinnati Cyclones who accomplished the feat in the third round (conference finals). Here are a few facts from that series:
- Cincinnati accomplished the historic comeback against the Reading Royals
- One player on each team in that series would go on to play for the Allen Americans. Scott Langdon was playing for Reading and Mathieu Aubin was playing for Cincinnati.
- Cincinnati won game six in that series at home by the same score Idaho won last night (6-3).
- Cincinnati won game seven by a score of 1-0 to move on to the Kelly Cup finals.
- Cincinnati played the Idaho Steelheads in the finals and won the series and the Kelly Cup 4-1.
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Just One First Round Series Winner to be Decided, Allen vs Idaho Game Six Preview, Roster Update, Playoff Update, Watch Party Tonight and Slovakian Championship Fan Brawl
It was the tale of two Thunders last night in the Kelly Cup playoffs. The Adirondack Thunder beat Worcester and advanced to the second round of the playoffs while the Wichita Thunder lost to Colorado (5-3) at home and were eliminated from the playoffs. Seven teams have now punched their tickets to the second round of the playoffs with the only series yet to be decided being Allen vs Idaho.
- Allen has a chance to join the second round playoff club tonight in Boise in game six of their series with Idaho. After jumping off to a 3-0 lead in the series the Americans have stumbled losing the last two games at home by identical scores of 2-1. The big question for Allen fans is which team will show up tonight, the one that averaged 4.33 goals per game in the first three games or the one that averaged 1.00 goal per game in the last two games.
- Tristan King did not make the trip to Boise as he is still dealing with injury issues that has limited his playing time to just four games since joining the Americans in early March. Zach Pochiro, who sat out the game on Sunday due to illness, is expected to be back in the lineup tonight.
- Allen needs to find a way to win the game tonight and avoid this series going to a game seven. You can talk all you want about the stats and the X's and O's but the win tonight will go to the team that works the hardest and wants it the most. As coach Martinson always says, everybody has to do all of the little things that add up to achieving the goal.
- Here is an update of the comparison stats between Allen and Idaho after five playoff games with the Americans holding a 3-2 series lead.
ALLEN IDAHO
Goals For 15 13
Goals Against 13 15
Power Play 12.5% (2/16) 18.2% (4/22)
Penalty Kill 81.8% (4/22) 87.5% (2/16)
Leading Scorer Shmyr (2G-3A-5) Harstad (2G-2A-4)
Makowski (3G-2A-5) Parizek (2G-3A-5)
Most PIM's Makowski - 16 Baldwin - 9
- Here is how Allen and Idaho rank among the 16 teams in the ECHL playoffs:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 7th (13.80) - Idaho 9th (12.00)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 7th (3.00) - Idaho 10th (2.60)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 7th (2.60) - Idaho 10th (3.00)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 10th (30.40) - Idaho 8th (36.60)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 9th (36.60) - Idaho 7th (30.40)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 10th (12.5%) - Idaho 4th (18.2%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 13th (81.8%) - Idaho 7th (97.5%)
- Allen managed 42 shots on goal on Sunday but scored only one goal. The offense has dried up the last two games not because of lack of shots but the inability to finish. In the first three games of this series (all wins) Allen scored 13 goals on 82 shots for a shooting percentage of 15.8%. In the last two games (both losses) Allen had two goals on 70 shots for a shooting percentage of 2.9%. Tonight the Americans need to keep getting pucks to the net but they also need more traffic in front of Idaho goalie Philippe Desrosiers.
- Allen has scored the first goal in all five games in this series. Keeping that streak alive would be big for the Americans tonight.
- The biggest negative in the series for Allen has been special teams play. The Americans did manage to score a power play goal on Sunday which was only their second in the series but they also gave up a power play goal. Idaho's game winning goal came on the power play and it was a five-on-three power play. Allen has allowed a power play goal in four of the five games. Allen will have to excel on special teams or stay out of the penalty box if they expect to win tonight.
- The referees scheduled for the game are Stephen Reneau (#17) and Andrew Wilk (#24). The linesmen are Andrew Collins (#49) and Kollin Kleinendorst (#35).
OTHER COMMENTS
- I often get asked about where fans can go and watch away games and until now there has not been an official watch party site but that has changed for the game tonight. Kelly's (across from the Allen Event Center) will be hosting a watch party which is sponsored by Rick and Marilyn Duncan from North Dallas Sports. Should be a great environment for watching the game:
- With the exception of the Mountain Division all of the division finals schedules are out and here is how they look:
North Division - It is #1 seed Adirondack (89 regular season points) against #2 seed Manchester (88 regular season points) but scheduling problems has the first four games of this series being played in Adirondack starting on Friday. The series is 4-2-1 with Manchester getting only two home games. If the series goes seven games the final game will be on May 9th.
South Division - #1 seed Florida (112 regular season points) will take on #3 seed Orlando (75 regular season points) in a series format of 2-3-2. The Everblades open at home on Friday and game seven would be on May 9th.
Central Division - It is #1 seed Toledo (105 regular season points) against #2 seed Fort Wayne (98 regular season points) in a series format of 2-2-1-1-1. Since these communities are only 100 miles apart it makes traveling back and forth very easy. Game one will be in Toledo on Saturday and if the series goes the distance game seven would be on May 9th.
Mountain Division - #1 seed Colorado awaits the winner of the Allen vs Idaho series. The Eagles will host the winner of that series on Saturday and Sunday.
- Here is the updated playoff bracket courtesy of Robert Ciccotelli of the Allen Americans:
- When Vincent Arseneau was a healthy scratch in Utica's second playoff game on Sunday there was some hope he might be returned to Allen but that was not the case. Utica trails 2-0 in their best of five series against the Toronto Marlies. Game three is is scheduled for Wednesday.
- Former Allen Americans forward Josh Brittain has been involved in quite the playoffs in the top Slovakian league. This is the same league Spencer Asuchak played in to start this season. Josh's team (Banksa Bystrica) will play the championship game today against Dukla Trencin. After jumping out to a 3-0 lead Josh's team has lost three in a row including game six at home on Sunday. His team will have to win game seven on the road today to avoid one of those rare series losses after taking a 3-0 lead.
The game six loss was just the start of the problems for Josh's team as the disgruntled hometown fans started yelling at the team for losing. I contacted Josh's wife, Rhiannon, and here is what she shared.
"I was standing outside the locker room after the game waiting for Josh and a fan ran into the locker room and started yelling at the players. He was yelling in Slovak so Josh had no idea what he was saying but his understanding was the fan was upset about the loss and decided to go in the locker room and berate the players. Then just outside the locker room area a huge brawl erupted. There was a lot of yelling, punching, kicking and shoving. I have never seen anything like it. I had to move to get out of the way! There were security personnel there, but they had a hard time breaking it up at first because they were outnumbered. None of the players from either teams was involved in the scrum, they were all just watching through the window just outside the locker room in disbelief. Eventually, the police showed up and it was broken up. It was pretty intense but thankfully the police showed up and handled it. After looking at the video of the incident I am not sure if opposing fans were involved at all. It looks like it was all disgruntled Banksa Bystrica fans, but I could be wrong."
- YouTube took down the video this morning so I am unable to post it. It was a scary moment and it is good to hear everyone is okay. Here is hoping Josh's team gets the win in game seven today and comes home with the championship.
DID YOU KNOW: Allen has always been a good road team and their playoff road record is a testament to that fact. Since joining the ECHL back in 2014, Allen's road record in the playoffs is 20-10.
- Allen has a chance to join the second round playoff club tonight in Boise in game six of their series with Idaho. After jumping off to a 3-0 lead in the series the Americans have stumbled losing the last two games at home by identical scores of 2-1. The big question for Allen fans is which team will show up tonight, the one that averaged 4.33 goals per game in the first three games or the one that averaged 1.00 goal per game in the last two games.
- Tristan King did not make the trip to Boise as he is still dealing with injury issues that has limited his playing time to just four games since joining the Americans in early March. Zach Pochiro, who sat out the game on Sunday due to illness, is expected to be back in the lineup tonight.
- Allen needs to find a way to win the game tonight and avoid this series going to a game seven. You can talk all you want about the stats and the X's and O's but the win tonight will go to the team that works the hardest and wants it the most. As coach Martinson always says, everybody has to do all of the little things that add up to achieving the goal.
- Here is an update of the comparison stats between Allen and Idaho after five playoff games with the Americans holding a 3-2 series lead.
ALLEN IDAHO
Goals For 15 13
Goals Against 13 15
Power Play 12.5% (2/16) 18.2% (4/22)
Penalty Kill 81.8% (4/22) 87.5% (2/16)
Leading Scorer Shmyr (2G-3A-5) Harstad (2G-2A-4)
Makowski (3G-2A-5) Parizek (2G-3A-5)
Most PIM's Makowski - 16 Baldwin - 9
- Here is how Allen and Idaho rank among the 16 teams in the ECHL playoffs:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 7th (13.80) - Idaho 9th (12.00)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 7th (3.00) - Idaho 10th (2.60)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 7th (2.60) - Idaho 10th (3.00)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 10th (30.40) - Idaho 8th (36.60)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 9th (36.60) - Idaho 7th (30.40)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 10th (12.5%) - Idaho 4th (18.2%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 13th (81.8%) - Idaho 7th (97.5%)
- Allen managed 42 shots on goal on Sunday but scored only one goal. The offense has dried up the last two games not because of lack of shots but the inability to finish. In the first three games of this series (all wins) Allen scored 13 goals on 82 shots for a shooting percentage of 15.8%. In the last two games (both losses) Allen had two goals on 70 shots for a shooting percentage of 2.9%. Tonight the Americans need to keep getting pucks to the net but they also need more traffic in front of Idaho goalie Philippe Desrosiers.
- Allen has scored the first goal in all five games in this series. Keeping that streak alive would be big for the Americans tonight.
- The biggest negative in the series for Allen has been special teams play. The Americans did manage to score a power play goal on Sunday which was only their second in the series but they also gave up a power play goal. Idaho's game winning goal came on the power play and it was a five-on-three power play. Allen has allowed a power play goal in four of the five games. Allen will have to excel on special teams or stay out of the penalty box if they expect to win tonight.
- The referees scheduled for the game are Stephen Reneau (#17) and Andrew Wilk (#24). The linesmen are Andrew Collins (#49) and Kollin Kleinendorst (#35).
OTHER COMMENTS
- I often get asked about where fans can go and watch away games and until now there has not been an official watch party site but that has changed for the game tonight. Kelly's (across from the Allen Event Center) will be hosting a watch party which is sponsored by Rick and Marilyn Duncan from North Dallas Sports. Should be a great environment for watching the game:
- With the exception of the Mountain Division all of the division finals schedules are out and here is how they look:
North Division - It is #1 seed Adirondack (89 regular season points) against #2 seed Manchester (88 regular season points) but scheduling problems has the first four games of this series being played in Adirondack starting on Friday. The series is 4-2-1 with Manchester getting only two home games. If the series goes seven games the final game will be on May 9th.
South Division - #1 seed Florida (112 regular season points) will take on #3 seed Orlando (75 regular season points) in a series format of 2-3-2. The Everblades open at home on Friday and game seven would be on May 9th.
Central Division - It is #1 seed Toledo (105 regular season points) against #2 seed Fort Wayne (98 regular season points) in a series format of 2-2-1-1-1. Since these communities are only 100 miles apart it makes traveling back and forth very easy. Game one will be in Toledo on Saturday and if the series goes the distance game seven would be on May 9th.
Mountain Division - #1 seed Colorado awaits the winner of the Allen vs Idaho series. The Eagles will host the winner of that series on Saturday and Sunday.
- Here is the updated playoff bracket courtesy of Robert Ciccotelli of the Allen Americans:
- When Vincent Arseneau was a healthy scratch in Utica's second playoff game on Sunday there was some hope he might be returned to Allen but that was not the case. Utica trails 2-0 in their best of five series against the Toronto Marlies. Game three is is scheduled for Wednesday.
- Former Allen Americans forward Josh Brittain has been involved in quite the playoffs in the top Slovakian league. This is the same league Spencer Asuchak played in to start this season. Josh's team (Banksa Bystrica) will play the championship game today against Dukla Trencin. After jumping out to a 3-0 lead Josh's team has lost three in a row including game six at home on Sunday. His team will have to win game seven on the road today to avoid one of those rare series losses after taking a 3-0 lead.
The game six loss was just the start of the problems for Josh's team as the disgruntled hometown fans started yelling at the team for losing. I contacted Josh's wife, Rhiannon, and here is what she shared.
