The Weekend Outlook, Three Players Deserving an AHL Shot, Allen's Individual Stat Leaders, Mom Don't Read This by Seth Jones and More

Yesterday I called the final 14 games of the season the quest for fifth place in the Mountain Division by the Allen Americans. That quest starts with home and home games against the Tulsa Oilers, Friday in Allen and Saturday in Tulsa. If the Americans beat the Oilers on Friday the game on Saturday in Tulsa will take on more significance because Steve Martinson will be going for his 1000th win.


- With the exception of Idaho the Americans will play all of the other teams in the Mountain Division in the last 14 games of the season ranging from four games against Tulsa and Wichita to just one with Rapid City. As a reminder, here is Allen's record this season against the other teams in the division.

1-7-0-0 - Kansas City
2-6-1-0 - Tulsa
2-1-3-0 - Idaho
3-2-0-0 - Rapid City
4-4-0-0 - Utah
6-2-0-2 - Wichita


- I will have a complete game preview tomorrow but the biggest challenge for the Americans against Tulsa can be captured in looking at shots for and shots against stats. Tulsa is ranked #1 in the ECHL in average shots taken per game (35.95) compared to Allen who is ranked #19 (30.90). To go along with taking the most shots the Oilers are also ranked #1 in allowing shots, giving up an average of 25.88 shots per game. This compares to Allen who is ranked #26 allowing an average of 36.07 shots per game. It computes to a shot differential of  +10.07 for Tulsa and -5.17 for Allen. Tulsa and Allen have played nine times this season and the Oilers have out shot the Americans in all nine. Tulsa's  total shots advantage is a staggering 351-230.


- The top two teams in the Mountain Division (Idaho and Utah) lost last night. Idaho lost to Kansas City 4-3. The Steelheads are just 4-5-1-0 in their last 10 games. Utah lost at home to Maine by a score of 4-1. The Grizzlies have now lost six straight games.


- Idaho has the best winning percentage in the Mountain Division at .625. The leaders in the other divisions have winning percentages of .769 (Cincinnati), .705 (Florida) and .704 (Newfoundland). If the Mountain Division expects to win yet another Kelly Cup the teams at the top will have to play better the last month of the season so they can go into the playoffs playing their best hockey.


- Three players that have stood out for Allen recently are Alex Breton, Dante Salituro and Riley Bourbonnais. All of them had points in every game of the current four game win streak.  Breton had eight points (5G, 3A) , Salituro 10 points (3G, 7A) and Bourbonnais had seven points (3G, 4A). All three of these guys deserve time in the AHL, it would be nice to see one or more of them get that shot.


- Haven't done this for a while so thought it might be instructive to take a look at Allen's stats leaders with 14 games remaining in the season. Below are the team leaders in various statistical categories with the league rank in parentheses:

Points:
49 - Zach Pochiro (23rd)
47 - Dante Salituro (28th)
40 - Adam Miller (54th)


Goals:
29 - Zach Pochiro (2nd)
17 - Riley Bourbonnais (52nd)
16 - Spencer Asuchak (65th)


Assists:
33 - Dante Salituro (10th)
26 - Adam Miller (45th) 
25 - Alex Breton (49th)


Plus/Minus: (Games played for Allen)
+10 - Riley Bourbonnais (76th)
+2 - Alex Ranger (232nd)
+1 - Gary Steffes (277th)
+1 - Curt Gogol (277th)


Penalty Minutes:
110 - David Makowski (22nd)
99 - Zach Pochiro (27th)
98 - Jake Doty (28th)


Fighting Majors:
12 - Curt Gogol (7th)
10 - Jake Doty (14th)
5 - Josh Thrower 
  

Shots On Goal:
173 - Zach Pochiro (18th)
154 - Dante Salituro (25th)
147 - David Makowski (39th)


Points by Defensemen
39 - Alex Breton (2nd)
26 - David Makowski (25th)
24 - Joel Chouinard (32nd)


Goals by Defensemen
14 - Alex Breton (1st)
10 - David Makowski (10th)
5- Joel Chouinard (46th)


Assists by Defensemen
25 - Alex Breton (7th)
19 - Joel Chouinard (29th)
18 - Josh Atkinson (35th)


Save Percentage
.913 - C.J. Motte (9th)
.893 - Lukas Hafner (32nd)



-  You may remember years ago when NHL star defenseman for the Columbus Blue Jackets was just a kid living in Dallas and played between periods of an Allen Americans game. Here is a story Seth just wrote for the Player's Tribune about his mom and his hockey career. At one point in the story Seth said, "Oh man, she (his mom) is going to read this, Player's Tribune, you should talk to her about all of this, because she is going to say I am lying." The Tribune took Seth up on his suggestion and talked to his mom which makes this story so much better. A must read for sure with the title, "Mom. Don't Read This"  https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/seth-jones-columbus-blue-jackets-mom-dont-read-this



DID YOU KNOW: Looking at the individual stats above the one that stands out is plus/minus. Since joining the ECHL back in 2014, Allen's plus/minus has ranged from +334 (2016-17) to -11 (2015-16). This season only the Rapid City Rush have a worse plus/minus than Allen. Here are the bottom five in plus/minus.

-233   Rapid City
-208   Allen
-167   Greenville
-150   Norfolk
-134   Atlanta

Practice Update, Magic Numbers, Allen's Quest for Fifth Place, Playoffs and More

The good news from the Allen Americans practice yesterday was to see Dalton Thrower and Joel Chouinard on the ice. They didn't participate in practice but did some skating before practice started. Alex Ranger did practice and newly acquired goalie Lukas Hafner got acquainted with his new teammates as he arrived in Allen in time to practice with the team. The Americans are preparing for another grueling weekend as they try to extend their four game winning streak. They play Tulsa at home on Friday then travel to Tulsa to play the Oilers on Saturday and then head back to Allen to take on Rapid City on Sunday.


- For those still holding out slim hope to make the playoffs every game at this point is a must win. Allen could still win the Mountain Division but they will start to be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs as early as this weekend. Here are the magic numbers for elimination by the top four teams in the division. Any combination of points lost by Allen or points gained by these teams will eliminate the Americans.

Idaho - 5 points
Tulsa - 7 points
Utah - 7 points
Kansas City - 17 points


- A goal that is achievable for Allen is to get out of the Mountain Division cellar and finish in fifth place ahead of Wichita and Rapid City. The Americans have 14 games remaining (11 at home) and they are all within the Mountain Division. Here is a breakdown of the remaining 14 games with the number of times Allen will play each team in the division and the Americans record this season in parentheses. The only team Allen does not play is Idaho.

4 games - Tulsa (2-6-1-0)
4 games - Wichita (6-2-0-2)
3 games - Utah (4-4-0-0)
2 games - Kansas City (1-7-0-0)
1 games - Rapid City (3-2-0-0)


- Allen is currently five points behind Wichita and six points behind Rapid City in the battle for the last three spots in the division. Wichita has 15 games remaining with seven of them on the road. The Americans will play Wichita four times, in Allen on March 17 and 30 and then close out the season with two games in Wichita on April 5 and 6. The Americans record this season against Wichita is 6-2-0-2 so the four head to head games could determine if the Americans can pass the Thunder in the standings.


- Rapid City has 15 games remaining with eight of them on the road. Rapid City plays in Wichita tomorrow night and in Allen on Sunday. After Rapid City visits Allen on Sunday they will play six straight games against Utah (3 home 3 away) followed by five straight games against Idaho (2 home, 3 away). The Rush close out the season with two games against Kansas City at home. Allen will need some help to pass Rapid City but if the Americans can beat the Rush on Sunday they will have an excellent chance to pass them. Rapid City's last 13 games are against playoff teams battling for where they will be seeded. Allen should get some help from Idaho, Utah and Kansas City.


- It was great to see an Allen player finally recognized as the ECHL Player of the Week. Dante Salituro received that honor yesterday and it was well deserved. Dante had a goal in all three games as Allen swept Utah. He also had an assist in all three games (two on Sunday). Here is the press release from the ECHL  https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/2/allen-salituro-named-inglasco-echl-player-of-the-week


- Salituro missed three weeks and six games in November with an upper body injury and it took a while for him to get back to his fearless style of play. Since the beginning of January, Dante has led the team in scoring with 29 points (9G, 20A) in 20 games. Over a two month period that is a point per game average of 1.45 and an average of 1.00 assist per game. Very impressive.


