Allen Wins & Ends January Undefeated at Home, Game Recap, Martinson's Comments, Sporfie Highlights, Allen's Monthly Record Shows Magnitude of Turnaround & More

The Allen Americans beat the Idaho Steelheads 4-2 last night before a crowd of 3904 at the Allen Event Center (AEC). It didn't look good for the Americans when the Steelheads scored on their first shot just 45 seconds into the game. However, Allen also scored on their first shot of the game (Adam Miller) though it took almost six minutes for the Americans to get that first shot. The first period ended with a score of 1-1.


- Alex Ranger scored the only goal of the second period at the 1:24 mark and Allen took a 2-1 lead into the third period. When Spencer Asuchak gave the Americans a 3-1 lead at the 13:02 mark of the third period the possibility of an undefeated home record for the month of January became a reality.


- Idaho scored to cut the lead to 3-2 before Asuchak scored an empty neat goal to assure the victory and yes, Allen's home record for January finished at 3-0-0-0.


 - Here is the game recap issued by the Idaho Steelheads: https://www.idahosteelheads.com/en/articles/steelheads-comeback-falls-short-drop-4-2-to-americans


- Goal scorers for Allen were Adam Miller (13), Alex Ranger (4) and Spencer Asuchak (14 & 15). Here are the Sporfie highlights:

Adam Miller - Watch the play of Mitch Maloney on this goal. He screens the goalie, knocks down the shot from the point and makes a subtle touch pass of less than a foot to Miller who buries the puck past the goalie who is out of position.




Alex Ranger - On this goal Riley Bourbonnais does all of the hard work behind the net and makes a perfect pass to Ranger in the slot. Alex makes a great shot to give Allen a 2-1 lead.






Spencer Asuchak - This is a great three way power play goal from the top line. Watch as Adam Miller makes the cross ice pass to Zach Pochiro. You can see the goalie thinks the leading goal scorer in the ECHL is going to shoot but after drawing the goalie to his side of the net Pochiro passes the puck to Asuchak who is where he always is, at the goal mouth, for a tap in. A great play by all three forwards on this goal which turned out to be the game winner.




Spencer Asuchak - Here are two views of this empty net goal. The first is Spencer putting the puck in the net. The second is from behind the play and there are two things to watch for from this angle. Chase Lang loses the draw after Asuchak gets kicked out of the faceoff circle but follows the puck to the point and dives to knock it loose and spring Spencer. Also, look for the very subtle celebration by C.J. Motte with a tiny movement of his left arm before he grabs for the water bottle.

 








STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

"There were some nice plays tonight and a good penalty kill until Idaho had that pass in the seam and scored."

"We still turned the puck over six or seven times when we needed to get the puck in deep so it is a work in progress."

"I think Boutet helps our defense a lot and was solid tonight."

"It was nice to get that empty net goal at the end."

"Lang isn't scoring a lot but he can play a lot. On our team he can go out every other shift on the penalty kill. Even though he doesn't have a lot of points he has been an important player for us the last 10 games."

"Idaho is one of the better teams in the league and they don't allow you to skate up and down the ice, so sometimes it is hard to enter our offensive zone with speed."

"With Curt Gogol and Emerson Clark back in the lineup on Friday I will have some decisions to make. I might play Gogol at defense, put Clark at left wing with Asuchak and Pochiro and move Miller to center."

"Dalton Thrower will be out of the lineup two to four weeks. Garrett Clarke has been cleared to play but he has only practiced a couple of days."


OTHER COMMENTS

- The countdown to 1000 wins for Steve Martinson is now at six. 


- Allen has now played four games against Idaho with two more this weekend. Allen's record against the Steelheads is 2-0-2-0. Not bad when you consider Idaho is the first place team in the Mountain Division.


- The Americans have lost just once in regulation in the last 10 games and have earned 15 points in those 10 games. Allen has the best record (6-1-3-0) over the last 10 games of  any team in the Mountain Division.


- It is a very small step but it is nice to see the Americans no longer have the worst winning percentage in the ECHL. With their win last night and a Greenville loss, Allen's winning percentage is now at .365 compared to the Swamp Rabbits at .359. Allen has been in last place since early in the season. Next up for the Americans to pass is Rapid City who is at .436.


- Dante Salituro had an assist last night to run his assist streak to eight games. In those eight games Dante has 12 points (3G, 9A). His eight game assist streak is the longest current streak in the league and the second longest all season.


- Adam Miller had a goal and an assist last night and is now the second leading scorer on the team. In 38 games Miller has 34 points (13G, 21A).


- The Americans will practice today as they get ready for games against Idaho on Friday and Saturday. 



DID YOU KNOW: It is hard to overstate how much of a turnaround the Americans have made in the month of January. In October, November and December the Americans had a total of eight wins. In January, Allen had seven wins. The January record was even more impressive when you consider the Americans spent most of the month on the road. They had only three home games and were a perfect 3-0 at home. Here is Allen's month by month record.

3-4-0-1    October
2-10-0-1  November
3-12 0-0  December
7-2-3-0   January

Allen vs Idaho Series Preview, Biggest Rivalry in Minnesota High School Hockey, ECHL Players With Highest Percentage of Team's Goals & More

It is game day as the Mountain Division's last place team, Allen Americans, take on the first place team, Idaho Steelheads. Allen has 33 points and a .351 winning percentage compared to Idaho with 57 points and a .663 winning percentage.


- Despite the records there is plenty of hope for Allen fans. In a quirk in the schedule that has a lot of quirks, Idaho and Allen play six times all season and the six games take place in 17 days. The Americans played the Steelheads tough in the three games they played in Idaho two weeks ago. Allen won the first game 3-2 and then lost two games in overtime, 3-2 and 4-3. Tonight Idaho is in town for the first of three games. The teams will play again on Friday and Saturday.


- The Americans have earned points in eight of their last nine games which is better than Idaho who has earned points in seven of their last nine games. The difference is Allen has lost three games in overtime so their record in the last nine games is 5-1-3-0 while Idaho is 7-2-0-0.


- In the three head to head games Idaho led in goals (9-8) and shots (116-85). In the game Allen won in Idaho the shots were even (30-30). Having shot totals close will be a key to winning this three game series. When the Americans have a lot of turnovers and fail to get the puck in deep the shot difference widens. This will be a point of emphasis against the Steelheads.


- Head to head Allen is 3-13 (23.1%) on the power play and Idaho is 1-14 (7.1%). The Americans power play has slowed down recently going 2-21 (9.5%) over the last five games. Coach Martinson spent a lot of time at practice yesterday working on the power play so hopefully there will be a resurgence against the Steelheads.


- Something to watch for in the game tonight is carryover of the bad blood from the game in Idaho on January18 that resulted in suspensions for Allen's Zach Pochiro (2 games), Curt Gogol (5 games), Emerson Clark (5 games) and Idaho's Kale Kessy (10 games). Gogol and Clark will miss the game tonight but be back in the lineup for the weekend. It is always difficult to predict how a singular game will unfold but there is no doubt bad blood exists between these teams and it is bound to break out at some point in this series. Idaho is ranked #1 in average penalty minutes per game (21.65) and Allen is ranked #2 (21.19).


- The Americans roster isn't shorthanded but with two players (Clark & Gogol) serving suspensions tonight there will be no extra forwards. There were seven defensmen eligible to play tonight practicing yesterday so someone will have to sit out. I was reminded of the key players missing from the lineup as they sat in the stands watching practice yesterday. Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Thomas Frazee, Kevin Sundher, Mike Gunn and now Dalton Thrower all out with injuries, many of them long term/season ending injuries.


- Goaltending as always will be a big key in this series. C.J. Motte has been playing great for the Americans with a save percentage of .916 over the last nine games. Idaho has all-star goalie Tomas Sholl who is ranked #2 in GAA (2.12) and also #2 in save percentage (.931) in the ECHL.