"I was standing outside the locker room after the game waiting for Josh and a fan ran into the locker room and started yelling at the players. He was yelling in Slovak so Josh had no idea what he was saying but his understanding was the fan was upset about the loss and decided to go in the locker room and berate the players. Then just outside the locker room area a huge brawl erupted. There was a lot of yelling, punching, kicking and shoving. I have never seen anything like it. I had to move to get out of the way! There were security personnel there, but they had a hard time breaking it up at first because they were outnumbered. None of the players from either teams was involved in the scrum, they were all just watching through the window just outside the locker room in disbelief. Eventually, the police showed up and it was broken up. It was pretty intense but thankfully the police showed up and handled it. After looking at the video of the incident I am not sure if opposing fans were involved at all. It looks like it was all disgruntled Banksa Bystrica fans, but I could be wrong."
- YouTube took down the video this morning so I am unable to post it. It was a scary moment and it is good to hear everyone is okay. Here is hoping Josh's team gets the win in game seven today and comes home with the championship.
DID YOU KNOW: Allen has always been a good road team and their playoff road record is a testament to that fact. Since joining the ECHL back in 2014, Allen's road record in the playoffs is 20-10.
Monday, April 23, 2018
Allen Loses & Heads Back to Idaho with 3-2 Series Lead, Game Recap, Martinson's Comments, Roster Update, Playoff Update & Who Wins Percentages for Allen vs Idaho
The road to the second round of the Kelly Cup playoffs got a little more bumpy last night for the Allen Americans as they lost to the Idaho Steelheads 2-1 before a disappointed crowd of 3215 at the Allen Event Center. It was the second straight 2-1 home loss for the Americans after scoring 13 goals in the first three games of this series. Allen's series lead is now 3-2.
- The reward for letting the Steelheads back in the series was an early wakeup call this morning to head to the airport for a flight to Boise where the Americans will play game six on Tuesday and if necessary game seven on Wednesday.
- Once again Allen scored first as they have in all five games in this series but for the second straight game the first goal was the only goal for the Americans. The script last night was just like the one on Friday night. The Americans scored first and took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission but couldn't add to their goal total over the last 48 minutes of the game. Idaho tied the score on an even strength goal and got the game winner on the power play. The only difference from the loss on Friday night is the power play goal last night was a five-on-three.
- Allen had plenty of opportunity to tie the score in the third period as they outshot Idaho 21-11. For the entire game the Americans had 42 shots on goal but so did the Steelheads. You have to go back to December to find a game when Allen had 42 shots on goal. The offense has dried up the last two games not because of lack of shots but the inability to finish. In the first three games of this series (all wins) Allen scored 13 goals on 82 shots for a shooting percentage of 15.8%. In the last two games (both losses) Allen had two goals on 70 shots for a shooting percentage of 2.9%.
- Unlike Friday night when Allen got off to a rocky start even though they scored first, last night the Americans came out strong and almost scored in the first minute of the game when Pierro-Zabotel clanged a shot off the post. The Americans killed off a double minor penalty to David Makowski five minutes into the game. At the 12:00 mark Makowski scored the first goal of the game and it came on the power play, just their second power play goal of the series, and it looked like the night would belong to the Americans. After scoring just one goal on Friday there was little chance for that to happen again last night. After all, during the 72 game regular season only once (against the Florida Everblades) did Allen have so few goals in back to back games.
- Here is the game recap from the Idaho Steelheads. http://www.idahosteelheads.com/events/idaho-steelheads-vs-allen-americans-13/#gametab-2
- Here are the video highlights from ECHL Rewind: https://www.echl.com/
- Here is the Sporfie highlight of Allen's lone goal scored by David Makowski on the power play. It was David's third goal of the playoffs which leads the team. A couple of things to note on this goal. Braylon Shmyr draws two defenders as he enters the zone and then passes to Makowski. Notice how Makowski hesitates before shooting to avoid the defender going down to block the shot. https://sporfie.app.link/fBt34LBRkM
STEVE MARTINSON'S COMMENTS
- Pregame interview with Kayla McLain:
- Post game interview with Kayla McLain:
- After talking with coach Martinson after the game it is clear he is still confident about the outcome of the series. The team has played well in Idaho but needs to regroup and get ready for Tuesday night. It is all of the little things that will add up to success and the team needs to do a better job of making plays. Martinson made a point of saying how the experienced players need to step up in game six.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Zach Pochiro did not play because he was sick. He should be back in the lineup on Tuesday. It remains to be seen if any players stayed home because of injury.
- Vincent Arseneau did not play yesterday as Utica lost to Toronto. Utica trails 2-0 in the best of five series with game three scheduled for Wednesday in Utica. According to the AHL website Utica has 22 forwards on their roster with 12 dressing for each game. It sure would be great for the Americans if Arseneau is not going to play he could return to Allen.
- Fort Wayne beat Cincinnati 4-2 yesterday to become the fifth team to advance to the second round of the playoffs. The division finals are set in the South Division (Florida vs Orlando) and the Central Division (Toledo vs Fort Wayne). In the North Division Manchester has advanced and is awaiting the winner of the Adirondack vs Worcester series. Adirondack leads 3-2. Neither division finalist has been decided in the Mountain Division. Allen and Colorado both jumped out to 3-0 series leads before losing two straight at home. Both of these series will be completed no later than Wednesday.
- Adirondack is at Worcester tonight and Colorado is at Wichita. It is possible after the games tonight the Allen vs Idaho series is the only first round series still being contested.
- Here is the updated bracket after the games yesterday. Notice thus far only one lower seeded team (Orlando) has advanced to the second round. Remember only once in the last 10 years was the Kelly Cup champions not a #1 or #2 seed.
- Another complication for Allen in losing last night and having to return to Boise is their travel plans if they advance to the second round. If Allen beats Idaho and Colorado beats Wichita the Americans will not return home before the start of the second round. They will travel directly to Colorado for the first two games of the series which would presumably start this weekend. First things first however as Allen needs a win in Boise.
- Here is the Sporfie video of the play where J.C. Campagna was hurt last night. This is not the point of view of many Allen fans but after talking to coach Martinson among others after the game the consensus was this was not a penalty. It was a collision where neither player was looking and neither player changed course to initiate contact. The Idaho player did raise his arms but just at the last second to protect himself. The call that had the coaching staff scratching their heads was the roughing penalty on David Makowski early in the third period when the Idaho defenseman was holding Makowski for several seconds right in front of the referee. https://sporfie.app.link/v5AsehtZkM
DID YOU KNOW: The historical percentages still weigh heavily in favor of the Americans in this series even though Idaho has won the last two games. There have been 385 seven game series in the NHL when a team has had a 3-2 series lead. The record in game six for the teams with a 3-2 lead is 216-169 (56.1%) and the record for winning the series is 303-82 (78.7%). It should also be noted Allen has won three of their last four games in Idaho.
- The reward for letting the Steelheads back in the series was an early wakeup call this morning to head to the airport for a flight to Boise where the Americans will play game six on Tuesday and if necessary game seven on Wednesday.
- Once again Allen scored first as they have in all five games in this series but for the second straight game the first goal was the only goal for the Americans. The script last night was just like the one on Friday night. The Americans scored first and took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission but couldn't add to their goal total over the last 48 minutes of the game. Idaho tied the score on an even strength goal and got the game winner on the power play. The only difference from the loss on Friday night is the power play goal last night was a five-on-three.
- Allen had plenty of opportunity to tie the score in the third period as they outshot Idaho 21-11. For the entire game the Americans had 42 shots on goal but so did the Steelheads. You have to go back to December to find a game when Allen had 42 shots on goal. The offense has dried up the last two games not because of lack of shots but the inability to finish. In the first three games of this series (all wins) Allen scored 13 goals on 82 shots for a shooting percentage of 15.8%. In the last two games (both losses) Allen had two goals on 70 shots for a shooting percentage of 2.9%.
- Unlike Friday night when Allen got off to a rocky start even though they scored first, last night the Americans came out strong and almost scored in the first minute of the game when Pierro-Zabotel clanged a shot off the post. The Americans killed off a double minor penalty to David Makowski five minutes into the game. At the 12:00 mark Makowski scored the first goal of the game and it came on the power play, just their second power play goal of the series, and it looked like the night would belong to the Americans. After scoring just one goal on Friday there was little chance for that to happen again last night. After all, during the 72 game regular season only once (against the Florida Everblades) did Allen have so few goals in back to back games.
- Here is the game recap from the Idaho Steelheads. http://www.idahosteelheads.com/events/idaho-steelheads-vs-allen-americans-13/#gametab-2
- Here are the video highlights from ECHL Rewind: https://www.echl.com/
- Here is the Sporfie highlight of Allen's lone goal scored by David Makowski on the power play. It was David's third goal of the playoffs which leads the team. A couple of things to note on this goal. Braylon Shmyr draws two defenders as he enters the zone and then passes to Makowski. Notice how Makowski hesitates before shooting to avoid the defender going down to block the shot. https://sporfie.app.link/fBt34LBRkM
STEVE MARTINSON'S COMMENTS
- Pregame interview with Kayla McLain:
- Post game interview with Kayla McLain:
- After talking with coach Martinson after the game it is clear he is still confident about the outcome of the series. The team has played well in Idaho but needs to regroup and get ready for Tuesday night. It is all of the little things that will add up to success and the team needs to do a better job of making plays. Martinson made a point of saying how the experienced players need to step up in game six.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Zach Pochiro did not play because he was sick. He should be back in the lineup on Tuesday. It remains to be seen if any players stayed home because of injury.
- Vincent Arseneau did not play yesterday as Utica lost to Toronto. Utica trails 2-0 in the best of five series with game three scheduled for Wednesday in Utica. According to the AHL website Utica has 22 forwards on their roster with 12 dressing for each game. It sure would be great for the Americans if Arseneau is not going to play he could return to Allen.
- Fort Wayne beat Cincinnati 4-2 yesterday to become the fifth team to advance to the second round of the playoffs. The division finals are set in the South Division (Florida vs Orlando) and the Central Division (Toledo vs Fort Wayne). In the North Division Manchester has advanced and is awaiting the winner of the Adirondack vs Worcester series. Adirondack leads 3-2. Neither division finalist has been decided in the Mountain Division. Allen and Colorado both jumped out to 3-0 series leads before losing two straight at home. Both of these series will be completed no later than Wednesday.
- Adirondack is at Worcester tonight and Colorado is at Wichita. It is possible after the games tonight the Allen vs Idaho series is the only first round series still being contested.
- Here is the updated bracket after the games yesterday. Notice thus far only one lower seeded team (Orlando) has advanced to the second round. Remember only once in the last 10 years was the Kelly Cup champions not a #1 or #2 seed.
- Another complication for Allen in losing last night and having to return to Boise is their travel plans if they advance to the second round. If Allen beats Idaho and Colorado beats Wichita the Americans will not return home before the start of the second round. They will travel directly to Colorado for the first two games of the series which would presumably start this weekend. First things first however as Allen needs a win in Boise.
- Here is the Sporfie video of the play where J.C. Campagna was hurt last night. This is not the point of view of many Allen fans but after talking to coach Martinson among others after the game the consensus was this was not a penalty. It was a collision where neither player was looking and neither player changed course to initiate contact. The Idaho player did raise his arms but just at the last second to protect himself. The call that had the coaching staff scratching their heads was the roughing penalty on David Makowski early in the third period when the Idaho defenseman was holding Makowski for several seconds right in front of the referee. https://sporfie.app.link/v5AsehtZkM
DID YOU KNOW: The historical percentages still weigh heavily in favor of the Americans in this series even though Idaho has won the last two games. There have been 385 seven game series in the NHL when a team has had a 3-2 series lead. The record in game six for the teams with a 3-2 lead is 216-169 (56.1%) and the record for winning the series is 303-82 (78.7%). It should also be noted Allen has won three of their last four games in Idaho.
Sunday, April 22, 2018
Allen vs Idaho Game Five Preview, Secret Weapons Attend Allen Practice, Playoff Update and the Oldest Hockey Player in the World
It is game day at the Allen Event Center (6:05 pm puck drop) and not just any old game day. For the Idaho Steelheads it is win or go home so they will obviously be playing for their playoff lives. The Allen Americans will also be playing desperate because there is no way they want this series returning to Boise.
- Coach Steve Martinson held a practice at 5:30 pm last night and brought in a couple of secret weapons to help out. Who better to bring in for practice than two former Allen captains, Chad Costello and Gary Steffes. Two main cogs in Allen's back to back Kelly Cups. Gary is an inspiration on and off the ice and who can forget the 2014-15 season when Gary had 57 goals between the regular season and playoffs as Allen won their first Kelly Cup. Two Kelly Cups, three MVP's, three scoring titles and never missing a game regular season or playoffs (276 straight) in his three year career in Allen tells you all you need to know about Chad Costello.
