Allen Wins Sixth Straight Against Wichita Behind Steffes Hat Trick, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments, Boka Leads Allen in Plus/Minus, Jersey Auction & More

It was the last home game of the season and it could not have gone better for Allen Americans fans. They watched the Americans beat their bitter rivals, the Wichita Thunder by a score of 7-1. It was the largest margin of victory (six goals) by Allen all season. It improved Allen's record against the Thunder this season to 8-2-0-2. A third of Allen's wins this season have come against Wichita and they have now won six straight against the Thunder. Since joining the ECHL in 2014, Allen's record against Wichita is 47-12-4-5.


- Gary Steffes was the #1 star of the game with a hat trick. I think I have this correct that Steffes now has more hat tricks in the 24 games he has played since his #12 was retired than in the 456 pro games before his number was retired. He came out of retirement last season for six games and had a hat trick and he came out of retirement again this season and in his 18th game scored another hat trick last night. In his pro career, prior to retiring the first time, Gary had just one hat trick. In 2014-15 when Steffes had 44 goals and set the Americans single season record for goals he had two goals in a game 11 times but never had a hat trick.


-  Allen hit all of the keys to the game last night. They got off to a great start by scoring the first goal at the 2:47 mark of the first period. After a season low seven shots on goal after two periods on Friday night the Americans had 15 shots on goal in the first period last night. The Americans had a 2-1 lead after the first period, 4-1 lead after the second period and added three more goals in the third period to make the final score 7-1.


- Another key to the game was staying out of the penalty box and winning the special teams battle. Mission accomplished as the Americans had only eight penalty minutes after taking 64 penalty minutes Friday night. Allen was 1-3 on the power play while holding Wichita, who has the best power play percentage in the ECHL, scoreless on their three power play opportunities.


- Dante Salituro had two goals against Wichita and has now scored six goals in the last four games. Dante has 13 points (8G, 5A) in his last eight games. He has taken over the team lead in points with 60, two more than Zach Pochiro.


- The goal scorers for Allen were Braylon Shmyr (20), Dante Salituro (21,22), Gary Steffes (4,5,6) and Malcolm Gould (1). It was Gould's first professional goal. Here are the Sporfie highlights on all of the goals.

Shmyr







Salituro - 1st goal

 




Steffes - 1st goal







Gould







Steffes - 2nd goal







Salituro - 2nd goal







Steffes - 3rd goal





 - When I stopped by Steve Martinson's office after the game he was obviously pleased with the team's performance but as always put everything in perspective. Here are a few of his comments:

"If you have to be done this early at home you might as well be done in the right fashion. It would have been really tough to go out on a game like we played last night (Friday)."

"I liked a lot of stuff we did tonight. I thought we had good speed, moved the puck better and we had more pucks at the net."

"It was definitely a better first period than last night and the good start was important."

"Salituro and Shmyr keep moving and they have been rewarded. Shmyr is moving the puck better right now than he has all season."

" Jake Doty broke his finger in his fight on Friday so he is on injured reserve. I am expecting to get additional player/players from Iowa."

"Just like last week we will have the day off tomorrow, have a team gym day on Monday and then get back on the ice for practice on Tuesday."


 - It has been quite the professional debut with the Americans for defenseman Nick Boka who just finished his collegiate career at the University of Michigan. Boka is a 2015 six round draft choice of the Minnesota Wild. Last night Nick had two assists and led Allen in plus/minus at +5. That is the second best plus/minus in a single game all season in the ECHL. Boka was +1 in his first game on Friday for a two game total of +6. He is already the team leader in plus/minus.

Boka didn't miss a game his last two seasons in college and was an alternate captain the past season. He is a defense first defenseman. His college major was Biopsychology, Cognition and Neuroscience.


- There was another new defenseman in the lineup for Allen last night, Duggie Lagrone. He is from Plano and when coach Martinson needed an extra player he reached out to Lagrone. He just finished his collegiate career at Division III SUNY-Geneseo. Lagrone signed an ATO (amateur tryout) with Utah and played one game before being released. 


OTHER COMMENTS

- With the win last night Allen eliminated Wichita from the playoffs. The Mountain Division playoff teams are now set with seeding still to be determined. Kansas City beat Fort Wayne 5-2 last night to end their seven game losing streak and secure a spot in the playoffs as the #4 seed. If the top three teams win their remaining games Tulsa would be the #1 seed (94 points), Idaho #2 (91 points) and Utah #3 (87 points). It is not possible, however, for all of them to win out because they play each other. Here are the remaining games for the top three.

Tulsa - Utah (H), Kansas City (A), Kalamazoo (H), Kalamazoo (H), Wichita (H)
Idaho - Utah (H), Utah (A), Utah (A)
Utah - Tulsa (A), Idaho (A), Idaho (H), Idaho (H)

If Tulsa can beat Utah at home today they will have the best path to the #1 seed and home ice advantage for the first two rounds of the playoffs.


- Tulsa beat Utah last night 2-1 in a shootout and it broke a long drought for Tulsa. They had gone 840 days since their last shootout win. The Oilers were 0-9 in shootouts last season and 0-2 this season before the win last night. You have to go back to the 2016-17 to find their last shootout victory.


- With the win last night Allen now has a four point lead (56-52) over Greenville in the battle to avoid the worst record in the ECHL. The Swamp Rabbits have four games remaining while Allen has just two. Greenville plays Orlando at home this afternoon.


- There are now nine teams that have qualified for the playoffs with seven more yet to be determined. The North Division has one team qualified (Newfoundland), the South Division two (Florida & Orlando) and the Central Division two (Cincinnati & Toledo).


- Allen has scored more than six goals four times this season and three of them have been against Wichita. Here are the four times the Americans scored more than six goals which were all victories.

7-3   Wichita (January 11)
8-3   Wichita (January 13)
7-5   Utah (February 22)
7-1   Wichita (March 30)


- Prior to last night you have to go back to 2017 to find a game that Allen won by six or more goals. You guessed it, the Americans beat Wichita 7-0 on April 5, 2017. It was Riley Gill's seventh shutout of the season which was tops in the ECHL that season.


- The Americans auctioned off the team's red jerseys live right after the game last night The jerseys went from a low of $300 to a high of $900 dollars. I am sure it is no surprise that the Gary Steffes #14 jersey was the jersey that went for $900. The average price was $500.
 



DID YOU KNOW: With his three goals last night Gary Steffes joins a crowd of Who's Who at the top of the Allen Americans all-time goal scorers. Chad Costello and Greger Hanson are tied at the top with 98 goals followed by Bruce Graham and Gary Steffes with 97 goals. Gary has two more games next weekend in Wichita to improve on his total.  

Allen vs Utah Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments, Allen vs Wichita Game Preview, Historical Penalty Minutes and More

It was a strange yet entertaining loss for the Allen Americans last night. They suffered their 20th regulation defeat at home this season before an Allen Event Center (AEC) crowd of 5365 on Steve Martinson Bobble Head Night. The Americans lost 5-3 to the Utah Grizzlies.


- The game had a little bit of everything from a fight seven seconds into the game, four fighting majors, controversial calls, pretty goals and great saves by both goalies but it all ended up with another loss for the Americans.


- Allen gave up the first goal of the game for the 42nd time in 69 games this season which was not a good sign since their record when allowing the first goal is 9-32-0-1. Allen gave up five goals and they were scored in every way you can score in a hockey game. An even strength goal, power play goal, shorthanded goal, penalty shot goal and an empty net goal. That has to a be a first.


- The Americans did show some resiliency despite getting in their own way by taking numerous undisciplined penalties. Allen had 13 infractions for 64 penalty minutes compared to eight infractions for 22 minutes for Utah. Allen actually tied in the special teams battle going 2-6 on the power play while Utah was 1-7 but Utah also had a shorthanded goal. What really hurt Allen was they played so much of the game shorthanded the few penalty killers that stayed out of the penalties box were exhausted.


- Allen never had the lead in the game but kept coming back to make the game close. The game wasn't decided until Utah scored an empty net goal with 12 seconds remaining. The Americans had just seven shots on goal in the first 40 minutes of the game which is the lowest shot total after two periods all season. They finished with 19 shots on goal which is not the lowest of the season but it is hard to win when getting fewer that 20 shots in an entire game.


- Braylon Shmyr and Dante Salituro did the damage offensively for the Americans and worked together very effectively. Salituro had two goals (19 & 20) and an assist, Shmyr had one goal (19) and two assists.


- Here is the game recap issued by the Utah Grizzlies: http://www.utahgrizzlies.com/team/utahgrizzliescomteamnews/?article_id=3660


- Here are the Sporfie highlights of the Allen goals:

Salituro 19th







Salituro 20th







Shmyr







- Here is the full game highlight package that goes six minutes and includes the goals, the fights and more.

- Here are Steve Martinson's post game comments.

ALLEN VS WICHITA GAME PREVIEW


- The Americans now have three games left in the season and they are all against Wichita. They play tonight at home and then finish the season next weekend in Wichita.


Wichita is one team Allen has played well against this season. The game tonight will be the 12th of 14 games between these teams and the Americans record against the Thunder stands at 7-2-0-2. Allen has won the last five times they have played Wichita.


