If lineup changes will help snap the Allen Americans seven game losing streak they should have a good chance when they take on the Cincinnati Cyclones tonight at the Allen Event Center. Here is a list of who is in, who is out and other roster updates:
C.J. Motte - Motte arrived back in Allen yesterday afternoon after spending the last month with the Iowa Wild (AHL). He played three times in Iowa winning one game and losing twice in overtime with a GAA of 2.96 and save percentage of .901. His save percentage in Allen is .912. When he has been in goal for the Americans their record is 4-6-0-2. When he hasn't been in goal the Americans record is 2-17-0-0.
Jeremy Brodeur - It was a foregone conclusion that when Motte returned to Allen either Brodeur or Kyle Hayton would be released. Steve Martinson made the decision Jeremy would be released and that happened after practice yesterday. A fan favorite who always seems to have a smile on his face, it is difficult to see players like Brodeur move on. Jeremy posted this on social media, "Thank you Allen Americans for my first pro experience, gunna miss it!" It will be known today if any ECHL teams claims Jeremy off the waiver wire and if he isn't claimed he will become a free agent.
Keven Sundher - Kevin will be in the lineup tonight for the first time since he suffered an injury in that crazy game against Wichita on October 20. Sundher will bring some much needed speed to the lineup.
Riley Bourbonnais - Riley was acquired in a trade with Maine for Greg Chase. He was at practice yesterday (wearing number 23) and will play on one of the top two lines tonight. Coach Martinson has stated one of the reasons he traded for Riley was his penalty kill ability so look for him in that role tonight.
David Makowski - After missing all three games in Reading while serving a three game suspension, Makowski will be back in the lineup tonight. Allen needs Makowski in the lineup and out of the penalty box to be successful.
Mike Gunn - Mike will not play tonight as he will be serving the first of a two game suspension for an illegal check to the head in the game against Reading on Sunday.
Alex Ranger - Alex will not play as he is out with an upper body injury suffered when he was cross-checked head first into the boards in the first Reading game on Friday. Ranger will not play in any of the games this week.
Josh Atkinson - Josh participated in practice yesterday wearing the non-contact yellow jersey. That means he is getting close to returning to the lineup. Best case scenario would be after the Christmas break but the first of the year may be more likely.
Thomas Frazee - Thomas was also practicing yesterday wearing a yellow non-contact jersey. He too looked like he is getting close to returning to the lineup. Frazee hasn't been able to skate so it will take a while to get back in playing shape.
ALLEN VS CINCINNATI SERIES PREVIEW
- There could not be a wider gap in stats when comparing Allen and Cincinnati so if you just go by stats Allen will get beaten easily in this three game series. Luckily players decide the outcome, not the stats. Nevertheless, here is the unvarnished truth about how these teams have performed this season:
Points: Cincinnati #1 (39), Allen #27 (14)
Winning %: Cincinnati #1 (.750), Allen #27 (.233)
Goals scored; Cincinnati #2 (96), Allen #24 (74)
Goals allowed: Cincinnati #1 (57), Allen #27 (120)
Penalty minutes: Cincinnati #13 (368), Allen #2, (640)
Penalty kill: Cincinnati #1 (89.1%), Allen #22 (80.7%)
Power play: Cincinnati #23 (12.7%), Allen #19 (15.3%)
- Cincinnati arrives in Allen with a six game winning streak and in those six games have allowed just nine goals (1.50 per game). Allen has lost seven straight and in those seven games has a total of 16 goals (2.29 per game). It will be a tough task for Allen, who has trouble scoring goals, to get enough goals against the best defensive team in the ECHL to overcome the porous Americans defense that has allowed 33 goals (4.71 per game) in the last seven games.
- Allen is #17 in the league in average shots per game at 31.37. Surprisingly, Cincinnati is ranked #22 averaging 30.15 shots per game. What makes the difference is the Cyclones convert on 12.1% of their shots compared to Allen at 7.7%.
- Allen's power play at home has been one of the worst in the league at 10.9%. However, Cincinnati has been even worse on the road at 9.6%. The penalty kill is a different story with Allen at 80.4% at home compared to Cincinnati's 91.4% on the road. The Americans typically give up more power play opportunities than they get as they lead the ECHL with 180 minor penalties. Cincinnati has taken 114 minor penalties. When it comes to fighting majors Cincinnati has 20 with nine different players with at least one. Allen has had 10 fighting majors (five in one game) with five different players dropping the gloves.
- It is hard to emphasize more the importance of scoring first. During the current seven game losing streak Allen did not score the first goal once. The Americans record isn't great when they do score first (4-3-0-1) but it is a lot better than when they don't score first (2-19-0-1). Cincinnati's record when scoring first is 14-2-2-0.