- The referee scheduled for tonight is Stan Szczurek (#15) and the linesmen will be Addison Brush (#80) and Brian Bull (#95).


OTHER COMMENTS

- Utah beat Tulsa in Tulsa last night and Kansas City beat Rapid City at home. Utah and Tulsa play again tonight in rare back to back midweek games. If the playoffs started today the three teams that would not make it would be Wichita, Rapid City and Allen. These are the same three teams the data predicted would miss the playoffs at Thanksgiving. There is still a long way to go but so far the Thanksgiving theory is holding true.


- You will enjoy this story about high school hockey in Minnesota. I was exchanging messages with Wendy McMillin last night after my "Where Are They Now" story about Brian yesterday. Wendy mentioned that Brian and his dad were at the Roseau vs Warroad high school hockey game. There are many hockey rivalries in Minnesota high school hockey but none more famous than the one between these two small towns 20 miles apart in northern Minnesota. Back in 2007 the New York Times wrote about this rivalry and the title of the story was, "A Game? No, it's a Life." Here it is if you would like to read about this rivalry:  https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/26/travel/escapes/26hockey.html

You can tell how important this rivalry is when they cancel school, mail delivery, planes, trains and tell everyone this is serious and to stay indoors but the hockey game goes on. It was only -30 with the wind chill in the -50's last night at game time as Roseau and Warroad played to a 2-2 tie. There is just one eight minute overtime period in high school hockey. This morning the temperature in Roseau as I write this is -38 with a wind chill of -60.

I asked Brian about the size of the crowd at the hockey game last night given the extremely low temps and he said, "It was packed in there. Honestly, it was probably a bigger crowd than normal the last couple of years. It is funny because a bunch of people went out between the second and third period and started their vehicles and just let them run with the doors unlocked!"

You have to love the spirit of small town hockey in Minnesota.

Here is a video from 2016 about the Roseau vs Warroad rivalry:

- There are eight games in the ECHL tonight. Here is the ECHL Today with a preview: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/1/echl-today-jan-30



DID YOU KNOW: Zack Pochiro leads the ECHL in goals with 25 but he also has the highest percentage of his team's goals of any player in the league and it isn't even close. Zach has 25 of Allen's 132 goals which is 18.9%. Here are the ECHL players with the highest percentage of their team's goals in 2018-19:


18.9% - Zach Pochiro (Allen)
15.9% - Caleb Herbert (Utah)
15.9% - J.C. Campagna (Fort Wayne)
15.2% - Johno May (Greenville)
15.0% - Reid Gardiner & Justin Taylor (Kalamazoo)

Where Are They Now - Brian McMillin

                                                                   

Brian McMillin won three championships in Allen and was the CHL playoff MVP in 2013

Today we continue the "Where Are They Now" series by catching up with Brian McMillin who spent five seasons with the Allen Americans and was part of three championship teams. Brian grew up in Roseau, Minnesota and married his high school sweetheart, Wendy. Brian and Wendy are back in Roseau and today is a reminder of what it is like living in northern Minnesota. I just checked the weather and the high today in Roseau is going to be -22 and the low tonight will be -36. Throw in a wind forecast of 16 MPH and you have wind chills of -65 to -70. Brian loves ice fishing but I am pretty sure he will stay inside the next couple of days. By Thursday the high is forecast to be a balmy -5.

I was always impressed with how much of a team Brian and Wendy were and attributed it to the fact that Wendy was a great athlete in her own right. She played hockey in college.  By the time she completed high school she had been selected all conference in hockey and softball, she was captain of the hockey team as a Junior and Senior, was selected as an academic all American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, won the Hobey Baker Character Award which is presented to a player on each high school hockey team in Minnesota. She is a member of the Roseau High School Hockey Hall of Fame. The first story I ever wrote about a hockey wife was about Wendy McMillin back in 2013.  It is a great read about growing up in a small town in northern Minnesota, how Wendy and Brian met, playing college hockey and the start of their ventures in pro hockey. It is called, "Hockey Wife and Sports Star", https://allenamericansblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/wendy-mcmillin-hockey-wife-and-sports.html


As with most professional hockey players, Brian was a standout in high school and was a big time scorer. As the senior captain of his team he had 59 points (27 goals 32 assists) in 30 games. After receiving a scholarship from Colorado College he quickly learned his key to playing time as a freshman was checking, defensive play and as a penalty killer. In fact, his first shift as a collegian was as a penalty killer on a five on three power play.  Brian had a successful four year career on the ice at Colorado College but also excelled in the classroom graduating with a 3.75 GPA and a degree in Mathematical Economics. He received numerous scholar-athlete awards including being named to the academic all conference (WCHA) team twice and in 2010 was chosen as the top student-athlete in men's varsity sports at Colorado College.

Brian's professional hockey career took him everywhere from Kalamazoo, Michigan, to Coventry, England to Dijon, France but he will always be remembered as a three time champion with the Allen Americans. Only three players have five or more seasons in Allen. Brian and Jarret Lukin played five seasons and Spencer Asuchak is in his sixth season.

Brian's hallmark as a professional was his consistency, hard work and playing smart. By his own admission he didn't have the high end talent of some players so he had to earn everything he accomplished.

The highlight of McMillin's hockey career would have to be the first Allen championship in 2013. Brian had a good regular season with 30 points (15 goals 15 assists) in 58 games but exploded in the playoffs. In the opening round against Denver, Brian carried the Allen offense, scoring five of the team's 18 goals. In the semifinals against Missouri, a seven game series, McMillin had a goal  and four assists in the first six games and in the deciding seventh game he was a catalyst with a pair of goals. In the finals against Wichita, another seven game series, Brian once again led the team, scoring goals in games two, three, four and six.

Brian finished the 2013 playoffs with 12 goals, three more than any other player, he was second in points (20), fourth in plus/minus (+8) and first in game winning goals (3) including the game winning goal in games two and four in the finals. For his effort he was voted the playoff MVP.

At the time (2013) coach Martinson had this to say about McMillin, "I am happy for Brian McMillin being selected MVP. His perseverance and work ethic has really paid off for him. He doesn't complain, he works hard and quietly goes about his business. He is a great example for others."

Here is a video where you can relive the 2013 championship. This is the best championship video ever. I still get chills watching this video.

Playing in Europe was always part of the plan for Brian and Wendy and it was the reason they didn't return to Allen year after year. Here is how Brian described it, "Europe was somewhere we had wanted to go for years. Everywhere you go a famous city or historical site is just a train ride away. If you enjoy traveling it is an amazing opportunity as you basically get paid to play hockey and see the world. We definitely feel we made the most of our time overseas."


Here are a few quotes from Steve Martinson about Brian McMillin that are taken from stories I wrote in the past.

 "With Brian you always knew what you were getting on the ice. You could put him out in any situation. He always worked hard and worked smart. He was definitely a glue guy on the team."

 "Brian really stepped up and led the team during the 2013 playoffs. During most of his career he was in a defensive role playing against the other team's top line and killing penalties. But players like Brian who were big time scorers when they played youth/high school hockey never lose the confidence in their abilty to score when given the chance. That is what happened in the 2013 playoffs. Brian was given more ice time including on the power play and he responded. He wasn't afraid to use his size in front of the net and he was a fierce shot blocker."

"Brian McMillin is a glue guy who understands our system. He leads by example and does everything you ask him to do. He makes our team better. Brian will help our overall team defensively. He was our top defensive player last year and will help at both ends of the rink. He is a leader by example. We will have a lot of new forwards this year. Having Brian makes my job easier as he understands all of our systems and will help our new players make the transition."


Brian played five seasons in Allen but several of them were partial seasons which impact his all-time stats. His first season (2010-11) he arrived in Allen in December after starting in Kalamazoo, in 2013-14 he started in England and didn't arrive in Allen until the end of December and in his last season in Allen (2014-15) he broke his knee cap in half blocking a shot in December and missed the rest of the season. With that said here is how McMillin ranks all-time. Brian is #6 all-time in games played (215), #10 in goals (53), #14 in assists (73) and #12 in points. Brian was part of three championships (2013, 2014, 2015) and was the playoff MVP in Allen's first championship in 2013.