- Head to head Allen has the edge in goals (47-36). Wichita has the edge in shots (388-377). If you look at season long averages Allen is #22 in goals per game (2.90) and Wichita is #18 (3.12). If you compare goals allowed per game Allen is #26 (3.77) and Wichita is #24 (3.57).


- Allen has dominated special teams in the five games (all wins) they have played against Wichita since the beginning of January. The Americans were 9-22 (40.1%) on the power play and 94.4% on the penalty kill (1-18). It is hard to expect those kind of stats tonight but if Allen can win the special teams battle it will go a long way in securing a win. If you look at season long special team stats it is a different story because Wichita has the best power play in the ECHL at 24.4%. At home Allen is 17.0% on the power play and 79.3% on the penalty kill.  On the road the Thunder are at 27.0% on the power play and 81.3% on the penalty kill.


- While Allen was losing to Utah last night Wichita was beating Tulsa at home by a score of 3-1. Over the last 10 games Allen's record is 4-6-0-0 and Wichita's is 5-3-2-0.


- Penalties will play a big part in the game tonight. The referee scheduled seems to call a lot of penalties and with these team's history you never know what will transpire. In their 11 head to head match ups this season they have had as few as nine penalties for a combined 18 minutes and as many as 33 penalties for 112 minutes. Both teams will be missing key players when it comes to dropping the gloves. Allen will be missing Josh Thrower (injury) and Jake Doty was injured during his first period fight last night so unsure if he will play tonight. Wichita will be missing Dyson Stevenson and Pierre-Cedric Labrie who are on loan to AHL teams. 



- It is not hard to come up with the keys to victory. All you have to do is look at the game last night and do the opposite. A better start is mandatory. If Allen can't generate more than four shots in the first period and three in the second like last night they don't deserve to win. The Americans don't do well when they allow the first goal and they are 6-21-0-1 when trailing after the first period so they will have to get off to a good start tonight. Key number two is stay out of the penalty box. Last night Allen gave up seven power play opportunities and had four 10 minute misconduct penalties including a game misconduct. That is not the formula for success.


- Dante Salituro has been the leading scorer for Allen against Wichita. He has 15 points (6G, 9A) in 11 games. Zach Pochiro has 13 points (8G, 5A) in nine games against the Thunder.


- The referee scheduled tonight is the same as last night, Jeff Parker (#22). The linesmen will be Michael Miggans (#47) and Jordan Solomon (#78).



OTHER COMMENTS

The Mountain Division winners last night were Idaho, Utah and Wichita. The losers were Tulsa, Kansas City, Rapid City and Allen. Kansas City lost their seventh straight game last night and continue to give hope to Wichita and Rapid City who are trying to catch the Mavericks for the final playoff spot. It is still a long shot but Kansas City has to find a way to get some points. It won't get any easier tonight as they are in Fort Wayne to take on the Komets.


- There is just a week left in the season but every team in the North Division and the Central Division  still has a reasonable chance to make the playoffs.


- The two teams that have separated themselves from the rest of the league are Cincinnati (103 points) and Florida (100 points). They are also the two teams along with Tulsa that have the best record over the last 10 games (8 wins).


- Alex Breton played last night as his Springfield team lost to Binghamton 4-3 in overtime. Alex had no points, a minor penalty for tripping and was -1. Riley Bourbonnais was in the lineup for Iowa as they lost at home to Texas by a score of 5-2. Riley had all zeros in the box score. Springfield will not make the playoffs but Iowa should even though they have lost four straight games.



DID YOU NOW: The one stat Allen is guaranteed of finishing #1 in the ECHL this season is penalty minutes. The Americans have 1525 penalty minutes which is 136 more than second place Rapid City. What has hurt Allen is all of the 10 minute misconduct, game misconduct and match penalties. The Americans lead the league in all three categories. Of Allen's total penalty minutes (1525) almost one third (32%) have been the result on these major 10 minute penalties which for the most part are undisciplined penalties.

The Allen Americans are on pace to have the second most penalty minutes in team history. Here are the penalty minutes for each year in franchise history. The 2018-19 number is a projection based on average penalty minutes per game this season.

2018-19:   1591
2017-18:   1411
2016-17:   1432
2015-16:   1189*
2014-15:   1644*
2013-14:   1498*
2012-13:   1571*
2011-12:   1336
2010-11:   1184
2009-10:   1243

*championship seasons

   

Allen vs Utah Preview, Steve Martinson Bobble Head Night, Playoff Race in Depth, Playoff Rosters and Allen's Final Game This Season Earliest Ever

It is game day as the Allen Americans are down to their last two home games of the season. Allen takes on the Utah Grizzlies tonight on Steve Martinson Bobble Head Night. A little over a month ago Utah visited Allen for three games as the top team in the Mountain Division with a record of 31-15-4-1 and winning percentage of .657. Allen swept those three games 7-5, 4-2 and 5-4. Last weekend the Americans split two games with Utah at the Allen Event Center (AEC). The game tonight will be the last of 11 games against Utah this season. The Americans are 5-5-0-0 in the first 10 meetings. Allen lost the first four times these teams met, were outscored 17-3 and were shutout three times. The Americans have won five of the last six times these teams have played and outscored Utah 28-21.


- The Grizzlies have lost 14 of their last 17 games and have fallen to third place in the division with a winning percentage of .576 and record of 34-24-4-4. Utah is currently seven points behind first place Idaho, six points behind second place Tulsa and seven points ahead of fourth place Kansas City. Unless something unusual happens the Grizzlies will enter the playoffs as the #3 seed in Mountain Division.


- If you look at season long stats Utah averages 3.3 goals per game, Allen just 2.9. Utah allows 3.0 goals per game, Allen 3.8. Utah's record when scoring first is 25-6-3-2. Allen's record when scoring first is 15-7-4-1.


- As always special teams will be key tonight. Head to head Allen is 7-47 (14.9%) on the power play, Utah is 13-54 (24.1%). If you look at season long stats and compare Utah's road stats to Allen's home stats the advantage goes to the Grizzlies on the power play (21.9% vs 16.3%) and on the penalty kill (86.4% vs 79.1%). These stats show how important it will be for the Americans to stay out of the penalty box.


- Allen has struggled on the penalty kill since Riley Bourbonnais and Alex Breton were loaned to AHL teams and it is clear at this point they won't be returning to Allen this season. The Americans have given up at least one power play goal in their last eight games and in half of the eight games surrendered multiple power play goals. During that time the Americans penalty kill percentage is 69.0%. (13-42). 


- It is always hard to predict how much rough stuff will happen when Allen plays Utah. Both teams have plenty of players willing to drop the gloves. According to the website hockeyfights.com Utah is second in the ECHL in fighting majors with 59 compared to Allen's 37. These teams have played five times at the AEC since February 22 and there have been a total of three fights.


- David Makowski practiced for the first time all week yesterday but it is not a certainty he will play tonight. If Makowski can't play Allen will be two players short with only 14 skaters. Coach Martinson was working on getting a couple of reinforcements for the weekend but nothing has been announced so it is wait and see.


- As a reminder, games lost due to injuries are now well over 400. While Makowski will be a game day decision definitely not playing is Zabotel, Frazee, Gunn, both Throwers, Lang, Maloney, and Sundher.   


- The referee scheduled tonight is Jeff Parker (#22) and the linesmen will be Michael Miggans (#47) and Aaron Schacht (#31).



OTHER COMMENTS

-  Make sure to get to the AEC early tonight if you want one of the 1500 Martinson bobble heads the Americans will be giving out. Doors open at 6:05 pm. If you are not interested in the bobble head still arrive in time for the pregame ceremony honoring Steve Martinson's 1000th win. After practice yesterday I asked coach Martinson about what would take place and as you might imagine he was much more focused on beating Utah than the ceremony but he said and I quote, "There will be a short ceremony prior to the game and they will play clips throughout the game." 


- Greenville lost at home to Jacksonville last night by a score of 2-1 in the only game scheduled in the ECHL. The loss helps Allen in the goal of avoiding the the worst record in the ECHL. The Americans have a four point lead (54-50) over the Swamp Rabbits but have played one more game than Greenville. While Allen is taking on Utah tonight Greenville will be playing Orlando at home.


- This will be a huge weekend around the ECHL in determining the final nine teams to make the Kelly Cup playoffs. There are 12 games tonight, 13 on Saturday and eight games on Sunday. Here is a great breakdown of the playoff races with magic numbers and more written by Matt Harding from The Sin Bin. https://thesinbin.net/race-for-the-kelly-cup-playoffs-40/


- The AHL season doesn't end until April 14 while the ECHL playoffs start on April 10. This can create a dilemma for ECHL coaches when they are putting together their playoff rosters which are due to the league office on April 8. Do they save roster spots for qualified players that are playing in the AHL? If an AHL affiliate isn't making the playoffs it is a big advantage because their ECHL affiliate will know who they will get back. But what if ECHL coaches are not sure if their AHL affiliate is going to make the playoffs or if their affiliate goes into the AHL playoffs as a lower seed and will likely lose in the first round. It is always difficult for ECHL coaches to save valuable roster spots and then not have the player in the AHL available.