-  As the playoffs approach the Mountain Division is not as dominant as they have been in the past. The top three teams in the division are ranked #5 (Idaho), #6 (Utah) and #8 (Tulsa) in the ECHL in winning percentage. The Kelly Cup champion the last four years were ranked #4 (Colorado), #3 (Colorado), #6 (Allen) and #2 (Allen) in regular season winning percentage. The top three teams in winning percentage this season have separated themselves from the pack and they are all above .700. Cincinnati (.769), Florida (.718) and Newfoundland (.704) have to be the favorites for the Kelly Cup.


- The wild card when it comes playoff time is what help will teams get from their AHL affiliate. Of the top six teams in the ECHL (winning percentage) four of them (Cincinnati, Florida, Newfoundland, Toledo) would have their AHL affiliate in the playoffs if they started today. The two exceptions are the two Mountain Division teams. Utah is affiliated with Colorado and the Eagles are currently in fifth place, four points out of a playoff spot. Idaho is affiliated with Texas and the Stars are currently in fifth place, three points out of a playoff spot. If the season ends this way it could be a big advantage for the two Mountain Division teams in their quest to bring a fifth straight Kelly Cup to the teams that are in the Mountain Division.


- The Manchester Monarchs ownership group has put the team up for sale. Manchester's average attendance this season is 2378. Here is the story from the local paper: https://www.unionleader.com/news/business/want-to-buy-a-hockey-team-the-monarchs-are-for/article_e987dd46-02ac-5bde-8137-4bd7df320a86.html



DID YOU KNOW: Including all of the injured players the Allen Americans have 26 players on the roster. Here are some facts about the roster courtesy of eliteprospects.com

- There are 15 players from Canada, 10 from the US and one from Belarus
2094 - number of games played with the Allen Americans
900 - number of games played in the AHL
6'1" - average height
196 - average weight
25.73 - average age

 

Barry the Blogger's Daily Dish

After a well deserved day off on Monday it will be back at practice for the Allen Americans today as they prepare for another weekend of three games in three days. Allen plays Tulsa at home on Friday, in Tulsa on Saturday and then return home for a game against Rapid City on Sunday.


- There were three roster changes announced on ECHL transactions yesterday:

Lukas Hafner -  Hafner is a 27 year old goalie Allen obtained in a trade with Fort Wayne. He played for Colorado the last two seasons, winning two Kelly Cups, before signing with Fort Wayne this season. Lukas is a third year pro and has played 61 ECHL games with a GAA of  2.98 and save percentage of .902 and a record of 34-17-2-4. Allen fans may remember the 2017 Kelly Cup playoffs when Hafner led Colorado to the championship. The Eagles played Allen in the second round and two Western Michigan University grads went head to head. Colorado with Hafner in goal took a 3-0 series lead against Allen with Riley Gill in goal. Allen fought back but lost the series 4-2. Hafner's record in the 2017 Kelly Cup was 14-2 as he led the Eagles to the championship.

Kyle Hayton - Hayton was released yesterday and is eligible to be claimed off waivers. Kyle was the goalie of record in 15 games this season with a record of 4-11-0-0, a GAA of 3.53 and a save percentage of .893.

Emerson Clark - Clark was under contract with Toronto (AHL) and assigned to Allen so it was always a possibility he would be recalled. That is what happened because Toronto traded Clark to the Milwaukee Admirals. Emerson played nine games in Allen and had five points (1G, 4A) to go along with 89 penalty minutes.


- Two players that will hopefully be in the lineup this weekend are Joel Chouinard who has been out with a lower body injury since February 5 and Alex Ranger who has not played since February 8.


-  Allen has won their last four games which it the longest (tied) winning streak all season. The Americans have won more than one game in a row only three times all season as hard as that is to believe. They won back to back games on October 26 & 27, four games straight between January 11-16 and this current four game winning streak. Here is a look at what has been working and what hasn't been working during this four game winning streak.


- All four games on this win streak have been one goal games if you don't count two empty net goals. The big difference during this winning streak is Allen's goal production. The Americans are averaging 2.93 goals per game this season but in the last four games the average is 5.25. The Americans have scored four or more goals in each game during this win streak.


- During this winning streak Allen's goals allowed (3.75) is similar to their season long average (3.67). Since they are ranked #25 in goals allowed, improvement is certainly needed. This current winning streak is attributable to a big increase in goals scored.  It is unlikely Allen can continue scoring four or five goals every game.


- Special team percentages during the win streak have been lower than the season long averages. Allen's power play this season is at 16.7% but in the last four games it is 11.8% (2-17). The penalty kill for the season is 83.2% but for the last four games it is 81.0%.


- Allen has been inconsistent during this four game win streak. In two games they have blown three goal leads but to their credit they have hung in to win the games. The four game win streak has included two regulation wins, an overtime win and a shootout win.


- The bottom line is anytime you win four straight games, especially this season, you have to be doing something right but the stats show that with the exception of scoring at almost twice their normal rate, Allen is not playing great hockey. It is unrealistic to think any team can average over five goals a game for an extended period of time. Improvement in goals allowed and on special teams will be what extends this winning streak beyond four games.


- With a four game winning streak and averaging over five goals per game there are plenty of  streaks going into the weekend.

Alex Breton -  Alex has a four game point streak. In those four games he had eight points (5G, 3A) and his plus minus was +8. His five goals included a hat trick.

Dante Salituro - Dante has a six game point streak (4G, 8A). Since January 13th Salituro has points in 16 of 18 games and assists in 15 of 18. His point total in those 18 games is 26 (7G, 19A).

Riley Bourbonnais - Riley has a five game point streak (4G, 4A). Since January 13th he has a point in 13 of 18 games and has 21 points (10G, 11A). Three of his 10 goals were shorthanded.

Zach Pochiro - Zach has a goal in three straight games and is just one goal away from joining the Allen 30 goal club. It is a very exclusive group with just six members; Gary Steffes, Chad Costello, Greger Hanson, Bruce Graham, Nino Musitelli and Colton Yellow Horn. Steffes and Costello are also members of the Americans 40 goal club. While Zach is unlikely to reach 40 goals he is on pace to end the season with 37 goals. That would place him third all time behind Steffes (44) and Costello (41).


- More than any other team the Rapid City Rush will have the opportunity to play spoiler in the Mountain Division. After Rapid City visits Allen on Sunday they will play six straight games against Utah (3 home 3 away) followed by five straight games against Idaho (2 home, 3 away). talk about a scheduling nightmare. There will definitely be some fireworks as Rapid City tries to win against the top two teams in the Mountain Division. By the way the top three teams in the ECHL in fights are Rapid City (73), Idaho (60) and Utah (59).


- It is always interesting to look at home and road records around the ECHL.

Cincinnati has the best home record and it isn't even close. The Cyclones home record is 22-1-2-2. The all time record for home wins is 30 so Cincinnati still has a chance to get to 30 home wins.

Florida has the best road record at 18-8-3-0.

Brampton has five more road wins (15-11-1-1) than home wins (11-11-4-0).

Kansas City is one of three teams with 20 or more home wins (20-8-1-0) but they also have the fewest road wins in the league (7-13-2-1).


- Steve Martinson has publicly said several times recently that he wants a goalie that has had success in the ECHL, is not looking to move up to the AHL, wants to establish himself in the DFW area and make connections for his post hockey career. His recent trade for Lukas Hafner and release of Kyle Hayton could have implications beyond this season. Allen has struggled when C.J. Motte has been called up to Iowa. Allen's record without Motte in goal is 4-20 so bringing in Hafner is an attempt to have an experienced goalie if Motte is in Iowa but you also have to wonder if coach Martinson has already had a conversation with Hafner about next season.


- Lukas Hafner was traded to Allen for future considerations so that could mean anything but you would think for an experienced goalie a player going the other direction would be involved. I was listening to an interview with Fort Wayne coach Gary Graham last night and he was talking about their need for a defenseman as their best defenseman is out of the lineup with an injury. The trade deadline is only 10 days away so it does make you wonder what if anything will happen regarding this trade in the next 10 days.   

 


DID YOU KNOW: This could be the week Steve Martinson reaches his 1000th win as a coach. You have to coach a long time and more importantly you have to be a great coach to win 1000 games. Martinson is in his 23rd year as a coach and has 10 championships in his previous 22 seasons.  He has averaged 44.5 wins per season over his coaching career. Here is a compilation of games won.

50+     3 times
45-49  11 times
40-44   2 times
34-39   6 times
      

Allen Wins in a Shootout, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments, ECHL Standings and More

The Allen Americans finished a three game weekend sweep of the Utah Grizzlies on Sunday with a dramatic shootout win before a crowd of 2864 at the Allen Event Center. Nothing comes easy for the Americans and that proved to be the case on Sunday. Just like on Friday night Allen got off to a great start taking a 3-0 lead in into the first intermission only to give up three unanswered goals in the second period. The Americans took a 4-3 lead in the third period but Utah tied the score with 99 seconds remaining. Both teams had four shots in overtime. It appeared that Allen had scored but the goal was waived off as the referee ruled goalie interference. The Americans played the last 59 seconds of overtime shorthanded.