- The team spent a lot of time at practice working on the power play and who better to help out in sharing his wisdom than Costello. Chad averaged 45 power play points per season in his three years in Allen which is a good overall season for most players. Having the quarterback of the top power play in the league (2014-17 average) help out with power play practice is great.
- The value of having Chad and Gary on the ice with coach Martinson at practice is more than anything related to X's and O's. Their willingness to come back, hang out with the guys, share their experiences says a lot about the history of the Allen franchise and why it has been so successful. Hopefully their presence is an inspiration to the entire team but especially to all of the rookies.
- It is hard to overstate the importance of the game tonight. You know Idaho is saying if they can get a win in game five and get the series back to Boise they are right back in the series. It would be reminiscent of last year when Allen went down 3-0 to Colorado and and then won two games in Colorado to get the series back to Allen.
- Here is an update of the comparison stats between Allen and Idaho after four playoff games with the Americans holding a 3-1 series lead.
ALLEN IDAHO
Goals For 14 11
Goals Against 11 14
Power Play 7.7% (1/13) 17.6% (3/17)
Penalty Kill 82.4% (3/17) 92.3% (1/13)
Leading Scorer Shmyr (2G-2A-4) Harstad (2G-2A-4)
Makowski (2G-2A-4) Parizek (2G-2A-4)
Most PIM's Pochiro - 10 Baldwin - 9
- Here is how Allen and Idaho rank among the 16 teams in the ECHL playoffs:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 7th (14.25) - Idaho 9th (13.00)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 2nd (3.50) - Idaho 9th (2.75)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 8th (2.75) - Idaho 15th (3.50)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 12th (27.50) - Idaho 8th (35.25)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 9th (35.25) - Idaho 5th (27.50)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 15th (7.7%) - Idaho 4th (17.6%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 13th (82.4%) - Idaho 2nd (92.3%)
- Shot differential has been an issue for Allen all season and to a lesser extent in this series. The Americans overcome this with an excellent shooting percentage (12.7%). Coach Martinson mentioned in the loss on Friday the team did not support the puck as well as they did in the earlier games. Puck possession and supporting the puck will be a key to victory tonight.
- The biggest positive for Allen in this series is they have scored the first goal in all four games and the young guns/rookies have led the way. It was Braylon Shmyr in game one, Jared Bethune in game two, Shmyr again in game three and J.C. Campagna in game four. Keeping this streak alive would be big for the Americans.
- The biggest negative in the series for Allen has been special teams play. The Americans can't keep losing the special teams battle and expect to win. The team knows this and there was a lot of time working on special teams at practice last night. Hopefully a little of that Costello and Steffes power play magic rubbed off and there will be one or two power play goals by Allen tonight.
- It is kind of a broken record you hear from fans and coaches alike but taking retaliation penalties has been costly to the Americans. I know the referees have been warned about the antics of Idaho captain, #21 Jefferson Dahl, but Allen needs to avoid retaliating. As coach Martinson has said many times, if a player does something you don't like and he isn't willing to drop the gloves just take down his number because there will be another time for paybacks. This game is too critical for those type of penalties.
- Here is the game five preview issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-look-to-close-out-series-with-idaho-tonight/
- The referees scheduled for the game are Tyler Puddifant (#28) and Stephen Thomson (#27). The linesmen are Addison Brush (#80) and Michael Houle (#49). This is the same crew that handled the game on Friday. Hopefully they have had time to take a look at game four video with their supervisor and assess the calls and non calls in the game.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Here is a recap of all eight ECHL first round playoffs series:
North Division
#1 Adirondack vs #4 Worcester - Adirondack leads the series 3-2. Worcester won 6-5 last night in Adirondack to avoid elimination. These teams combined for a total of 12 goals in the first four games of this series before combining for 11 last night. Game six is in Worcester on Monday with game seven, if necessary back in Adirondack on Wednesday.
#2 Manchester vs #3 Reading - Manchester swept Reading in four games and has been waiting around since last Wednesday to see who their opponent will be in the division finals.
South Division
#1 Florida vs #4 Atlanta - Florida swept this series and will now take on Orlando in the division finals.
#2 South Carolina vs #3 Orlando - In the surprise of the playoffs thus far Orlando beat South Carolina 2-1 in overtime last night to sweep the series. During the regular season South Carolina had a record of 7-3-0-1 against Orlando but when it came to playoff time the Solar Bears went 4-0 against the Stingrays. Orlando will be seeking another upset in the division finals when they take on the ECHL regular season champions the Florida Everblades.
Central Division
#1 Toledo vs #4 Indy - Toledo made short work of Indy sweeping the Fuel in four games. The Walleye finished the series with Indy on Thursday and are now waiting to see who their opponent will be in the division final.
#2 Fort Wayne vs #3 Cincinnati - Fort Wayne won in Cincinnati 2-1 last night to take a 3-1 lead in the series. The Komets will have a chance to advance when they take on the Cyclones in Cincinnati this afternoon (3:00 pm EDT).
Mountain Division
#1 Colorado vs #4 Wichita - After trailing 3-0 in this series Wichita has won two games in Colorado to close the gap to 3-2. Last night the Thunder blew a 4-2 lead in the third period but came back to win the game 5-4 in overtime. Wichita scored the game winner 21 seconds into overtime. Game six is in Wichita on Monday and if necessary game seven will be in Colorado on Wednesday.
#3 Allen vs #2 Idaho - Allen has a 3-1 series lead and will have the chance to advance and avoid returning to Idaho if they can win tonight (6:05 CDT).
- Vincent Arseneau and his Utica Comets lost 3-2 in Toronto yesterday in the first game of their best of five series. Game two is this afternoon. Colby McAuley and the San Jose Barracuda beat Tucson 6-3 at home last night to even the best of five series 1-1. The final three games of this series will be in Tucson with game three on Wednesday and game four on Friday.
DID YOU KNOW: I have written about this before but I just saw on one of the morning TV shows a feature about the oldest hockey player in the world, Mark Sertich, who resides in Duluth, Minnesota. The Sertich name is one of the famous last names synonymous with hockey in Minnesota. Mark Sertich is 96 years old and still plays hockey regularly. A World War II veteran, Mark completed the famous Duluth marathon (Grandma's Marathon) six times and then got hooked on inline skating and raced in his first of those at age 75 and has completed 11 of them. Here is a video from last year about this ageless wonder.
- Coach Steve Martinson held a practice at 5:30 pm last night and brought in a couple of secret weapons to help out. Who better to bring in for practice than two former Allen captains, Chad Costello and Gary Steffes. Two main cogs in Allen's back to back Kelly Cups. Gary is an inspiration on and off the ice and who can forget the 2014-15 season when Gary had 57 goals between the regular season and playoffs as Allen won their first Kelly Cup. Two Kelly Cups, three MVP's, three scoring titles and never missing a game regular season or playoffs (276 straight) in his three year career in Allen tells you all you need to know about Chad Costello.
- The team spent a lot of time at practice working on the power play and who better to help out in sharing his wisdom than Costello. Chad averaged 45 power play points per season in his three years in Allen which is a good overall season for most players. Having the quarterback of the top power play in the league (2014-17 average) help out with power play practice is great.
- The value of having Chad and Gary on the ice with coach Martinson at practice is more than anything related to X's and O's. Their willingness to come back, hang out with the guys, share their experiences says a lot about the history of the Allen franchise and why it has been so successful. Hopefully their presence is an inspiration to the entire team but especially to all of the rookies.
- It is hard to overstate the importance of the game tonight. You know Idaho is saying if they can get a win in game five and get the series back to Boise they are right back in the series. It would be reminiscent of last year when Allen went down 3-0 to Colorado and and then won two games in Colorado to get the series back to Allen.
- Here is an update of the comparison stats between Allen and Idaho after four playoff games with the Americans holding a 3-1 series lead.
ALLEN IDAHO
Goals For 14 11
Goals Against 11 14
Power Play 7.7% (1/13) 17.6% (3/17)
Penalty Kill 82.4% (3/17) 92.3% (1/13)
Leading Scorer Shmyr (2G-2A-4) Harstad (2G-2A-4)
Makowski (2G-2A-4) Parizek (2G-2A-4)
Most PIM's Pochiro - 10 Baldwin - 9
- Here is how Allen and Idaho rank among the 16 teams in the ECHL playoffs:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 7th (14.25) - Idaho 9th (13.00)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 2nd (3.50) - Idaho 9th (2.75)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 8th (2.75) - Idaho 15th (3.50)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 12th (27.50) - Idaho 8th (35.25)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 9th (35.25) - Idaho 5th (27.50)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 15th (7.7%) - Idaho 4th (17.6%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 13th (82.4%) - Idaho 2nd (92.3%)
- Shot differential has been an issue for Allen all season and to a lesser extent in this series. The Americans overcome this with an excellent shooting percentage (12.7%). Coach Martinson mentioned in the loss on Friday the team did not support the puck as well as they did in the earlier games. Puck possession and supporting the puck will be a key to victory tonight.
- The biggest positive for Allen in this series is they have scored the first goal in all four games and the young guns/rookies have led the way. It was Braylon Shmyr in game one, Jared Bethune in game two, Shmyr again in game three and J.C. Campagna in game four. Keeping this streak alive would be big for the Americans.
- The biggest negative in the series for Allen has been special teams play. The Americans can't keep losing the special teams battle and expect to win. The team knows this and there was a lot of time working on special teams at practice last night. Hopefully a little of that Costello and Steffes power play magic rubbed off and there will be one or two power play goals by Allen tonight.
- It is kind of a broken record you hear from fans and coaches alike but taking retaliation penalties has been costly to the Americans. I know the referees have been warned about the antics of Idaho captain, #21 Jefferson Dahl, but Allen needs to avoid retaliating. As coach Martinson has said many times, if a player does something you don't like and he isn't willing to drop the gloves just take down his number because there will be another time for paybacks. This game is too critical for those type of penalties.
- Here is the game five preview issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-look-to-close-out-series-with-idaho-tonight/
- The referees scheduled for the game are Tyler Puddifant (#28) and Stephen Thomson (#27). The linesmen are Addison Brush (#80) and Michael Houle (#49). This is the same crew that handled the game on Friday. Hopefully they have had time to take a look at game four video with their supervisor and assess the calls and non calls in the game.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Here is a recap of all eight ECHL first round playoffs series:
North Division
#1 Adirondack vs #4 Worcester - Adirondack leads the series 3-2. Worcester won 6-5 last night in Adirondack to avoid elimination. These teams combined for a total of 12 goals in the first four games of this series before combining for 11 last night. Game six is in Worcester on Monday with game seven, if necessary back in Adirondack on Wednesday.
#2 Manchester vs #3 Reading - Manchester swept Reading in four games and has been waiting around since last Wednesday to see who their opponent will be in the division finals.
South Division
#1 Florida vs #4 Atlanta - Florida swept this series and will now take on Orlando in the division finals.
#2 South Carolina vs #3 Orlando - In the surprise of the playoffs thus far Orlando beat South Carolina 2-1 in overtime last night to sweep the series. During the regular season South Carolina had a record of 7-3-0-1 against Orlando but when it came to playoff time the Solar Bears went 4-0 against the Stingrays. Orlando will be seeking another upset in the division finals when they take on the ECHL regular season champions the Florida Everblades.
Central Division
#1 Toledo vs #4 Indy - Toledo made short work of Indy sweeping the Fuel in four games. The Walleye finished the series with Indy on Thursday and are now waiting to see who their opponent will be in the division final.
#2 Fort Wayne vs #3 Cincinnati - Fort Wayne won in Cincinnati 2-1 last night to take a 3-1 lead in the series. The Komets will have a chance to advance when they take on the Cyclones in Cincinnati this afternoon (3:00 pm EDT).
Mountain Division
#1 Colorado vs #4 Wichita - After trailing 3-0 in this series Wichita has won two games in Colorado to close the gap to 3-2. Last night the Thunder blew a 4-2 lead in the third period but came back to win the game 5-4 in overtime. Wichita scored the game winner 21 seconds into overtime. Game six is in Wichita on Monday and if necessary game seven will be in Colorado on Wednesday.
#3 Allen vs #2 Idaho - Allen has a 3-1 series lead and will have the chance to advance and avoid returning to Idaho if they can win tonight (6:05 CDT).
- Vincent Arseneau and his Utica Comets lost 3-2 in Toronto yesterday in the first game of their best of five series. Game two is this afternoon. Colby McAuley and the San Jose Barracuda beat Tucson 6-3 at home last night to even the best of five series 1-1. The final three games of this series will be in Tucson with game three on Wednesday and game four on Friday.