- There are several parts to the playoff roster which can have a maximum 23 players. A team can have up to 20 players on the active roster and three on the reserve list. The active roster has to have a minimum of 19 active and available (not injured or recalled) players. Finally, teams provide a list of players who meet playoff eligibility but are on recall to the AHL. As these recalled players become available, as long as it is prior to the conference finals, they can be added to the roster up to the maximum of the 23 player limit. Let's use Allen last season as an example. Their playoff roster had 19 on the active roster and two on reserve for a total of 21, so the Americans had two slots saved for AHL players. The Americans submitted a list of five players (Vincent Arseneau, Olivier Archambault, Colby McAuley, Alex Schoenborn, Stephon Williams) who were eligible but were in the AHL. As these players became available Allen could add two and only two to the roster. Unfortunately, none of the five players were available before Allen was ousted in the first round.         


DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans season will end on April 6 which is the earliest in team history but only by a few days. In 2011-12 Allen lost in the first round of the CHL playoffs and their last game was April 10. The latest Allen has played was their first Kelly Cup when they won the championship on June 14. Here is the last game for all 10 Allen seasons.

2018-19 - April 6
2017-18 - April 25
2016-17 - May 9
2015-16 - June 9*
2014-15 - June 14*
2013-14 - May 10*
2012-13 - May 11*
2011-12 - April 10
2010-11 - May 8
2009-10 - May 4

*Championship seasons

Practice Update, Jack Gulati in Town, ECHL Expansion, Mountain Division Playoffs, Power Play Goals as Percentage of Total Goals and More

The most noticeable thing at Allen practice yesterday was the number of missing defensemen. Just four healthy defensemen, five if you count Curt Gogol. David Makowski was injured in the last Allen game and has not practiced all week. The unknown question is whether coach Martinson will bring in a defenseman for the weekend or just play shorthanded. The way it looks now the defensive group for the weekend will be Chouinard, Atkinson, Boutet and Owen with Gogol the fifth defensemen. 


-  It is not like the Americans are in good shape with forwards. I spotted Mitch Maloney, Chase Lang and Thomas Frazee watching practice from the stands yesterday. If Gogol plays defense that will leave only nine healthy forwards.


- Team owner Jack Gulati is in town and spent some time watching practice and chatting with the players. Jack reiterated to me that he will be spending more time in Allen now that he has sold the Reading Royals. As usual, Jack will be on the concourse before the game on Friday meeting and greeting fans. On Saturday Jack will have a book signing for his new book, "Serial Entrepreneur, Balancing Business and Family to Achieve True Wealth and Happiness, Second Edition." The book signing will be outside the team store from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. The doors will open 30 minutes early at 5:30 pm for this book signing event.


- I was having a conversation with some fans the other day about ECHL expansion. The new arena in Fort Worth is scheduled to open in November. There is a new facility being built in the Houston area and Oklahoma City always gets mentioned as a possibility. You don't hear much about expansion actually happening into these markets but any of them would help the Americans in my view. I don't know if there is a non-compete clause in the ECHL that Allen would have to waive for Fort Worth to get a franchise but the Americans vs Brahmas rivalry back in the CHL days was one of the best.  


- Kansas City lost their sixth straight game last night while Wichita and Rapid City both won. The Mavericks still have a five point lead over Rapid City and eight point lead over Wichita for the final playoff spot. It will take a colossal collapse for Kansas City to miss the playoffs but they have to be feeling the pressure at this point. The Mavericks play on the road in Toledo, Fort Wayne and Indy this weekend so this losing streak could easily continue.


- Here are the points earned in the last 10 games for each team in the Mountain Division with their current position in the standings in parentheses.

16 points - Tulsa (2nd)
12 points - Rapid City (5th)
11 points - Idaho (1st)
10 points - Wichita (6th)
8 points - Allen (7th)
7 points - Kansas City (4th)
7 points - Utah (3rd)


- There is only one game in the ECHL tonight but it is a key game in the battle for the worst record in the ECHL. Jacksonville is at Greenville and the Swamp Rabbits are the only team in the league with as worse record than the Americans. Jacksonville is battling for a playoff spot so they will be very motivated to beat Greenville.


DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL leaders in goals are Tulsa's Adam Pleskach (35), Allen's Zack Pochiro (34) and Fort Wayne's J.C. Campagna (34). The three are tied for most power play goals with 13 which is just over one third of their goals. Here are the power play goal leaders for the last four seasons with the percentage of their total goals scored on the power play.

2017-18:  Jared VanWormer (Kansas City) led the ECHL with 14 power play goals. 64% of his goals (14 of 22) were scored on the power play

2016-17:  Cody Wydo (Wheeling) led the ECHL with 15 power play goals. 50% of his goals (15 of 30) were scored on the power play.

2015-16:  Nick Huard (Cincinnati) led the ECHL with 15 power play goals. 71% of his goals (15 of 21) were scored on the power play.

2014-15:  Gary Steffes (Allen) led the ECHL with 18 power play goals. 41% of his goals (18 of 44) were scored on the power play.      

Martinson Bobble Head Sponsor, How Matt Canavan Brought Sporfie to the ECHL, 18 Free Agents to Watch, Playoff Perspective and More

A couple of topics I talked about in the blog yesterday were the video replay system that will be installed across the ECHL next season and the Steve Martinson bobble head night on Friday. I wanted to mention who played big roles related to these topics but hadn't talked to them to get their okay. Now I have so I can give credit where credit is due.

Steve Martinson Bobble Head - Mark Fisher and his wife, Elizabeth have been big fans and supporters of the Americans for many years. Mark has been a corporate sponsor and years ago started providing Thanksgiving dinner for the team because they are always on the road that day. The Fisher family also provides a steak extravaganza at a local restaurant for the team at the beginning of each season. Mark and his company, Electrical Midstream, are responsible for the Steve Martinson bobble head that will be given out to the first 1500 fans at the game on Friday. If you end up with on the Martinson bobble heads give a thanks to Mark for his generous support in honoring Martinson on his 1000th win.


Video Replay - A couple of years ago Allen Americans President, Matt Canavan was at a hockey tournament with his son in Arizona and came across a start up company that was headquartered in Phoenix by the name of Sporfie. Sporfie's video capture platform allows you to capture video highlights after you have seen them happen. Matt saw the potential of Sporfie which was in use at the rink where his son was playing and worked with the company to install the system in the Allen Event Center. Matt shared the idea with with his counterpart from the Kansas City Mavericks and they installed Sporfie in their facility. From that point presentations were made at league meetings and Sporfie started to grow. Now, the ECHL will implement video replay across the ECHL using Sporfie. As the co-founder of the company, Sami Karoui was quoted in the ECHL press release announcing the video replay, "Our relationship with the ECHL started with just one team, growing organically to two, then five, twenty and now the entire league."

 In a recent email to Matt and Brent Theissen (his KC counterpart) the founder of Sporfie said this in part, "I still recall that first meeting at Ice Den Chandler in Arizona on a Sunday morning with you Matt and then quickly many others followed with a second push from you Brent. Your trust and support have been generous and visionary. We (Sporfie) are so grateful and proud to have deserved your engaged participation as we were developing, testing new things and learning by working with you and your teams. More than a destination, we have truly enjoyed the journey and are excited about the new one ahead."

So when you see the video replay in action next season remember it was all started by a dad, Matt Canavan, watching his son play hockey in a tournament in Arizona. Congrats to Matt to have the vision and initiative to bring Sporfie to Allen and help it grow in the ECHL.


- Riley Bourbonnais scored his first AHL goal last night in a losing cause as his Iowa Wild team lost to Grand Rapids 5-2. Riley not only scored the first goal of the game he was the only Iowa player that had a positive plus/minus at +1. He has played in eight of 12 games since being loaned to Iowa on March 1. Until last night all of the games played by Riley were on the road. Nice he got his first goal on home ice. Iowa plays at home on Friday and Saturday against Texas.


- When you think about all of the former Allen Americans who will be free agents after this season there are three categories. Those that are coming off NHL/AHL deals, those that are playing in the ECHL as veterans and those playing in Europe. All of these categories of players can sign with any ECHL team. Steve Martinson has a reputation of bringing players back to Allen but who knows if next season will be different. He talks about improving team speed and having core players that are primarily interested in winning in Allen rather than pursuing an AHL career. Here is a list of players from this season who are vets or will become vets and players from the past who I think will be free agents. This is just a partial list and has no bearing on who will actually be signed next season. The point being is these players can sign with any ECHL team.

Vets from this season:
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Spencer Asuchak
Joel Chouinard
David Makowski
Thomas Frazee
Adam Miller
Gary Steffes
Curt Gogol

Free agents from the past:
Dyson Stevenson - vet
Matt Register - vet
Bryan Moore - coming off AHL deal
Colby MacAuley - coming off AHL deal
Emerson Clark - coming off AHL deal
Rick Pinkston - playing overseas
Tanner Eberle - playing overseas
Alex Guptill - playing overseas
Vincent Arseneau - coming off AHL deal
Olivier Archambault - coming off AHL deal

Those players coming off AHL deals first priority will be to find another AHL deal before they even consider signing with an ECHL team.