- Allen chose to go first in the shootout and Zach Pochiro scored a goal to put the pressure on Utah. C.J. Motte then stopped one of the most dangerous goal scores in the league, Caleb Herbert. Dante Salituro started the second round and missed followed by Utah's Josh Dickinson who made his attempt. Adam Miller scored in the third round with his patented shootout move. Utah sent out Ryan Walters who had two goals in the game and after egging on the home crowd before he made his attempt was then stoned by Motte to give Allen their fourth shootout win of the season.


- The game did not play out the way you would draw it up but once again the Americans showed the resiliency and drive to get the victory. Allen blew a 3-0 lead for the second time in three games, they lost the special teams battle and they allowed 55 shots. C.J. Motte faced the most shots (55) and made the most saves (51) of the entire season.


-  Here is a game recap that includes the press release from the Utah Grizzlies: http://prohockeynews.com/grizzlies-come-up-short-in-shootout-in-allen/?doing_wp_cron=1551098785.4409289360046386718750


- The goal scorers for Allen were Josh Atkinson (2), Zach Pochiro (29), Dante Salituro (14) and Alex Breton (14). Adam Miller had the game winner but you don't get credit for a shootout goal which has always seemed strange to me.

- Here are six minutes of video highlights with all of the goals, fights, saves and the shootout attempts:

Here are the Sporfie highlights of the four Allen goals:

Atkinson





Pochiro





Salituro





Breton







STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

"It was frustrating to give up the three goal lead and we were soft on the goal Utah scored to tie the game 4-4."

"It is great to get four straight wins but we have some work to do defensively. It is a lot easier to work
 on things when you have won."

"The two goals we scored in the shootout were great. Pochiro's was a really sweet move. Miller's shootout move looks easy but it is really hard to do."

"Emerson Clark told me after the game that he has been traded by the Toronto Marlies to the Milwaukee Admirals. I thought when he was assigned to Allen he would eventually get traded so it is not a surprise. It will solve the veteran problem so we won't have to sit out a vet once Chouinard returns.

"We will have the day off tomorrow and my plan on Tuesday is to have a fun practice for the guys."


OTHER COMMENTS

- Steve Martinson hit victory 998 with the win last night. Allen has two games against Tulsa this week. If the Americans beat Tulsa at home on Friday, Martinson's 1000th win could come when the teams play in Tulsa on Saturday. With just one of 18 games on the road between February 15 and April 4 it would be ironic if the 1000th win comes at that one road game.
 

- Dante Salituro and Riley Bourbonnais have been a dynamic duo playing together five on five, on the power play and killing penalties. Since January 1st they are the top two in points on the team combining for 53 points (19G, 34A) with a plus/minus of +31. They also have four of Allen's eight shorthanded goals this season.


- Allen has won four games in a row. In those four games Alex Breton had eight points (5G, 3A) and his plus minus was +8. In his last 16 games Breton has had a negative plus/minus only twice. Alex had a goal last night and is now tied for the ECHL lead in goals by a defenseman (14) and is tied for second in points (39) for ECHL defenesmen. It is a matter of time before the AHL comes calling for Breton and he certainly deserves a chance.


- Allen has made some progress in getting out of the Mountain Division cellar but still has a ways to go. In the last 10 games four teams (Idaho, Kansas City, Rapid City, Allen) have identical records at 5-4-1-0. Here are the points earned in the last 10 games for all teams:

12 points - Tulsa
11 points - Allen
11 points - Idaho
11 points - Kansas City
11 points - Rapid City
5 points - Wichita


- Here are the current Mountain Division standings based on winning percentage with games remaining in parentheses.

.636 - Idaho (17 games remaining)
.630 - Utah (18 games)
.596 - Tulsa (15 games)
.558 - Kansas City (20 games)
.456 - Rapid City (15 games)
.447 - Wichita (15 games)
.397 - Allen (14 games)


- Allen is now 4-2 in shootouts this season. In those six shootouts the Americans have made 38.9% of their attempts. Shootout attempt percentage ranges from 100% (2-2) for South Carolina to 0% for Norfolk (0-8) and Greenville (0-6). 


- Allen's average attendance after 25 of 36 home games is 3947. The Americans average attendance last season was 4082. To equal last year's attendance Allen will have to average 4388 per game over the last 11 home games.



DID YOU KNOW: The Mountain Division is unique for a couple of reasons. It is the only division in the ECHL that the top team does not have a winning percentage above .700. Here are the leaders:

.769 - Central Division (Cincinnati)
.728 - South Division (Florida)
.704 - North Division (Newfoundland)
.636 - Mountain Division (Idaho)


There are four teams in the ECHL with over 1000 penalty minutes and they are all in the Mountain Division:

1244 - Allen
1192 - Rapid City
1112 - Idaho
1007 - Wichita

A Great Comeback Win by Allen, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments, Today's Game Preview and More

The Allen Americans beat the Utah Grizzlies by a score of 4-2 last night before a crowd of 4987 at the Allen Event Center (AEC). There have been many memorable games over the years at the AEC. After all, last night was regular season game 332 in the history of the franchise. In my mind the win last night was one of the more memorable for a variety of reasons. Let us count the ways.

1. It was Saturday night specialty jersey, big crowd curse night and that is an obstacle that has proven to be almost impossible to overcome the years.

2. Utah arrived in Allen as the top team in the Mountain Division with the ECHL's fewest regulation losses on the road (6).

3. The Americans gave up the first goal of the game. Their record when allowing the first goal was 7-27-0-1.

4. Allen gave Utah their fourth straight loss last night. Utah hadn't lost four straight games all season.

5. Utah had a 2-0 lead after the first period and a 2-1 lead after the second period. Prior to last night the Grizzlies hadn't lost a game in regulation all season when leading after the first period (19-0-2-1) or second period (25-0-2-1).

6. Utah out shot the Americans 38-30.

7. Allen had 32 penalty minutes and gave up 10 power play opportunities while Utah had eight penalty minutes and gave up four power play opportunities. Twice in the third period the Americans killed off long 5-on-3 penalties.

8. Allen has not been good in the third period. They have given up more third period goals (72) than any team in the ECHL. Their third period goal differential is also ranked #27 at  -15. Last night Allen outscored Utah 3-0 in the third period.


- Given all of the struggles Allen has had this season to see what they accomplished last night against a very good Utah team was remarkable. Coming from behind after trailing 2-0 after the first period and 2-1 after the second period showed resiliency and character. Outscoring the Grizzlies 3-0 in the third period while killing off two long 5-on-3 penalties was amazing.  It reminded me of the Allen Americans of old that used to own the third period. It made it even more special that the goals that tied the game (Gary Steffes) and won the game (Spencer Asuchak) were scored by players who played through the years when Allen dominated third periods. A great win for a team that hasn't had a lot of them this season.


- Here are two game recaps of the game. One including the Allen press release and one including the Utah press release.

Allen: http://prohockeynews.com/allen-defeats-utah-4-2/

Utah: https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/grizzlies-lose-4-2-at-allen/n-5451543


- Goal scorers were Dante Salituro (13), Gary Steffes (2), Spencer Asuchak (16) and Zach Pochiro (28).


- Here is a three minute highlight package with all of the goals and some great saves by both goalies:

- Here are the Sporfie highlights of the four Allen goals:


Salituro - A great individual effort by Dante who has been Allen's most consistent scorer recently. Since January 13th Salituro has points in 15 of 17 games and assists in 14 of 17. His point total in those 17 games is 23 (6G, 17A).





Steffes - Gary tallies his second goal in as many nights. He has four points (2G, 2A) in five games since returning to Allen on February 15.





Asuchak - Spencer gets the game winner. Notice how he uses the defenseman as a screen.




Pochiro - Just like on Friday night Zach puts the game out of reach with an empty net goal. He got a piece of the puck at the defensive blue line and had to out race the Utah defenseman down the ice to poke the puck in the net.







- The win last night was number 997 in Steve Martinson's coaching career and even though making the playoffs is not in the cards this season his goal never changes, to win the next game. The last two nights against Utah have produced two victories and have been as entertaining as you could possibly hope for.


- I had a chance to spend a few minutes with coach Martinson after the game and he was pleased with how the team came back after getting behind in the first period. He was concerned with the number of minor penalties the team took. He mentioned how the game seemed to change in the second period when Allen was more physical and were finishing their checks. He also mentioned how critical the two 5-on-3 penalty kills were early in the third period.