DID YOU KNOW: I have written about this before but I just saw on one of the morning TV shows a feature about the oldest hockey player in the world, Mark Sertich, who resides in Duluth, Minnesota. The Sertich name is one of the famous last names synonymous with hockey in Minnesota. Mark Sertich is 96 years old and still plays hockey regularly. A World War II veteran, Mark completed the famous Duluth marathon (Grandma's Marathon) six times and then got hooked on inline skating and raced in his first of those at age 75 and has completed 11 of them. Here is a video from last year about this ageless wonder.
Saturday, April 21, 2018
Idaho Avoids Sweep, Allen Leads Series 3-1, Game Recap, Steve Martinson's Post Game Comments, Video Highlights, Playoff Update and the Odds Revisited
The Idaho Steelheads avoided a sweep last night with a hard earned 2-1 win over the Allen Americans before a crowd of 4363 at the Allen Event Center. As was expected the Steelheads came out buzzing and dominated the early play out shooting the Americans 9-2 in the first eight minutes of the game. Several grade A saves by Allen goalie Jake Paterson allowed the Americans to weather the storm. The Americans once again scored the first goal of the game on a great individual effort by rookie J.C. Campagna. Unlike the first three games of this series Allen could not make scoring the first goal of the game and taking a lead (1-0) into the first intermission hold up.
- Idaho scored the only goal of the second period to tie the score 1-1 and the only goal of the third period for the 2-1 victory. Special teams and retaliation penalties were the difference in the game as both Steelhead goals were scored when Allen was not at full strength. On the second period goal Jefferson Dahl, the agitator extraordinaire for the Steelhead, was whistled for a cross-check but Zach Pochiro decided to retaliate and turned an Americans power play advantage into two minutes of playing four on four during which Idaho scored. Idaho's game winning goal early in the third period was scored on the power play and was the result of another retaliation penalty, this time the referee didn't see the first infraction but caught the retaliation by Bryan Moore.
- The Allen power play continues to struggle going 0-3 last night for a series total of 1-13, a paltry power play percentage of 7.7%. Don't forget the lone power play goal was on a five-on-three. The penalty kill has also struggled in this series despite Allen's 3-1 series lead. The Americans penalty kill unit has given up a power play goal in three of the four games for a total of 3-16 which is a penalty kill percentage of 81.3%. Allen's power play is ranked #14 of 16 and the penalty kill is ranked #13 of 16 in the Kelly Cup playoffs.
- Here is a complete game recap issued by the Idaho Steelheads: http://www.idahosteelheads.com/events/idaho-steelheads-vs-allen-americans-12/#gametab-2
- Here are the video highlights from ECHL Rewind which includes all of the goals, a fight, some great saves and a few missed opportunities: https://www.echl.com/
- Here is the Sporfie highlight of Allen's only goal. A great play by J.C. Campagna: https://sporfie.app.link/putINZFBhM
STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS
- Martinson's post game interview with Kayla McLain:
- If you watched the video above you can tell coach Martinson was not happy with the officiating in the game so that was a topic of conversation when I talked to him after the game. From past experience I know what Martinson does when he thinks the referees made mistakes. He takes the time to review the video and takes clips of the issues he has and then tries to discuss with the supervisor that is in attendance at the game. One no call Martinson mentioned was when Casey Pierro-Zabotel was taken down from behind and ended up crashing into the net. Here is the Sporfie highlight of that play and you can judge for yourself if Casey was tripped: https://sporfie.app.link/QkfwjA4oiM
- Here are a few of Steve Martinson's comments
"We have some work to do on the power play. We talked about what we need to do but then we didn't do a good job of executing."
"They have a good team and came out strong. We got outplayed early and were losing puck battles. We weathered the storm early in the first period and managed to score first."
"Undisciplined penalties hurt us tonight and contributed to both Idaho goals."
"Our defensemen didn't have good gaps on either of the Idaho goals."
"Now we have to get to work, get the work boots on for Sunday."
OTHER COMMENTS
- Three teams had a chance to sweep their series last night but only Florida got the job done beating Atlanta 3-2 in overtime to advance to the South Division finals. Wichita kept their hopes alive with a lopsided 6-0 win in Colorado.
- Here is how the playoffs stand after last night. Manchester, Florida and Toledo have advanced to the second round. Orlando has a 3-0 lead over South Carolina. Three series are 3-1, Allen leads Idaho, Colorado leads Wichita and Adirondack leads Worcester. Finally Fort Wayne leads Cincinnati 2-1 in their series.
- Games on tap tonight are Worcester at Adirondack, South Carolina at Orlando, Fort Wayne at Cincinnati and Wichita at Colorado.
- Joel Chouinard leads all ECHL players in plus/minus thus far in the playoffs with +8.
- The great starts by Allen are certainly reflected in goals scored by period. Allen has as many goals in the first period (7) as the second and third periods combined. The Americans have outscored Idaho 7-4 in the first period, the goals are tied 3-3 in the second period and 4-4 in the third period.
- Shots by period show Allen getting out shoot in all three periods in this series and the shot totals get worse as the game progresses. The Americans have been out shot 42-45 in the first period, 38-44 in the second period and 30-52 in the third period.
- Allen doesn't play tonight but a couple of possible additions to the roster do play today. Vincent Arseneau and his Utica Comets play in Toronto at 4:00 pm EDT in the first game of their best of five series. Colby McAuley and the San Jose Barracuda are at home to take on the Tucson Roadrunners in a late game (9:00 pm Allen time). Tucson leads the series 1-0.
- Matt Willows, who spent time with Allen last season, announced yesterday he was retiring from professional hockey at the ripe old age of 26. Talk about going out on top, Willows led the Reading Royals in points (74) and goals (32) this season. His 74 points were ranked third in the ECHL and his 32 goals were ranked sixth.
DID YOU KNOW: How have the odds changed after Allen lost last night and now holds a 3-1 lead in the series? Based on historical NHL data in seven game series where one team takes a 3-1 lead the odds of winning the series is 90.8% but the odds of winning game five is only 56.1%.
- Idaho scored the only goal of the second period to tie the score 1-1 and the only goal of the third period for the 2-1 victory. Special teams and retaliation penalties were the difference in the game as both Steelhead goals were scored when Allen was not at full strength. On the second period goal Jefferson Dahl, the agitator extraordinaire for the Steelhead, was whistled for a cross-check but Zach Pochiro decided to retaliate and turned an Americans power play advantage into two minutes of playing four on four during which Idaho scored. Idaho's game winning goal early in the third period was scored on the power play and was the result of another retaliation penalty, this time the referee didn't see the first infraction but caught the retaliation by Bryan Moore.
- The Allen power play continues to struggle going 0-3 last night for a series total of 1-13, a paltry power play percentage of 7.7%. Don't forget the lone power play goal was on a five-on-three. The penalty kill has also struggled in this series despite Allen's 3-1 series lead. The Americans penalty kill unit has given up a power play goal in three of the four games for a total of 3-16 which is a penalty kill percentage of 81.3%. Allen's power play is ranked #14 of 16 and the penalty kill is ranked #13 of 16 in the Kelly Cup playoffs.
- Here is a complete game recap issued by the Idaho Steelheads: http://www.idahosteelheads.com/events/idaho-steelheads-vs-allen-americans-12/#gametab-2
- Here are the video highlights from ECHL Rewind which includes all of the goals, a fight, some great saves and a few missed opportunities: https://www.echl.com/
- Here is the Sporfie highlight of Allen's only goal. A great play by J.C. Campagna: https://sporfie.app.link/putINZFBhM
STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS
- Martinson's post game interview with Kayla McLain:
- If you watched the video above you can tell coach Martinson was not happy with the officiating in the game so that was a topic of conversation when I talked to him after the game. From past experience I know what Martinson does when he thinks the referees made mistakes. He takes the time to review the video and takes clips of the issues he has and then tries to discuss with the supervisor that is in attendance at the game. One no call Martinson mentioned was when Casey Pierro-Zabotel was taken down from behind and ended up crashing into the net. Here is the Sporfie highlight of that play and you can judge for yourself if Casey was tripped: https://sporfie.app.link/QkfwjA4oiM
- Here are a few of Steve Martinson's comments
"We have some work to do on the power play. We talked about what we need to do but then we didn't do a good job of executing."
"They have a good team and came out strong. We got outplayed early and were losing puck battles. We weathered the storm early in the first period and managed to score first."
"Undisciplined penalties hurt us tonight and contributed to both Idaho goals."
"Our defensemen didn't have good gaps on either of the Idaho goals."
"Now we have to get to work, get the work boots on for Sunday."
OTHER COMMENTS
- Three teams had a chance to sweep their series last night but only Florida got the job done beating Atlanta 3-2 in overtime to advance to the South Division finals. Wichita kept their hopes alive with a lopsided 6-0 win in Colorado.
- Here is how the playoffs stand after last night. Manchester, Florida and Toledo have advanced to the second round. Orlando has a 3-0 lead over South Carolina. Three series are 3-1, Allen leads Idaho, Colorado leads Wichita and Adirondack leads Worcester. Finally Fort Wayne leads Cincinnati 2-1 in their series.
- Games on tap tonight are Worcester at Adirondack, South Carolina at Orlando, Fort Wayne at Cincinnati and Wichita at Colorado.
- Joel Chouinard leads all ECHL players in plus/minus thus far in the playoffs with +8.
- The great starts by Allen are certainly reflected in goals scored by period. Allen has as many goals in the first period (7) as the second and third periods combined. The Americans have outscored Idaho 7-4 in the first period, the goals are tied 3-3 in the second period and 4-4 in the third period.
- Shots by period show Allen getting out shoot in all three periods in this series and the shot totals get worse as the game progresses. The Americans have been out shot 42-45 in the first period, 38-44 in the second period and 30-52 in the third period.
- Allen doesn't play tonight but a couple of possible additions to the roster do play today. Vincent Arseneau and his Utica Comets play in Toronto at 4:00 pm EDT in the first game of their best of five series. Colby McAuley and the San Jose Barracuda are at home to take on the Tucson Roadrunners in a late game (9:00 pm Allen time). Tucson leads the series 1-0.
- Matt Willows, who spent time with Allen last season, announced yesterday he was retiring from professional hockey at the ripe old age of 26. Talk about going out on top, Willows led the Reading Royals in points (74) and goals (32) this season. His 74 points were ranked third in the ECHL and his 32 goals were ranked sixth.
DID YOU KNOW: How have the odds changed after Allen lost last night and now holds a 3-1 lead in the series? Based on historical NHL data in seven game series where one team takes a 3-1 lead the odds of winning the series is 90.8% but the odds of winning game five is only 56.1%.
Friday, April 20, 2018
Allen With Chance for a Sweep, Allen vs Idaho Game Four Preview, Playoff Update, Players' Tribune Story and More
It is win or go home for the Idaho Steelheads tonight at the Allen Event Center (AEC) so you can expect they will define the term playing desperate. It is easy to forget the Steelheads were ranked #6 in the ECHL in points (96) and winning percentage (.667) during the regular season. They also finished the regular season as the hottest team in the league going 9-0-1-0 in their last 10 games. Idaho is a very good hockey team and they will not go away easily.
- The game tonight has the Allen Americans in uncharted waters in the Martinson era. Through four championships and 16 previous series the Americans have never had a 3-0 series lead with a chance to sweep at home. Allen has had a chance to sweep only one other time and that was in the first round in 2014 against Brampton but that was on the road. Allen lost game four but won the series 4-1.
- Allen has won four in a row in a playoff series twice under Steve Martinson and both were against the Denver Cutthroats. In the first round in 2013 and the finals 2014 in the Central Hockey League, Denver won game one and then Allen won four in a row.
- Here is an update of the comparison stats between Allen and Idaho after three playoff games.
ALLEN IDAHO
Goals For 13 9
Goals Against 9 13
Power Play 10.0% (1/10) 15.4% (2/13)
Penalty Kill 84.6% (2/13) 90.0% (1/10)
Leading Scorer Shmyr (2G-2A-4) Harstad (2G-1A-3)
Makowski (2G-2A-4) Parizek (2G-2A-4)
Most PIM's Pochiro - 8 French - 8
- Here is how Allen and Idaho rank among the 16 teams in the ECHL playoffs:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 9th (12.67) - Idaho 11th (11.67)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 1st (4.33) - Idaho 8th (3.00)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 9th (3.00) - Idaho 15th (4.33)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 12th (27.33) - Idaho 8th (35.00)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 9th (35.00) - Idaho 5th (27.33)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 11th (10.0%) - Idaho 6th (15.4%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 11th (84.6%) - Idaho 6th (90.0%)
- Allen's offense has been very good in the playoffs as they lead all teams averaging 4.33 goals per game. This has been accomplished largely on even strength goals which is a good sign. Even better is the Allen focus on team defense has produced more even strength offense. David Makowski captured this perfectly in his post game interview on Wednesday when he was asked about his offensive production in this series (2G, 2A). His response was he is concentrating on his defensive play and the offensive will take care of itself. David captured how the buy in on defense has led to improved play by the Americans in this series.