- It is that time of the season when you see a lot of "if the playoffs started today" posts. The season is down to the last two weekends but only seven of 16 teams have qualified for the playoffs. With trepidation, if the playoffs started today this is how it would look:

Mountain Division
#1 Idaho vs #4 Kansas City
#2 Tulsa vs #3 Utah

Central Division
#1 Cincinnati vs #4 Kalamazoo
#2 Toledo vs #3 Fort Wayne

South Division
#1 Florida vs #4 South Carolina
#2 Orlando vs #3 Jacksonville

North Division
#1 Newfoundland vs #4 Maine
#2 Adirondack vs #3 Manchester


- How important is it how you finish in the regular season when it comes to the playoffs? You don't have to be the best team in the regular season but you have to be one of the better teams. The top regular season team rarely wins the championship but the bottom teams in the playoffs never win the championship. Here is how Allen rated during the regular season in their four championship seasons:

2016 - Allen finished second in the division, third in the conference and sixth in the ECHL
2015 - Allen finished first in the division, first in the conference and second in the ECHL
2014 - Allen finished third in the conference and third overall in the CHL
2013 - Allen finished first in the conference and first overall in the CHL.


- Here is where the Kelly champion placed in the regular season over the past 10 years.

2018   #4  Colorado
2017   #3  Colorado
2016   #6  Allen
2015   #2  Allen
2014   #1  Alaska
2013   #2  Reading
2012   #7  Florida
2011   #1  Alaska
2010   #5  Cincinnati
2009   #4  South Carolina

- The odds are stacked against you if your team isn't one of the top seven during the regular season and if you want real good odds in the playoffs you need to finish in the top four during the regular season. Here are the top seven teams with two weekends remaining in the season:

#1   Cincinnati
#2   Florida
#3   Newfoundland
#4   Idaho
#5   Tulsa
#6   Toledo
#7   Orlando



DID YOU KNOW: With the addition of hometown guy Ben Owen to the roster last week Allen has now used 42 players this season. Nothing out of the ordinary in the number of players used this season. It is worthy of note the year Allen used the most players (46) they won the Kelly cup.

2018-19   42
2017-18   41
2016-17   42
2015-16   46
2014-15   41
          

Stats Say the Mountain Division is the Weakest, ECHL Video Replay Details, Biscuit Tells His Story and More

After a couple of days away from the rink it will be back to practice today for the Allen Americans as they prepare for the final two home games of the season. Allen will play Utah on Friday and Wichita on Saturday. The Americans home record stands at 14-19-1-0 which is by far the worst record since joining the ECHL. There are a lot of stats to describe just how bad it has been this season but this one really struck me. In their first three seasons in the ECHL Allen had a total of 24 regulation losses at home, an average of eight per season. With two home games remaining the Americans have 19 regulation losses this season.


- It has been a tough season for the Americans but also for the Mountain Division. Three of the five worst teams in the ECHL come from the Mountain Division. Rapid City is ranked #23, Wichita #25 and Allen #26. The best winning percentage in the division is Tulsa at .631. The other division leaders have winning percentages of .765 (Central), .716 (South) and .657 (North). The Mountain Division has a losing record in inter-divisional play against all of the other divisions. Here are the records.

19-27-4-3    Central
7-12-0-0      South
3-7-0-1        North

It doesn't mean the Mountain Division won't do well in the playoffs but it does mean they are going into the playoffs as the weakest of the four ECHL divisions.


- You probably saw the press release issued by the ECHL yesterday that the video replay test in four facilities this season (Idaho, Kalamazoo, Toledo, Worcester) will be expanded to all ECHL teams next season. When I interviewed ECHL Commissioner, Ryan Crelin in February he had this to say about video replay, "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."


- I checked with the league office and as of yesterday there have been 26 reviews this season at the four test sites and six calls have been overturned.


- The video replay is limited to five specific circumstances:

Puck crossing the goal line
Puck entering the net using a distinct kicking motion
Puck directed, batted or thrown into the net by an attacking player
Puck entering the net before the goal frame is dislodged from moorings
Puck crossing the line prior to time expiring


- The only camera that will be used is one above the goal in the rafters. No other video such as ECHL-TV or other Sporfie views will be used.  Referees will be able to review video streams from the overhead camera on the ice using a tablet device. There is no challenge system involved on when plays get reviewed, the decision is at the discretion of the referee.


- Here is the ECHL press release on video replay in case you haven't seen it: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/3/echl-to-utilize-video-replay-review-for-2019-20-season


- The last two Allen home games this weekend will be well attended and should be a lot of fun. The game on Saturday will be fan appreciation night. On Friday the Americans will celebrate Steve Martinson's 1000th win with a bobblehead (first 1000 fans), a video tribute and more. Martinson is the first US born coach and third overall coach to reach the 1000 win milestone as a pro hockey coach.


- Allen fans will have another milestone to celebrate next season. Martinson will finish this season needing between 21 and 25 wins to pass John Brophy for second on the all-time win list. Brophy had 1027 wins. It will take Martinson a few more years to reach number one all-time. Scotty Bowman had 1244 wins in his pro coaching career.


- Here is the Americans Weekly Update, issued by the team that reviews last week, lists the team stat leaders and other stat facts. https://allenamericans.com/americans-weekly-update-3/


- Who knew there is a website called "The Mascots' Tribune" dedicated to providing mascots with a platform to connect directly with their fans, in their own words. Biscuit just posted his story on the site in a story titled, My Life as Biscuit, Mascot for the Allen Americans. Check it out:  https://medium.com/the-mascots-tribune/my-life-as-biscuit-mascot-for-the-allen-americans-240c12a94de3


- This video will make you smile as it captures what all NHL fans are going through with the playoff race in full swing. Enjoy!

- Colton Yellow Horn's team, Graz 99ers, has advanced to the semifinals of the EBEL (Austrian League) playoffs. They won their first round 4-2 with three of the games decided in overtime. Colton's team finished second in the regular season and will now take on the third place team in the semifinals which is a best of seven series.


DID YOU KNOW:  Here are some Allen alumni that lead their team in goals and/or points this season.

Alex Guptill (34G, 22A)
Colton Yellow Horn (34G, 34A)
J.C. Campagna (34G, 10A)
Matt Foget (19G, 27A)
Ben Duffy (23G, 35A)
Tyler Barnes (27G, 28A)
Greg Chase (22G, 23A) 

This, That and the Kitchen Sink

Not sure where the blog post is headed this morning and that is why I started with the title, "This, That and the Kitchen Sink." I will make it up as we go along. Here goes:


- It was quite the weather event in the Allen area last night as some places got a considerable amount of hail of various sizes. Here at Heritage Ranch we got very little but Kelly Dennis, who is in charge of the ice crew at the Allen Event Center (AEC) and Community Rink, was on Facebook Live from the south parking ramp at the AEC and the ground was covered in hail. I hope all of you that were in the direct path of this hail storm escaped any damage but I know that is not the case for some.


- It is an unusual day for practice at the AEC. There will be one ECHL team practicing but from what I understand that team will be the Utah Grizzlies. Utah plays in Wichita on Wednesday and then will be back in Allen to play the Americans Friday night. The Grizzlies decided to stay in Allen rather than head to Wichita right away after the game on Saturday. While Utah will practice today the Americans will not be practicing. According to coach Martinson the team will have a group gym day this morning rather than another on ice practice. Martinson has said many times he gets tired of yelling at the players for more than three straight practice days and the players get tired of being yelled at. This is especially true at this time of the season with the team not going to the playoffs. Allen will still get in three practices before the next game on Friday against Utah.


- Toledo lost to Fort Wayne last night 2-1 in overtime but the one point the Walleye earned in the loss punched their ticket to the playoffs. There are now seven teams (Newfoundland, Florida, Cincinnati, Toledo, Idaho, Tulsa, Utah) in the playoffs with nine more yet to be determined. The Kelly Cup playoffs will have a first year team (Newfoundland) and a team (Idaho) that is going to the playoffs for the 22nd straight year, having never missed the playoffs. The Steelheads franchise started in 1997 as part of the West Coast Hockey League and joined the ECHL in 2003-04. Idaho won the Kelly Cup in their first year in the ECHL.


- Fort Wayne's overtime loss last night was the 19th time this season they have gone to overtime. That is 30% of their games going to overtime. Rapid City has also had 19 games go to overtime. At the other end of the spectrum is Jacksonville who have gone to overtime just nine times. Maine is the best team in the league with a .800 winning percentage and a combined record in overtime and shootout games of 12-3. The worst team is Adirondack who has a winning percentage of .273 and record of 3-8. Despite their poor overtime record Adirondack is in second place in the North Division.


- Luckily for the Tulsa Oilers, who will be in the Kelly Cup playoffs for the first time since 2015, they won't have to worry about shootouts. The Oilers haven't won a game in a shootout for two years. Tulsa was 0-9 in shootouts last season and with seven games remaining this season they are 0-2 in shootouts.


- Last season Michael Joly (Colorado) led the ECHL in goals with 41 and nobody else was close. This season there are three players battling for the league lead in goals. Adam Pleskach is #1 with 35 goals, Zack Pochiro and J.C. Campagna are tied for second with 34 goals. Pochiro has five games left and the other two have seven games remaining.  Who will end up on top and will any of them make it to 40 goals?