ALLEN VS UTAH GAME PREVIEW

- It will be a tall task for the Americans to come away with a sweep of Utah today (4:05 pm) as it is very difficult to win three games in three days against the same opponent. I wouldn't recommend going about getting a win the way Allen did last night. There are not many times you can give up the first two goals of the game, trail after the first and second period, get out shot, give up 10 power plays including two long 5-on-3's and come away with a win.


- Special teams will play an important role in the game today. Head to head (seven games) the Allen power play is 5-34 (14.7%) against Utah while the Grizzlies are 8-38 (21.1%) against the Americans. The Allen penalty killers did an outstanding job last night but limiting power plays will be key in the game today.


- Allen did a great job against Caleb Herbert last night. He had no points and just three shots, took a penalty and was -2. He has averaged a goal a game against Allen and has led Utah in scoring against the Americans with nine points (5G, 4A) is five games. A key for Allen will be to keep Herbert off the scoreboard again today.


- What has really helped Allen recently is they are getting scoring from throughout the lineup. Nine different players had points last night and 12 had points Friday night. The team is playing with an edge and playing with confidence. 


- There will be streaks on the line for both teams today. Allen has won three games in a row and can match their longest winning streak of the season with a win today. With their loss last night Utah has lost four straight for the first time all season so they will be trying to end their longest losing streak since March of 2018.


- The officiating crew today will be the same as last night. The referee will be Matt Menniti (#10) and the linesmen will be Connor Bohl (#46) and Michael Miggans (#47). Menniti has been the referee for all three games against Utah this weekend.


OTHER COMMENTS

- Zach Pochiro's empty net goal last night gives him 28 goals on the season. He is all alone ranked #2 in goals scored in the ECHL. Tulsa's Adam Pleskach had two goals last night and leads the ECHL with 30 goals. Pochiro is within striking distance of a 30 goal season. Only six players in the franchise history for Allen have scored 30 or more goals in a season.


- Gary Steffes and Spencer Asuchak both scored a goal last night and are creeping closer to the top of the list for all-time goals scored. With 15 games remaining in the season Steffes is five goals and Asuchak is six goals from tying Chad Costello and Greger Hanson with 98 goals.


- I came across this video of a dad who mic'd up his four year old at hockey practice. From his positive self talk to how fast his coach was carrying him to going to BaDonalds (McDonalds) after practice to I need a nap to his "you old fat can" chirp will put a smile on your face. You have to watch this if you haven't seen it.

DID YOU KNOW: Allen lost the first four times they played Utah this season, were shutout three times and outscored 15-3. Allen has won the last three times they have played Utah, outscoring them 15-9. The first four times these teams met Allen averaged 0.75 goals per game. In the last three games Allen has averaged 5.0 goals per game.

  

Allen Wins 7-5, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments, Rematch Preview, Allen's All-time Goal Scorers and More

Steve Martinson earned his 996th win as a coach last night as the Allen Americans beat the Utah Grizzlies 7-5 before a crowd of 3444 at the Allen Event Center (AEC). As Forrest Gump would say, the game was like a box of chocolates because you never knew what you were going to get.


- The game started with the Americans playing their best first period of the season. Allen came out flying and really took it to a very good Utah team. When the dust settled on the first period the Americans had out shot the Grizzlies 19-3 and outscored them 3-0.


- The great first period was followed by the worst start to a period in memory. It took Utah just 11 seconds into the second period to record their first goal, 19 seconds later they scored their second goal and by the 5:32 mark the score was tied 3-3 and all of Allen's hard work in the first period seemed wasted.


- The fun was just beginning as Allen took a 4-3 lead by being handed the best piece of chocolate in the box. The Americans scored two seconds (a record) after Utah had been called for a penalty when the Grizzlies won the ensuing face off and former Allen player, Jake Marchment, put the puck in his own net. Here is the video of that play. You can see Jake and the goalie communicating about rimming the puck around the back of the net. Riley Bourbonnais, who lost the draw on the face off, got credit for the goal.





- Adam Miller would score at the end of the second period to give the Americans a 5-3 lead going into the third period. Gary Steffes scored early in the third period to restore Allen's three goal lead but no lead was safe last night. Utah scored twice to make the score 6-5 with six minutes left in the game.


- C.J. Motte made some key saves down the stretch.  Zach Pochiro put the game away with an empty net goal with 20 seconds remaining after Utah pulled their goalie for an extra attacker but ended up with seven players on the attack and took a too many men on the ice penalty.


- Here is the game recap from the Utah Grizzlies: http://www.utahgrizzlies.com/team-news/headline-news/?article_id=3628


- The goal scorers for Allen were Dante Salituro (12), Riley Bourbonnais (16 & 17), Alex Breton (13), Adam Miller (14), Gary Steffes (1) and Zach Pochiro (27).


- Here are the video highlights from the game with all of the goals plus some saves from both goalies.

Here are the Sporfie highlights of the Allen goals:

Salituro





Bourbonnais





Breton





Miller





Steffes






Pochiro





STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

"I am thinking good things about that first period. It reminded me of the old Allen Americans."

"On Utah's first goal we cheated over to a guy that has two goals and left a guy with almost 30 goals wide open."

"Our goalie must just shake his head on all of the 2-on-1 opportunities we give up."

"It was fun to get that good start and painful to see Utah come back. When we got the second three goal lead my thought was Utah couldn't come back twice."

"We had spurts of good and entertaining hockey tonight, we just have to limit the defensive mistakes for tomorrow."

"We have to fix a couple of things defensively and Motte will be better tomorrow because he is back in the groove. He has only played one game in the last two weeks and he is used to playing every game."

"Joel Chouinard and Chase Lang will not be available this weekend. Goalie Lucas Hafner will be here next week. He had a death in the family and is spending the weekend at home."



ALLEN VS IDAHO REMATCH PREVIEW


- Allen did a lot of good things last night that they can build on in the game tonight. The Americans got off to a great start with a 3-0 first period lead. The seven goals Allen scored is the second best goal production all season. The Americans had a lot of shots (40) and out shot Utah 40-30. They have out shot their opponents in only 15 of their 56 games.


- It was a mixed bag on special teams last night. The best news was the Americans stayed out of the penalty box with only three minor penalties the entire game. The bad news is Allen gave up two power play goals on those three minor penalties. Allen was 2-6 on the power play and also scored a goal right after a power play expired. After being held scoreless the last five games the power play looked good last night.


- As coach Martinson said post game the Americans will have to play better defensively tonight. It is hard to see Allen winning again tonight if they give up five goals against a team as good as Utah.


- If you play the percentages Utah has an advantage in the game tonight. The Grizzlies have lost their last three games and haven't lost four in a row all season.


-Two of the top goal scorers in the ECHL, Caleb Herbert from Utah and Zach Pochiro didn't disappoint last night as they each had a goal. They are tied for #2 in the ECHL in goals with 27 trailing Tulsa's Adam Pleskach who has 28 goals.


- The same referee as last night, Matt Menniti (#10) will work  the game tonight. The linesmen will be Connor Bohl (#0) and Michael Miggans (#47).



OTHER COMMENTS

- All seven Mountain Division teams were in action last night. The winners were Allen, Kansas City and Idaho. The losers were Tulsa, Rapid City, Utah and Wichita.


- There are 11 games on the ECHL schedule tonight with all seven Mountain Division teams in action. Here is the ECHL Today with a preview on all 11 games. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/2/echl-today-feb-23


- Rapid City coach Daniel Tetrault was ejected from the game last night in the second period for abuse of officials as the Rush fell to Atlanta 4-0. Tetrault was upset by a non call and started throwing water bottles in the direction of the referee. The rule sighted in the box score (39.5) for abuse of officials for throwing objects in their direction is the lesser of the rules for throwing objects. The more severe rule (40.4) is an automatic suspension. The Commissioner always has the option to suspend for abuse of officials but the 40.4 rule is an automatic three games. I would assume it is likely Tetrualt will get at least a one game suspension. 



