Allen Americans in the ECHL Record Book on a Trip Down Memory Lane, Practice Update, Central vs Mountain Division Showdown and the Brabham Cup Curse

In thinking about what would be a good topic for the blog today I was reminded of the saying, "Since most of us live in the past, a description of the present sounds like the future to us." When your my age and still have a landline, read a hard copy of the newspaper every day and still trying to figure out all the features on my new iPhone, that saying is very apropos.


- Since I enjoy living in the past and there are a few days before the Americans have a game, I decided this morning to take a trip down memory lane through the ECHL official guide and record book. It is 456 pages long and here most of the entries related to the Allen Americans.

Broadcaster of the Year - Tommy Daniels (2016)
Website of the Year - Allen Americans (2015 & 2018)
Top 20 All-Time Assist Leaders (average assists per game) - Chad Costello #2 (1.110)
30 Wins Seasons - Riley Gill 33 (2014-15) & 32 (2016-17)
100 Points Scorers - Chad Costello 125 (2014-15), 122 (2016-17), 103 (2015-16)
Highest Winning Percentage, Team History - #2 Allen Americans (.655)
Highest Road Winning Percentage, Team History- #1 Allen Americans (.618)
Most Consecutive Road Shutouts - #1 Riley Gill (3) in 2016-17
Most Consecutive 100 Point Seasons - #1 Chad Costello (3)
Longest Consecutive Assist Scoring Streak - #2 Chad Costello (19 games)
Most Shutouts By Goaltender, Career - #3 Riley Gill (21)
Most Shutouts By Goaltender, Season - #4 Riley Gill (7)
Most 30+ Win Seasons, Goaltender - #2 Riley Gill (2)
Most Career Coaching Wins (ECHL) - #5 Steve Martinson (373)
Most Career Playoff Games Coached (ECHL) - #3 Steve Martinson (92)
Most Career Playoff Wins, Career (ECHL) - #3 Steve Martinson (49)
Most ECHL Championships - #2 Steve Martinson (2)
Highest Playoff Winning Percentage - #2 Allen Americans (.612)
Highest Road Playoff Winning Percentage - #4 Allen Americans (.625)
Most Goals, One Playoff Series - #6 Greger Hanson (15)
Most Goals in Final Series -  #4 Gary Steffes (6)
Most Assists in Playoffs, Career - #3 Chad Costello (61)
Most Assists, One Playoff Year - #1 Chad Costello (29)
Most Assists, Final Playoff Series - #1 Chad Costello (10)
Most Points in Playoffs, Career - #4 Chad Costello (83)
Most Points, One Playoff Year - #2 Chad Costello (36)
Most Points in Final Playoff Series - #3 Chad Costello (13)
Most Playoff Games, Goaltender, Career - #1 Riley Gill (90)
Most Playoff Minutes, Goaltender, Career - #1 Riley Gill (5095)
Most Playoff Shutouts, Goaltender, One Year - #2 Riley Gill (4)
Most Playoff Wins, Goaltender, Career - #1 Riley Gill (53)


- I have never laid out all of these records at one time but if you take a look at them it becomes apparent that Allen's two Kelly Cups had something in common. A Hall of Fame coach in Steve Martinson, a Hall of Fame goalie in Riley Gill and a Hall of Fame forward in Chad Costello.


OTHER COMMENTS

- Watching practice yesterday there was plenty of intensity in the drills as it was the typical early in the week type of practice with drills that involved a lot of skating. Practice will get lighter the next two days as the team prepares for three games in three days against Wichita. They play in Allen on Friday and then travel to Wichita for games on Saturday and Sunday.


- Newly acquired forward Curt Gogol is practicing with the team and will see his first action on Friday. Alex Breton is back and was practicing yesterday. Two players, Zach Pochiro and Alex Ranger were full participants in practice but were wearing the yellow no contact jersey. Hopefully they will be good to go by Friday.  


- Allen won't see Dyson Stevenson in the lineup against Wichita this weekend as he was injured blocking a shot and will be out for several weeks. It will be interesting to see how much rough stuff takes place with Stevenson out of the lineup and Allen having more grit than at the beginning of the season. The last time Allen and Wichita met was in Allen on December 1 with Wichita winning 6-2. That was the game both teams were warned about the rough stuff and Allen was going to sign Alex Penner. 


- If you have been tracking the ECHL Western Conference this season you have noticed there has been a big shift in the head to head record between the Central Division and the Mountain Division. The Central Division has pretty much owned the Mountain Division this season  with a record of 21-5-0-1.


- The competition between the two Western Conference divisions will be front and center this week starting with the two best teams in the Central Division taking on the two best teams in the Mountain Division tonight. Utah is at Cincinnati and Toledo is at Idaho. Here are all of the games between the two divisions this weekend.

Friday, January 11
Utah at Wheeling
Cincinnati at Kansas City
Toledo at Idaho

Saturday January 12
Utah at Fort Wayne
Cincinnati at Kansas City
Toledo at Idaho


- You never know what will happen come playoff time but thus far the strength of the Western Conference is in the Central Division. With eight games this week between the top teams in both divisions it will be a good barometer of where they stand now.


DID YOU KNOW: It is only at the halfway point of the season so things can change but three teams seem to be battling it out for the Brabham Cup, given to the team with the most points in the regular season. Cincinnati (.735), Florida (.729) and Toledo (.721) are the only teams with a winning percentage above .700. Winning the Brabham Cup has been a curse in the past. In the 30 year history of the ECHL only three teams (Alaska, Cincinnati and South Carolina) have won the Brabham Cup and Kelly Cup in the same season. The last time was in 2014 by Alaska.