- Three teams are tied for the current longest winning streak in the ECHL, Idaho, Tulsa and South Carolina have won four straight games.


- It looks like Cincinnati will be the highest scoring team in the ECHL this season. The Cyclones have 264 goals, 10 more than second place Florida and 23 more than third place Newfoundland. Cincinnati has six games remaining, one more than the other two. Rapid City will easily be the team scoring the fewest goals. With five game remaining they have scored 154 goals, 17 fewer than any other team.


- If you look at the longest streaks of the season in the ECHL, Allen is on top or tied for the top in three categories

Dante Salituro - longest assist streak, nine games
Allen - longest road winless streak, 11 games
Zach Pochiro - most goals in one game, four


- Riley Bourbonnais has been loaned to Iowa (AHL) since March 1st and hopefully will stay for the rest of the season. Best case scenario for Allen would be for Iowa to sign Riley to an AHL contract. He has played in seven games, has no points, five shots, two penalty minutes and his plus/minus is -2. Riley has played in seven of 11 games in Iowa. He played in four straight when he was first called up, then was a healthy scratch for the next four games and has played in the last three games. Iowa plays Tuesday, Friday and Saturday this week. They will make the playoffs.


- Alex Breton has been on loan to Springfield (AHL) since March 1 and has played in five of 12 games. He has no points, six shots, and his plus/minus is +2. Springfield plays again on Friday and Saturday. It is highly unlikely they will make the playoffs.


- Allen is winning the battle with Greenville for the worst record in the ECHL. It is not much of a goal but about all the Americans have left. Allen's winning percentage is .397 with a record of 24-38-4-2 and they have four games remaining. Greenville's winning percentage is .379 with a record of 22-38-3-3 and they have six games remaining. I know this is overkill but here are the games remaining in the battle for the basement. I bet I am the only one previewing these two teams.

Allen - Utah (H), Wichita (H), Wichita (A), Wichita (A)
Greenville - Jacksonville (H), Orlando (H), Orlando (H), Norfolk (A), Norfolk (A), Norfolk (A)


- The Mountain Division has five of the six most penalized teams in the ECHL but only two of those teams will make the playoffs. Here are the penalty minutes for the division. While high penalty minute teams have won the last four Kelly Cups (Allen & Colorado) the bottom three in the division in penalty minutes this season will make the playoffs. Who will emerge as the Mountain Division champion in the playoffs? The first round of the playoffs could pit the higher penalty minute teams (Idaho & Utah) against the lower penalty minute teams (Kansas City & Tulsa).  

1461 - Allen
1349 - Rapid City
1298 - Idaho*
1152 - Wichita
1110 - Utah*
876 -  Kansas City*
864 -  Tulsa*

*playoff teams



DID YOU KNOW: The optimistic stat of the day. Since joining the ECHL Allen has never lost their final two home games of the season. The Americans were 2-0 in 2014-15 and 2016-17. They were 1-1 in 2016-16 and 2017-18.        

Allen Wins 6-2, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments, Historical Special Teams Stats and More

Every once in a while Allen fans are reminded of times past, every once in a while fans are reminded of how the 2018-19 Americans are capable of playing. That is what happened last night as a big crowd of 5435 watched the Allen Americans beat a good Utah Grizzlies team by a score of 6-3.


- Allen scored first just 3:28 into the game, they took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission, had a 5-1 lead after the second period and held Utah scoreless even strength. Utah scored two power play goals in just over a minute midway through the third period to make the score 5-3. Allen scored an empty net goal to make the final score 6-3.


-  It was an entertaining game as Allen showed how they can play team defense. When defensive mistakes were made goalie C.J. Motte was there to make a big save.


- All three Utah goals were on the power play as Allen continues to struggle killing penalties. Both teams had seven power play opportunities with Allen going 1-7, Utah 3-7. The Americans have allowed one or more power play goals in eight of the last nine games against the Grizzlies. The Americans penalty kill percentage over those nine games is a paltry 72.3%.


- Here is a full game recap from the Utah Grizzlies: http://www.utahgrizzlies.com/team/utahgrizzliescomteamnews/index.html?article_id=3657


- The goal scorers for Allen were Alex Ranger (7), Braylon Shmyr (17 & 18), Adam Miller (16), Spencer Asuchak (18) and Dante Salituro (18). Here are the Sporfie video highlights of all but the empty net goal.


Alex Ranger







Braylon Shmyr







Braylon Shmyr






Adam Miller






Spencer Asuchak






STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

"There was a lot to like in the game tonight. Obviously, getting the early goal with a screen in front was big."

"Our Achilles heel right now are all of the penalties we are taking. We don't have a lot of penalty killers so it is difficult when we take a lot of penalties."   

"It is nice to have a big crowd on a Saturday night and play an entertaining game. It brings back memories of better days. It is just too bad we don't do that more often."

"Ben Owen was a plus three tonight. I was really happy with his play. I plan on signing him for next season. He is a good character guy and moves his feet."

"Next season the goal is to have more contracted players from the Wild and to have more speed on the roster."


OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen will not play again until Utah returns next Friday. The team will have the day off today (Sunday) and coach Martinson is planning on staying off the ice on Monday but the team will get together for a training session at the gym.


- The Mountain Division winners last night were Allen, Tulsa and Idaho. The losers were Kansas City, Wichita, Utah and Rapid City. The Rapid City and Wichita losses pretty much sealed their fate in making the playoffs. Yes, they can still mathematically catch Kansas City but realistically it is not going to happen.


- Heading into the final two weeks of the season it is key for playoff bound teams to play well. There are just four teams that have seven or more wins in their last 10 games. Florida (8-1-0-1), Cincinnati (8-2-0-0), Maine (7-1-2-0) and Tulsa (7-3-0-0).


- Allen has the fewest games remaining (5) while there are eight teams that still have eight games remaining. At this point only six teams have qualified for the playoffs (Newfoundland, Florida, Cincinnati, Idaho, Tulsa, Utah). Allen and Greenville are the only teams that have been eliminated from the playoffs. Both of these lists will grow in the next week.


- Special teams percentages that exceed 105% when added together are considered exceptional. Historically in the NHL only about 10% of teams exceed 105%. Only one team in the ECHL currently exceeds 105%. The Utah Grizzlies total is 107.3% with a power play percentage of 21.5% (ranked #3) and a penalty kill percentage of 85.8% (ranked #4).  Allen's total is 98.7% on a power play percentage of 16.6% (ranked #17) and a penalty kill percentage of 82.0% (ranked #17). Anything below 100% is considered poor performance.



DID YOU KNOW:  Here are the combined special teams percentages for Allen since they joined the ECHL with the power play and penalty kill percentages in parentheses.  You will notice a big decline the last two seasons.

2018-19:   98.7%    (16.6% PP & 82.0% PK)
2017-18:   98.7%    (17.1% PP & 81.6% PK)
2016-17:  108.8%   (24.4% PP & 84.4% PK)
2015-16:  107.5%   (21.1% PP & 86.4% PK)
2014-15:  108.2%   (21.9% PP & 86.3% PK) 

Allen Loses 5-2, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments, Rematch Preview, The Biggest Turnaround in ECHL History and More

It is way past the time of the season when you can say "that was a  moral victory" or "the final score was worse than how the game was played. However, you can make those arguments in Allen's 5-2 loss to Utah last night before 4707 diehard fans at the Allen Event Center (AEC). With the win Utah clinched a playoff spot and moved to within two points of second place Tulsa.


- Allen did not play well defensively but that is no surprise as they are the worst defensive team since joining the ECHL, in franchise history and in Steve Martinson's 23 years as a coach. Even back in the 1990's when teams routinely scored over 300 goals per season the most goals a Martinson team ever allowed was 242. That was 1998-99 with the San Diego Gulls when they allowed 242 goals but scored 342 goals. This season Allen has allowed 252 goals and scored 191. Just two seasons ago (2016-17) Allen scored 294 goals and allowed 203 goals.


- The difference in the game last night was Utah converted on Allen's defensive mistakes but the American's couldn't do the same. Allen out shot Utah 39-30 but missed on breakaways, a penalty shot and had three or four pucks clang off the post. Utah was clearly the better team but Allen had plenty of chances.


- Here is the game recap issued by the Utah Grizzlies: http://www.utahgrizzlies.com/team/utahgrizzliescomteamnews/?article_id=3656


- The goal scorers for Allen were Dante Salituro (17) and David Makowski (11).  Here are the video highlights with the Allen goals, Allen misses and the Allen defensive breakdowns. The worst was Utah's fourth goal which was a rare 4-on-1 that turned in to a 3-on-0. When coach Martinson says he feels sorry for the goalie that is a perfect example.

 


STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

ALLEN VS UTAH REMATCH PREVIEW

- If Allen expects to win tonight they can't get into a wide open high scoring game with Utah. Since Riley Bourbonnais and Alex Breton were loaned to the AHL on March 1st the Americans have scored more than three goals one time in nine games. They beat Wichita 6-5 in a shootout but in the other eight games they had a total of 15 goals for an average goals per game of 1.88.


- Prior to last night Utah had played six games straight against Rapid City and lost five of the six. How was Rapid City successful against the Grizzlies? In the five wins the Rush held Utah to 0,0,2,1 and 3 goals. Allen's recipe for success tonight is making it a low scoring game.