- Allen did manage a power play goal on Wednesday which was their first of the series. They are 1-10 on the power play and the lone goal was a five-on-three. A power play goal (or two) would go a long way in winning the game tonight. Avoiding stick penalties and retaliation penalties will also be important in this game and the more disciplined team will likely be the winner.
- A fast start has been the key to victory for Allen in the first three games of this series and there is no reason to believe the team that has the best first period won't come out on top tonight. Between the regular season and playoffs Allen and Idaho have played 13 times and the team that scored first has won 10 of the games. Will the young guns come through again with an early goal as they have in the first three games? By the way, the official scoring was changed on the second Allen goal on Wednesday. Matt Foget did get a piece of the puck on the goal originally credited to Eric Roy. The young guns got both Allen goals in the first period.
- Goalie matchups will also be key in the game tonight. There is no suspense for Allen as Jake Paterson will get the start. Idaho has gone back and forth with starting goalies but I can't imagine, with all the marbles on the line, Idaho will not go with the more experienced goalie, Philippe Derosiers, tonight.
- There has been a lot of conversation about the major penalty Bryan Moore took on Wednesday for elbowing and whether it will lead to a suspension. I had a chance to see the play in slow motion on a close up video and it is clear there was no elbow to the head on that play. I doubt very much there will be any additional discipline taken by the ECHL.
- The referees scheduled for the game are Sean MacFarlane (#4) and Stephen Thomson (#27). The linesmen are Addison Brush (#80) and Michael Houle (#49). MacFarlane is the only one of the four that worked the game on Wednesday.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Here is the game preview issued by the Idaho Steelheads: http://www.idahosteelheads.com/events/idaho-steelheads-vs-allen-americans-12/
- Here is the updated ECHL playoff bracket. Thanks to Robert Ciccotelli of the Americans front office for updating and sharing the bracket:
- There are three ECHL playoff games on tap tonight and a sweep is possible in all three. Florida is ahead 3-0 and plays in Atlanta, Colorado is at home with a 3-0 lead and a chance to sweep Wichita and Allen can close out Idaho at the AEC.
- Toledo beat Indy 3-2 last night to sweep the Fuel and join Manchester in advancing to the second round. Toledo will play the winner of the Fort Wayne vs Cincinnati series in the Central Division finals. Cincinnati beat Fort Wayne last night at home in a wild 7-6 game that went to overtime. The Komets have a 2-1 lead in the series with game four in Cincinnati on Saturday.
- Orlando beat South Carolina last night 2-1 in overtime even though they were outshot 50-30. The Solar Bears scored the game winning goal shorthanded at 17:29 of overtime. This has been the most surprising of all of the first round series. South Carolina had 29 more points than Orlando in the regular season but their offense has dried up in this series. The Stingrays have a total of two goals in three games. They have two goals on 110 shots for a shooting percentage of just 1.8%. Orlando has a 3-0 lead with two chances to close out the series at home on Saturday and Sunday.
- Adirondack leads Worcester 3-1 with game five in Adirondack on Saturday. The winner of this series will take on Manchester in the North Division finals. Manchester wrapped up their series on Wednesday so they will have plenty of time to rest after playing five periods of overtime in their four game sweep of Reading.
- Here is the ECHL Today with info on the games tonight and status of all of the playoff series including a new record for longest playoff winning streak: https://www.echl.com/echl-today-april-20-2018
- I heard Gary Steffes is in town and will be attending the game tonight. It says a lot about the Allen franchise to have past leaders like Gary and Chad Costello come back to support the team.
- Here is the latest hockey story from "The Players' Tribune" which is a website where professional players write the stories. This story was written by Brad Marchand and he talks about his journey to the NHL. There are many great lessons in this story from knowing what it takes to reach your goals, not listening to others about your abilities, the importance of role models and teammates in your success and why to be the best you have to work the hardest. Here are a few quotes from the story:
"My mom likes to say I came out of the womb mischievous."
"I have always felt you have to be willing to do anything to win, even if that means being hated."
"If I played the game any other way, you absolutely would not know my name."
"The way I play got me drafted by the Boston Bruins at 5'9"
"I don't care how fast your guys are or how good your system is, what you need is a room full of guys who are willing to do anything."
Here is a link to the story: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/brad-marchand-built-for-boston-bruins
- Game four has been kind to Allen over the years. In their 16 playoff series over the last five seasons the Americans have a game four record of 12-4.
- The San Jose Barracuda lost their first game of the playoffs 4-2 to Tuscon last night at home. Game two of the best of five series will be in San Jose on Saturday. Vincent Arseneau's team (Utica) plays their first game in Toronto on Saturday.
DID YOU KNOW: Going back to the 2016 Kelly Cup playoffs Allen has won five straight playoff games against Idaho. More importantly the Americans have won the first three games of this series against the Steelheads and Idaho has yet to have a lead.
- The game tonight has the Allen Americans in uncharted waters in the Martinson era. Through four championships and 16 previous series the Americans have never had a 3-0 series lead with a chance to sweep at home. Allen has had a chance to sweep only one other time and that was in the first round in 2014 against Brampton but that was on the road. Allen lost game four but won the series 4-1.
- Allen has won four in a row in a playoff series twice under Steve Martinson and both were against the Denver Cutthroats. In the first round in 2013 and the finals 2014 in the Central Hockey League, Denver won game one and then Allen won four in a row.
- Here is an update of the comparison stats between Allen and Idaho after three playoff games.
ALLEN IDAHO
Goals For 13 9
Goals Against 9 13
Power Play 10.0% (1/10) 15.4% (2/13)
Penalty Kill 84.6% (2/13) 90.0% (1/10)
Leading Scorer Shmyr (2G-2A-4) Harstad (2G-1A-3)
Makowski (2G-2A-4) Parizek (2G-2A-4)
Most PIM's Pochiro - 8 French - 8
- Here is how Allen and Idaho rank among the 16 teams in the ECHL playoffs:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 9th (12.67) - Idaho 11th (11.67)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 1st (4.33) - Idaho 8th (3.00)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 9th (3.00) - Idaho 15th (4.33)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 12th (27.33) - Idaho 8th (35.00)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 9th (35.00) - Idaho 5th (27.33)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 11th (10.0%) - Idaho 6th (15.4%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 11th (84.6%) - Idaho 6th (90.0%)
- Allen's offense has been very good in the playoffs as they lead all teams averaging 4.33 goals per game. This has been accomplished largely on even strength goals which is a good sign. Even better is the Allen focus on team defense has produced more even strength offense. David Makowski captured this perfectly in his post game interview on Wednesday when he was asked about his offensive production in this series (2G, 2A). His response was he is concentrating on his defensive play and the offensive will take care of itself. David captured how the buy in on defense has led to improved play by the Americans in this series.
- Allen did manage a power play goal on Wednesday which was their first of the series. They are 1-10 on the power play and the lone goal was a five-on-three. A power play goal (or two) would go a long way in winning the game tonight. Avoiding stick penalties and retaliation penalties will also be important in this game and the more disciplined team will likely be the winner.
- A fast start has been the key to victory for Allen in the first three games of this series and there is no reason to believe the team that has the best first period won't come out on top tonight. Between the regular season and playoffs Allen and Idaho have played 13 times and the team that scored first has won 10 of the games. Will the young guns come through again with an early goal as they have in the first three games? By the way, the official scoring was changed on the second Allen goal on Wednesday. Matt Foget did get a piece of the puck on the goal originally credited to Eric Roy. The young guns got both Allen goals in the first period.
- Goalie matchups will also be key in the game tonight. There is no suspense for Allen as Jake Paterson will get the start. Idaho has gone back and forth with starting goalies but I can't imagine, with all the marbles on the line, Idaho will not go with the more experienced goalie, Philippe Derosiers, tonight.
- There has been a lot of conversation about the major penalty Bryan Moore took on Wednesday for elbowing and whether it will lead to a suspension. I had a chance to see the play in slow motion on a close up video and it is clear there was no elbow to the head on that play. I doubt very much there will be any additional discipline taken by the ECHL.
- The referees scheduled for the game are Sean MacFarlane (#4) and Stephen Thomson (#27). The linesmen are Addison Brush (#80) and Michael Houle (#49). MacFarlane is the only one of the four that worked the game on Wednesday.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Here is the game preview issued by the Idaho Steelheads: http://www.idahosteelheads.com/events/idaho-steelheads-vs-allen-americans-12/
- Here is the updated ECHL playoff bracket. Thanks to Robert Ciccotelli of the Americans front office for updating and sharing the bracket:
- There are three ECHL playoff games on tap tonight and a sweep is possible in all three. Florida is ahead 3-0 and plays in Atlanta, Colorado is at home with a 3-0 lead and a chance to sweep Wichita and Allen can close out Idaho at the AEC.
- Toledo beat Indy 3-2 last night to sweep the Fuel and join Manchester in advancing to the second round. Toledo will play the winner of the Fort Wayne vs Cincinnati series in the Central Division finals. Cincinnati beat Fort Wayne last night at home in a wild 7-6 game that went to overtime. The Komets have a 2-1 lead in the series with game four in Cincinnati on Saturday.
- Orlando beat South Carolina last night 2-1 in overtime even though they were outshot 50-30. The Solar Bears scored the game winning goal shorthanded at 17:29 of overtime. This has been the most surprising of all of the first round series. South Carolina had 29 more points than Orlando in the regular season but their offense has dried up in this series. The Stingrays have a total of two goals in three games. They have two goals on 110 shots for a shooting percentage of just 1.8%. Orlando has a 3-0 lead with two chances to close out the series at home on Saturday and Sunday.
- Adirondack leads Worcester 3-1 with game five in Adirondack on Saturday. The winner of this series will take on Manchester in the North Division finals. Manchester wrapped up their series on Wednesday so they will have plenty of time to rest after playing five periods of overtime in their four game sweep of Reading.
- Here is the ECHL Today with info on the games tonight and status of all of the playoff series including a new record for longest playoff winning streak: https://www.echl.com/echl-today-april-20-2018
- I heard Gary Steffes is in town and will be attending the game tonight. It says a lot about the Allen franchise to have past leaders like Gary and Chad Costello come back to support the team.
- Here is the latest hockey story from "The Players' Tribune" which is a website where professional players write the stories. This story was written by Brad Marchand and he talks about his journey to the NHL. There are many great lessons in this story from knowing what it takes to reach your goals, not listening to others about your abilities, the importance of role models and teammates in your success and why to be the best you have to work the hardest. Here are a few quotes from the story:
"My mom likes to say I came out of the womb mischievous."
"I have always felt you have to be willing to do anything to win, even if that means being hated."
"If I played the game any other way, you absolutely would not know my name."
"The way I play got me drafted by the Boston Bruins at 5'9"
"I don't care how fast your guys are or how good your system is, what you need is a room full of guys who are willing to do anything."
Here is a link to the story: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/brad-marchand-built-for-boston-bruins
- Game four has been kind to Allen over the years. In their 16 playoff series over the last five seasons the Americans have a game four record of 12-4.
- The San Jose Barracuda lost their first game of the playoffs 4-2 to Tuscon last night at home. Game two of the best of five series will be in San Jose on Saturday. Vincent Arseneau's team (Utica) plays their first game in Toronto on Saturday.
DID YOU KNOW: Going back to the 2016 Kelly Cup playoffs Allen has won five straight playoff games against Idaho. More importantly the Americans have won the first three games of this series against the Steelheads and Idaho has yet to have a lead.
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Allen Wins, Takes 3-0 Series Lead, Game Recap, Steve Martinson's Comments, Sporfie Highlights, Playoff Update, Cancer Awareness Specialty Jersey Sale and More
You can call it the brink, the cusp, the verge, the threshold or the edge of elimination but that is exactly where the Allen Americans placed the Idaho Steelheads with a 5-3 win last night. A Wednesday night crowd of 3226 watched as the Americans played a complete game to take a 3-0 series lead. There is still plenty of work to do to win the series but Allen put themselves in an excellent position going into game four on Friday.