Here is an update from Brian in his own words:

Can you give us an update on you and your family?
I retired after playing the 2015-16 season in Dijon, France. Wendy and I moved back to the hustle and bustle of our hometown, Roseau, MN, population 2700. A little different than living in Allen but we have settled back in and are enjoying ourselves. I am starting my third year as a financial advisor for LPL Financial and am enjoying my work. Wendy is working from home as a financial analyst for Markel Corporation, which is the job she had when we were in Allen. Her home office is at Legacy West in Plano and she will actually go in to work for a couple of days while we are in town for the alumni game.

Brian and Wendy on a recent trip to Iceland

What involvement do you and Wendy have in hockey?
Neither of us have gotten involved in coaching but we get out to watch most of the high school boys and girls games in town, as well as a handful of youth games watching friends and relatives. We also try to catch a couple of  college and NHL games with Winnipeg, University of North Dakota and Bemidji State all within a couple of hours of Roseau. I am currently skating with a handful of former college and pro players twice a week and we have a big old timers tournament in town each March that I play in with all my old high school buddies. Wendy skates when she can but they have had trouble getting enough girls to skate regularly so she will jump on the ice with us as well. 


What are your hobbies/interests now that you no longer play professional hockey?
Most of our hobbies revolve around the outdoors. Just like in Allen, I spend most of my free time hunting, fishing or golfing. Up here the golf season is a little shorter though! More time for hunting so I don't mind it. Wendy took up golf last year and could probably beat both of the Ludwig twins already as she is doing pretty well. As much as we like it here we really enjoy traveling and try and go on a couple of trips a year as well as frequent weekend road trips to different places in the area. 

A November, Minnesota whitetail buck - It was 19 degrees with a 15 MPH north wind

Can you share something about your experience playing in Allen?
We absolutely loved our time in Allen. I can't imagine a better city or setup for a minor league hockey team. Allen has great fans, an awesome facility, and many local perks. The weather is obviously a huge plus and you can find just about any restaurant or shop in the area. 


What is your fondest memory of playing in Allen?
Five years and three championships with one team makes for a lot of memories! Each championship is special in its own way but obviously the first one was a fun run for myself and the organization. After having a couple of really good teams come up short, to finally win in 2013 and in the fashion we did (game seven in overtime) was a pretty incredible experience.


Who were your favorite/closest teammates in Allen? 
I got to play with a lot of really good, fun people in Allen. Some were there for a short period of time and others I played with for four years but we all made a lot of memories that I still look back on and laugh about today. I definitely miss spending time with the boys and, as long as a few of the bus trips lasted, some of our best times came on the road in the middle of nowhere.


Do you plan on attending the alumni game in February?
We wouldn't miss it!  


   

DID YOU KNOW:  If the Allen Americans ever presented a Lady Byng trophy which is presented each year to the National Hockey League player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability it would certainly go to Brian McMillin. Brian never took a bad penalty and in his career with Allen scored more goals (68 between regular season and playoffs) than he had penalty minutes (49).

Brian played five seasons in Allen

 

Another Overtime Loss, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments, Central Division Dominating Mountain Division, Free Tickets, Liberati Brothers, Idaho Preview and More

The Allen Americans blew a 2-0 lead, a 4-2 lead, gave up the last three goals of the game and had to settle for a 5-4 overtime loss in Tulsa last night. To make matters worse the Tulsa game winning overtime goal was a power play goal because of a too many men on the ice penalty to Allen.


- If you are an optimist you can say Allen earned a point and went 1-1-1-0 in the three games in Tulsa. If you are a pessimist you can say after a great 5-0 shutout win by the Americans on Friday night they self-destructed on Saturday and Sunday being out shot 73-40 and losing two games they could have won.


- If you are an optimist you can say Allen has earned a point in four of their last five games. If you are a pessimist you can say Allen has lost four of their last five games.


- Despite having a two goal lead twice in the game (2-0 & 4-2) the Americans were fortunate to come away with a point. For the second straight game the Americans could only manage 20 shots on goal. Other than an 18 shot performance in a 4-0 shutout loss in Utah back in November, these are the two lowest shot totals all season. Allen allowed more shots to Tulsa in the second period (20) than the Americans garnered in the entire game.


- Allen lost the special teams battle for the first time in nine games. The Americans did manage a power play goal (1-4) but were bettered by Tulsa who was 2-6 on the power play. The killer was the overtime (4-on-3) power play goal after Allen took a too many men on the ice penalty.


- Goal scorers for Allen were Riley Bourbonnais (11), Dante Salituro (10), Zach Pochiro (25) and Braylon Shmyr (13).


- Here is the game recap issued by the Tulsa Oilers: https://tulsaoilers.com/tulsa-battles-back-to-beat-allen-in-overtime/


- Here are the video highlights with all of the goals:

STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

- We turned the clock back tonight. We fell back into the bad habit of turning pucks over and not getting pucks in deep.

- Tulsa had more set breakouts than I remember a team having against us in a long time. There was a lack of work ethic by a lot of players tonight.

- We had a mix up on the rotation in overtime that resulted in the too many men penalty which resulted in the game winning goal.

- Dalton Thrower is on crutches and will be out a while.

- With all of the injuries, Josh Thrower returning from Iowa and the addition of new players we have too many players on the roster (27). I have made a trade for future considerations that will be announced on Monday. 



OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen now prepares for the first of many home games over the next two months. Despite losing four of their last five games the Americans have earned points in eight of their last nine games. They have lost three of their last five games in overtime and the last two overtime losses have been lost on power play goals.


- Earning one point per game will not be good enough if the Americans want to move up in the standings. They will have to put long winning streaks together in their last 25 games of the season. When you consider they have just two winning streaks longer than one game all season this will be a difficult task. Allen had a two game win streak back on October and a four game win streak the beginning of January and that is it. The Americans will need around 44 points in the final 25 games to make the playoffs. That leaves very little room for error.


- Dante Salituro had a goal and assist in the game last night and has at least one assist in the last seven games. In those seven games he has 11 points (3G, 8A).


- Allen played the game last night with just five defensemen. Etienne Boutet and Dalton Thrower missed the game with injuries.


- It was no surprise that Tulsa's Charlie Sampair got the game winning goal last night. Sampair leads the ECHL in game winning goals with seven. Even more impressive is Sampair has the game winning goal in six of Tulsa's last 12 wins.


- The games against Idaho this week (Wednesday, Friday, Saturday) will be interesting to follow since there is unfinished business remaining from the recent series in Idaho. Allen will be missing Emerson Clark and Curt Gogol on Wednesday as they will be serving the last game of their five game suspension. Idaho will be missing Kale Kessy for all three games as he is serving a 10 game suspension he received for his actions in a game against Allen. Kessy leads the ECHL in penalty minutes with 263 which is 99 minutes more than anyone else. It will be interesting to see how tough Idaho is with Kessy out of the lineup along with Clark and Gogol back in the line up for Allen.


- Here is a story about Miles Liberati and his brother, Mario. Mario recently began working for a startup hockey player management company and now represents Miles. https://triblive.com/sports/otherlocal/14550575-74/cheswicks-liberati-brothers-hope-to-climb-hockey-ranks-together


- C.J. Motte has started 17 straight games for the Americans. Despite spending a month with the Iowa Wild (AHL), C.J. is second in the ECHL in minutes (1734), saves (969) and shutouts (3).


- The Central Division continues to dominate the Mountain Division in inter-divisional play. There is not a single Central Division team that has a losing record against a Mountain Division team. The Central Division's combined record against the Mountain Division is 25-8-1-4. Could this be the season the Western Conference Kelly Cup finalist comes from the Central Division?