DID YOU KNOW: Gary Steffes scored his 92nd goal last night as an Allen American and passed teammate Spencer Asuchak for fourth place on the all-time list. With 16 games remaining in the season both Steffes and Asuchak have an outside chance of becoming the all-time leading goal scorer for the Allen Americans. Greger Hanson and Chad Costello are tied for the top spot with 98 goals. Here are the players with 50 or more goals for the Allen Americans:

98 - Chad Costello
98 - Greger Hanson
97 - Bruce Graham
92 - Gary Steffes
91 - Spencer Asuchak
74 - Jarret Lukin
67 - Colton Yellow Horn
62 - Jamie Schaafsma
59 - Nino Musitelli
54 - David Makowski
53 - Brian McMillin
51 - Tyler Ludwig


If you combine regular season and playoffs the top five all-time in goals are:

135 - Greger Hanson
121 - Bruce Graham
121 - Gary Steffes
117 - Chad Costello
115 - Spencer Asuchak

Allen vs Utah Series Preview, C.J. Motte Returns, Roster Update, Free Tickets and Allen Connection to Most Playoff Games Played

If the Allen Americans have any hopes of escaping last place in the Mountain Division they will have to up their game over the last 17 games of the worst season in team history. It won't be easy this weekend as the Americans take on the Utah Grizzlies, who are the top team in the division, with a winning percentage of .642. Three games in three days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) against the best team in the division.


- The game tonight will be the sixth of 11 meetings between Allen and Utah this season. The first five games were in Utah with the final six in Allen. The Americans did not fare well in the five games in Utah with a record of 1-4 that included three shutouts.


- Head to head Utah has outscored Allen 19-7 and out shot the Americans 163 -154. Allen is 3-24 (12.5%) on the power play, Utah is 4-25 (16.0%).


- Special teams will be key in this three game series against Utah. After a hot streak at the end of January the Allen power play has not scored in the last five games going 0-16. The good news is the penalty kill is 1-20 (95.0%) in the last five games.
 

- If you look at season long stats the advantage goes to Utah starting with a record of 31-15-4-1 compared to Allen's 17-32-4-2. The Grizzlies have one of the best road records (13-6-3-1) in the league while Allen has the worst home record in the ECHL (7-14-1-0). Utah has the better power play (21.8% vs 16.7%) and the better penalty kill (85.0% vs 83.6%).
  

- Utah averages 3.43 goals per game, Allen just 2.80. Utah allows 2.80 goals per game, Allen 3.67. Utah's record when scoring first is 23-2-3-1. Allen's record when scoring first is 10-5-4-1.


- It is clear by any statistical measure it could be a long weekend for the Americans. If you are looking for the positives Allen won their last game while Utah has lost their last two games. The Americans are 1-4 against the Grizzlies this season but the lone win game the last time they played (December 30) when Allen won 4-2.


- You have to expect there will be fights anytime teams play three games in three days. Utah ranks #3 in the ECHL with 58 fights while Allen is ranked #9 with 32 fights. Allen's number is misleading as they were almost at the bottom of the list at one point. With the acquisition of Jake Doty, Curt Gogol and Emerson Clark, 21 of Allen's 32 fights have come in the last 22 games. 


- C. J. Motte is back from his recall to Iowa which should give a lift to the team. When Motte has been in goal Allen's record is 13-13-4-2. When he hasn't been in goal the Americans record is 4-20-0-0.


- Yesterday it was announced Allen traded future considerations to Fort Wayne for goalie Lucas Hafner. My reporting is he has not yet reported to Allen.


- In other roster news Joel Chouinard will not be available this weekend. Alex Ranger is day to day but was practicing with the yellow no contact jersey this week. Jake Doty was back at practice after a few days off dealing with the birth of his new son. Chase Lang will not play tonight as he suffered a bad cut in practice on Wednesday. The cut was very close to his eye and it required a trip to the hospital. According to coach Martinson, "Lang is sore but should be okay however he is not playing. I have attended most practices over the last few years and the Lang injury was as scary as they come. It is great to hear he should be okay.


- I think it is fair to say the only goal left for Allen is to get out of last place in the Mountain Division and if that doesn't happen avoid being the worst team in the ECHL. The players should be motivated whether they are playing for pride or playing for jobs for next season in Allen, some other ECHL team or in Europe.


- One player to keep an eye on this weekend from Utah is #40 Caleb Herbert. He has 53 points (26G, 27A) in just 39 games for a points per game average of 1.36. Herbert has split time between Utah and their AHL affiliate (Colorado). He is tied with Zach Pochiro for second in the ECHL in goals with 26. These are two players to pay special attention to this weekend. Herbert has a goal in his last three ECHL games. Zach is in the midst of a five game goal scoring drought.  


- The referee scheduled tonight is Matt Menniti (#10). The linesmen will be Sean D'Loughy (#45) and Michael Miggans (#47).



OTHER NEWS

 - After every season many players look into playing in Europe as it is a way to travel while getting paid to play hockey. Teams is Europe typically play fewer games than in the ECHL and players have more free time to make short trips to all the major cities. Some players love the experience and others don't like it at all. The last two ECHL MVP winners leveraged their great seasons to get contracts in Europe. For Chad Costello (2017 ECHL MVP) the experience has been rewarding financially, on the ice and for his family. For Shawn Szydlowski (2018 ECHL MVP) the experience did not work out. Here is a well thought out story about Shawn's experience in his own words. Some things to think about for any player considering the move to Europe. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/2/in-my-words-my-last-chance 


- It was a wild back and forth affair in Orlando last night as the Solar Bears took on the Norfolk Admirals. Plenty of former Allen Americans on both teams. Michael Brodzinski, Matt Foget and Alex Schoenborn play for Orlando. Eric Roy, Chris Crane, Ben Duffy and Jeremy Brodeur play for Norfolk. Eric Roy was the star of the game, scoring the game winner for Norfolk at the 1:19 mark of overtime. The final score was 7-6.


- Saw a couple of quotes from Iowa Wild coach Tim Army with high praise for goalie C. J. Motte. "I have complete trust in him (Motte). He played good teams in very challenging situations for us and obviously he did extremely well for us when we needed him to be there."  Army also said, "He (Motte) can play at this level. He just needs to stay focused and at some point he will be a full-time starting goalie in the league (AHL). That is for sure."


- I have four FREE premium level club tickets (second level) for the Allen game on Sunday (February 24 at 4:05 pm) against Utah. I will have a drawing for the tickets tomorrow (Saturday ) 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!


- There are eight games in the ECHL tonight. Here is the ECHL Today with a short preview of each game. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/2/echl-today-feb-22 



DID YOU KNOW: This morning I was working on a post for my ECHL Stats Twitter account (@ECHLStats). I posted the ECHL players with the most playoff games since the 2013-14 season. What surprised me is eight of the top 14 in playoff games since the 2013-14 season have ties to the Allen Americans. Here are those eight players with how they rank in playoff games. The number in parentheses is playoff games played since 2013-14.

1. Matt Register (90 playoff games)
2. Gary Steffes (74)
4. Jamie Schaafsma (69)
6. Spencer Asuchak (66)
7. Casey Pierro-Zabotel (63)
9. Dyson Stevenson (61)
12. Chad Costello (60)
14. Greger Hanson (59)

Riley Bourbonnais - Player Profile

A Riley Bourbonnais Celly

Riley Bourbonnais #23
Birthdate: August, 8, 1993
Birthplace: Greece, New York
Hometown: Greece, New York
5' 11" 195 pounds
Shoots: Left


Riley Bourbonnais was traded to the Allen Americans on December 14 from the Maine Mariners. At the time coach Martinson was looking for an offensive player that could also play defense and kill penalties. You can argue Riley has been the most effective player on the team since his arrival 25 games ago. He plays in all situations and his stats reflect his value to the team. He is second on the team in goals per game (.44), second in points per game (.84), he leads the team in plus/minus (+4) and he leads the team in shorthanded goals (3).


I had a chance to sit down with Riley yesterday to get to know his story. I have found over the years of writing the blog that the journey players take to Allen is both similar and unique. Until you have a chance to ask them about their story you don't really know what they are all about. Here is the story of Riley Bourbonnais.


Riley grew up in Greece, New York, population close to 100,000, which is a contiguous suburb of Rochester. His mom, Laurie, works in the corporate office for Wegmans, a supermarket chain and his dad, John, works for a shipping company. Riley's dad played college hockey at RIT and won the Division III national championship in 1985. Riley has a sister, Taylor who is one year older and graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). Taylor works for Victoria Secret in NYC.


- Riley's uncle and grandfather also played hockey so it is not a surprise his earliest hockey memory is from when he was very young, around three and he remembers just laying on the ice and his dad telling him to get up. Bourbonnais lived close to the local ice rink and there was also plenty of pond hockey and his friends all played roller hockey in the summer. Riley was fortunate that his dad coached him until he was about 10 and he had a lot of other good coaches who saw something special in him and pushed him to always get better.


- Riley made his high school hockey team as an eighth grader and when he was a sophomore his team won the state title and finished with a perfect 27-0 record. He was the leading scorer on the team that had four players go on to play Division I hockey.


- After his sophomore season in high school Riley decided to play Junior B hockey for a team in  Rochester. He was looking for more hockey and his junior team (Maksymum Stars) offered a year around development program. In his one year (2009-10) with the Maksymum Stars he led the team in scoring with 69 points (34G, 35A) in 41 games.


