Allen vs Tulsa Preview, Garrett Clarke and Colton Yellow Horn Sign With New Teams and More

The Allen Americans were scheduled to leave at 9:00 am this morning heading for Tulsa where they will play the Oilers tonight (7:05 pm) and Sunday afternoon (4:05 pm). The early departure time will have the team arrive in Tulsa (230 miles) at lunch time and they will head directly to the restaurant for lunch.


- Allen will be missing Jordan Topping this weekend. His grandfather is ill and he headed home to spend time with his family. Kayle Doetzel is officially listed as day to day after being injured last weekend but his absence at practice yesterday suggests to me he may not be available this weekend.


- Tulsa will be missing their leading scorer for the weekend. J.J. Piccinich was recalled by San Antonio (AHL) yesterday. Piccinich leads Tulsa with 23 points (7G, 16A) in 21 games. No other player on the team has more than 14 points.


- The game tonight will be the third of 13 times Allen and Tulsa will meet this season. The first two games were played in Tulsa with Allen winning 5-4 on October 12th and 3-1 on November 5th. Tulsa will not visit the Allen Event Center (AEC) until the end of January.


- Tulsa has been inconsistent thus far which has led to their 8-11-2-0 record. The Oilers lead the league in shots per game (37.95) but have a team shooting percentage of just 8.4% which is the third worst in the ECHL. Tulsa has scored 68 goals, tied with Rapid City for the most in the Division but they have allowed 70 goals, the second most in the division. Allen on the other hand has scored 61 goals and allowed 49 and remember the Americans allowed 10 goals in one game. The Oilers have been held to zero or one goal six times but have scored seven or more goals three times.


- The game tonight in Tulsa is the second of six straight road games for the Americans. By December 18th Allen will have played nine of 10 games on the road. Just how good this team is this season will be known by the end of this stretch of 10 games.


- If you look at overall special teams percentages they show Allen at 11.3% and Tulsa at 13.9% on the power play. Their penalty kill percentages are Allen 84.8% and Tulsa at 79.1%. If you look at home vs road percentages it tells a different story. Allen's road power play percentage is 13.6% compared to Tulsa's home percentage of 12.2%. The differences are more pronounced on the penalty kill. Allen is #1 in road penalty kill percentage at 94.7% (1-19). At home Tulsa's penalty kill percentage is ranked #23 at 78.2% (12-55). After a long drought the Americans have scored a power play goal in their last three games. If they can keep that streak alive it will go a long way in getting a victory.


- Allen scored first in the two previous games against Tulsa and the Americans have a record of  8-1 when scoring first this season. Tulsa is 5-2-1-0 when scoring first. As always that first goal will be important.


- If either game this weekend goes to overtime Allen will have the advantage based on their 6-2 record in overtime games. Tulsa has gone extra time three times and lost twice. In the third game they won in a shootout.


- With Piccinich recalled by San Antonio both Tulsa and Allen have three players tied for the team lead in scoring. Miles Liberati, Charlie Sampair and Adam Pleskach all have 14 points for the Oilers. For Allen, Gabe Gagne, Spencer Asuchak and Alex Guptill are tied for the team lead with 16 points.


- Allen has been getting great goalie play no matter who is in goal. You would expect Jake Paterson and Zach Sawchenko will each get a start in Tulsa. Allen's team save percentage is .917. Tulsa on the other hand has struggled when Devin Williams hasn't been in goal. Their team save percentage is .886 but Williams has a .912 save percentage.  Would expect to see Williams play both games this weekend.


OTHER COMMENTS

- What a difference a year makes. Rapid City and Reading, two teams that didn't make the playoffs last season, both won their games last night and now share the ECHL lead with 29 points. Allen, another team that didn't make the playoffs last season, is in third place with 28 points.


- Two former Allen players signed with new teams this week. Colton Yellow Horn was released by his Austrian team (Graz 99ers) and signed in Slovakia (HK Nitra). He has several boyhood friends on the team including former NHL player Kris Versteeg and former Allen player Judd Blackwater. Kale Kerbashian also plays for Nitra.


- Garrett Clarke, who has battled injuries recently, just signed with Jonquiere Marquis of the LNAH. The LNAH is a lower level professional league based in Quebec. It used to be known unofficially as the toughest hockey league in the world and has many enforcer type players primarily known for fisticuffs. In the press release announcing Clarke's signing his coach said, "He is a guy that can take care of himself and has a lot of experience in terms of toughness but that is not the first reason he was signed. We have signed a hockey player and we are going to ask him to play hockey."


- Here is a story written by Justin Cohn about the youth movement in Fort Wayne. It wasn't by design but Allen has just two vets (Asuchak & Brittain) with O'Donnell and Hedden gone and Register in Iowa. By the way the four youngest teams in the ECHL according to Elite Prospects are Wheeling (23.96), Newfoundland (24.04), Allen (24.10) and Fort Wayne (24.23). In his story Justin covers the pros and cons of having fewer vets and also has some interesting stats on the topic. Check it out here:  https://www.journalgazette.net/sports/professional/komets/20191128/komets-seek-success-in-youth


DID YOU KNOW: Tulsa is the one rival from the CHL days that Allen has had a tough time with since joining the ECHL in 2014. Here are the stats:

2-0-0-0      Head to head record against Tulsa in 2019-20
3-9-1-0      Head to head record against Tulsa in 2018-19
27-24-4-2  Last five year record against Tulsa
14-14-2-2  Last five year record against Tulsa in Tulsa
13-10-2-0  Last five year record against Tulsa in Allen

Geoff Gill - Getting to Know the Man on the Zamboni

I have been attending Allen Americans games since day one (2009) and writing this blog for the eighth year. Like many of you I have gotten to know many fans, ushers, off ice officials, vendors, sponsors, front office staff, event center staff and ice technicians to name a few. While I make small talk, discuss hockey and maybe ask about their health or their family there are very few I really get to know. Everyone has a story and I know they are all fascinating in their own way. I have decided this season in addition to interviewing players, I should be fun getting to know the story of some of the folks you see at all of the games.