- The Americans hit all the keys to victory. They once again scored the first goal of the game to set the tone and the young guns got the job done for the third straight game. In game one it took just 116 seconds for Braylon Shmyr to get Allen on the scoreboard. In game two it was Jared Bethune and it took only 94 seconds. Last night it was Shmyr again and it took all of 128 seconds.
- The first goal was just the start of Allen's dominance in the game. Allen had the lead after the first period (2-1) and the second period (4-2). With a first period lead Allen's record during the regular season was 21-4-1-0 and with a second period lead it was 25-4-0-1.
- Allen had the only power play goal of the game (five-on-three) and killed four Idaho power play opportunities. Idaho had a slight edge in shots on goal (36-34) but with seven minutes left in the game Allen had a 34-24 shot advantage. With a 5-2 lead Allen went into a defensive mode and Idaho had the last 12 shots of the game.
- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans with quotes from Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Jake Paterson and coach Martinson. https://allenamericans.com/americans-big-second-period-leads-to-game-3-win/
- Here is the game recap from the Idaho Steelheads: http://www.idahosteelheads.com/events/idaho-steelheads-vs-allen-americans-11/#gametab-2
- Goal scorers for Allen were Braylon Shmyr (2), Eric Roy (1), Alex Guptill (1), J.C. Campagna (1), and Zach Pochiro (2). Here are the game highlights from ECHL Rewind: https://www.echl.com/
- Here are the Sporfie highlights for the five Allen goals.
Braylon Shmyr - Watch as Shmyr starts the play with a pass to Makowski and ends the play when Makowski's rebound is tipped by an Idaho player right to Braylon. Shmyr puts it in the open net with the goalie still trying to recover from the Makowski shot. https://sporfie.app.link/4ZysVnjqeM
Eric Roy - This play is started with a faceoff win by Matt Foget. Tristan King passes to the point, the puck goes D-to-D and Eric Roy takes a wrist shot. When I watched this goal live it looked like Foget got a piece of the puck. https://sporfie.app.link/1M2q5NAYeM
Alex Guptill - This is the five-on-three power play goal. Makowski takes the shot from the blue line. Pierro-Zabotel doesn't get an assist on this goal but was screening the goalie. Makowski's rebound goes to Guptill and he puts it in the net. https://sporfie.app.link/8EKlJS3keM
J.C. Campagna - A couple of things to watch on this clip. First is how Zach Pochiro skates away from the defenseman and drags him away from Campagna skating up the right wing and then Zach makes the pass to J.C. Also notice how Gordie Ballhorn crashes the net and knocks Corbin Baldwin down just as Campagna takes the shot. https://sporfie.app.link/kjEVv5PYeM
Zach Pochiro - You can't see it on this clip but Mike Gunn made a nice pass to spring Pochrio who beat the goalie going five hole. https://sporfie.app.link/PaujWKHpeM
STEVE MARTINSON'S COMMENTS
Pregame interview with Kayla McLain:
Post game interview with Kayla McLain:
- I had a chance to talk to Martinson after the game and here are some additional comments:
"We had several more great chances to score tonight."
"Tristan King hasn't had a lot of practice time since were were on the road last week. He did have a couple of practices this week but I was trying to make sure he got the right amount of ice time tonight."
"We had a real nice push in the second period with the power play goal and out shooting them 16-5."
"Everyone is buying into our approach and not trying to do too much. We are doing much better at dumping the puck in rather than trying to carry it in on a low probability play. We are not beating ourselves now."
"The plan for the next game is the same. We don't want to let them back in this. We have to do all of the little things that add up to achieving what we want. All the things we talk about and work on is what we have to execute."
OTHER COMMENTS
- The five minute major penalty Bryan Moore received for elbowing in the first period will certainly be reviewed by the league. Being a repeat offender, Moore will not get the benefit of the doubt from what looked like an elbow to the head. Have to think there is a good chance he will get suspended.
- This series is definitely not over but the odds are certainly in the Americans favor and they are pretty overwhelming. If you take all seven game series from all major sports (MLB, NBA, NHL) there has been 369 times where there has been a 3-0 lead. In all but five (98.6%) the team with the 3-0 series lead went on to win. The odds of winning game four with a 3-0 series lead is about 63%.
- Here is a brief recap of the current status of the ECHL first round playoffs series:
North Division
#1 Adirondack vs #4 Worcester - Adirondack leads the series 3-1 and this is the only first round series where both team have won a game. This has been a very low scoring series with two shutouts and two games where the losing team had just one goal. Game five is Saturday in Adirondack.
#2 Manchester vs #3 Reading - Reading was the first playoff team to be eliminated as they were swept my Manchester. The first two games of this series went to double overtime and the third game was decided in single overtime. Last night the game was closer than the final score of 3-0. The score was 1-0 before Manchester scored two empty net goals in the final 48 seconds of the game. Reading got swept in this series but every game could have gone either way.
South Division
#1 Florida vs #4 Atlanta - Florida is up 2-0 in this series with game three in Atlanta tonight.
#2 South Carolina vs #3 Orlando - Orlando is up 2-0 in this series with the next three games at home. Game three is tonight.
Central Division
#1 Toledo vs #4 Indy -Toledo took a 3-0 lead in this series with a 3-1 win in Indy last night. Toledo can wrap up the series tonight. If needed game five will be in Indy on Saturday.
#2 Fort Wayne vs #3 Cincinnati - Fort Wayne has a 2-0 series lead with the next three games in Cincinnati. Game three is tonight.
Mountain Division
#1 Colorado vs #4 Wichita - Colorado beat the Thunder 4-2 last night to take a 3-0 lead in this series. Wichita built a 2-0 lead early in the second period but could not hang on. The Eagles will have a chance to wrap up the series on Saturday.
#3 Allen vs #2 Idaho - Allen has a 3-0 series lead and will have a chance to sweep Idaho with a win in game four on Friday.
- Several of you contacted me wishing there was a way you could purchase the cancer awareness specialty jersey with loved ones names on the jersey. If you haven't seen the info from the team you can buy one of these jerseys but you need to act quickly. Here are all of the details: https://allenamericans.com/cancerjersey/
DID YOU KNOW: Allen chased Idaho goalie Tomas Sholl last night after they scored their fourth goal in the second period. Since joining the Steelheads in early March Sholl's record is 9-2-1-1 and all four losses have been to Allen. Sholl has only given up only 22 goals in his 13 games but 14 of the goals have been against Allen. Sholl had a regular season save percentage of .953 but the last three times he has faced Allen his save percentage was .800, .826 and .818 and he gave up 13 goals. Would have to expect Idaho will start their NHL contracted goalie, Philippe Derosiers on Friday.
- The Americans hit all the keys to victory. They once again scored the first goal of the game to set the tone and the young guns got the job done for the third straight game. In game one it took just 116 seconds for Braylon Shmyr to get Allen on the scoreboard. In game two it was Jared Bethune and it took only 94 seconds. Last night it was Shmyr again and it took all of 128 seconds.
- The first goal was just the start of Allen's dominance in the game. Allen had the lead after the first period (2-1) and the second period (4-2). With a first period lead Allen's record during the regular season was 21-4-1-0 and with a second period lead it was 25-4-0-1.
- Allen had the only power play goal of the game (five-on-three) and killed four Idaho power play opportunities. Idaho had a slight edge in shots on goal (36-34) but with seven minutes left in the game Allen had a 34-24 shot advantage. With a 5-2 lead Allen went into a defensive mode and Idaho had the last 12 shots of the game.
- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans with quotes from Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Jake Paterson and coach Martinson. https://allenamericans.com/americans-big-second-period-leads-to-game-3-win/
- Here is the game recap from the Idaho Steelheads: http://www.idahosteelheads.com/events/idaho-steelheads-vs-allen-americans-11/#gametab-2
- Goal scorers for Allen were Braylon Shmyr (2), Eric Roy (1), Alex Guptill (1), J.C. Campagna (1), and Zach Pochiro (2). Here are the game highlights from ECHL Rewind: https://www.echl.com/
- Here are the Sporfie highlights for the five Allen goals.
Braylon Shmyr - Watch as Shmyr starts the play with a pass to Makowski and ends the play when Makowski's rebound is tipped by an Idaho player right to Braylon. Shmyr puts it in the open net with the goalie still trying to recover from the Makowski shot. https://sporfie.app.link/4ZysVnjqeM
Eric Roy - This play is started with a faceoff win by Matt Foget. Tristan King passes to the point, the puck goes D-to-D and Eric Roy takes a wrist shot. When I watched this goal live it looked like Foget got a piece of the puck. https://sporfie.app.link/1M2q5NAYeM
Alex Guptill - This is the five-on-three power play goal. Makowski takes the shot from the blue line. Pierro-Zabotel doesn't get an assist on this goal but was screening the goalie. Makowski's rebound goes to Guptill and he puts it in the net. https://sporfie.app.link/8EKlJS3keM
J.C. Campagna - A couple of things to watch on this clip. First is how Zach Pochiro skates away from the defenseman and drags him away from Campagna skating up the right wing and then Zach makes the pass to J.C. Also notice how Gordie Ballhorn crashes the net and knocks Corbin Baldwin down just as Campagna takes the shot. https://sporfie.app.link/kjEVv5PYeM
Zach Pochiro - You can't see it on this clip but Mike Gunn made a nice pass to spring Pochrio who beat the goalie going five hole. https://sporfie.app.link/PaujWKHpeM
STEVE MARTINSON'S COMMENTS
Pregame interview with Kayla McLain:
Post game interview with Kayla McLain:
- I had a chance to talk to Martinson after the game and here are some additional comments:
"We had several more great chances to score tonight."
"Tristan King hasn't had a lot of practice time since were were on the road last week. He did have a couple of practices this week but I was trying to make sure he got the right amount of ice time tonight."
"We had a real nice push in the second period with the power play goal and out shooting them 16-5."
"Everyone is buying into our approach and not trying to do too much. We are doing much better at dumping the puck in rather than trying to carry it in on a low probability play. We are not beating ourselves now."
"The plan for the next game is the same. We don't want to let them back in this. We have to do all of the little things that add up to achieving what we want. All the things we talk about and work on is what we have to execute."
OTHER COMMENTS
- The five minute major penalty Bryan Moore received for elbowing in the first period will certainly be reviewed by the league. Being a repeat offender, Moore will not get the benefit of the doubt from what looked like an elbow to the head. Have to think there is a good chance he will get suspended.
- This series is definitely not over but the odds are certainly in the Americans favor and they are pretty overwhelming. If you take all seven game series from all major sports (MLB, NBA, NHL) there has been 369 times where there has been a 3-0 lead. In all but five (98.6%) the team with the 3-0 series lead went on to win. The odds of winning game four with a 3-0 series lead is about 63%.
- Here is a brief recap of the current status of the ECHL first round playoffs series:
North Division
#1 Adirondack vs #4 Worcester - Adirondack leads the series 3-1 and this is the only first round series where both team have won a game. This has been a very low scoring series with two shutouts and two games where the losing team had just one goal. Game five is Saturday in Adirondack.
#2 Manchester vs #3 Reading - Reading was the first playoff team to be eliminated as they were swept my Manchester. The first two games of this series went to double overtime and the third game was decided in single overtime. Last night the game was closer than the final score of 3-0. The score was 1-0 before Manchester scored two empty net goals in the final 48 seconds of the game. Reading got swept in this series but every game could have gone either way.
South Division
#1 Florida vs #4 Atlanta - Florida is up 2-0 in this series with game three in Atlanta tonight.
#2 South Carolina vs #3 Orlando - Orlando is up 2-0 in this series with the next three games at home. Game three is tonight.
Central Division
#1 Toledo vs #4 Indy -Toledo took a 3-0 lead in this series with a 3-1 win in Indy last night. Toledo can wrap up the series tonight. If needed game five will be in Indy on Saturday.
#2 Fort Wayne vs #3 Cincinnati - Fort Wayne has a 2-0 series lead with the next three games in Cincinnati. Game three is tonight.
Mountain Division
#1 Colorado vs #4 Wichita - Colorado beat the Thunder 4-2 last night to take a 3-0 lead in this series. Wichita built a 2-0 lead early in the second period but could not hang on. The Eagles will have a chance to wrap up the series on Saturday.
#3 Allen vs #2 Idaho - Allen has a 3-0 series lead and will have a chance to sweep Idaho with a win in game four on Friday.