- I have four FREE premium level club tickets (second level) for the Allen game on Wednesday (January 30 at 7:05 pm) against Idaho. I will have a drawing for the tickets tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon, notify the winner and leave the tickets at will call. If you are interested let me know by email (janssenfamily@msn.com). All I need is your name and whether you are interested in two or four tickets. The tickets are on the upper level in the end of the rink where the Zamboni enters the ice. Good luck!




DID YOU KNOW: The top team in the Mountain Division (Idaho) has the lowest winning percentage of any of the ECHL division leaders. Here is the winning percentage for the top team in each division.

.756 - South Division (Florida)
.732 - Central Division (Cincinnati)
.690 - North Division (Newfoundland)
.663 - Mountain Division (Idaho)

Allen Loses 4-3, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Rubber Match Preview, The Hole is Deeper Than it Looks, North & Mountain Division PIMS Disparity & More

The Allen Americans lost to the Tulsa Oilers 4-3 last night in front of a crowd of 6482 at the BOK Center. It was the Americans first regulation loss since January 4 and ended a streak of seven games where Allen earned at least one point.


- It was apparent early last night the Americans had gotten away from what have made them successful recently. Allen surrendered the first goal just 32 seconds into the game. That was bad news since Tulsa hasn't lost a game in regulation all season when scoring first (16-0-3-1). Tulsa took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission which also predicted trouble ahead for the Americans since the Oilers haven't lost a game in regulation at home all season with a first period lead (6-0-1-2).


- The game was decided in the second period which was dominated by Tulsa. The Oilers out shot Allen 17-4 and out scored them 3-1. Tulsa went into the locker room after the second period with a 4-1 lead. That was even worse news for Allen fans since Tulsa's record this season with a second period lead is 17-0-2-1.


- To their credit the Americans came back in the third period scoring two goals to close the gap to 4-3 with nine minutes remaining in the game but could not get the equalizer. The bottom line is after that first goal by Tulsa, on the first shift of the game, the Americans not only couldn't take the lead but they couldn't tie the score. Coming from behind on the road has not been a strong suit for Allen this season. When trailing after the first period their record is 1-8-0-1 and when trailing after the second period the record is 1-14-1-1.


- To recap what went wrong for Allen last night:

Allen allowed the first goal
Allen totaled only 20 shots on goal (second fewest all season)
Allen was out shot 17-4 in second period
Allen was out shot 31-20 for the game
Allen 0-7 on the power play
Allen had too many turnovers and odd man rushes that led to goals


- It wasn't all bad as there were some positives:

Allen out shot Tulsa 7-6 in the third period
Allen outscored Tulsa 2-0 in the third period
Allen was perfect on the penalty kill (0-6)


Here is the game recap from the Tulsa Oilers: https://tulsaoilers.com/big-second-period-leads-oilers-past-americans/


Goal scorers for Allen were Alex Ranger (3), Braylon Shmyr (12) and Zach Pochiro (24). Here are the video highlights with all of the goals:

ALLEN VS TULSA RUBBER MATCH PREVIEW

- The rubber match of the three games in three days takes place this afternoon (4:05 pm CST) and it is a critical game for both teams. It is a misnomer to call this three games in three days because in reality it is three games in 48 hours. The puck dropped on Friday night at 7:05 and today the game should be over by 7:30 pm.


- Allen won 5-0 on Friday night and Tulsa won 4-3 last night. The game today will be as much about will as skill. Which team wants these two points more?


- For Tulsa a win today could move them into first place in the Mountain Division. Allen is hanging on by a thread in their hopes to make the playoffs and last night they lost ground to all three teams they have to pass. Rapid City, Wichita and Kansas City all won while Allen was losing. The Americans cannot afford another defeat today.


- To win this afternoon the Americans need a better start than last night and they have to generate more shots. You are not going to win with 20 shots on goal like the Americans had last night. As a reminder of how important it is for the Americans to get off to a good start, when they don't score first Allen's record this season is 5-24-0-1.


- The power play has struggled after being on a hot streak. With Pochiro back in the lineup last night after a two game suspension the power play went 0-7. In the last four games the power play is 1-17 (5.9%). The power play needs to get on the scoreboard this afternoon.


- You can't say enough about the Allen penalty killers who were outstanding again last night. They have given up one power play goal in the last eight games and during that time are 1-34. That is a penalty kill percentage of 97.1%. I know one of Casey Pierro-Zabotel's roles is to work with the penalty kill unit so whatever he is doing the guys are delivering. "Atta boys" all around!


- Turnovers and gambling cost the Americans some of the goals last night. Coach Martinson emphasizes not to try to make a plays that aren't there. Jumping into the play is an important part of Allen's offense but knowing when to jump in is key.


- The referee scheduled for today's game is Stan Szczurek (#15) and the linesmen will be Chuck Schamel (#97) and Micheal Miggans (#47).


OTHER COMMENTS

- Zach Pochiro scored his 24th goal of the season last night and leads the ECHL in goals. He has seven goals in his last six games. Zach is having a breakout season averaging .62 goals per game and is on pace for a 40 goal season which is all the more impressive when you consider he has already missed seven games this season. You have to think the AHL will come calling soon to take a look at Pochiro.


- Flying under the radar is Dante Salituro's assist streak. His assist last night extended his streak to six games with at least one assist. That is the second longest assist streak in the ECHL right now.


- The Mountain Division winners last night were Rapid City, Kansas City, Wichita and Tulsa. The losers were Idaho, Utah and Allen. The games today are Allen at Tulsa, Idaho at Wichita and Rapid City at Toledo. Utah and Kansas City are idle.


- If you look at points, Allen is 12 points out of fourth place, 11 points out of fifth place and eight points out of sixth place in the division. What this doesn't speak to is the Americans will be playing their 47th game of the season today which is the most games played in the ECHL. Here are games played for all 27 ECHL teams as of last night.

46 games - Allen
45 games - Rapid City
44 games - two teams including Tulsa
43 games - five teams including Wichita
42 games - four teams including Idaho
41 games - 11 teams including Utah
40 games - two teams including Kansas City
39 games - Atlanta

The hole Allen has to dig out of is much deeper than looking at points because every team in the league has games in hand over the Americans. The best example is Kansas City in fifth place in the division in points. Allen is 11 points behind the Mavericks but Kansas City has played six fewer games than the Americans.


- After the game today Allen will have 25 games remaining with 20 of them being at home. The Americans only road games in February are a trip to Wichita (February 5) and Kansas City (February 8). In March Allen has 11 home home games and one road game to Tulsa (March 2). Allen finishes the season with two games in Wichita (April 5 & 6 ).


- The schedule could not be more friendly for making up ground in the standings. When you have 20 of 25 games at home and 22 of the final 25 games are against division opponents there is a lot of opportunity. However just to give everyone a realty check, based on historical information for the number of points it typically takes to make the playoffs here are the facts. Despite the Americans improved play recently their record over the last 26 games will have to be around 22-3-1-0 to make the playoffs.




- The countdown to 1000 wins for Steve Martinson is now at eight games. The odds are now huge this will happen at home.



DID YOU KNOW: I often write about the different styles of play in the different ECHL divisions. I noticed this stat this morning that speaks to that difference. There are only three teams in the ECHL that have more than 743 penalty minutes and they are all in the Mountain Divsion:

976 - Allen
955 - Rapid City
910 - Idaho

There are only four teams in the ECHL that have fewer that 499 penalty minutes and they all come from the North Division:

396 - Manchester
412 - Reading
439 - Newfoundland
467 - Maine

What is interesting is they are the top five and bottom five teams in both the high PIMs group and low PIMS group. It is worthy of note that the last four Kelly Cups have been won by high PIMS teams.  