The first person I want to talk about is one of the most recognizable people at the hockey games. He gets as much ice time as many of the players and we all watch him over and over again. His name is Geoff Gill (no relation to Riley Gill) and his formal title is Ice Technician but he is better known as the Zamboni driver.  Here is Geoff's story.

Geoff Gill in his Zamboni office

Geoff has been a Zamboni driver since 1997 and he gets his interest in hockey from his dad who was born in Treherne, Manitoba but went to school in Wahpeton, North Dakota where he was a star hockey player. Geoff showed me a scrapbook with all kinds of articles and stories about his dad's hockey excellence back in the late 1930's. After high school his dad enlisted in the Army and was in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. His mom and dad met during the war while they were both on vacation in Bermuda. Geoff's mom was from New York City (Brooklyn). After the war they got married and moved to Long Island where Geoff was born. He has four brothers, one older and three younger.


When Geoff was around three years old the family moved to Security, Colorado which is adjacent to Colorado Springs. A few years later they were transferred to Denver.  His dad worked for the old "Ma Bell" aka AT&T before it was broken up in the 1980's. Geoff played youth hockey and was coached by his dad.  He told me he never considered himself a great player but when he was a senior in high school he played for the Denver Country Club team and they won what would be called the state tournament today.

Geoff's 1970 championship team, he is back row left next to the coach

In addition to coaching, Geoff's dad was an off ice official serving as the official scorer for many teams and leagues in the area. He worked for the Denver Spurs (Western Hockey League) and when the NHL Colorado Rockies came to Denver (1976-1982) he was their official scorer. When the Rockies folded and moved to New Jersey, Geoff got an original Rockies jersey and a pair of Mike Gillis's skates.  


When he was 17 Geoff enlisted in the US Navy and had a 20 year career (1970-1990). He spent those 20 years in the Western Pacific. He spent time on aircraft carriers including the USS Hancock, USS Carl Vinson and USS Constellation. He had three tours in Vietnam and was stationed in the Philippines for three years. He met his wife in San Francisco who was from the Philippines so they enjoyed their time in the Philippines.

Part of Geoff's military memorabilia wall

 


Geoff left the Navy in 1990 while stationed in San Diego because it was time to for him to deploy to sea duty and he didn't want to leave his wife who was battling cancer. His wife passed away in 1997. While living in San Diego, even before he got out of the Navy, Geoff and his friends would go to San Diego Gulls games and drive up to attend Los Angeles Kings games. Allen coach Steve Martinson was still playing in San Diego in the early 1990's before he started coaching the Gulls in 1995-96.

A small portion of Geoff's hockey memorabilia wall in his home

After his wife passed away Geoff started to get involved in some hockey/ice related activity at the San Diego Ice Arena which was close to where he lived. His brother played in a house league at the arena and the manager was also in the Navy. Geoff helped with skate schools and asked if the manager needed any Zamboni drivers. That was 1997 when it all started. The only way to learn was to drive around when there was nothing going on so he would get up at 1:00 am and go to the rink and drive around just to learn how to drive the Zamboni. In 2002 Geoff moved from the San Diego Ice Center to the newly opened Kroc Community Center which was built by the Salvation Army and funded by a $87 million donation from Joan Kroc, widow of McDonald's founder, Ray Kroc. Geoff worked at the Kroc center for seven years. It was at the Kroc Center that Geoff got to know Steve Martinson who had become the coach of the San Diego Gulls. The Gulls didn't play at the Kroc Center but would periodically hold practices there.


- Geoff got remarried in 1999 and that is how he eventually got to Dallas in early 2010. His wife (Sherry) is an auditor for the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) and was transferred to Texas. He was living in Plano and started working at the Plano Stars Center which was not far away. There were some serious foundation issues with the facility so after four months Geoff did some research and made the move to the AEC in December of 2010.


- In 2005 Sherry and Geoff adopted their daughter Mei from China. Sherry is Chinese and that helped them go through the process of adoption quicker. Geoff told me when you adopt from China you don't have much say in which child you get but as it turned out Mei was destined to be part of the family. For some reason, which Geoff cannot explain, they used purple folders to organize all of their files related to the adoption. As it turned out Mei's full Chinese name includes the word purple. If that wasn't enough it also turned out Mei and Sherry share the same birthday.

Mei, Sherry and Geoff Gill

Sherry and Mei wearing traditional costumes on visit to China

- If you have ever seen a sharp looking Corvette parked behind the AEC it belongs to Geoff and it has quite a story. He bought the 1968 Corvette in 1976 and has owned it ever since. It traveled with him to the Philippines and other destinations while he was in the Navy. However, from 1997 to just this year it has been in storage at home and in his brothers garage in San Diego when the Gill's were transferred to Dallas. Geoff had the Corvette shipped to Dallas on a flat bead truck where it sat in his garage for eight more years before he started the restoration. When I asked Geoff why he decided now to restore the Corvette he said, "I am getting old and I either had to get rid of it or spend the money to restore it. It wasn't worth anything as it was inoperable so I decided to get it fixed." The Corvette is now new from front to back. The only things not new are the frame, front end hardware, the body and the hardtop itself. Everything else from the engine, transmission, rear end, and electrical system including all of the wiring is new.

 It took 10 months and a lot of $$$ but the 1968 corvette is as good as new

- Geoff is a big part of the Allen Americans family. He greets the players with a fist bump before and after practice and on game days takes their gloves and puts them on the glove warmer between periods. He takes such pride in his job and strives to make the ice perfect. He has been known to give staff and officials hell if they walk on the ice before it has dried as he prepares it on game night.