- For the 2010-11 season Bourbonnais enrolled in an elite private boarding school, Berkshire School, in Massachusetts. He had two reasons for attending Berkshire. The education would help him prepare for college and the fact he was playing hockey for one of the top prep school hockey teams in New England would expose him to scouts from the colleges in the ECAC and Hockey East Conferences where he desired to play. In his one season at the Berkshire School he was the second leading scorer on the team with 35 points (15G, 20A) in 29 games.


- In September of 2011 Riley Bourbonnais committed to play hockey at RPI. It was close to home (203 miles) in Troy, New York and he had an interest engineering so he saw RPI as a good fit. Since his dad and uncle both played hockey at RIT in his hometown, Riley admits there was some encouragement to consider RIT but his family told him he had to do what he thought was best for him.   


- Riley's next stop was playing in the USHL for the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) RoughRiders (2011-12). There have been a lot of Allen Americans that played in Cedar Rapids including Chad Costello, Gary Steffes, Jake Hildebrand and Mitch Maloney. In his first year in Cedar Rapids, Riley finished as the second leading scorer on the team with 39 points (17G, 22A) in 53 games. That first year in the USHL was a new experience for Bourbonnais and it was the focus on all around development that stood out. To start with it was his first time to live with a host/billet family. His daily routine was much more structured with not a lot of down time. In addition to three or four hours of hockey related training every player was expected to either work part time or take college courses. The team was also very active in the community and all players were expected to participate.


- The 2012-13 season was a tough one for Riley. He started the season in Cedar Rapids but despite being the leading scorer on the team he was traded to Sioux City and just six weeks later he was traded from Sioux City to the Lincoln Stars.  The hardest part for Riley was the changes in living arrangements, the differing styles of play and systems used by each team. It turned out to be a growing experience and he made a lot of good friends along the way.


- In 2013-14 Riley started his four year career at RPI. He played 121 games and had 71 points (37G, 34A). By his own account his freshman year was difficult as he only played in nine games and had no goals and just one assist. His coach worked with him and he says, "I grew up a lot and matured." Riley improved each season and by his junior year he was the leading scorer on the team. He was also the leading scorer as a senior and was also a captain.

Riley, 3rd from left, led RPI in scoring his junior and senior seasons

- After his junior season Riley's coach encouraged him to continue to work hard and lead the team because he had a chance to play at the next level. It was then he felt all of the hard work was paying off and he could play pro hockey.   


- After his senior season at RPI was completed in March of 2017, Riley signed with the Wheeling Nailers and made his pro debut on March 15. Bourbonnais played the last 10 games of the season for Wheeling and tallied eight points (5G, 3A) including a hat trick. Based how he played in the 10 games in Wheeling and his senior year at RPI, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) signed Riley to a two way AHL/ECHL contract.


- Riley went to training camp with the Penguins in September 2017 but was assigned to Wheeling (ECHL affiliate) and spent the entire season with the Nailers. He had a decent rookie season with Wheeling scoring 42 points (23G, 19A) in 67 games. He finished third on the team in goals, sixth in points and third in plus/minus (+11).


- This season (2018-19) Riley signed with the Maine Mariners. Because he was coming off an AHL contract he was a free agent in the ECHL and could sign with any team. The assistant coach he had in Wheeling, Riley Armstrong, was selected as the head coach of the first year Maine Mariners. Bourbonnais decided to follow Armstrong to Maine. After 14 games in Maine Riley, was traded to Allen.


- "It was a shock when I found out I was traded, it happened at 1:00 am after we got back from a road trip to Newfoundland. I had never been traded in pro hockey. Things just didn't work out in Maine, I was playing some games in Maine but sometimes I was pushed back when guys came down from the AHL."  Riley went on to say, "Coach Martinson knows one of my coaches from RPI and and he talked to him about me. Martinson was looking for a two way center who could play defense, kill penalties and help get a third line scoring. Marty called me and told be what he was looking for and told me I would get a lot of playing time and I thought it was awesome."


- Riley has been great as a penalty killer. It is a skill he developed in college that has been a good skill as a pro. He has three shorthanded goals and his kill partner, Dante Salituro has one.

Riley scores against Wichita

Here are some questions to get to know Riley better:

Q: Do you have a favorite jersey number?
A: #10 has always been my favorite number.

Q: Who is your hockey hero?
A: Ryan Callahan from the Tampa Bay Lightning, he is a local guy from Rochester, I grew up watching him and I like the way he plays. We play a similar style of game.

Q: What is your top hockey memory?
A: Winning the state title in high school in 2009. Everyone was so close on that team and to win in front of your family, friends and classmates was incredible.

Q: Favorite Actor?
A: Adam Sandler

Q: Favorite Actress?
A: Margot Robbie

Q Favorite Type of Music?
A: Rap

Q: Favorite Rapper?
A: Me and my friend during the summer listen to a lot of Kodak Black

Q: Who would you pick to have lunch with if you could pick anyone?
A: Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon. I was a dual major in college (Business & Industrial Engineering) and have a big interest in business.

Q: Tell us something people won't know about you?
A: I am working on my MBA while playing hockey. The online MBA program is comprised of 13 classes each seven weeks long. I am on my fourth class now.

Q: What do you like to do when you are not playing hockey?
A: I like to read a lot and like to follow the news closely.

Q: What chore to hate to do?
A: I have always hated shoveling the snow at home in the winter. Rochester gets a lot of lake effect snow.

Q: Can you name something that has great value to you but not to others?
A: The ring we got for winning the state tournament in high school.

Q: Who do you admire as a leader?
A: My dad, he has done a great job in guiding me in hockey and life. It was his idea to pursue a dual major at RPI.

Q: Can you remember advice your father gave you when he was coaching you as a kid?
A: I used to pout a lot when I was young and things didn't go my way. He used to always tell me to use my feet more than my mouth.

Q: What is the most interesting place you have ever visited?
A: I would say Italy is one and the other is the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Q: If you could live in another country for two years where would you pick?
A: Germany, my mom's ancestors are from Germany so that would be interesting.

Q: If you could be anything other than a pro athlete what would it be?
A: I want to be CEO of a company one day. I have an interest in business so my goal is to be a CEO, an entrepreneur or have my own consulting firm.

Q: Who is your #1 fan?
A: My mom, uncle and grandpa are all pretty crazy but my dad always follows along and calls me the morning after every game and gives me advice on what I should do so I would say my dad is my #1 fan. 

Q: When was the last time you lost something?
A: I was in Europe and somehow lost my keys. I didn't miss them until we flew back to New York and couldn't get into my car because my keys were gone. I had to bus home to Rochester and than fly back to New York the next week to get my car. That experience was brutal.

Q: What do you do to kill time on the bus?
A: I read, work on my MBA class, update my Linkedin profile resume and I watch Netflix.

Q: What has been your worst bus experience?
A: It was here in Allen when our flight to Boise was cancelled and we took a 40 hour bus trip on a coach bus. I remember falling asleep at 1:00 am and woke up the next morning at 8:00 am and looked out the window and saw the same exact sign I saw when I fell asleep.

Q: What was your favorite childhood toy?
A: I was big into knee hockey. We had a knee hockey court we made form the boards of a bed frame.

Q: Do you have a favorite motto or saying you like and try to follow?
A: Control what you can control. We had a guy speak to us in college about the mental aspects of the game and that was something I took away from him. I have gotten much better at letting things go between my junior year in college and now. I used to freak out at the refs and come to the bench with the wrong attitude if I didn't score. I have made a ton of improvement in this area.

Q: If you could choose someone as a mentor who would it be?
A: First and foremost would be my parents but I have learned a lot from all of my coaches, they have taught me a lot about more than hockey. When I was in Cedar Rapids coach Carlson taught us if you aren't 15 minutes early you are late and that has stuck with me in all aspects of my life. I am never late to things. My coach in college, Seth Appert taught us the importance of how we looked, how we dressed and our appearance. He also taught us the importance of being thankful to those around us and to make sure to say thanks for those that help and support you. One time we had to clean the rink because we didn't give enough thanks to our staff and that was a good learning lesson. What I have learned from coach Martinson is his passion for the game. His desire to battle and go into every game with a winning attitude. He gets so fired up for every game and that gets the team fired up. He makes you a better player.


After spending time with Riley you come away from the conversation feeling confident he will have a fulfilling hockey career. He enjoys travel, he enjoys learning and it is easy to see him heading to Europe to play hockey at some point, maybe somewhere in Germany. It is also clear he is preparing himself for a great post hockey career. It will be interesting to follow his progress going forward. 