- Each team had a power play goal last night but Utah had twice as many chances. Allen was 1-3 and Utah was 1-6. The Americans have given up at least one power play goal to the Grizzlies in the last six games they have played. The Americans haven't scored more power play goals than their opponent in over a month. If Allen can win the special teams battle tonight it will be a big step in winning the game.
 

-  A melee broke out last night in front of the Utah bench with just over two minutes remaining in the game that resulted in three players being ejected. Allen's Josh Atkinson was given a match penalty for throwing equipment (his helmet) and Curt Gogol was given a game misconduct for abuse of officials. Utah captain, Teigan Zahn, was given a game misconduct for spearing. None of these penalties come with an automatic suspension but the ever present Rule 28 gives the Commissioner discretion to suspend in these cases. Here are a couple of Sporfie videos of the happenings and at least one Utah player (#15 Ryan Walters) gets involved with Atkinson from the bench but was not penalized. My guess is there will be no suspensions as most of what you see is pushing and shoving.










- You get the feeling there is some unfinished business from the game last night and despite Utah needing a win to keep pace with the top of the division, the Americans will be a very difficult team to play against tonight.


-There will be a different officiating crew for the game tonight which is probably a good thing. The referee will be Mike Zalcman (#24). The linesman will be Michael Miggins (#47) and Andy Bethmann (#95). 



OTHER COMMENTS

- The Mountain Division standings have been pretty consistent since Thanksgiving. The top three teams (Idaho, Tulsa, Utah) are battling at the top. The bottom three teams (Allen, Wichita, Rapid City) are toiling at the bottom and Kansas City is caught in the middle. Here are the current Mountain Division standings with games remaining in parentheses:

81 points - Idaho (7 games remaining)
78 points - Tulsa (9 games)
76 points - Utah (8 games)
69 points - Kansas City (8 games)
62 points - Rapid City (6 games)
58 points - Wichita (9 games)
50 points - Allen (5 games)


- There are 12 ECHL games scheduled tonight and all seven Mountain Division teams will be in actions:

Utah at Allen - big game for Utah if they want to get the second seed in the playoffs.

Tulsa at Wichita - huge game for both teams. Tulsa is battling for the #1 seed, Wichita has to win if they have any hope of making the playoffs.

Kansas City at Atlanta - Kansas City has to stop the bleeding having lost four straight. Their hope of moving up is fading fast and they have to keep an eye on the teams behind them.

Idaho at Rapid City - huge game for both teams. Idaho is battling for the #1 seed, Rapid City has to win if they have any hope of making the playoffs. 


- Seems like everything went wrong this season and some players that were in Allen earlier in the year are thriving elsewhere. Looking at last night's box scores certainly highlights that fact. Ben Duffy had a hat trick to lead Norfolk to a 5-3. Duffy leads Norfolk is scoring with 57 points (22G, 35A). Greg Chase scored both goals for Maine including the game winner in overtime as the Mariners beat Worcester 2-1. Chase has played 35 games for Maine and has 36 points (20G, 16A). Despite playing only 35 games he is second on the team in goals. Chase was traded for Riley Bourbonnais in December in trade that has worked well for both team. The other former Allen player that scored last night was J.C. Campagna who had a goal in a losing cause as Fort Wayne lost to Cincinnati 3-2. It was Campagna's 34th goal of the season which ties him for the league lead with Zach Pochiro.


- David Makowski scored his 11th goal of the season last night. This is his fourth season with 10 or more goals. No other defenseman in the ECHL has scored 10 or more goals the last four seasons.
 



DID YOU KNOW: With this season almost over here is a stat that can give everyone optimism. In 2013-14 Toledo finished the season with 49 points which was #20 of 22 teams. The following season (2014-15) the Walleye finished #1 of 28 teams with 107 points. The 58 point increase from one season to the next is the biggest in ECHL history. The top 10 in ECHL turnarounds range from +43 to +58. Allen could crack this top 10 list next season.  

Allen vs Utah Preview, Milestones to Follow, Recruiting For Next Season, The Ironmen and More

It is game day as the Allen Americans are down to their last four home games of the season. All of the optimism about turning the season around is gone and everywhere you look everyone can't wait for the nightmare of the 2018-19 hockey season to be over. It is a feeling never before felt by Allen fans, just playing out the season. It sucks to just be playing out the season.


- Allen takes on Utah tonight and Saturday in must win games for the Grizzlies. A month ago Utah visited Allen for three games as the top team in the Mountain Division with a record of 31-15-4-1 and winning percentage of .657. Allen swept those three games 7-5, 4-2 and 5-4. The Grizzlies have lost 12 of their last 14 games and have fallen to third place in the division with a winning percentage of .587. Utah is currently five points behind first place Idaho, four points behind second place Tulsa and five points ahead of fourth place Kansas City.


- Utah will be looking for a different outcome in Allen this weekend and they definitely need the points so they can overtake Tulsa for second place in the division and home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.


- The task for the Americans will be much more difficult this weekend than the three game sweep of the Grizzlies last month just based on roster changes. Allen will be playing without Alex Breton, Riley Bourbonnais and Emerson Clarke and it is unknown if goalie C.J. Motte will return from the injury that has kept him sidelined for the last three weeks. C.J. has been practicing and is listed as day to day. Utah has added toughness and skill with the addition of Gabriel Verpaelst by trade, Joey Ratelle (from the AHL) and a couple of amateurs. Finally, Cole Ully, who missed over two months with an injury has returned to the lineup. Even though he has only played in 35 games, Ully is the third leading scorer on the Grizzlies with 39 points (14G, 25A).


- The game tonight will be the ninth of 11 games against Utah this season. The Americans are 4-4-0-0 in the first eight meetings. Allen lost the first four times these teams met, were outscored 17-3 and were shutout three times. The Americans have won the last four times these teams have played and outscored Utah 20-13.


- If you look at season long stats Utah averages 3.3 goals per game, Allen just 2.9. Utah allows 2.9 goals per game, Allen 3.7. Utah's record when scoring first is 24-5-3-2. Allen's record when scoring first is 14-7-4-1.


- Special teams will be key in this two game series. Head to head Allen is 5-37 (13.5%) on the power play, Utah is 9-41 (22.0%). If you look at season long stats Utah has the advantage on the power play (21.2% vs 16.5%) and on the penalty kill (86.0% vs 82.5%).


- Allen has struggled on the penalty kill since Riley Bourbonnais and Alex Breton have been loaned to AHL teams. The Americans have given up at least one power play goal in their last six games and during that time the penalty kill percentage is 71.9%. (9-32). 


- It is clear by most statistical measures it could be a tough weekend for the Americans but that was even more the case the last time Utah came to town and Allen won three straight. If you are looking for positives Allen has won two of their last three games while Utah has just finished playing Rapid City six straight times and they lost five of the six. Allen is 5-5-0-0 in their last 10 games while Utah has the worst record in the ECHL over the last 10 games (2-5-0-3).


- It is always hard to predict how much rough stuff will happen when Allen plays Utah. Both teams have plenty of players willing to drop the gloves but the situation plays a big role in how the game plays out. Utah is second in the ECHL in fighting majors with 67 compared to Allen's 40. There is so much on the line for Utah this weekend it is hard to believe they will be going out of their way to mix things up. However, it doesn't mean it won't happen.


- The referee scheduled tonight is Eric Krasnichuk (#20) and the linesmen will be Kristopher Delaney (#96) and Cameron Dykstra (#79).



OTHER COMMENTS


 - There aren't many milestones to track over the last six games of the season but two I will be watching are related to Zach Pochiro and Spencer Asuchak. Spencer is the only Allen player that has not missed a game all season which is an amazing feat. Allen has had at least one player play in every game each year of the franchise. Spencer is the only hope for this season. Zach Pochiro needs two goals in the last six games to double his goal production from last season (18) and move into #3 all time in goals in a season. Zach has 34 goals and needs two more to pass Greger Hanson who is #3 all time with 35 goals.


- There are nine games in the ECHL tonight. The Mountain Division teams in action are Kansas City at South Carolina, Utah at Allen and Idaho at Rapid City. Kansas City has lost three straight and their hopes of moving up in the standings are fading fast. Rapid City has won five of their last six games (all against Utah) and still have hopes of catching Kansas City for the final playoff spot. It is a real long shot for the Rush as their next five games are against division leading Idaho. Rapid City trails the Mavericks by seven points.


- Rick Gosselin shot a two part 45 minute video this week with Steve Martinson that covered his playing and coaching career. It is posted on my Allen Americans Blog Facebook and Twitter page if you have access to either of those platforms. I am having trouble embedding the video here but will try to find a way for those of you not on any social media platforms to view it.


- As each day passes is it less likely coach Martinson will sign a collegiate or junior player to an amateur tryout contract. Top players want to go to teams that will make the playoffs. It is not out of the question but is not likely. If enough Allen players return from injury or AHL loans it is possible Martinson may have to waive/release players. The last day to place players on waivers isn't until April 5th.