- I found out accidentally a couple of years ago that Geoff, for many years, has purchased season tickets to the Allen Americans and donated them back to the team to be distributed as part of the Seats for Soldiers program. I found out while interviewing Geoff for this story that he also is one of the sponsors of the Allen Ice Angels. When some players expressed an interest in attending the alumni game last season but could not afford the airfare, Geoff offered to buy tickets for them.

Geoff is one of the sponsors of the Ice Angels

- Geoff's other duty is to act as tech support for coach Steve Martinson. Because of his computer background in the Navy and interest in computers Geoff is called upon to help out when things go awry which seems to happen frequently. He is always willing to help.



- How long is Geoff going to keep getting on the Zamboni? He says he is enjoying what he is doing and even last season when the team didn't do well it was still fun to come to the rink. He likes to help the team by providing the best surface to play on. As he says, "I want the ice to be perfect before anyone arrives on game night." I think we will see Geoff Gill taking care of the ice and the players for many years to come.

ECHL Playoff Predictor: It's Thanksgiving - Are the Playoff Teams Already Decided?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you are able to spend time with family and friends today. I had to chuckle when I saw this description of Thanksgiving by comedian Jim Gaffigan: "Thanksgiving. It's like we didn't even try to come up with a tradition. The tradition is, we overeat. 'Hey, how about at Thanksgiving we just eat a lot?' 'But we do that every day!' 'Oh. What if we eat a lot with people that annoy the hell out of us after three hours?"



- It is time for my annual "Thanksgiving Day Playoff Theory" blog which predicts the 16 ECHL playoff teams based on the standings as of today. No need to worry any more as the fate of your favorite team is already decided. A little overstated but not by much.



- I have talked about this in the past after reading numerous articles about the history in the NHL where data proves somewhere between 75% - 80% of playoff teams are already decided by Thanksgiving. Here is one of the more informative stories about this subject from the Hockey News several years ago: http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/article/out-of-the-playoffs-december-1-done-like-thanksgiving-dinner

  

- It is strange to think with about 25% of the ECHL season complete you can predict who will be in the playoffs with close to 80% accuracy. Nothing ventured, nothing gained so here are the playoff teams strictly by the numbers plus where I think the "Thanksgiving Day Playoff Theory" might be wrong. The numbers in parentheses are the current winning percentages. Here are your 2019-20 playoff teams.



North Division
1. Reading (.711)
2. Brampton (.647)
3. Newfoundland (.611)
4. Adirondack (.556)


The top three in the North Division look pretty solid but the last playoff team will come down to Maine or Adirondack. Last season Maine faded down the stretch (6-7-1) and missed the playoffs. Adirondack is currently in fourth place in the division and has finished the last three seasons in first or second place. Adirondack should take the fourth playoff spot. Worcester is the one North Division team already destined to not make the playoffs based on their .281 winning percentage, the worst in the league.



South Division
1. South Carolina (.867)
2. Florida (.639)
3. Atlanta (.563)
4. Greenville (.525)


The South Division has a big break between the top four teams and the bottom three. Orlando (.412), Jacksonville (.375) and Norfolk (.310) are unlikely to make the playoffs. 



Central Division
1. Cincinnati (.711)
2. Toledo (.633)
3. Fort Wayne (.611)
4. Wheeling (.588)

Of all of the divisions the Central looks to be a lock for predicting the playoff teams. The top four will remain the top four all season but how they end up being seeded may change. Kalamazoo (.375) and Indy (.353) are already seven points out of a playoff spot and will not recover.



Mountain Division
1. Allen (.778)
2. Rapid City (.650)
3. Idaho (.650)
4. Wichita (.579)

Last season the Thanksgiving Day theory was 100% accurate in the Mountain Division predicting Rapid City, Wichita and Allen would miss the playoffs. This season they are all in the top four and if history is correct will all make the playoffs. Those on the outside looking in have winning percentages of .500 (Utah), .429 (Tulsa), and .412 (Kansas City) and will have a tough time making the playoffs. This is the division where the #4 team (Wichita) might be overtaken. Tulsa was predicted to compete for the division title but got off to a terrible start (2-6-1). The Oilers play Wichita nine more times this season. The last two times these teams played (both in Wichita) Tulsa won by identical scores of 7-2.   



- History says if you are more than five points out of the playoffs at Thanksgiving the chances of making it into a playoff spot are almost nonexistent. That is bad news for Worcester, Jacksonville, Indy, Kalamazoo and Kansas City because if history is correct they can start making plans for next season now.


- Historically, teams more than five points clear of the final playoff spot at this point can start selling playoff tickets as they rarely miss the playoffs. Teams in this category include Reading, South Carolina, Cincinnati and Allen.


- The bottom line is most playoffs teams are already decided but as important it is to make the playoffs it is a myth that once you make the ECHL playoffs any team can win the Kelly Cup. In the last 15 seasons the Kelly Cup champion has never finished worse than seventh in the regular season. In 13 of the last 15 seasons the Kelly Cup champion finished in the top five during the regular season.
     

- This is all done in fun and I will definitely revisit this at the end of the season. If your favorite team is currently out the playoffs, remember even with 80% accuracy the "Thanksgiving Day Playoff Theory" will have three teams wrong.


- As a reminder, last season history repeated itself again as 13 of the 16 teams in the Kelly Cup playoffs were in a playoff spot at Thanksgiving. That means 81% of the playoff teams were decided by Thanksgiving.





DID YOU KNOW: Here are the ECHL's longest current streaks for number of consecutive seasons making the playoffs in their current geographical location. Based on the "Thanksgiving Day Playoff Theory" all five of these teams will extend their streaks this season.