- Several of you contacted me wishing there was a way you could purchase the cancer awareness specialty jersey with loved ones names on the jersey. If you haven't seen the info from the team you can buy one of these jerseys but you need to act quickly. Here are all of the details: https://allenamericans.com/cancerjersey/
DID YOU KNOW: Allen chased Idaho goalie Tomas Sholl last night after they scored their fourth goal in the second period. Since joining the Steelheads in early March Sholl's record is 9-2-1-1 and all four losses have been to Allen. Sholl has only given up only 22 goals in his 13 games but 14 of the goals have been against Allen. Sholl had a regular season save percentage of .953 but the last three times he has faced Allen his save percentage was .800, .826 and .818 and he gave up 13 goals. Would have to expect Idaho will start their NHL contracted goalie, Philippe Derosiers on Friday.
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Allen vs Idaho Game Three Preview, Playoff Update, Playoff Attendance, Best and Worst Playoff Shooting Percentage
What a difference 12 days can make. It was just 12 days ago the Allen Americans were playing the Idaho Steelheads at the Allen Event Center (AEC) with their playoff life on the line. The Americans split two games against Idaho and became the #3 seed in the playoffs only to face the Steelheads. Fast forward 12 days and the teams are back at the AEC with an important playoff game on the line.
- After two big wins in Idaho the Americans have a chance to put a stranglehold on this series in the game tonight. Playoff stats from the NHL show just how critical this game is for both teams. In the history of the NHL there have been 187 times a team has taken a 3-0 lead in a best of seven series. Just four times have teams come back from a 3-0 deficit. That equates to a 97.9% success rate for the team with a 3-0 series lead. If Idaho wins tonight and reduces Allen's series lead to 2-1 the odds of Allen winning the series (based on NHL historical stats) reduces to 69.7%.
- Idaho will have their captain, Jefferson Dahl, back in the lineup after missing the first two games of the series because he was assigned to the AHL. It is hard to overstate how important Dahl is to the Steelheads. In addition to being the team captain Dahl led the teams in points (61) and penalty minutes (113) in the regular season despite only playing in 61 games.
- Allen should have Tristan King back in the lineup which could give them a boost. Tristan is an experienced playoff veteran with 54 playoff games to his credit including 20 games as part of Allen's 2016 Kelly Cup championship team. With the exception of 2014 King has been in the playoffs every season since he turned pro in 2010-11.
- There isn't much to compare with only two playoff games played but here is the comparison between Allen and Idaho.
ALLEN IDAHO
Goals For 8 6
Goals Against 6 8
Power Play 0.0% (0/5) 25.0% (2/8)
Penalty Kill 75.0% (2/8) 100.0% (0/5)
Leading Scorer Shmyr (1G-2A-3) Harstad (2G-1A-3)
Most PIM's Pochiro - 6 French - 8
- Here is how Allen and Idaho rank among the 16 teams in the ECHL playoffs:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 8th (12.50) - Idaho 11th (10.50)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 1st (4.00) - Idaho 7th (3.00)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 9th (3.00) - Idaho 15th (4.00)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 13th (24.00) - Idaho 8th (34.50)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 9th (34.50) - Idaho 4th (24.00)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 12th (0.0%) - Idaho 3rd (25.0%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 12th (75.0%) - Idaho 1st (100.0%)
- A couple of things of note from the stats above even with the very small sample size. Allen is in the middle of the pack on penalty minutes which is very unusual. That may be a good thing since the Americans have lost the special teams battle in the first two games despite winning both games. Special teams are definitely a key to the game tonight. It will also be worth noting what impact Jefferson Dahl has on the style of play as he is an agitator and will try to antagonize some of the Allen players who are known to have a short fuse. Keep an eye on Dahl (#21) to watch the game within the game.
- A fast start has been the key to victory for Allen in the first two games of this series and there is no reason to believe the team that has the best first period won't come out on top tonight. Between the regular season and playoffs Allen and Idaho have played 12 times and the team that scored first has won nine of the games.
- Goalie matchups will also be key in the game tonight. There is no suspense for Allen as Jake Paterson will get the start. Idaho started their more experienced contract goalie, Philippe Desrosiers, in game one even though he had not played much in the last month while being on assignment to the AHL. In game two Idaho went back to their rookie goalie Tomas Sholl, who was the best goalie in the ECHL over the last month of the regular season. Sholl has been outstanding overall but has struggled against Allen giving up nine goals in the last two games against the Americans. If I had to guess you will see Desrosiers in goal tonight.
- The referees scheduled for the game are Chris Pontes (#12) and Tyler Puddifant (#28). The linesmen are Aaron Schacht (#31) and Brian Bull (#95).
OTHER COMMENTS
- There was only one ECHL game played last night and in that game Florida beat Atlanta 3-2 to take a 2-0 series lead. I have said this before but Florida is a different team this season. Over the last few years they have been skilled and done well in the regular season but struggled in the playoffs against teams with a lot of toughness. This season Florida is skilled and tough. It is still very early in the playoffs but Florida is #2 in average penalty minutes per game (19.00) and looks to be the team to beat coming out of the Eastern Conference.
- There are five games on tap tonight in the ECHL including one where a team can be eliminated. Reading is down 3-0 to Manchester. Here are the games tonight.
South Carolina at Orlando (Orlando leads 2-0)
Manchester at Reading (Manchester leads 3-0)
Toledo at Indy (Toledo leads 2-0)
Idaho at Allen (Allen leads 2-0)
Wichita at Colorado (Colorado leads 2-0)
- If you want more details on the five games check out the ECHL Today: https://www.echl.com/echl-today-april-18-2018
- After 14 playoff games ECHL attendance has averaged 3951 per game but the range has been dramatic. Two teams (Toledo & Fort Wayne) have averaged over 6500 per game while two teams (Wichita & Manchester) have averaged under 2500 per game. Selling playoff tickets can be difficult for sales and marketing departments because there tends to be a lot of midweek games and typically there is not a lot of time between when the playoff dates are known and games are played. Fort Wayne and Toledo have had big crowds in the playoffs but are still averaging 700 (Toledo) and 1200 (Fort Wayne) fewer fans than during the regular season.
DID YOU KNOW: During the regular season Colorado had the highest shooting percentage in the league at 11.5% and Tulsa had the lowest at 7.9%. Here are the highest and lowest thus far in the playoffs.
Highest Shooting Percentage
16.7% - Allen
10.7% - Toledo
9.7% - Colorado
9.3% - Orlando
9.0% - Florida
Lowest Shooting Percentage
1.7% - South Carolina
3.6% - Worcester
5.6% - Reading
5.9% - Manchester
6.0% - Atlanta
The five teams with the highest shooting percentage all lead their series 2-0.
- After two big wins in Idaho the Americans have a chance to put a stranglehold on this series in the game tonight. Playoff stats from the NHL show just how critical this game is for both teams. In the history of the NHL there have been 187 times a team has taken a 3-0 lead in a best of seven series. Just four times have teams come back from a 3-0 deficit. That equates to a 97.9% success rate for the team with a 3-0 series lead. If Idaho wins tonight and reduces Allen's series lead to 2-1 the odds of Allen winning the series (based on NHL historical stats) reduces to 69.7%.
- Idaho will have their captain, Jefferson Dahl, back in the lineup after missing the first two games of the series because he was assigned to the AHL. It is hard to overstate how important Dahl is to the Steelheads. In addition to being the team captain Dahl led the teams in points (61) and penalty minutes (113) in the regular season despite only playing in 61 games.
- Allen should have Tristan King back in the lineup which could give them a boost. Tristan is an experienced playoff veteran with 54 playoff games to his credit including 20 games as part of Allen's 2016 Kelly Cup championship team. With the exception of 2014 King has been in the playoffs every season since he turned pro in 2010-11.
- There isn't much to compare with only two playoff games played but here is the comparison between Allen and Idaho.
ALLEN IDAHO
Goals For 8 6
Goals Against 6 8
Power Play 0.0% (0/5) 25.0% (2/8)
Penalty Kill 75.0% (2/8) 100.0% (0/5)
Leading Scorer Shmyr (1G-2A-3) Harstad (2G-1A-3)
Most PIM's Pochiro - 6 French - 8
- Here is how Allen and Idaho rank among the 16 teams in the ECHL playoffs:
Penalty Minutes Per Game: Allen 8th (12.50) - Idaho 11th (10.50)
Goals Scored Per Game: Allen 1st (4.00) - Idaho 7th (3.00)
Goals Allowed Per Game: Allen 9th (3.00) - Idaho 15th (4.00)
Shots For Per Game: Allen 13th (24.00) - Idaho 8th (34.50)
Shots Against Per Game: Allen 9th (34.50) - Idaho 4th (24.00)
Power Play Percentage: Allen 12th (0.0%) - Idaho 3rd (25.0%)
Penalty Kill Percentage: Allen 12th (75.0%) - Idaho 1st (100.0%)
- A couple of things of note from the stats above even with the very small sample size. Allen is in the middle of the pack on penalty minutes which is very unusual. That may be a good thing since the Americans have lost the special teams battle in the first two games despite winning both games. Special teams are definitely a key to the game tonight. It will also be worth noting what impact Jefferson Dahl has on the style of play as he is an agitator and will try to antagonize some of the Allen players who are known to have a short fuse. Keep an eye on Dahl (#21) to watch the game within the game.
- A fast start has been the key to victory for Allen in the first two games of this series and there is no reason to believe the team that has the best first period won't come out on top tonight. Between the regular season and playoffs Allen and Idaho have played 12 times and the team that scored first has won nine of the games.
- Goalie matchups will also be key in the game tonight. There is no suspense for Allen as Jake Paterson will get the start. Idaho started their more experienced contract goalie, Philippe Desrosiers, in game one even though he had not played much in the last month while being on assignment to the AHL. In game two Idaho went back to their rookie goalie Tomas Sholl, who was the best goalie in the ECHL over the last month of the regular season. Sholl has been outstanding overall but has struggled against Allen giving up nine goals in the last two games against the Americans. If I had to guess you will see Desrosiers in goal tonight.
- The referees scheduled for the game are Chris Pontes (#12) and Tyler Puddifant (#28). The linesmen are Aaron Schacht (#31) and Brian Bull (#95).
OTHER COMMENTS
- There was only one ECHL game played last night and in that game Florida beat Atlanta 3-2 to take a 2-0 series lead. I have said this before but Florida is a different team this season. Over the last few years they have been skilled and done well in the regular season but struggled in the playoffs against teams with a lot of toughness. This season Florida is skilled and tough. It is still very early in the playoffs but Florida is #2 in average penalty minutes per game (19.00) and looks to be the team to beat coming out of the Eastern Conference.
- There are five games on tap tonight in the ECHL including one where a team can be eliminated. Reading is down 3-0 to Manchester. Here are the games tonight.
South Carolina at Orlando (Orlando leads 2-0)
Manchester at Reading (Manchester leads 3-0)
Toledo at Indy (Toledo leads 2-0)
Idaho at Allen (Allen leads 2-0)
Wichita at Colorado (Colorado leads 2-0)
- If you want more details on the five games check out the ECHL Today: https://www.echl.com/echl-today-april-18-2018
- After 14 playoff games ECHL attendance has averaged 3951 per game but the range has been dramatic. Two teams (Toledo & Fort Wayne) have averaged over 6500 per game while two teams (Wichita & Manchester) have averaged under 2500 per game. Selling playoff tickets can be difficult for sales and marketing departments because there tends to be a lot of midweek games and typically there is not a lot of time between when the playoff dates are known and games are played. Fort Wayne and Toledo have had big crowds in the playoffs but are still averaging 700 (Toledo) and 1200 (Fort Wayne) fewer fans than during the regular season.
DID YOU KNOW: During the regular season Colorado had the highest shooting percentage in the league at 11.5% and Tulsa had the lowest at 7.9%. Here are the highest and lowest thus far in the playoffs.
Highest Shooting Percentage
16.7% - Allen
10.7% - Toledo
9.7% - Colorado
9.3% - Orlando
9.0% - Florida
Lowest Shooting Percentage
1.7% - South Carolina
3.6% - Worcester
5.6% - Reading
5.9% - Manchester
6.0% - Atlanta
The five teams with the highest shooting percentage all lead their series 2-0.
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Practice Update, How Important is a 2-0 Series Lead, Playoff Update and Allen's Game Three Historical Symmetry
- I swear you can attend an Allen Americans practice this time of year and know the series standing just by observing the body language and counting the smiles on the ice. With a 2-0 series lead it was a pleasant day to watch practice yesterday. I would describe practice as a combination of some very serious high octane systems work and some fun. The fun came in the form of a three-on-three cross ice mini-tournament at the end of practice.
- Tristan King has been skating when the team was on the road and practicing without any restrictions when the team is in town so when he is cleared from a medical standpoint he will be ready to go. It is a day to day thing but Tristan is definitely getting close.