- One benefit from missing the playoffs is a lot more time to recruit for next season. I know coach Martinson is always in contact with agents, he has more time to work with the Wild in planning for next season, he is constantly tracking players that will be rookies next season and he tracks players coming off AHL deals. Lot's of ground work is already taking place but Martinson has not given up on this season by any means. I know he feels it sucks to be playing out the season with no chance of making the playoffs, something he has never experienced in 23 years of coaching. The only other season he didn't make the playoffs (2011-12) his team won five straight going into the last game of the season. They needed a win that last game to make the playoffs but lost 3-2 in overtime. By the way Mathieu Aubin, who would later play in Allen, scored the overtime goal that put Martinon's team (Chicago Express) out of the playoffs. After the overtime loss Chicago was tied with Reading for the final playoff spot but lost the tiebreaker.



DID YOU KNOW: I think one of the more undervalued statistics there is has to do with players that never miss a game. I call them the Ironmen and they are few and far between. In AA hockey with limited rosters and salary cap/budget issues having a player that plays every game in a season is something special and valuable. That means playing with injuries, no AHL call ups and answering the bell each and every game. Last season there were 980 players in the ECHL for a least one game. Just 18 or 1.8% played in all 72 games. Thought today would be a good day to honor all of the Ironmen in Allen history. One thing to keep in mind is when the Americans first started in the CHL (2009-10) they only played 64 games in a season. It was then expanded to 66 games and since joining the ECHL (2014-15) it is 72 games. Congrats and stick taps to all Allen Ironmen past and present! It is a very exclusive club.

2018-19 - Spencer Asuchak 
2017-18 - Joel Chouinard, Casey Pierro-Zabotel
2016-17 - Chad Costello, Joel Chouinard
2015-16 - Chad Costello
2014-15 - Chad Costello, Aaron Gens, Jamie Schaafsma
2013-14 - Spencer Asuchak, Daniel Tetrault, Mike Berube
2012-13 - Jamie Schaafsma, Jason Deitsch
2011-12 - Jason Deitsch
2010-11 - Colton Yellow Horn, David Strathman
2009-10 - Bruce Graham, Christian Gaudet
  

The Two Best Teams in the ECHL, Can Allen Sweep Utah Again, Bobby Orr Records and Allen Connection, Brabham Cup Winners and More

With the Allen Americans eliminated from the ECHL playoffs so early I have been paying more attention to the races around the league than in the past. As I mentioned yesterday the ECHL season is down to between 6 to10 games depending on the team. Only four teams have qualified for the playoffs (Florida, Cincinnati, Idaho, Tulsa) and just two teams (Allen & Greenville) have been eliminated from playoff contention.


- Last night Cincinnati beat Wheeling 4-1 at home for their sixth straight win, the longest current winning streak in the ECHL. The Cyclones also have the best record over the last 10 games at 8-1-1-0. With the win last night Cincinnati clinched their division championship for the first time since the 2012-13 season.


- Cincinnati is having one of the best seasons in a long time and has been flying under the radar to a certain extent. Maybe because they haven't had a winning streak longer than seven games all season they don't get the publicity they deserve. It is the Cyclone's consistency that has stood out this season. They haven't lost more than three games in a row all season and if you look at regulation losses they have lost two straight just one time. Cincinnati's home record is 27-1-2-2.


- Cincinnati has 99 points with nine games remaining so if they win out they could finish the season with 117 points. In the last 10 ECHL seasons the most regular season points is 112, which happened last season when Florida won the regular season.


- The other team that is having a terrific season is the Florida Everblades. They are the only other team with over 90 points (95), the only other team beside Cincinnati with a winning percentage above 700 (.720) and they are 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games. It didn't look good for Florida at the beginning of the season as they were 5-5-2-0 for the first month but since then they have a record of 40-11-3-0. Florida has also clinched their division championship.


- The playoffs rarely go as expected but Cincinnati in the West and Florida in the East are clearly the best teams and they are playing the best hockey going into the playoffs. Here is how the two rank among all 27 ECHL teams in a few key stats:

Goals scored
#1 - Cincinnati (252)
#2 - Florida (251)

Goals allowed
#1 - Cincinnati (147)
#2 - Florida (168)

Goal differential
#1 - Cincinnati (+105)
#2 - Florida (+83)

Winning percentage
#1 - Cincinnati (.786)
#2 - Florida (.720)

Power play percentage
#13 - Cincinnati (17.8%)
#12 - Florida (18.0%)

Penalty kill percentage
#4 - Cincinnati (85.7%)
#9 - Florida (83.7%)

Penalty minutes
#14 - Cincinnati (923)
#11 - Florida (979)


- Cincinnati or Florida will win the Brabham Cup given to the team with the best regular season record. The Cyclones are the big favorite at this point with a lead in points 99-95 and three games in hand over Florida, who won the Brabham Cup last season. Florida followed a long list of teams that have won the regular season championship and failed to win the Kelly/Riley Cup. In the 30 year history of the ECHL only three teams have accomplished that feat. Alaska did it three times (2014, 2011, 2006), Cincinnati did it in 2008 and South Carolina in 1997. Some call it the curse of the Brabham Cup and it bit Florida last season.


- Nothing new to report from the Allen practice yesterday as the Americans prepare for games against Utah on Friday and Saturday. I will have a full preview tomorrow but one thing to keep in mind is both Utah and Allen will be different teams than the ones that led to a three game sweep by the Americans in Allen last month. Allen has lost some skill and toughness (Alex Breton, Riley Bourbonnais, Emerson Clarke) and it is unknown if C.J. Motte will return from the injury that has kept him sidelined for the last three weeks. Utah has added toughness and skill with the addition of Gabriel Verpaelst by trade, Joey Ratelle (from the AHL) and a couple of amateurs. Finally, Cole Ully, who missed over two months with an injury has returned to the lineup. Even though he has only played in 35 games, Ully is the third leading scorer on the Grizzlies with 39 points (14G, 25A). 


-  Yesterday was Bobby Orr's 71st birthday. I grew up when Bobby Orr was in his heyday. His career was cut short because of knee injuries so he doesn't always get the acclaim of others in the conversation of the best hockey players of all time. Orr only played nine full seasons in the NHL. Despite his short career he has the most Norris Trophies (best defenseman) in NHL history. He won eight straight. Among defensemen Orr has four of the five best seasons in assists including a record 102 in 1970-71, three of the five best season in points including the record 139 in 1970-71 and three of the top six seasons in goals including 46 in 1974-75. Orr still holds the record for plus/minus at +124 in 1970-71. He is the only player to win the Norris, Art Ross, Hart and Conn Smythe Trophies in a single season (1969-70).


- Bobby Orr became an agent representing hockey players long after his playing days were over. Whenever I think about Bobby Orr I am reminded of a former Allen Americans player, Adam Pineault, who was on the 2013 championship team. Adam was represented by Bobby Orr when he was drafted in the second round (46th overall) of the 2004 NHL draft. I wrote a story about Adam  and his wife (Monique) back in 2013. It is a story of success, failure, heartache, love, sorrow and perseverance. Well worth the read. The last I heard Adam and Monique are doing well, living in Florida. Here is his story:  https://allenamericansblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/adam-pineault-player-profile.html


- There are three games in the ECHL tonight; Atlanta at Orlando, Kansas City at Greenville and Toledo at Cincinnati. Here is the ECHL Today with a preview of each game. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/3/echl-today-march-21



DID YOU KNOW: Here are the Brabham Cup (most regular season points) winners for the last 10 seasons. The teams with an asterisk won the Kelly Cup.

2018-19:   99 points - Cincinnati (nine games remaining
2017-18:   112 points - Florida
2016-17:   106 points - Toledo
2015-16:   109 points - Missouri
2014-15:   107 points - Toledo
2013-14:   97 points - Alaska*
2012-13:   106 points - Alaska
2011-12:   97 points - Alasksa
2010-11:   97 points - Alaska*
2009-10:   103 points- Idaho      
      
   

Practice Update, Roster Update, Off Ice Officials Stories, The Tiebreakers and Some Surprising PIMS Numbers

The Allen Americans had a light practice yesterday after a day off on Monday. The Americans had four days of practice before their win against Wichita on Sunday and with four days before the next game on Friday against Utah, coach Martinson decided seven practice days before and after one game played was counter productive. Practice yesterday was comprised of just two drills and then everyone threw their sticks in a pile, teams were selected and the rest of practice was a half ice scrimmage. Practice will get back to normal today.


- There will not be a lot of video preparation time for the remaining six games, three against Wichita and three against Utah. These are teams Allen is very familiar with and have played well against. Here are the records:

4-4-0-0  -  Utah
7-2-0-2  -  Wichita


- Here is a reminder of the players out of lineup and their status:

Non-injured
Curt Gogol - last game played March 12. Curt will be back on Friday after serving a one game suspension.

Riley Bourbonnais - last game played for Allen was February 24. Riley is on loan to Iowa. He played in the first four games in Iowa and has sat out the last four games. He has not scored a point, has one shot and is -1.

Alex Breton - last game played for Allen was February 24. Alex is on loan to the Springfield Thunderbirds. He has played in five of nine games since being loaned including three of the last four. In the five games played, Alex has no points, has six shots and is +2.