16 - Idaho
12 - South Carolina
6 - Fort Wayne
5 - Toledo
5 - Florida   

Practice Update, Individual and Team Stats Leaders, Ownership Update, Allen's Roster Compared by Height, Weight and Age and More

With a rare five days off between games the Allen Americans didn't practice on Monday and Tuesday was a captain's practice with the majority of the time devoted to having fun with a scrimmage. The teams started with a full ice scrimmage and ended with a 3-on-3 cross ice scrimmage. Over the years these captain's practice scrimmages have been a source of fun for the players, just playing hockey with no coaches observing. I have seen the team divided in many different ways from coach Martinson picking the teams, to the Western Hockey League (WHL) guys versus the rest, USA vs Canada, left shots vs right shots and even by the captains doing a secret draft. Yesterday it was the Rookies vs Veterans with second year players Jordan Topping and Alex Breton playing with the rookies.


-  It was no contest as the veterans got bragging/chirping rights by smoking the rookies 13-6. You would think the MVP for the veterans with 13 goals scored would be a forward but from what I observed their best offensive weapon was defenseman Stepan Falkovsky.


- The good news at practice was all the players were present and nobody was wearing the yellow no contact jersey. Looks like everyone will be available for the back to back games against Tulsa this weekend.


INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS AND TEAM STATS

- I thought it might be instructive to take a look at Allen's stats leaders after 18 games. Below are the team leaders in various statistical categories with the league rank in parentheses:

Points:
16 - Gabe Gagne (26th)
16 - Spencer Asuchak (26th)
16 - Alex Guptill (26th)


Goals:
8 - Gabe Gagne (18th)
7 - Alex Guptill (31st)
7 - Olivier Archambault (31st) 


Assists:
12 - Les Lancaster (15th)
11 - Spencer Asuchak (25th)
10 - Tyler Sheehy (34th)


Plus/Minus:
+13 - Alex Guptill (2nd)
+10 - Jack Sadek (9th)
+9 - Spencer Asuchak (12th)


Penalty Minutes:
24 - Spencer Asuchak (49th)
17 - Alex Guptill (101st)
16 - Cole Fraser (111th)
16 - Brett Pollock (111th)
 

Shots On Goal:
66 - Gabe Gagne (7th)
51 - Olivier Archambault (35th) 
47 - Alex Guptill (45th)
47 - Jordan Topping (45th)


Points by Defensemen
13 - Les Lancaster (4th)
10 - Alex Breton (15th)
6 - Stepan Falkovsky (44th)


Goals by Defensemen
3 - Stepan Falkovsky (10th)
2 - Alex Breton (29th)
1 - Les Lancaster (52nd)
1 - Turner Ottenbreit  (52nd)


Assists by Defensemen
12 - Les Lancaster (5th)
8 - Alex Breton (11th)
5 - Jack Sadek (38th)


Save Percentage
.939 - Zach Sawchenko (3rd)
.914 - Dereck Baribeau (13th)
.907 - Jake Paterson (19th)



- If you can draw any conclusion from the individual stats above it would be how balanced scoring has been by the Americans this season.


-  Here is how the Americans rank in the ECHL in some critical statistical categories:

Goal differential:  4th (+12)
Average PIMS per game:  25th (9.56)
Power play:  22nd (11.3%)
Penalty kill:  6th (84.8%)
Ave. goals scored:  9th (3.39)
Ave. goals against:  5th (2.72)
Ave. shots for per game:  8th (33.06)
Ave. shots against per game:  19th (32.89)
Shooting percentage:  16th (10.3%)
Team save percentage:  4th (.917)


- The two stats above that standout are penalty minutes where Allen is ranked #25 averaging under 10 penalty minutes per game. The Americans have taken just four fighting majors and no 10 minute misconduct, game misconduct or match penalties.


- The other standout stat above is the team save percentage of .917 which is #4 in the league. Allen has allowed 49 goals in 18 games but 10 of those goals came in one game. If you eliminate that one game the Allen goalies have a save percentage of .930 which would be tops in the league.



OTHER COMMENTS


- Eight of Allen's 18 games have gone to overtime with none going to a shootout. The Americans overtime record is 6-2.


- Allen is ranked #17 in average attendance at 3801 per game. Fort Wayne has the highest average attendance (8038) and Wheeling has the lowest average attendance (2278).


- Allen's power play is ranked #22 at 11.3%. Newfoundland and Toledo have the best power play in the ECHL at 26.8%. The worst power play percentage is Florida's at 8.1%.


- Allen's penalty kill is ranked #6 at 84.8%. Orlando has the best penalty kill percentage (89.3%), Reading has the worst at 71.6%.


- I get asked all of the time about what is happening with the potential change of ownership of the Allen Americans and as you might imagine everyone is tight lipped and not saying anything officially. However, my reporting is a group is still actively working to buy the team. Stay tuned.

  


DID YOU KNOW: If you use the metric system, according to the Elite Prospects website, the current Allen roster is #2 in height at 187.57 centimeters (6'2") and #1 in weight at 90 kilograms (198 pounds). The Americans are the fourth youngest team in the ECHL with an average age of 24.10 years. 
 

ECHL Fighting Down Dramatically - The Rules and The Numbers

 I get a lot of questions about the big change in the number of fighting majors the Allen Americans have taken this season compared to prior seasons. Here are the number of fighting majors taken by Allen since 2016-17:

2016-17:  76
2017-18:  55
2018-19:  42
2019-20:  4 (through 18 games)

At the current pace Allen would finish this season with 16 fights. You would expect if Jake Doty, who has been loaned to the AHL (Ontario) since the beginning of the season, was in Allen the numbers would be much higher.