- How important is a 2-0 lead in this series with Idaho? I decided to take a look back at the 16 previous series since Steve Martinson took over in Allen in 2012-13. He is 15-1 in those 16 series and of course won four straight championships. Counting the current series with Idaho the Americans have taken a 2-0 lead four times in 17 series, 12 series were tied 1-1 after two games and in one series Allen was down 0-2 and lost to Colorado. Here is the year by year breakdown of each series after two games, the team involved and the series result. Note every time Allen has had a 2-0 lead in a series the Americans won the series 4-1.
2018
Idaho 2-0 ????
2017
Utah 1-1 4-1
Colorado 0-2 2-4
2016
Idaho 1-1 4-3
Missouri 1-1 4-2
Fort Wayne 2-0 4-1
Wheeling 1-1 4-2
2015
Tulsa 2-0 4-1
Rapid City 1-1 4-2
Ontario 1-1 4-3
South Carolina 1-1 4-3
2014
Brampton 2-0 4-1
Quad City 1-1 4-3
Denver 1-1 4-1
2013
Denver 1-1 4-1
Missouri 1-1 4-3
Wichita 1-1 4-3
- Here is a brief recap of the current status of the ECHL first round playoffs series:
North Division
#1 Adirondack vs #4 Worcester - This series is a 1-2-2-1-1 format with Adirondack in the lead 2-1. This has been a low scoring series with a combined total of nine goals in three games including two shutouts. Game four is Wednesday night in Adirondack.
#2 Manchester vs #3 Reading - This series is the typical 2-3-2 format and Manchester has the lead 3-0. It has been a tough series for team owner Jack Gulati and the Reading Royals as they have lost all three games in overtime. The first two games went to double overtime and last night Reading lost game three at home in overtime by a score of 4-3. Reading scored first and had a 3-2 lead after the second period but could not hang on. The game was decided 17:34 into overtime. These teams have to be exhausted having already played five overtime periods. In four days they played three games that totaled 269 minutes of playing time. That is the equivalent of 4.5 games in four days, whew! The teams have the day off today before resuming with game four on Wednesday in Reading.
South Division
#1 Florida vs #4 Atlanta - This series is a 2-3-2 format and got under way last night with Florida winning 4-1. Atlanta hung in for a while as there was no scoring in the first period but the Everblades eventually wore them down out shooting the Gladiators 49-21. Game two is tonight in Florida.
#2 South Carolina vs #3 Orlando - This series is a 2-3-2 format and has been the surprise of the playoffs thus far. South Carolina had 29 more points than Orlando in the regular season and head to head was 7-3-0-1 against the Solar Bears. However, Orlando has taken a 2-0 series lead winning in South Carolina 2-0 and 2-1. The series is now back in Orlando for game three on Thursday.
Central Division
#1 Toledo vs #4 Indy - Another 2-3-2 format which has Toledo ahead 2-0. It took double overtime for Toledo to win game one at home by a score of 4-3. Game two had the identical score (4-3) but was decided in regulation time. The series now shifts to Indy for game three on Wednesday.
#2 Fort Wayne vs #3 Cincinnati - This 2-3-2 series opened in Fort Wayne and the Komets hold a 2-0 lead. It took double overtime to win game one and former Allen captain Jamie Schaafsma was the hero with the game winning goal in overtime. Game two was decided in regulation with the Komets coming out on top 3-1. Each team scored a goal in the last 37 seconds of the game. The series now moves to Cincinnati with game three scheduled for Thursday.
Mountain Division
#1 Colorado vs #4 Wichita - This format is 2-3-1-1 and actually started in Wichita because of scheduling conflicts is Colorado. The Eagles lead in the series 2-0. Game one went to overtime before Colorado won by a score of 2-1. The overtime game winner was scored by the Eagles on a shorthanded breakaway. Last night Colorado jumped out to a lead scoring 25 seconds into the the game. Wichita regrouped and had a 2-1 lead early in the second period on goals by former Allen players Travis Brown and Dyson Stevenson. The wheels then came off on the Thunder as Colorado scored four unanswered goals to win the game 5-2. The series heads to Colorado for game three on Wednesday.
#3 Allen vs #2 Idaho - Allen has a 2-0 series lead in this 2-3-2 format series. Game three is in Allen on Wednesday.
- Allen fans will be paying close attention to the AHL playoffs with special focus on two series. Vincent Arseneau and his Utica Comets vs Toronto Marlies and Colby McAuley and his San Jose Barracuda vs Tucson Roadrunners. Here is some info on these two series.
North Division
#1 Toronto Marlies vs #4 Utica Comets - Toronto was the best team in the AHL during the regular season with a record of 54-18-2-2, 112 points and a winning percentage of .737. Utica's regular season record was 38-26-8-4, 88 points and a winning percentage of .579. If you have to pick one stat to compare teams the best indicator might be goal differential. Toronto scored 254 goals and allowed 170 for a goal differential of +84. Utica scored 211 goals and allowed 216 for a goal differential of -5. The format for this series is 2-2-1. The games in Toronto are April 21, 22, and 29. The two games scheduled in Utica are on April 25 & 27. Depending on how this series goes Vincent Arseneau could be back in Allen if the Americans advance to the second round.
Pacific Division
#1 Tucson Roadrunners vs #4 San Jose Barracuda - Tucson's regular season record was 42-20-5-1, 90 points and a winning percentage of .662. San Jose's record was 34-26-4-4, 76 points and a winning percentage of .559. Tucson's goal differential was +41 and San Jose's was -12. What San Jose has going for them is a lot of momentum as they won their last six games of the season to sneak into the playoffs. They are the hottest team in the league even though they have the worst winning percentage of any of the 16 playoff teams. The format for this series is 2-3. The first two games will be in San Jose on April 19 & 21. The final three games are scheduled in Tucson on April 25, 27 & 28.
DID YOU KNOW: I came across this odd and meaningless stat when looking at Allen's ECHL history in game three. The Americans have played in 10 game three playoff games since joining the ECHL. The losing team in all 10 games has scored either one or two goals. In the first seven games the losing team had one goal and the last three the losing team had two goals. Here are the game three scores since Allen joined the ECHL. To keep the streak alive the losing team tomorrow night needs to score two goals.
2015
5-1
4-1
4-1
4-1
2016
3-1
5-1
2-1
3-2
2017
4-2
4-2
2018
?-?
- Tristan King has been skating when the team was on the road and practicing without any restrictions when the team is in town so when he is cleared from a medical standpoint he will be ready to go. It is a day to day thing but Tristan is definitely getting close.
- How important is a 2-0 lead in this series with Idaho? I decided to take a look back at the 16 previous series since Steve Martinson took over in Allen in 2012-13. He is 15-1 in those 16 series and of course won four straight championships. Counting the current series with Idaho the Americans have taken a 2-0 lead four times in 17 series, 12 series were tied 1-1 after two games and in one series Allen was down 0-2 and lost to Colorado. Here is the year by year breakdown of each series after two games, the team involved and the series result. Note every time Allen has had a 2-0 lead in a series the Americans won the series 4-1.
2018
Idaho 2-0 ????
2017
Utah 1-1 4-1
Colorado 0-2 2-4
2016
Idaho 1-1 4-3
Missouri 1-1 4-2
Fort Wayne 2-0 4-1
Wheeling 1-1 4-2
2015
Tulsa 2-0 4-1
Rapid City 1-1 4-2
Ontario 1-1 4-3
South Carolina 1-1 4-3
2014
Brampton 2-0 4-1
Quad City 1-1 4-3
Denver 1-1 4-1
2013
Denver 1-1 4-1
Missouri 1-1 4-3
Wichita 1-1 4-3
- Here is a brief recap of the current status of the ECHL first round playoffs series:
North Division
#1 Adirondack vs #4 Worcester - This series is a 1-2-2-1-1 format with Adirondack in the lead 2-1. This has been a low scoring series with a combined total of nine goals in three games including two shutouts. Game four is Wednesday night in Adirondack.
#2 Manchester vs #3 Reading - This series is the typical 2-3-2 format and Manchester has the lead 3-0. It has been a tough series for team owner Jack Gulati and the Reading Royals as they have lost all three games in overtime. The first two games went to double overtime and last night Reading lost game three at home in overtime by a score of 4-3. Reading scored first and had a 3-2 lead after the second period but could not hang on. The game was decided 17:34 into overtime. These teams have to be exhausted having already played five overtime periods. In four days they played three games that totaled 269 minutes of playing time. That is the equivalent of 4.5 games in four days, whew! The teams have the day off today before resuming with game four on Wednesday in Reading.
South Division
#1 Florida vs #4 Atlanta - This series is a 2-3-2 format and got under way last night with Florida winning 4-1. Atlanta hung in for a while as there was no scoring in the first period but the Everblades eventually wore them down out shooting the Gladiators 49-21. Game two is tonight in Florida.
#2 South Carolina vs #3 Orlando - This series is a 2-3-2 format and has been the surprise of the playoffs thus far. South Carolina had 29 more points than Orlando in the regular season and head to head was 7-3-0-1 against the Solar Bears. However, Orlando has taken a 2-0 series lead winning in South Carolina 2-0 and 2-1. The series is now back in Orlando for game three on Thursday.
Central Division
#1 Toledo vs #4 Indy - Another 2-3-2 format which has Toledo ahead 2-0. It took double overtime for Toledo to win game one at home by a score of 4-3. Game two had the identical score (4-3) but was decided in regulation time. The series now shifts to Indy for game three on Wednesday.
#2 Fort Wayne vs #3 Cincinnati - This 2-3-2 series opened in Fort Wayne and the Komets hold a 2-0 lead. It took double overtime to win game one and former Allen captain Jamie Schaafsma was the hero with the game winning goal in overtime. Game two was decided in regulation with the Komets coming out on top 3-1. Each team scored a goal in the last 37 seconds of the game. The series now moves to Cincinnati with game three scheduled for Thursday.
Mountain Division
#1 Colorado vs #4 Wichita - This format is 2-3-1-1 and actually started in Wichita because of scheduling conflicts is Colorado. The Eagles lead in the series 2-0. Game one went to overtime before Colorado won by a score of 2-1. The overtime game winner was scored by the Eagles on a shorthanded breakaway. Last night Colorado jumped out to a lead scoring 25 seconds into the the game. Wichita regrouped and had a 2-1 lead early in the second period on goals by former Allen players Travis Brown and Dyson Stevenson. The wheels then came off on the Thunder as Colorado scored four unanswered goals to win the game 5-2. The series heads to Colorado for game three on Wednesday.
#3 Allen vs #2 Idaho - Allen has a 2-0 series lead in this 2-3-2 format series. Game three is in Allen on Wednesday.
- Allen fans will be paying close attention to the AHL playoffs with special focus on two series. Vincent Arseneau and his Utica Comets vs Toronto Marlies and Colby McAuley and his San Jose Barracuda vs Tucson Roadrunners. Here is some info on these two series.
North Division
#1 Toronto Marlies vs #4 Utica Comets - Toronto was the best team in the AHL during the regular season with a record of 54-18-2-2, 112 points and a winning percentage of .737. Utica's regular season record was 38-26-8-4, 88 points and a winning percentage of .579. If you have to pick one stat to compare teams the best indicator might be goal differential. Toronto scored 254 goals and allowed 170 for a goal differential of +84. Utica scored 211 goals and allowed 216 for a goal differential of -5. The format for this series is 2-2-1. The games in Toronto are April 21, 22, and 29. The two games scheduled in Utica are on April 25 & 27. Depending on how this series goes Vincent Arseneau could be back in Allen if the Americans advance to the second round.
Pacific Division
#1 Tucson Roadrunners vs #4 San Jose Barracuda - Tucson's regular season record was 42-20-5-1, 90 points and a winning percentage of .662. San Jose's record was 34-26-4-4, 76 points and a winning percentage of .559. Tucson's goal differential was +41 and San Jose's was -12. What San Jose has going for them is a lot of momentum as they won their last six games of the season to sneak into the playoffs. They are the hottest team in the league even though they have the worst winning percentage of any of the 16 playoff teams. The format for this series is 2-3. The first two games will be in San Jose on April 19 & 21. The final three games are scheduled in Tucson on April 25, 27 & 28.
DID YOU KNOW: I came across this odd and meaningless stat when looking at Allen's ECHL history in game three. The Americans have played in 10 game three playoff games since joining the ECHL. The losing team in all 10 games has scored either one or two goals. In the first seven games the losing team had one goal and the last three the losing team had two goals. Here are the game three scores since Allen joined the ECHL. To keep the streak alive the losing team tomorrow night needs to score two goals.
2015
5-1
4-1
4-1
4-1
2016
3-1
5-1
2-1
3-2
2017
4-2
4-2
2018
?-?