   

Doty and Motte Lead Allen to Victory, Game Recap, Martinson's Comments, Rematch Preview, Mountain Division Comers and Goers and More

Last night the Allen Americans extended their point scoring streak to seven games (second longest in the ECHL) with a 5-0 win over the Tulsa Oilers before a crowd of 9106 at the BOK Center. The Americans were led by Jake Doty who scored the first hat trick of his pro career and C.J. Motte who recorded his third shutout of the season.


- Doty came into the game without a goal in his first 28 games with the Americans. Jake scored a goal in each period.  He scored the only goal of the first period, he scored the first two goals of the game and scored his third of the game with 49 seconds remaining. On goal number one Jake took a great pass from Mitch Maloney for a breakaway and put in his own rebound. On his second goal he put in a rebound off a shot from the point and the third goal was a one timer from the top of the circle set up by a pass from Josh Atkinson.


- C.J. Motte stopped 33 shots to earn his third shutout of the season. Two of his three shutouts have come in Tulsa. Motte had a 43 save shutout against the Oilers on November 17  in a 2-0 Allen win. C.J. has a 2-3 record against Tulsa this season but he has stopped 180 of 188 shots for a save percentage of .957.


- Goals scorers for Allen were Doty (1,2,3), Riley Bourbonnais (10) and David Makowski (8).


- Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/doty-and-motte-lead-allen-over-tulsa/


- Here is the game recap from the Tulsa Oilers: https://tulsaoilers.com/americans-spoil-oilers-homecoming/


- Post game quotes from Steve Martinson:

"Jacob Doty had an outstanding game for us tonight. Obviously we are all excited for him. He has been making some great plays for us and it was good to see him score."

"Doty sees the ice well and has been moving the puck well and making plays. He has been creating offense and made some good seam passes. It was really great to see him get the one timer at the end of the game for the hat trick. It was a fabulous goal with a great shot off a great pass by Atkinson."

"We get Pochiro back for tomorrow night and we have some other players ready to come back in the lineup so we should be able to stay rested and get some fresh legs in the games.

"C.J. Motte made all of the big saves tonight. He has really elevated his game and gives us a great chance to win every game."

"Our defense is stronger with Atkinson back and Boutet added. It is the deepest our defense has been in a while. I think our whole team is committed to playing better defensively and it is showing."

"We just have to keep winning. The good thing is we have a lot a games coming up at home and we get to play a lot of games against teams we have to catch in the standings."



ALLEN VS TULSA GAME TWO PREVIEW

- It is not difficult to figure out why Allen has earned points in seven straight games and have turned their season around. The Americans just need to continue what they have been doing the last seven games. Allen has earned 12 points on a record of 5-0-2-0 over the last seven games. That means 37.5% of their points for the entire season (45 games) have come in the last two weeks in just seven games. Now that is a turnaround.


- Here is why Allen has been successful recently and what they need to do to win tonight.

Score first - Allen has scored first in only 16 of their 45 games but have scored first in five straight games and in six of their last seven.

Goals scored - Allen is ranked #23 in average goals scored per game (2.78). The Americans have averaged 4.57 goals in their last seven games.

Goals allowed - Allen is ranked #24 in average goals allowed per game (3.54). The Americans have allowed and average of 2.57 goals in their last seven games.

Power play - Allen is ranked #12 in power play percentage (18.2%). In the last seven games the Americans power play percentage is 33.3%

Penalty kill - Allen is ranked #13 in penalty kill percentage (83.0%). In the last seven games the Americans penalty kill percentage is 96.4%.

C. J. Motte - In the last seven games C.J. has faced 224 shots and made 208 saves for a save percentage of .929.


- When you look at the stats above it is very easy to see why Allen has earned points in seven straight games. The keys to success is more of the same. If there is anything to improve on it would be the power play which was 0-2 last night. Having Zach Pochiro back in the lineup with his 10 power play goals should help.


- In talking to coach Martinson this morning he said the adjustments he will be discussing with the team are small things related to positioning and supporting the puck.


- The referee scheduled tonight is Sean MacFarlane (#4) and the linesmen will be Chris Provost (#50) and Addison Brush (#80).



OTHER COMMENTS

- The top three teams in the Mountain Division continue to separate themselves and now have a 10 point lead over fourth place. Here is a list of the number of points earned in the last 10 games which shows who is moving forward and who is falling back.

16 points - Idaho
14 points - Allen
14 points - Tulsa
12 points - Utah
7 points - Kansas City
6 points - Wichita
5 points - Rapid City


- All seven Mountain Division teams will be in action tonight. In addition to Allen at Tulsa, Rapid City is at Toledo, Idaho is at Wichita and Utah is at Kansas City. Here are the current Mountain Division standings based on winning percentage with games remaining in parentheses.

.671 - Idaho (31 games remaining)
.650 - Utah (32 games)
.605 - Tulsa (29 games)
.526 - Kansas City (33 games)
.500 - Wichita (30 games)
.432 - Rapid City (28 games)
.356 - Allen (27 games)



DID YOU KNOW: Allen has had three hat tricks this season and allowed just one.

October 19 - Braylon Shmyr scored the first hat trick of the ECHL season in a losing cause as Allen lost in Wichita 6-5 in a shootout..

November 21 - Utah's Matt Berry's hat trick led the Grizzlies to a 4-0 win over Allen.

January 11 - Zach Pochiro scored four goals to lead Allen to a 7-3 win over Wichita at the AEC.

January 25 - Jake Doty's first pro hat trick leads Allen to a 5-0 road win over Tulsa.


C.J. Mott now has the first shutout of the ECHL season (October 13) and the last ECHL shutout (January 25). There were four shutouts in the ECHL last night. That is the most shutouts in one night all season.

Allen vs Tulsa Preview, John Snowden Named Head Coach in Newfoundland, Reading Sale, Allen Fighting Stats and More

It is game day as the Allen Americans are in Tulsa for the first of three games in three days against the Oilers. The game tonight (7:05 CST) will be the seventh of 13 games these teams will play this season.


- If you look at past performance this season it would be easy to conclude it will be a long weekend for the Americans. In their first six games Allen's record against Tulsa is 1-5. Tulsa's winning percentage is .619 compared to Allen's .341. Tulsa has the best record in the Mountain Division over the last 12 games with a record of 10-2.


- This weekend could be one where past performance is not indicative of future results. The Americans have been playing much better hockey recently. They have earned points in eight of their last 10 games and six straight. Allen's resurgence can be directly attributed to better defense and outstanding goaltending from C.J. Motte. Over the last 12 games Motte's save percentage has been .922. The Americans have not allowed more than three goals in a regulation game in over a month.


- Head to head Tulsa has the advantage in goals (17-11) and shots (245-160). Tulsa has averaged 41 shots per game against the Americans while Allen has averaged 27 shots per game. Allen will have to close this gap this weekend to be successful.


- One area that Allen can use to their advantage is special teams. If you look at season long stats and compare home and away numbers the Americans have the advantage on the power play (19.5% vs 12.5%) and on the penalty kill (83.4% vs 78.9%).


- Allen has been outstanding on special teams over their last six games. The Americans have allowed just one power play goal (1-24). That computes to a penalty kill percentage of 95.8%. The Americans have scored a power play goal in five of their last six games and over that time are 10-28 (35.7%).


- The six games between Allen and Tulsa have been pretty meek and mild. The teams have combined for an average of only 21 penalty minutes per game. That is less than Allen has averaged by themselves this season. In six games there has been just one fight (Jake Doty vs Mike McKee). 


- Scoring first is always a key to victory and those stats favor Tulsa. The Oilers are the only team in the ECHL that have not lost a game in regulation when scoring first. Tulsa has scored first in 19 of their 42 games and have a record of 15-0-3-1. Allen has scored first in only 15 of their 44 games, the fewest number in the league. When they do score first the Americans record is 8-4-2-1. When they don't score first Allen's record is 5-23-0-1.