- There is no doubt fighting is slowly disappearing from all levels of hockey. The number of fights are less than half of what they were just 10 years ago. Here is a look at the ECHL numbers: 


- Close to 25% of the ECHL season in the books and the number of fighting penalties are down dramatically. When the ECHL changed the rules for 2019-20 to add suspensions for more than 10 fights by a player it was predictable it would have an impact on the number of fights. As a reminder, here is the rule:

ECHL Rule 23.7 - Suspensions - Fisticuffs Category: This rule has major changes for 2019-20:
When players reach 10 fighting majors they will be suspended for one game. Each subsequent fighting major will be a one game suspension. When a player reaches 14 fighting majors the suspension becomes two games.


- Here is the data:

Fighting majors through November 24th:
2018: 269
2019: 187

Five players are tied for most fights with four:
Matt Boudens - Fort Wayne Komets
Taylor Crunk - Rapid City Rush
Travis Howe - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Patrick McGrath- Utah Grizzlies
Ben Wilson - Kalamazoo Wings

Teams with most fights:
17 - Jacksonville Icemen
14 - Fort Wayne Komets
13 - Kalamazoo Wings
12 - Cincinnati Cyclones


- This is just an anecdote but I was talking to an off ice official recently who shared that he overheard a referee telling a player in the penalty box he was giving him a roughing penalty to help him out. It made me wonder if the number of roughing penalties this season have increased as the number of fighting penalties have decreased. I contacted my friend Joe Alsman, better known as "MavsFanJoe" who is the self described keeper of obscure data you have trouble finding elsewhere, to get the answer. Sure enough roughing penalties are up this season. It seems as if both the players and referees are trying not to cross the line from roughing to fighting. While the number of fighting penalties are down by 82 (269 to 187) this season the number of roughing penalties are up 46 (273 from 227).  


- While the new ECHL rule on suspensions has certainly had some impact on the number of fights the downward trend in fighting at all levels of hockey has been going on for many years. As the game has gotten faster there is no longer a role for players who just fight. In the ECHL where only 10 forwards typically dress for a game, players that fight also must be able to play a regular shift. The concern about head injuries/concussions has also had an impact on players willingness to drop the gloves.


- While the number of fights is on the decline the role of toughness and physicality is still part of the fabric of hockey. Here is a story from the Boston Herald that talks about how fighting and physicality has changed: https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/04/07/fighting-physicalitys-place-in-hockey-is-changing/ 


- Here is another good read on the subject that says in part. "Hockey, in one sense the most gladiator-like of all major sports, is changing. Long an integral and celebrated part of hockey, fighting is rapidly diminishing on the rinks of North America as injuries, rule changes, and cultural shifts around player welfare make the spectacle of settling scores by fist increasingly an anachronism. https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2019/1004/Last-of-the-enforcers-How-hockey-skated-away-from-fights



DID YOU KNOW: It is likely Allen will finish the 2019-20 season with fewer fights as a team than a single player had in past seasons. Here is a list of the players with the most fights each year since the start of the Allen Americans franchise.

2018-19:   Jake Doty (13 fights)
2017-18:   Josh Thrower (10 fights)
2016-17:   Derek Mathers  (29 fights)
2015-16:   Dyson Stevenson  (16 fights)
2014-15:   Garrett Clarke  (16 fights)
2013-14:   Garrett Klotz  (20 fights)
2012-13:   Garrett Clarke  (12 fights)
2011-12:   Brett Clouthier  (13 fights)
2010-11:   Liam Huculak  (15 fights)
2009-10:   Liam Huculak  (16 fights)
 

 

Another Overtime Win for Allen, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Martinson's Comments, Stats and More

The Allen Americans finished a grueling weekend on Sunday with a 3-2 overtime win over the Wichita Thunder before a crowd of 3314 at INTRUST Bank Arena. Three games in three days against your biggest rival is exhausting. From when the puck dropped on Friday night to the final horn on Sunday the elapsed time was exactly 47 hours and 20 minutes. In that time Allen played three games, two of which went to overtime, and came away with five of six points. Throw in 12 hours of bus time to and from Wichita and you have quite the weekend.


- How exhausting was this three game series? Allen and Wichita combined for 97 shots on goal Friday night. By Sunday the combined total was just 52. The Americans went from their largest shot total (58) since joining the ECHL on Friday to their lowest shot total (28) of the season on Sunday.


- Allen allowed the first goal in all three games against Wichita. To come away with two wins and an overtime loss is a tribute to the comeback ability of this team. If you look at the combined totals for the weekend the Americans were outscored 4-1 in the first period but outscored the Thunder 6-1 in the third period.


- If you watched the game on Sunday it was apparent both teams were tired and the weekend had taken a toll. To make matters worse a couple of defensemen got dinged up during the game. With five defensemen in Iowa the team can't afford more defensemen out of the lineup. The team will find out today the extent of the injuries.


- The script on Sunday was a familiar one. Wichita scored first and took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. Alex Guptill tied the score early in the second period and that was the extent of the second period scoring. Guptill got his second goal of the game and seventh of the season midway through the third period (9:42) but Wichita countered exactly three minutes later (12:42). Neither team could break the 2-2 tie, so for the second time in as many days the game went to overtime. It took just 50 seconds for Alex Breton to steal the puck in his own zone, skate the length of the ice and score the game winner.


- Allen had a power play goal in all three games this weekend going 3-15 (20%). When you consider the Americans have just eight power play goals all season, getting three this weekend is a big step forward. Wichita, however, has given up a power play goal in eight straight games.


 - Here is the game recap issued by the Wichita Thunder:  https://www.wichitathunder.com/news/press-release/thunder-closes-weekend-with-ot-loss.html


- Here is the video highlight package from the game:

- I had the chance to touch base with coach Martinson after the game and got his comments:

"It was a good win to end the weekend. We played shorthanded with a couple of defensemen injured."

"Wichita made good shots on their goals with both going in off the post."

"Three games in less than 48 hours is tough but I thought we outplayed them consistently throughout the game."