        

Practice Update, Roster Update and Handicapping the Mountain Division Championship Race. Asuchak Milestones and More

 The Allen American had their first of three practices this week as they prepare to take on the division leading Utah Grizzlies on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The list of players on the current roster not at practice is worth recapping because the numbers are a reminder of all of the injuries the team has endured this season. By my rough count the Americans have already lost 180-200 games from injuries.

Casey Pierro-Zabotel - season ending injury
Thomas Frazee - season ending injury
Mike Gunn - season ending injury
Kevin Sundher - recovering from injury sustained 12/31/18
Dalton Thrower - recovering from injury sustained 1/26/19 
Joel Chouinard - recovering from injury sustained 2/5/19


- In addition to the injuries the Americans had to conduct practice with just one goalie because C.J. Motte is still in Iowa. Jake Doty missed practice dealing with issues related to the birth of his son, Dallas Dean.


- Alex Ranger was at practice wearing the yellow no contact jersey. Alex has missed the last three games.


- Practice ended with a conditioning skate which is a rarity at this time of the season. Maybe the poor third period performances this past weekend when Allen was outscored 9-2 in the three games led to the decision by coach Martinson to work on conditioning more than the skating and conditioning from the normal practice drills.


- The countdown to 1000 wins for Steve Martinson is down to five games. With only one away game in the next 15 it is almost certain the milestone will happen at home sometime in the month of March.


- The Americans have 17 games remaining and they are all within the Mountain Division. Here is a breakdown of the remaining 17 games with the number of times Allen will play each team in the division and the Americans record this season in parentheses. The only team Allen does not play is Idaho.

6 games - Utah (1-4-0-0)
4 games - Tulsa (2-6-1-0)
4 games - Wichita (6-2-0-2)
2 games - Kansas City (1-7-0-0)
1 games - Rapid City (3-2-0-0)


- At this point the only realistic goal for the Americans is to escape last place in the division. Allen is currently nine points behind Wichita in the battle to escape the cellar. Allen has 17 games remaining with 14 at home. Wichita has 18 games remaining but 10 of them are on the road. The Americans play Wichita the last three games of the season. They play in Allen on March 30 and then close out the season with two games in Wichita on April 5 and 6. Could the battle for last place come down to these last three head to head games? The Americans have a better record this season against Wichita (6-2-0-2) than any other team they have faced and the Americans have dominated Wichita since the teams joined the ECHL. Over the last five seasons Allen's record against Wichita at home is 21-7-3-1 and in Wichita is 24-5-1-4. It would be a small victory for sure but it is feasible Allen could sweep Wichita the last three games of the season to get out of last place in the division.


- I write frequently about how there is no quit in coach Martinson and he is working just as hard to win games now as he did when Allen was battling for first place in the past. There is no way he rides out the season and starts planning for next season. He continues to look for ways to improve the roster and there is little doubt in my mind there will be more trades in the 14 days remaining before the trade deadline arrives (March 7).


- The race for the Mountain Division championship looks like it will come down to a battle between Utah, Idaho and Tulsa. Here is a recap of the remaining schedule for each team:

Idaho - The Steelheads have 20 games remaining split evenly between home and away. They have three games left against Tulsa (all this week) and they close out the season with three games against Utah.  Idaho plays Rapid City five straight games just before they finish the season against Utah. Playing the same team five straight times is always a recipe for a disaster made even worse because Rapid City leads the ECHL in fights (71) and Idaho is #2 with 57 fights. Will Idaho be worn down after five physical games against the Rush just before the finish the season at Utah?

Utah - The Grizzlies are in the best position to take the division title even though 13 of their remaining 21 games are on the road. Utah is currently leading the division in winning percentage (.657), followed by Idaho (.645) and Tulsa (.611). Utah plays their next sixteen games against teams not in the playoffs (Allen, Maine, Rapid City, Wichita). Then the Grizzlies finish the season with two games in Tulsa followed by a game in Idaho before taking on Idaho two times at home. The division title could very well come down to the three game Idaho vs Utah series to closeout the season.

Tulsa - The Oilers have the fewest games remaining of the top three with seven at home and 11 on the road. This week will be a big one for Tulsa as they travel to Idaho for three games (tonight, Friday, Saturday). While Idaho and Utah will go head to head at the end of the season Tulsa will be at home for their final three games against Kalamazoo (twice) and Wichita.


- Looking at the remaining schedule and the current standings I would give Utah the edge in coming out on top of the Mountain Division. I haven't mentioned Kansas City who holds down the final playoff spot and is playing the best hockey right now going 7-2-0-1 over the last 10 games. The Mavericks have more games remaining (23) than the three teams in front of them and could improve their position down the stretch but having to pass three teams to win the division is highly unlikely. Working against Kansas City is 10 of their last 11 games are on the road and they have the worst road record in the league.


- Look for Zach Pochiro to get back on track this weekend after not scoring a goal in his last five games. Prior to his recent goal scoring drought Zach never went more than three games without a goal. Pochiro is tied for second in the league in goals with 26. Tulsa's Adam Pleskach leads with 27 goals.


- It is hard to understand why rookie defenseman Alex Breton hasn't gotten a look by an AHL team. He is tied for second in goals and points among all ECHL defensemen. He finished second in the fastest skater contest at the recent ECHL All-Star Classic. Maybe his size works against him as he is smaller than the average AHL defenseman and he needs to continue to improve on the defensive end but he is a great prospect that deserves a shot at the next level. It is just a matter of time until he gets his chance.  



DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans have always had at least one player play in every game during the regular season. With 17 games remaining, Spencer Asuchak is the only player left that has played in all 55 games this season. In addition to trying to becoming the only Ironman this season Asuchak is moving up the all-time list is several other categories. Every game Spencer plays he adds to his all-time games played record. If he plays the remaining games he will pass the 300 games played milestone. Asuchak is six goals from third place all-time in goals, his assist on Saturday moved him into second all-time in assists (139) and he is six points from passing Bruce Graham for second all-time in points. 

My Interview With ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin, Photos From the Alumni Game and More

After a well deserved day off yesterday it is back to practice today for the Allen Americans as they prepare for three home games this weekend against the Utah Grizzlies. The roster questions for the week include will Alex Ranger return from his upper body injury, will goalie C.J. Motte return from his recall to Iowa (AHL) and will Jake Doty be back at practice after the birth of his son (Dallas Dean Doty, 7 lb 5 oz).  I will attend practice this morning and provide an update on these and other roster changes tomorrow in the blog.


- ECHL Commissioner, Ryan Crelin, made his first visit to Allen on Sunday and I had a chance to sit down with him for a few minutes and get acquainted. Crelin was named as the fourth Commissioner in the history of the ECHL back in May and used the summer to work with outgoing Commissioner Brian McKenna as a transition to his new role. Ryan is no stranger to his new job because he has worked for the ECHL for 13 years and has literally worked himself up from the bottom starting as an intern and serving as the ECHL's Chief Operating Officer prior to being selected as Commissioner. 

Crelin is trying to visit all 27 teams this season and his western swing this past weekend called for him to be in Idaho on Friday, Utah on Saturday, Allen on Sunday and then back in his office (Princeton NJ) on Monday. Here are the questions I had for Ryan:

Q: How is the pilot video review program in Idaho, Kalamazoo, Toledo and Worcester going and do you see it expanding next season?
A: We have had 13 replays to date of which four were overturned. You can look at it a couple of different ways. We are getting it right 75% of the time on the ice but we are getting it wrong 25% of the time and replay helps us get those times correct. We wanted to do the pilot to make sure it would work well as we were using a new vendor. I wanted to see how our officials would react to replay on the ice and that feedback has been it is easy to use and is working well. I also wanted to make sure we didn't stall the game for 10 minutes. The feedback I have gotten from coaches is it is fast because they look at the video and it is settled. The referee doesn't need to talk to both coaches and it has actually been able to speed up close calls. Expanding is more of an issue of infrastructure than cost but I do see replay expanding.


Q: There seems to be more suspensions this season, what are your thoughts on discipline?
We want to eliminate the instigator and aggressor penalties with the aggressors being the big one. Hits to the head are a point of emphasis but within the scope of the rule hits to the head are not always a penalty. Sometime people get confused and think head contact is automatically supplementary discipline. If you read rule 48.1 it is far from that. You can have head contact and it can be a completely legal hit and not even draw a two minute minor. We take supplementary discipline very seriously and for those that are offensive hits our rules committee takes a strict approach but they also recognize there are legal hits as well.

Discipline is up significantly this season but that may just be a fluke. My approach may be a little different than Brian's (McKenna) but Joe Ernst is consistent and we talk every morning and we settle on what we think is appropriate.