- As is always the case goalie play will be a big part of this series and it is another stat that favors the Cyclones. In Micheal Houser, Cincinnati has the top ECHL goalie in GAA (1.78) and save percentage (.938). Allen may go with C.J. Motte in all three games and he has a good save percentage (.912) but he has played in only three games in the last month.
- If the game is close going into the third period Allen may be in trouble. The Americans have given up the most third period goals in the league (40) while the Cyclones have given up the fewest goals in the third period (10).
- If you are looking for an encouraging stat this is it. Cincinnati's home record is 12-0-2-1 but on the road they are just 6-5-0-0. Allen leads the league in losses (22) but are 2-2 in their last four home games. Here are a few quotes that apply to Allen for this series and the rest of the season:
"Whenever you feel like giving up, think of all of the people that love to see you fail"
"It's not about talent. It is about heart. It is about who can go out there and play the hardest. They are not going to give you anything. You gotta go out there and you gotta take it"
"You can't control the minutes you play but you can control how you play in the minutes you get"
"Real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That is real glory"
"Don't be upset by the results you didn't get with the work you didn't do"
"Don't quit. You are already in pain. Your are already hurt. Get a reward from it"
OTHER COMMENTS
- There was just one game in the ECHL last night as Wichita was at home and beat Kansas City 5-2. With the win Wichita now has 29 points and moved 15 points ahead of last place Allen. There are now six teams competing for the four playoff spots in the Mountain Division. First place Utah is just five points ahead of sixth place Wichita. There is just one point difference between each team from first to sixth place.
- Here is a story about former Allen player Dyson Stevenson about being teammates with players they have fought in the past. I know Dyson helped recruit players to Allen that he had fought in juniors. Dyson fought Tanner Eberle several times in juniors and also had tilts with former Allen players, Jessey Astles, Harrison Ruopp and Travis Brown. In this article, "Foes Become Teammates" Dyson talks about one of his current teammates and also shares the story about fighting his good friend, Vincent Arseneau. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2018/12/foes-become-teammates-wichita-thunder
- Talk about friends fighting one another this one between Stevenson and Eberle is a classic from their junior days back in 2014.
- The Allen roster has changed a lot from the beginning of the season. The Americans started the season as one of the youngest teams in the league and they are now transformed into one of the oldest. They are the eighth oldest team in the ECHL with an average age of 26.50. The youngest team is Newfoundland (24.73) and the oldest is Tulsa (28.90).
DID YOU KNOW: I don't think anyone was surprised when Allen had a slow start to the season but nobody saw what has transpired happening. My idea of a bad season was always .500. Now the Americans have a winning percentage of .233 and are on pace to finish the season with around 34 points.
Steve Martinson started the season needing 22 wins to reach the 1000 win milestone and there was little doubt he would reach the 1000 mark in January or earlier. Now, if the Americans don't pick up the pace the 1000th win won't come this season. The Americans will need a record of 16-26, which is a winning percentage of .380, the rest of the season to reach 22 wins and get Martinson his 1000th victory.
Here is a list of the regular season points Allen has earned in each season since they were established. Remember the first five season in the CHL they played 66 games compared to the last five seasons in the ECHL when they play 72 games. The playoff finish is in parentheses.
34 points - 2018-19 (out of playoffs) - based on current pace
78 points - 2017-18 (lost in first round)
104 points - 2016-17 (lost in second round)
89 points - 2015-16 (won championship)
106 points - 2014-15 (won championship)
83 points - 2013-14 (won championship)
87 points - 2012-13 (won championship)
87 points - 2011-12 (lost in first round)
97 points - 2010-11 (lost in conference finals)
89 points - 2009-10 (lost in championship finals)
Obviously this is the worst year for Allen, but it kind of reminds me of several years back when he was supposed to have this high powered offense that I thought "wow this group will score 4-5 a night" only to have a dismal year. That year it was forwards who like to score but don't like to play defense and that became an issue. They did not score or play defense. You are watching all the games and I am not so you would have a good idea if that is the issue or not, but seems like a high scoring offense was intended for this year and it has failed. Teams needs balance, scorers, gritty players, and a commitment to defense.
ReplyDeleteKevin, there are many things that have contributed to the poor performance this season but you have put your finger on one of the primary ones. I remember listing five or six young players with over 100 points and/or over 40 goals their last year in juniors. Didn't translate very well to the pro game for some of them. It has ended up with a team that thus far is on record pace for the fewest goals scored but also for most goals allowed. If you set records for both you end up with a .233 winning percentage. Let's hope we see some improvement going forward.
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