"Cole Fraser has been getting a big hit in every game and it happens fast."



OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen has now scored at least one point in 12 of their last 13 games with a record of 9-1-2-0. The Americans lead the ECHL with 28 points.


- With the overtime win yesterday, 50% of Allen's 28 points have come from overtime games. The Americans are now 6-2 in overtime games. No other ECHL team has more than three overtime wins.


- With the win yesterday Jake Paterson improved his season record to 8-1-1-0. His eight wins is the second most in the ECHL trailing only Pat Nagle (Toledo) who has nine wins.


- There is a three way tie for the Allen scoring lead. Gabe Gagne (8G, 8A), Alex Guptill (7G, 9A) and Spencer Asuchak (5G, 11A) all have 16 points.


- Alex Guptill has a plus/minus of +13 which is the second best in the league. Jack Sadek is #2 among the ECHL defensemen at +10.


- The Americans do not play again until next weekend when they travel to Tulsa for games against the Oilers on Saturday and Sunday.



DID YOU KNOW: Allen has 13 wins in 18 games. The Americans didn't get their 13th win last season until January 16. Allen has 28 points on November 25, 2019 and is in first place. One year ago today the Americans were in last place with 10 points. What a difference a year makes!
  

Allen Loses in Overtime, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Coaches Comments, Rematch Preview and More

The Allen Americans lost to the Wichita Thunder 3-2 in overtime last night before a crowd of 4385 at the Allen Event Center (AEC). It was the second of three games in less than 48 hours between these teams. After last night's game ended (9:55 pm) both teams showered, packed and jumped on their respective buses and took the six hour drive to Wichita where they arrived around 5:00 am this morning. Puck drop for the game this afternoon will be 4:05 pm. Welcome to AA hockey.


- The Americans had to overcome some adversity to get one point last night. They could have used some of the extra goals from their 7-3 win over the Thunder on Friday night. Maybe it was the ever present "specialty jersey curse" but it took Allen until the 2:17 mark of the third period to score their first goal on "Teddy Bear Toss" night.


- Just like on Friday night, the Americans got off to a slow start, giving up the first goal and being out shot in the first period (14-11).


- Over the first two periods Allen had 27 shots but could not get the puck behind Thunder goalie, Evan Weninger, who started the season with Allen and was traded to Wichita at the end of October.


- Trailing 2-0 after the second period, the Americans finally got on the scoreboard early in the third period on a power play goal by Jared VanWormer, his fifth of the season. Here is the goal:




- When Allen tied the score 2-2 midway through the third period on Olivier Archambault's seventh goal of the season it looked like another comeback victory was in the works. Here is Archambault's goal:


 



 - Allen out shot Wichita 13-6 in the third period but could not get the go ahead goal. The Americans came close to ending the game two minutes into the overtime period when Alex Breton rang a shot off the post. It was so close the referee went to the video replay before ruling the puck did not go in the net. Here is that replay:





- Here is the game recap issued by the Wichita Thunder: https://www.wichitathunder.com/news/press-release/safin-nets-ot-winner.html


- Here are the complete video highlights with all of the goals and a bunch of great saves by both goalies:

- Here is Steve Martinson's post game interview:

- With coach Martinson having to get ready to leave for Wichita right after the game, assistant coach Jason Deitsch, who does not go on most road trips (he is a McKinney fireman) addressed the season ticket holders after the game. Here is what Jason had to say:

"Obviously this was not the outcome we were looking for, we still have work to do to get better."

"The positive tonight is we came back in the third period to earn one point. Now the team has to get on the bus and be better tomorrow."

"I don't think Wichita did anything different tonight. Too many times we tried to force a really good play rather than making the easy play."

"This game is a simple game and the teams that win play simple hockey. We too often try to make the fancy play and if the puck gets through it is a great play but the puck isn't getting through. We have to get back to making the simple play."

"We have a couple of guys that hit a lot but I still think we need to play with more grit. We don't need to take more penalties but we need to be more physical and have more guys finishing checks."


REMATCH PREVIEW

- It will be two tired teams that take the ice this afternoon in Wichita. Will over skill will carry the day and the team that wants it more will most likely prevail. Allen has played well in Wichita since the teams joined the ECHL. Over the last five seasons the Americans record in Wichita is 18-6-1-2.


- If you look at home and away special team percentages you get a much different picture than looking at overall percentages. Allen's road power play percentage is 11.8% (2-17) while Wichita's home power play percentage is 18.2% (6-33). Allen's road penalty kill percentage is 93.8% (1-16) compared to Wichita's home penalty kill percentage of 80.1% (7-35).


- After five straight games without a power play goal the Americans have had one power play goal in both games against Wichita. Allen is 2-10 (20%) on the power play this weekend. Hopefully they can keep that streak going today.


- It is imperative Allen gets off to a better start this afternoon. They have fallen behind 2-0 in the first two games and still earned three of four points. They won't get away with that today, playing the third game in 48 hours and being on the road.


- I haven't confirmed this but the plan was Tyler Sheehy would not play today because of the injury he sustained on Friday and Regan Nagy will be back in the lineup.


OTHER COMMENTS

- Allen has now played one third (12 games) of their home schedule for the season and have averaged 3801 in attendance per game. The Americans will spend most of the remaining games in 2019 on the road. They have 17 games left before the New Year with 13 of them on the road.


- Allen and Tulsa have played the most home games (12) and at the other end of the spectrum are Toledo and South Carolina who have only played five home games thus far. 