- Despite the big discrepancy in their records, Allen has fared better in shootout games than Tulsa. Allen is 3-2 in shootouts compared to 0-2 for the Oilers. Tulsa has not won a shootout in well over a year. Between last season and this season they are 0-11 in shootouts. In over time games this season Allen is 1-2, Tulsa is 2-4.


- Allen will be missing three players that are serving suspensions (Curt Gogol, Emerson Clark and Zach Pochiro). Gogol and Clark didn't make the trip. Pochiro will be out tonight but will play on Saturday and Sunday. The plan was for Johnny McInnis, Alex Ranger and Etienne Boutet, who have been out with injuries, to make the trip and hopefully be available as soon as tonight.


- Tulsa will be missing their top goalie, Devin Williams, who is on assignment in the AHL. Williams had a GAA of 2.23 and save percentage of .913 in 26 starts for Tulsa. Allen should see goalie Evan Fitzpatrick tonight. In 17 games he has a GAA of 3.01 and a save percentage of .886. Fitzpatrick started two times against Allen and won both games by a score of 3-2.


- The referee scheduled tonight is Jeff Parker (#22) and the linesmen will be Cameron Dykstra (#79) and Kilian McNamara (#90).


OTHER COMMENTS

- Here is a story that appeared in the local Reading paper (Reading Eagle) which provides detail and background about sale of the Reading Royals. https://www.readingeagle.com/sports/article/royals-sold-but-will-remain-in-reading


- Here is a story about the Newfoundland Growlers head coach, Ryane Clowe, who stepped down yesterday because of concussion related medical issues that date back to 2014 when his 10 year NHL career was cut short. Newfoundland's assistant coach, John Snowden, was named the head coach and the team will recruit a new assistant coach. Snowden spent part of his last season as a player (2013-14) with the Allen Americans. It has been quite a season for the Snowdens. They moved from Orlando where John was the assistant coach for the three seasons to St. John, Newfoundland to be the assistant for the first year Growlers. You can only imagine the logistics of getting family, pets, vehicle. etc. from Florida to Newfoundland. Much of this fell to John's wife, Janelle, who is pregnant with their third child, a girl due in April. Now John takes over the team after the unfortunate health issues with coach Clowe. Wishing the best for the Snowden family as John takes over the Growlers on a permanent basis. Newfoundland is currently #3 in the ECHL in points (56) and winning percentage (.700). https://www.thetelegram.com/sports/newfoundland-growlers-coach-ryane-clowe-steps-down-278611/


- There are 10 games around the ECHL tonight. Mountain Division teams seeing action in addition to Allen at Tulsa are Rapid City at Kalamazoo and Utah at Kansas City. Here is the ECHL Today with previews of all 10 games. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/1/echl-today-jan-25


- Idaho's Kale Kessy, who was suspended indefinitely after he attacked Curt Gogol in the game against Allen last Friday, was given a 10 game suspension yesterday. Kessy will miss all three games when Idaho visits Allen next week (Wednesday, Friday, Saturday). Kessy leads the ECHL in fighting majors with 16.



DID YOU KNOW: Some interesting data from the website dropyourgloves.com regarding Allen and fighting. The Americans have been involved in 23 fights this season, seven of them by Jake Doty since he signed with Allen at the end of November. Rapid City leads the ECHL with 58 fights, Brampton has been involved in the fewest fights with nine. Here are some other stats of note:

Best winning percentage (at least 5 decisions) - Jake Doty 67%
Longest fight - Jake Doty vs Mike McKee, 58 seconds
Third longest fight - Jake Doty vs Loren Ulett, 43 seconds
Highest rated fight (9) - Josh Thrower vs Pierre-Cedric Labrie
Most entertaining fights, team - #2 is Allen, #1 is Reading
Most entertaining fighter, #1 Jake Doty, #3 Curt Gogol  

Jack Gulati Shares What His Sale of Reading Means For Allen, Americans Alumni Game Player Profiles and Some Memorable Players in Allen History

I am sure by now most of you have heard that Allen Americans owner, Jack Gulati, has sold his other ECHL team, the Reading Royals. Needless to say that generated a lot of questions from Allen fans wondering what the Reading sale means for the Americans. The short answer is it means no change for the Allen Americans other than Jack will have more time to spend in Allen. I contacted Jack last night and this is what he shared with me, "I am pleased that I was able to consummate the deal with the current owners of the Reading Royals Arena, where the team has played since 2001. This will have a very positive impact not only for the Reading Royals but as well for the Allen Americans. With the completion of this transaction it will allow me more time to visit with our great fans in Allen and to help the team grow. I am pleased and I hope all of the loyal fans of the Allen Americans will also be pleased that I will be able to see them more often."


- Mark your calendars for February 16 as it will be quite the trifecta for Allen Americans fans new and old. The first ever Alumni game will take place at 4:00 pm followed by the Americans taking on the Reading Royals. To top it off it will be Harry Potter Night, complete with a specialty jersey, post game auction and post game skate.


ALUMNI GAME

- Here is the press release with a list of players that will be at the alumni game. In addition to former Allen players there will be some special guests that are NHL alumni. https://allenamericans.com/americans-announce-players-for-february-16th-alumni-game/


- Many players from the past can't make the alumni game because of work and/or family commitments. Many are still playing hockey or involved in hockey so getting away in February is impossible. With that said many of the former players that will participate represent Allen Americans royalty from the past. Here is a brief synopsis of some of the players from the early years (CHL). I will cover the players from the later years (ECHL) later.

Bruce Graham

Bruce had two stints in Allen, playing from 2009-2012 and then returning for the 2013-14 season. Bruce played 184 games (13th all-time) in Allen and is #3 all time in goals (97), #2 in assists (138) and #2 in points (235). He won a championship in 2014.

Jarret Lukin

Jarret Lukin was the first player ever signed by the Allen Americans and was the first captain of the team. He is one of just three players that spent at least five season (2009-14) with the team. Jarret is #3 all-time in games played (238), #6 in goals (74), #9 in assists and #8 in points. Lukin won one championship in Allen (2013).


  

Brian McMillin

 Brian McMillin is also one of three players that spent five seasons in Allen (2010-15). Brian is #6 all-time in games played (215), #10 in goals (53), #14 in assists (73) and #12 in points. A rare stat about Brian is in his 215 games as an Allen American he had more goals (53) than penalty minutes (45). Brian was part of three championships (2013, 2014, 2015) and was the playoff MVP in Allen's first championship in 2013.

Tyler Ludwig

Tyler, Craig & Trevor Ludwig will all be part of the Alumni game

 Tyler spent four seasons in Allen (2011-2015) and is #2 all-time in games played. Tyler is #1 all-time among defensemen in points (172), assists (121) and is tied in goals (51) with David Makowski. Tyler also is #1 among defensemen in playoffs games (61) and points (37). Tyler was part of three championships in Allen (2013. 2014, 2015).

Trevor Ludwig

Trevor spent four years in Allen (2011-15) and is #14 all-time in games played (171). It seemed like every season Trevor would sustain a significant injury that kept him out of the lineup for long periods. Among all Allen defensemen Trevor is #6 in games played, #6 in points (62), #5 in goals (20) and #8 in assists. Trevor was part of three championships in Allen (2013, 2014, 2015).

Justin Bowers

Justin Bowers spent just one season in Allen (2009-10) but what a season it was. In 49 games (he spent time in the AHL) Justin had 73 points (23G, 50A) with a plus/minus of +21. His points per game (1.49) was by far the best on the team. Bowers led Allen in a playoff run that ended with the first year Americans losing in the championship finals. Justin had 30 points (12G, 18A) in 20 playoff games which led the CHL in playoffs scoring.

Tobias Whelan

Tobias played two seasons in Allen (2009-11) and was the captain of the team. In those two seasons Tobias played in 117 games and had 86 points (35G, 51A) and had a plus/minus of +23. A great defensive player and penalty killer, in the 2011 playoffs Tobias had three shorthanded goals in 13 playoff games.