Q: Is it important to look at past incidents when handing out discipline so you are consistent?
A: Yes, we have what I call a frame of reference as a starting point to compare incidents. But the one thing I would say is no two hits are exactly the same. As close as they may appear there is always a differentiating factor. Sometimes we may have only one angle on a play and other times we may have two or three. All of those factors contribute to our review. Ultimately we want to look at the act, look at the criteria, look at the rule and apply all of that to the situation.


Q: How do you approach rule changes?
A: Most of our rules we want to keep consistent with the AHL and NHL because we are a developmental league not only for players but for officials. However, we also need to do what is best for our league and make sure we are giving fans a good, fun experience for our level of hockey. It works both ways, we will certainly take feedback from the AHL and NHL and incorporate suggestions into our rules. Remember, the shootout started in the ECHL and worked its way up to the AHL and NHL. It is a give and take and I would not say it will be 100% one way or another but we will look at it rule by rule and make a decision if we want to adopt it or go in a different direction.


- Here is an interview Ryan Crelin did with the NHL Network back in October where he talks about his new position and the ECHL in general.

- It was a good finish to the weekend with the dramatic overtime win against Reading on Sunday but overall the last three games were a disappointment. Allen gave up the first goal in all three games, allowed an average of  38 shots and 5 goals per game and did not score a power play goal (0-8). Plenty to work on the next three days at practice.


- The Western Conference has the best and worst divisions in inter-divisional play.

The Mountain Division has the worst inter-divisional record. Here is how the Mountain Division has fared against the other divisions:
16-23-4-2 - Central Division
2-6-0-0 - North Division
4-5-0-0 - South Division

The best inter-divisional record belongs to the Central Division. Here is their record.
29-9-2-5 - Mountain Division
21-14-2-3 - North Division
12-2-1-0 - South Division


- Here are a few photos from the alumni game on Saturday. Everyone I talked to said the game was a lot of fun and the players enjoyed getting together and hoped this is something that could be done more often in the future. Photos courtesy of David Dudich.

Brian McMillin

Jason Deitsch

Trevor Ludwig

Erik Adams

Justin Bowers

Mathieu Aubin

Tobias Whelan scores

Thanks for the memories boys!

DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans have allowed more goals (202) than any other team in the ECHL. However, when it comes to giving up shorthanded goals the Americans have the best record in the league. Allen has only allowed two shorthanded goals all season and are the only team in the ECHL that has not allowed a shorthanded goal at home.       

        

Allen Wins in Overtime Behind Alex Breton Hat Trick, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments & More

After two disappointing losses on Friday and Saturday the Allen faithful were rewarded with a 5-4 entertaining win last night. The Americans overtime win over the Reading Royals came before a crowd of 3686 at the Allen Event Center (AEC). The game had a little bit of everything from a lot of goals, several fights, a delay of game penalty called on the fans for throwing underwear on the ice to a dramatic overtime goal for the game winner.


- The Americans gave up the first goal which is never a good sign but Allen came back as they did several times. During the course of the game the Americans trailed 1-0, 3-2 and 4-3 but never gave up. When Reading took the lead 4-3 early in the third period I am sure many thought not another third period debacle since the Americans were outscored 5-0 and 3-1 in the third period on Friday and Saturday. Allen tied the score 4-4 on Alex Breton's hat trick goal midway through the third period to send the game to overtime.


- Overtimes have not been Allen's friend. Prior to last night they had lost four overtime games in the last month and you have to go back to October 27 to find the last time the Americans won a game in overtime. It was clear coach Martinson was going for broke when he put out three offensive players (Breton, Bourbonnais, Salituro) to start the overtime. About 45 seconds into the overtime as the Americans were headed into their offensive zone Breton switched out for Makowski. As Makowski and Asuchak, who earlier switched out for Bourbonnais, circled behind the net from different directions the player covering Makowski was picked off by Asuchak and David was able to skate in front of the net unimpeded and bury the puck. If you were at the game you may have noticed Reading coach Kirk MacDonald confront the referee for not calling a penalty on Asuchak. Some folks I talked to thought it was a penalty and others felt it wasn't but the most important person (the referee) thought it was not a penalty. Check out the Sporfie highlights below to get two different angles of the play.


- Two things that worked in Allen's favor were shots and penalties. The Americans out shot Reading 37-34, it was the first time in the five meetings with the Royals that Allen had the edge in shots. In the first four games Reading out shot Allen 144-114. Neither team scored a power play goal but the power plays were five for the Royals and four for Allen. One of the Americans penalties was a delay of game penalty called on the fans. When you consider Allen is ranked #1 with 1146 penalty minutes and leads the league in minor penalties (318) while Reading is ranked #26 with 535 penalty minutes and have taken the fewest minor penalties (190) it is a win for Allen to have power play opportunities basically equal.


UNDIEGATE -  It was "Undie Sunday" yesterday and similar to the Teddy Bear Toss game, after the first goal scored by Allen fans threw unopened packages of underwear on the ice which will be donated to Allen Community Outreach. Everything went fine until Allen scored their second goal and more packages of underwear were thrown on the ice. The referee gave the crowd a warning not to throw anymore underwear on the ice, they should give them to an usher, but a few didn't get the message. After Allen scored their third goal a very few packages of underwear were thrown on the ice and the referee immediately called a delay of game on Allen. It seemed a bit harsh to me and there was not any malicious intent involved as fans were contributing to a charity cause and a few didn't understand the process. Luckily Reading did not score on the first power play ever at the Allen Event Center for throwing underwear.


- Alex Breton scored his first professional hat trick and didn't get the usual recognition with fans throwing hats on the ice. After UNDIEGATE fans were afraid to throw hats on the the ice. Wonder if the referee would have given the Allen fans another delay of game penalty if a bunch of hats had been thrown on the ice.


- The goal scorers for Allen were Alex Breton (10, 11, 12) Riley Bourbonnais (15) and David Makowski (10). Here are the Sporfie highlights for all five goals.

Alex Breton (1) - Dante Salituro does a lot of the work on this goal. Notice how he draws all five Reading players toward him as he carried the puck across the blue line and then passes to Breton who beats the goalie cleanly.





Alex Breton (2) - Several things to take note of on this goal. Reading gets caught on a bad shift change that puts three Americans behind the defense. Alex Breton gets a good jump off the bench on Allen's shift change. Adam Miller makes the pass to Breton and Alex puts the puck home for his second goal of the game.





Riley Bourbonnais - A great individual effort by Riley who circles the offensive zone and finds a lane to take a wrist shot. Notice how Salituro and Clark have the goalie completely screened.


  


Alex Breton (3) - A set play off the face off led to Breton's third goal. The key was Chase Lang winning the face off and getting the puck back to Alex. Mitch Maloney does a good job of preventing the Reading player from getting to Breton. Alex's 12th goal of the season is tied for second among all defensemen and his 35 points is also second.





David Makowski - Here are two views of Makowski's game winning goal. The first is a wide view of the play where you can see Salituro bring the puck up the ice and Breton heading to the bench in exchange for Makowski. The second clip is from behind the goalie where you can see the Royals player and Asuchak collide which opens thing up for Makowski.











Here is a five minute highlight package (no sound) with the goals, the scrums, the fights and some great saves by both goalies.

STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

"We kept saying shoot the puck high on this goalie and we got it upstairs a few times including on the game winner."

"It was a nice little pick by Asuchak behind the net. It was a legal pick because he was entitled to that ice."

"We have some guys that have to get in a little better shape. We will take Monday off but then we will have three days to practice."

"The plan as of now is we will get Motte back before next weekend."



OTHER COMMENTS


- The Reading Royals are the only team in the ECHL that have not won an overtime game this season. They are now 0-4 in overtimes this season and have lost their last 13 games decided in overtime. The last time the Royals won a game in overtime was October 26, 2017. Allen's overtime win last night brings their overtime record to 2-4 this season.


- It won't get any easier for the Americans next weekend as they play the Utah Grizzlies three times (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). Utah is the top team in the Mountain Division and ranks fourth in the ECHL in points (67) and winning percentage (.670).


- Allen gave up 15 goals in three games this weekend and are the only ECHL team that has given up over 200 goals (202). They are about to pass their season total for goals allowed in 2016-17 (203), 2015-16 (204) and 2014-15 (203). Allen is on pace to allow 265 goals this season.





DID YOU KNOW: Alex Breton's hat trick last night was the 22nd since the Americans joined the ECHL in 2014. Alex is only the second defenseman to accomplish the feat. The other defenseman with a hat trick was Konrad Abeltshauser who got his on April 3, 2015 in an 8-1 win over Brampton at the AEC.