- Allen, Rapid City and South Carolina are tied at the top of the ECHL standings with 26 points but have very different winning percentages because of total games played. Here is the comparison:

.867 - South Carolina
.765 - Allen
.684 - Rapid City


- Allen's average penalty minutes per game has once again fallen below 10 minutes. Three teams are averaging less then 10 PIMS per game:

8.69 - Indy Fuel
9.75 - Wheeling Nailers
9.76 - Allen Americans



DID YOU KNOW: How unique are Allen's penalty minute numbers this season. Here are the average penalty minutes per game for each season since Allen joined the ECHL:

2019-20:   9.76
2018-19:   22.10
2017-18:   19.60
2016-17:   19.89
2015-16:   16.51
2014-15:   22.83

Allen Sets Shot Record, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Steve Martinson's Post Game Comments, Rematch Preview and More

The Allen Americans defeated the Wichita Thunder last night 7-3 before a sparse Friday night crowd of 3125 at the Allen Event Center. It is that time of year when high school football playoffs conflict with hockey and the Allen Eagles were playing Rockwall at AT&T Stadium. Allen was upset 60-59 on a touchdown and two point conversion with 1:23 remaining in the game.

- The evening didn't start out very well for the Americans as they gave up two goals in the first 8:10 of the game. To make matters worse Wichita's first goal was scored by Jason Salvaggio who Allen recently traded to the Thunder. Despite trailing 2-0 the Americans had numerous quality scoring chances and were able to close the gap to 2-1 at the end of the first period.


- The second and third periods were owned by Allen as they put up a total of 45 shots to 22 for Wichita and out scored the Thunder 6-1. The final score was 7-3 and in the process the Americans had the highest shot total (58) since joining the ECHL in 2014.


- Goal scorers for Allen were Jordan Topping (5), Stepan Falkovsky (3), Gabe Gagne (8), Josh Brittain (1), Olivier Archambault (6), Brett Pollock (6), Alex Guptill (5).


- Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/americans-explode-in-the-third-and-bury-thunder/


- Here is the game recap issued by the Wichita Thunder:  https://www.wichitathunder.com/news/press-release/third-period-pushes-allen-past-thunder.html


- Here are the video highlights of all of the goals and numerous great saves by both goalies:

STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

"Brad Bombardir, Director of Player Development for the Minnesota Wild was here tonight so it was a good night for guys to play well."

"It was a little bit of a scary start and I wasn't expecting that when we got down 2-0. We got the next goal to make it 2-1 and had a nice start in the second period."

"We could have easily had 10 goals. We had numerous quality scoring chances. Then we had our two best 2 -on-1 guys going in from the red line with a lot of time and we take a too many men on the ice penalty."

"The 58 shots tonight comes from the depth we have. All 10 forwards have a history of scoring and we have a lot of guys willing to go to the net."

"I re-signed Ben Owen today because we are going to lose another defenseman to Iowa tonight. Ben will be in the lineup tomorrow. Zach Sawchenko will be in goal and Josh Lammon will be back in the lineup. I will probably rest Josh Brittain. He looked good tonight but he just started practicing so I don't want to play him three games in a row.


OTHER COMMENTS

- The Americans finally scored a power play goal going 1-4. They raised their power play percentage to 10.0% (6-60) and moved ahead of Florida for the worst power play percentage in the ECHL.


- Allen won the game despite giving up the first two goals. Allen is 8-1 when scoring first but their record is pretty good when they give up the first goal of the game. The Americans are now 4-2-1-0 when they give up the first goal.


- Jake Paterson got the win last night and improved his record to 7-1-1. Jake's save percentage is now at .906. He has played much better than his save percentage indicates. If you exclude the one game when Jake relieved Dereck Baribeau after he was injured early in the game his save percentage is .930.


- It is a big departure from the past but the Allen Americans are the least penalized team in the Mountain Division. With 162 penalty minutes they are the only team in the division with less than 200 penalty minutes. Taking fewer penalties has been a winning formula thus far as the Americans lead the ECHL in points (25) and are #2 in winning percentage (.781).


- As of this morning Allen has four free agent defensemen in Iowa (Atkinson, Register, Lancaster, Ottenbreit) plus one of the Wild's contracted defensemen, Nick Boka, who has been in Allen is heading back to Iowa today.


- One of Allen's keys to success has been balanced scoring. Last night seven different players scored goals. The Americans have just one player in the top 42 in goals scored (Gabe Gagne with 8 goals). However, Allen has six other players with five or six goals. Depth is the key to winning in the ECHL and the Americans have great depth this season.



ALLEN VS WICHITA GAME TWO PREVIEW

- The hope for the rematch tonight is more of the same from the Americans. After a season high seven goals last night, Allen is ranked #8 in average goals scored (3.50). The defense and goaltending has been solid all season with the exception of one game when they allowed 10 goals. In their other 15 games the Americans have allowed an average of 2.27 goals per game.


- A better start will be a key tonight. While Allen had plenty of early opportunities to score last night they didn't capitalize and fell behind 2-0. They need to turn that around tonight.


- The power play scored a goal last night and stopped a 0-24 drought. They still need to get more pucks on the net on the power play.


- A big crowd is expected tonight for the annual "Teddy Bear Toss" game. It should be a great game.   



DID YOU KNOW: The 58 shots last night was the most shots on goal since Allen joined the ECHL. The only game I could find that was close was November 27, 2014 in Tulsa against the Oilers. Allen out shot Tulsa 56-30 and won the game 5-4 in a shootout. That shootout was a who's who of Allen players from the past. Jack Combs went first and missed. The next three shooters for Allen all scored to secure the victory. The next three shooters in order were Gary Steffes, Chad Costello and Greger Hanson.

Allen vs Wichita Preview, The Rivalry, Roster Update, Historical Shooting Percentage Leaders and More

The Allen Americans take on the Wichita Thunder tonight for the first of 12 times they will meet this season. The teams will play three games this weekend in less than 48 hours, Friday and Saturday in Allen and in Wichita on Sunday afternoon. Three games in three days is always a challenge. Throw in a six hour bus ride and playing the same team all three games and it will be quite the weekend.  