Erik Adams

Erik played three seasons in Allen (2009-12) as a player but was also a long time front office employee and served as the Americans assistant coach in 2014-15 when they won their first Kelly Cup championship. In his Allen playing career Erik's totals were 107 games played, 53 points (10G, 33A) and a plus/minus of +26.

Jason Deitsch

Jason played two seasons in Allen (2011-13) and served as captain of the team both seasons. He arrived in Allen after playing for their crosstown rival, Texas Brahmas. Jason is #20 all time in games played (132) and #16 in points (100) which is amazing giving he only played two seasons with the Americans. The reason is because he never missed a game in his Allen career playing in 132 of 132 games. Jason was part of the 2013 championship team. He is now serving as the assistant coach for the Allen Americans.

Mike Salekin

 Mike was a tough nosed defenseman who played just one season in Allen (2009-10). He led the league (CHL) during the 2010 playoffs with 82 penalty minutes.




DID YOU KNOW: There are memorable Allen players that have played five regular season games to over 200 regular season games for the Allen Americans. Here are some examples:

5 games - Todd Robinson - scored most famous goal in Allen history to win first championship
13 games  - Wade McLeod - outstanding player who has valiantly fought health issues 
25 games - David Simoes -  voted best pound for pound fighter in CHL
32 games - Jack Combs - best points per game (1.750) average in Allen history
100 games - Darryl Bootland - most entertaining player in Allen history
199 games - Jamie Schaafsma -  "The Captain" - always gets to the championship finals
216 games - Chad Costello - never missed a game, regular season or playoffs in three seasons
274 games - Spencer Asuchak - only player in Allen history to play in six seasons

Practice Update, Roster Update, Turning Travel Lemons into Lemonade, Alex Breton Shines at All-Star Classic, All-Star Video, Jersey Reversal and More

It was back to practice for the Allen Americans yesterday after a day off on Monday. It wasn't a planned day off on Monday as the team had travel problems getting home from Idaho on Sunday. It seems like winter trips out west have plagued the Americans for years. Getting stuck in a mountain snow storm on Big Red several years ago and the 40 hour bus ride on a coach bus this year are probably the two worst road trips from hell in the history of the franchise.


- The Sunday travel woes pale in comparison and some team member turned lemons into lemonade. It all started when the team's flight home on Sunday was cancelled not because of weather but because of mechanical problems. Southwest Airlines suggested it might be better to fly to Las Vegas and then Dallas rather than waiting for the flight from Boise. A big group of players opted to go the Las Vegas route while others waited for an aircraft in Boise. I am not clear on the sequence of events and when the Las Vegas group could have gotten back to Allen. I was told by a reliable source at some point a player that will remain unnamed, who is a very hard worker, has been playing great hockey and well liked by the coach, called Steve Martinson and asked if the team could have the day off on Monday so the boys could spend the day in Vegas. Martinson agreed and the lemons turned to lemonade. The group that stayed in Boise was able to get back to Dallas Sunday night and had Monday off as well.


- Not sure if it was a coincidence or payback for the extra day off but the end of practice yesterday was a bag skate. With a week between games it was the perfect day to do this conditioning skating drill. It was not with stops and starts but continuous loops around the rink and it looked exhausting. I think it is only the second time all season the practice has ended with such a conditioning drill, no pucks, just a lot of skating.


- Some good news from practice was both Johnny McInnis and Alex Ranger were full participants and are scheduled to make the trip to Tulsa for the three games this weekend. If Etienne Boutet returns after suffering an injury in Idaho the Americans could have 16 skaters on Friday even with the suspensions. Zach Pochiro will go on the Tulsa trip but will be serving the second of his two game suspension on Friday night.. Curt Gogol and Emerson Clark will stay home as they serve their five game suspensions. Finally, Casey Pierro-Zabotel will make the trip to Tulsa as the assistant coach to help behind the bench.


- I am sure Allen defenseman Alex Breton made a great impression as the Americans representative to the All-Star game. Alex had a goal and an assist and was the runner up in the fastest skater skills competition. Former Allen player Bryan Moore won the fastest skater event with a time of 12.97 seconds followed closely by Breton at 13.01 seconds. Here is the ECHL press release with a recap of all of the events at the All-Star Classic. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/1/eastern-conference-2019-ccm-echl-all-star-classic


- Here are some video highlights from the All-Star Classic which took place in Toledo. Former Allen player, Bryan Moore, who now plays for Toledo is featured in the intro, the fastest skater event and the goal scoring:

- It is hard to believe Alex Breton won't get an opportunity in the AHL soon. His offensive ability, skating skill and exposure at the All-Star game all point to AHL teams giving the 21 year old prospect a shot. Too bad the Iowa Wild don't sign Breton so he could remain in Allen. The Wild have a lot of small sized defensemen on their roster and that could be why they have not shown any interest in Breton who is a small sized defenseman.


- The Americans have scored points in six straight games which is the longest streak in the Mountain Division by a factor of two. When you think about the number of players missing on Saturday when Allen lost to Idaho 3-3 in overtime it makes that effort even more impressive. Here is a list of players that missed that game because of injury, call ups or suspensions.

Zach Pochiro
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Mike Gunn
Etienne Boutet
Garrett Clarke
Curt Gogol
Josh Thrower
Emerson Clark
Thomas Frazee
Johnny McInnis
Alex Ranger
Kevin Sundher 


- It is jersey reversal time in the ECHL. When is the jersey reversal date? ECHL teams wore their dark jerseys at home from October 12, 2018 to January 21, 2019. They will now wear white jerseys at home from January 25 through the remainder of the season. Home teams will wear dark jerseys during the 2019 Kelly Cup Playoffs.


- The official all-star break is from Tuesday (January 22) through tomorrow (Thursday). There are no games, no travel or practice during this time. Allen always delays the all-star break because it comes so soon after the Christmas break. That is why the Americans are practicing this week. They will take their all-star break the second week of February.


DID YOU KNOW: The 2010 ECHL All-Star game holds the record for the most goals by both teams. The all-star game in those days was a traditional game between the two conferences, In 2010 it was the American Conference (eastern teams) vs the National Conference (western teams) and the game was played in Ontario, California. The game ended in a 10-9 shootout win for the American Conference. The 19 total goals is the most ever recorded in an ECHL All-Star game. The #2 star of the that game was none other than Allen's   Adam Miller who had four points (2G, 2A). Adam was playing for the Las Vegas Wranglers at the time. 

A Trip Down Allen Memory Lane - Who is Playing, Who Is Not, Who is Coaching & More

The Allen Americans are back home for few days before they head to Tulsa for games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The games in Tulsa this weekend will complete the second six game road stretch of the season and set the Americans up for 20 home games and just five road games the remainder of the season. Allen is in last place in the Mountain Division with a record of 13-27-2-2 but the Americans have been playing much better hockey recently. Many Allen fans are teetering between "they will get this turned around" and "will they get this turned around."

Rather than talk about the trials and tribulations of this year's team I thought today would be good time to talk about some of the teams and players from the past. If you are a long time Allen fan you will have fond memories of the early years and if you are a more recent follower of the team you can see how some of the players from the recent past are doing.



THE EARLY YEARS

2009-10: There are only two players from Allen's first team still playing professional hockey, Colton Yellow Horn and Jordie Benn. It was an exciting first season as the upstart Americans went all the way to the championship final before losing to Rapid City.

Jordie Benn (age 31) - Jordie didn't venture far from Allen as he signed with the Dallas Stars organization after playing in Allen and went back and forth between the Texas Stars (AHL) and Dallas Stars (NHL) for a couple of years before becoming a full time NHL player. In 2016-17 Dallas traded Jordie to the Montreal Canadiens. He is now has 441 NHL games to his credit.