Injuries
C. J. Motte - last game played was March 3. Has been practicing and should return this weekend.
Mitch Maloney - last game played was March 9. Still not practicing.
Kevin Sundher - last game played was December 31. Is practicing and listed as day to day.
Chase Lang - last game played was February 17. Still not practicing.
Josh Thrower - last game played March 12. Has not been practicing.
Casey Pierro-Zabotel - last game played was November 2. Season ending surgery.
Thomas Frazee - last game played was November 27. Season ending surgery.
Mike Gunn - last game played was January 4. Season ending surgery.


- There have been at least 20 players who have missed games this season because of injuries. With six games remaining in the season the minimum number of games missed will be 390 and when all is said and done will likely exceed 400 games.


- There were two games in the ECHL last night both with teams from the Mountain Division. Idaho beat Orlando 7-2 in Orlando. This was the third game of the series between two playoff bound teams. When Orlando won the first game 6-2 it made you wonder if the South Division was better than the Mountain Division this season. Idaho put that thought to rest winning game two 4-1 and last night winning 7-2.


- In the other game last night Kansas City was in South Carolina and lost to the Stingrays 4-2. The Mavericks are securely in fourth place in the division with a seven point lead and three games in hand over the surging Rapid City Rush. The magic number to clinch the final playoff spot for Kansas City is seven points either gained by the Mavericks or lost by the Rush. It will be a tough 12 days for the Mavericks with a lot of games and a lot of travel. They have seven straight road games with one game stops to play Greenville, South Carolina, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Toledo, Fort Wayne and Indy. It won't be easy.


- Here is a story written by Mark Monroe of the Toledo Blade about the off ice officials that work the Walleye games. A great story that helps you understand the role of the off ice officials.  https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/walleye/2019/03/19/off-ice-officials-play-vital-role-record-history-at-walleye-games/stories/20190319087


- Back in 2016 I wrote a story about the off ice officials that work for the Allen Americans. The story was an attempt to help fans understand who the off ice officials are and what they do. They are an unheralded and underappreciated group who play a vital role for the Americans. Here is that story from 2016, some of the group has changed but most are still around: https://allenamericansblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/off-ice-officials-what-do-and-who-they.html


- The ECHL season is down to 10 or fewer games for most teams and only four have qualified for the playoffs (Florida, Cincinnati, Idaho, Tulsa). More importantly only two teams (Allen & Greenville) have been eliminated from playoff contention. If you are an ECHL fan it is now crunch time.


- I usually get questions at this time of year about tiebreakers as the tight playoff races come to an end. The ECHL actually has eight tiebreakers with number eight being a coin toss. Here are the tiebreakers:

1. Wins, regular season (excluding shootout wins)
2. Goal differential
3. Points, head to head
4. Winning percentage, division
5. Winning percentage, conference
6. Goals for, regular season
7. Goals against, regular season
8. Coin toss


- Since goal differential is the second tiebreaker here are the top five:

+102    Cincinnati
+83      Florida
+47      Newfoundland
+37      Idaho
+27      Tulsa   






DID YOU KNOW: I posted the top six players with the most combined penalty minutes in the last five years on my ECHL Stats (@EchlStats) Twitter Account this morning. I noticed while doing the research that 14 of the top 34 in PIMS since 2014-15 have spent time in Allen. Another way of saying this is 41% of the top 34 ECHL players in combined penalty minutes over the last five seasons have played for the Allen Americans at some point in their career. Here are the 14 players. The number is where they rank in the top 34 in PIMS since 2014-15.

3. Darryl Bootland     835 minutes
6. Emerson Clark       736
10. Garrett Clarke      642
11. Dyson Stevenson  627
14. Bryan Moore        603
16. Curt Gogol           601
22. David Makowski  510
23. Garrett Klotz        476
28. Vincent Arseneau 414
30. Dalton Thrower    398
31. Ben Wilson           397
32. Derek Mathers      395
33. Corbin Baldwin    385
34. Alexandre Carrier 385


In case you are wondering the top two are:

1. Garet Hunt    1254 minutes
2. Teigan Zahn  1063

The Longest Season Ever is Drawing to a Close, Mountain Division Stats, Chad Costello's Scoring Records, Allen's 200 Shot Players and More

I was thinking this morning how this has been the longest season ever, even though it has taken the least amount of time. The Allen Americans have three weekends remaining in a season that could end up yielding about half of the wins they earned in their first ECHL season. Allen will play Utah at home this Friday and Saturday, the next Friday and Saturday they play Utah and Wichita at home and they close out the season the following Friday and Saturday in Wichita. The season will finally come to close on April 6th, 177 days after it began with a 5-1 loss in Kansas City. Allen has been in last place from beginning to end.


- Allen's two longest seasons seemed like the shortest. The 2015 Kelly Cup championship season lasted 233 days and the 2016 Kelly Cup championship season lasted 237 days.


- The Mountain Division race has been all over the place recently with some of the top teams struggling more than the bottom teams. Here are the points earned and record in the last 10 games for all seven division teams. The teams are listed from first place to last place.

1. Tulsa             14 points (7-3-0-0)
2. Idaho             9 points (4-5-1-0)
3. Utah              7 points (2-5-0-3)
4. Kansas City  11 points (5-4-0-1)
5. Rapid City    12 points (6-4-0-0)
6. Wichita         11 points (5-4-1-0)
7. Allen             10 points (5-5-0-0)


- Playing well going into the playoffs is always a key to success. Utah and Idaho have been struggling. Utah has the worst record over the last 10 games of any team in the ECHL. Of the 16 teams currently in playoff spots in the ECHL only two (Utah & Newfoundland) have a worse 10 game record than Idaho.


- Hats off to the Rapid City Rush who made big moves at the trade deadline and with a win last night in Utah finished their sixth straight game against the Grizzlies with a record of 5-1. It doesn't get any better for Rapid City as they now will play Idaho five straight games. Unfortunately, Rapid City will not be able to catch Kansas City for the last playoff spot. The Mavericks have a seven point lead and four games in hand over the Rush.


- Allen has three games left with Wichita and three games left with Utah which are two teams they have done well against this season considering the Americans overall record. The Americans have played .500 or better against everyone in the division except Kansas City and Tulsa. Against the Mavericks and Oilers the record is really bad. Here is Allen's record against all of the teams in the division listed from bad to good.

1-9-0-0  -  Kansas City
3-9-1-0  -  Tulsa
2-1-3-0  -  Idaho
4-4-0-0  -  Utah
4-2-0-0  -  Rapid City
7-2-0-2  -  Wichita


- It doesn't come as a surprise that the two teams with the best record over the last 10 games are the two best teams in the ECHL and the only two teams in the league with winning percentages above .700. Cincinnati is ranked #1 and is 8-1-1-0 in their last 10 games. Florida is ranked #2 and is 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games. Newfoundland is the top team in the North Division but has lost five straight and is 3-5-0-2 over the last 10 games.


- Jesse Schultz of the Cincinnati Cyclones leads the ECHL in scoring with 73 points. He has 10 games remaining so should end up with around 80 points for the season. Last season the scoring champion was Shawn Szydlowski (Fort Wayne) who had 79 points. These numbers reinforce the amazing three seasons Chad Costello had in Allen when he won three straight scoring titles with 125 points in 2014-15, 103 points in 2015-16 and 122 points in 2016-17. Chad had more assists in those three years (89,79, 84) than the scoring champions have had total points since.


- How dominate was Costello in the ECHL in the three years he played for Allen? Check out these numbers;

Goals - Chad had 98 goals, second place (Dane Fox) had 90 goals
Assists- Chad had 252 assists, second place (Shane Berschbach) had 159 assists
Points - Chad had 350 points, second place (Shane Berschbach) had 216 points

Chad won the scoring championship by 45 points in 2014-15, largest margin in ECHL history
Chad won the scoring championship by 23 points in 2015-16, 6th largest margin in ECHL history
Chad won the scoring championship by 34 points in 2016-17, 4th largest margin in ECHL history


- There are only two games in the ECHL tonight. Idaho finishes their three game series in Orlando. The teams split the first two games. Kansas City is at South Carolina in the other game. The Mavericks have 11 games remaining with 10 of them on the road. Their next eight games are on the road against opponents outside the Mountain Division. While Kansas City's fourth place spot in the standings seem secure they do have the fewest road wins in the ECHL with a road record of 9-14-2-1.


- Cincinnati has just one home regulation loss all season. Their home record is 26-1-2-2. Allen has the most regulation losses at home with 18.


- The ECHL's leading goalie in save percentage is Tomas Sholl of Idaho at .929.


- Overtime games can be critical in the playoffs. Florida is the second best team in the ECHL but is just 1-5 in overtime games. Cincinnati is the top team in the league but just 4-4 in overtimes. The two best teams in overtime are Kalamazoo (7-2) and Idaho (8-3).  




DID YOU KNOW: Zach Pochiro just passed the 200 shot mark for the season. In the last five seasons there has been seven times a player has had 200 or more shots in a season. Here is the list:

2018-19
203 - Zach Pochiro

2017-18
212 - David Makowski

2016-17
243 - Greger Hanson

2015-16
229 - Chad Costello

2014-15
234 - Chad Costello
232 - Gary Steffes
223 - Greger Hanson