Colton Yellow Horn (age 29)  -  The best description of Colton is "have skates will travel" as he has played hockey all over the world. He spent three years in Allen (2009-12) and was certainly a crowd favorite with his amazing offensive skills. Colton is top five in almost all offensive categories both all-time and single season for the Americans. Other than Chad Costello, Colton has the best single season in Allen history in points and assists. Yellow Horn has played in Austria, Hungary, Japan and the Czech Republic. He is currently playing in Graz, Austria for the Graz 99ers. Colton has 46 points (19G, 27A) in 40 games. He leads his team in scoring and is 10th in the league in scoring. Here is a memorable Colton Yellow Horn shootout goal from 2012 when he was playing in the AHL.

2010-11: Probably the most talented offensive team ever in Allen. They won their conference by 20 points and scored 271 goals in 66 games for an average of 4.11 per game. They had three 30 goals scorers, (Bruce Graham - 34, Nino Musitelli - 34, Colton Yellow Horn - 33) and five players that averaged a point per game (Dave Bonk & Judd Blackwater in addition to those above). Clearly the best team in the league but they disappointed in the playoffs losing to the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs in the conference finals, four games to one. The Mudbugs went on to beat Colorado in the finals to win the championship. In addition to Yellow Horn, Judd Blackwater is the only other player from that team still playing professionally.


Judd Blackwater (age 31): Probably most known for what is called the best fight in team history. Judd was an accomplished fighter but did not fight often. He only had two fights in 2010-11. He is a gifted offensive player and terrific with the puck. Judd has spent the last few years playing in Europe and is currently playing in Nitra, Slovakia. In 47 games he has 42 points (25 goals 17 assists). Judd's 25 goals leads his team and is #3 in the league. Here is the most famous fight in Allen history. If you like hockey fights you never get tired of watching this tilt.

FORMER PLAYERS UPDATE

Here is an update on some of the players from the past with a photo in their current jersey. I didn't have much choice on a couple of the photos. Stats courtesy of eliteprospects.com.

Chad Costello - Chad is playing for the Krefeld Pinguine in the top league in Germany (DEL). Chad leads his team in scoring with 26 points (15G, 29A) in 41 games. He is second in the DEL in scoring. Krefeld is in 10th place in the 14 team league.

Chad Costello

Colton Yellow Horn - As stated above Colton played on the very first Allen Americans team in 2009-10. This season he is in playing for a team in Austria, Graz 99ers. Colton has 46 points (19G, 27A) in 40 games. He leads his team in scoring and is 10th in the league in scoring. Yellow Horn has more points than any former Allen player that is playing in Europe. The Graz 99ers are currently in second place in the 12 team league (EBEL).

Colton Yellow Horn

Kale Kerbashian - Kale is spending his first year playing in Europe. He plays for HK Nitra in the Slovakian League. He has played in only 31 games and has 24 points (9G, 15A). HK Nitra is in fifth place in the 13 team league.

Kale Kerbashian

Judd Blackwater - Judd is a teammate of Kerbashian at HK Nitra. In 47 games he has 42 points (25 goals 17 assists). Judd's 25 goals leads his team and is #3 in the league. HK Nitra is in fifth place in the 13 team league.

Judd Blackwater

Alex Guptill - Alex is playing in England for the Nottingham Panthers. He has the most goals of any former Allen player that is playing in Europe. Alex has 44 points (28G, 16A) in 42 games. He leads his team in scoring and leads the league (EIHL) in goals. Nottingham is in third place in the 11 team league.

Alex Guptill

Rick Pinkston - After spending the first three years of his pro career in the ECHL and AHL, Rick headed to Europe this season. He plays in Scotland for the Fife Flyers who play in the EIHL. Pinkston has 19 points (2G, 17A) in 30 games. Rick has a plus/minus rating of +13 which leads his team. Fife is in fourth place in the 11 team EIHL.

Rick Pinkston

Alex Lavoie - After a couple of years playing in Scandinavia (Sweden & Finland) Alex is playing in Austria for HC Innsbruck in the EBEL. Alex has 26 points (8G, 18A) in 39 games which is seventh on his team in scoring. HC Innsbruck is in 10th place in the 12 team EBEL.

Alex Lavoie

Jonathan Lessard - Jonathan is playing for Bordeaux in the French League. He has 18 points (9G, 9A) to go along with 77 penalty minutes in 27 games. He is fifth on the team in scoring and third in penalty minutes. Bordeaux is in fifth place in the 12 team Ligue Magnus.

Jonathan Lessard

Tanner Eberle - Tanner is also spending his first season in Europe playing for the Sheffield Steelers (England) in the EIHL.  He has 17 points (5G, 12A) in 39 games which is ninth on the team in scoring. Tanner has 60 penalty minutes which leads the team. Sheffield is in ninth place in the 11 team EIHL.

Tanner Eberle

Jack Combs - Jack is playing for EHC Kloten in the second tier Swiss League. He signed late and has played in only 17 games. Jack has 17 points (8G, 9A). EHC Kloten is in fourth place in the 11 team league. Combs has to hold the record as he has played for 21 different teams in his 10 year professional career.

Jack Combs

Josh Brittain - Josh is playing for Deggendorfer SC in the DEL2 which is the second tier league in Germany. He has 22 points (10G, 12A) in 38 games which is fifth on the team in scoring. Josh has 62 penalty minutes which is first on the team. Deggendorfer SC is in last place in the 14 team DEL2.

Josh Brittain

Greger Hanson - Greger is a teammate of Chad Costello on the Krefeld Pinguine in the top German league (DEL).  Greger has 10 points (7G, 3A) in 39 games. He is 11th on the team in scoring. Krefeld is in 10th place in the 14 team league.

Greger Hanson

NO LONGER PLAYING

Here is a partial list of Allen players from the four championship teams that are no longer playing professional hockey.  Not sure all of them have officially retired but they aren't playing. Lot's of great memories and championships among this group. The years they were with Allen are included:

Jarret Lukin - 2009-14
Brian McMillin - 2010-15
Scott Howes - 2012-13
Kevin Young - 2014-16
Justin Courtnall - 2015-16
Kyle Follmer - 2014-16
Jonathan Parker - 2015-16
Anthony Maiani - 2012-14
Darryl Bootland - 2012-14
Tyler Ludwig - 2011-15
Jason Deitsch - 2011-13
Adam Pineault - 2011-13
Trevor Ludwig - 2011-15
Mike Berube - 2010-14
Daniel Tetrault - 2013-14
Phil Fox - 2013-14
Bruce Graham 2009-2014
Gary Steffes - 2014-18
Aaron Gens - 2014-17
Ian Schultz - 2014-16
Tristan King - 2015-18
Riley Gill - 2014-18
J.P. LaFontaine - 2015-17




FORMER PLAYERS STILL WORKING IN HOCKEY

Josh Hepditch - Assistant Coach, Moncton Wildcats  (QMJHL)
Daniel Tetrault - Head Coach, Rapid City Rush (ECHL)
John Snowden - Assistant Coach, Newfoundland Growlers (ECHL)
Jason Deitsch - Assistant Coach, Allen Americans (ECHL)
Phil Fox - Vice President, New Mexico Ice Wolves Hockey Association
Kyle Follmer - Works for Phil Fox as Assistant Director of Hockey
Steve Silverthorn - Asst. Director of Admissions and Asst. Boys Varsity Hockey Coach, Austin Prep School, Reading, MA.
Nolan Descoteaux - Assistant Coach, Skylands Junior Kings, (NA3HL), Stockholm, New Jersey
Christian Gaudet - Assistant Coach, University of Ottawa
Erik Adams - Head Coach, Allen High School




 DID YOU KNOW: In the 10 year history of the Allen Americans only seven players have reached the 200 games played mark. Here is the list.

274 - Spencer Asuchak
247 - Tyler Ludwig
238 - Jarret Lukin
229 - Mike Berube
216 - Chad Costello
215 - Brian McMillin
206 - Gary Steffes

Another thing these seven players have in common is they all won multiple championships playing for the Allen Americans.