- Playing Wichita always brings up talk of rivalry and for my money this is easily the biggest rivalry for the Allen Americans. In the CHL days the two teams played a similar style which meant plenty of fisticuffs.  The Wichita rivalry was solidified in the dramatic game seven in 2013 CHL playoff finals when Allen came back from a two goal deficit late in the third period and won the championship in overtime.


- The other factor that contributed to this rivalry was team ownership. For several years both teams were owned (along with Tulsa) by the same ownership group, which happened to be based in Wichita. There was always a sense of Allen being the ugly step child to the favorite child in Wichita. Even if it was not intended, Allen felt like outcasts and the ugly duckling of the group who was not supported in the same way as the team in Wichita. It all made for an interesting dynamic and to this day beating Wichita comes with a little extra satisfaction.


 - It hasn't been much of a rivalry since the teams joined the ECHL as the Americans have dominated the Thunder with a record of 38-12-1-2.  Allen's record since joining the ECHL in 2014 includes two Kelly Cups and an overall regular season record of 208-128-24-14. Wichita has missed the playoffs in four of the last five seasons and lost in the first round the one time they made the playoffs. Wichita's regular season record since joining the ECHL is 142-181-33-19.


-  Maybe the most important thing to keep in mind as the Americans take on Wichita tonight in the first of 12 meetings between these teams this season is past is not prologue. Things have changed in Wichita this season with a new coach (Bruce Ramsay) and the team has gotten off to a good start (8-4-3-0). In the last 10 games Wichita has a record of 7-2-0-1 which only trails Allen (8-1-1-0) for the best record in the Mountain Division over the last 10 games.


- Veteran Josh Brittain, who played for Allen in 2016-17, will make his debut for Allen this weekend. Coach Martinson signed Josh, who was the third round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in the 2008 NHL draft, to bring a combination of skill and toughness to the team. The 6'5" 227 pound center/forward will be a welcome addition to the lineup against Wichita. Here is an interview Tommy Daniels did with Josh yesterday:

- Special teams will be a key against Wichita. Both teams have struggled mightily on the power play. Allen has the worst power play percentage in the ECHL at 8.9% (5-56) and it is even worse at home, 7.7% (3-39). Wichita's road power play is even more anemic at 3.7% (1-27). If either one of these teams can score a power play goal tonight it will be a big boost to winning the game.


- Both teams are close when it comes to penalty kill percentage. Allen at home is 79.5% (8-39). Wichita on the road is 80.6% (6-31).


- Scoring the first goal will more than likely determine the winner tonight. Allen and Wichita have a combined record when scoring first of 14-2. Allen is 8-1 and Wichita is 6-1.


- If any of the games in this series go to overtime the advantage will go to Allen. The Americans are 5-1 in overtime games, Wichita is 1-3.



OTHER COMMENTS

- Goalie Dereck Bairbeau has been recalled to Iowa by the Minnesota Wild. Coach Martinson's move to add a third top line goalie (Zach Sawchenko) was made for situations like this. Look for both Jake Paterson and Sawchenko to play this weekend.


- A reminder, if you are looking for some Allen Americans gear for yourself or holiday gifts,  stop by the team store for "Black Friday" deals. Today (11/22) and Saturday (11/23) there will be deep discounts throughout the store from noon until the end of the game.


- Happy birthday to Spencer Asuchak who turns 28 today. The all-time leader in career games played for Allen is in his seventh season with the Americans. Spencer leads the team in points this season with 15 (5G, 10A).


- Here is the "ECHL Today" which previews the 11 games in the ECHL tonight:  https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/11/echl-today-nov-22


- Even though Les Lancaster played in only 12 games for Allen before being loaned to Iowa (AHL) he is still tied for the league lead in assists for defensemen with 12. It would be a big help to Allen if Iowa would sign the rookie to an AHL deal. Otherwise the Americans risk losing the high scoring Lancaster to another AHL team if he is returned to Allen.




DID YOU KNOW: Spencer Asuchak has scored on 26.3% of his shots this season (5-19). Made me wonder who were the leaders in the past. Here are the team leaders in shooting percentage by year (minimum of 100 shots).

2018-19: Zach Pochiro -  15.4%
2017-18: Alex Guptill - 16.5%
2016-17: Bryan Moore - 17.5%
2015-16: Chris Crane - 17.1%
2014-15: Gary Steffes - 19.2%
2013-14: Alex Lavoie - 14.9%
2012-13: Anthony Maiani - 15.0%
2011-12: Bruce Graham - 12.9%
2010-11: Bruce Graham - 16.5%
2009-10: Tobias Whelan - 15.8%

Allen Wins, Game Recap, Lee Hastings & Spencer Asuchak Milestones, Black Friday Team Store Deals and More

The Allen Americans improved their record to 11-3-1-0 yesterday with a 4-2 win over Kansas City as the Mavericks held their annual "Kids Day Game." The win moved the Americans to #1 in the ECHL in points (23) and improved their winning percentage to .767 which is #2 behind South Carolina (.917).


- The early puck drop (10:35 am) didn't bother the Americans as they scored two first period goals and never trailed in the game. However, Kansas City closed the gap to 2-1 in the second period and 3-2 in the third period and the game wasn't decided until Josh Lammon scored an empty net goal with 15 seconds remaining in the game.


- The goal scorers for Allen were Alex Guptill (4), Tyler Sheehy (5), Gabriel Gagne (7) and Lammon (1).


- Here is the game recap issued by the Kansas City Mavericks:  https://www.kcmavericks.com/en/news/mavericks-welcome-thousands-of-students-for-annual-kids-day-game


- Here is the game recap issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-win-first-meeting-of-the-season-with-kc/


- If you haven't seen the video highlights you can find them here, scroll down the page until you get to video highlights:  https://www.kcmavericks.com/#tab_statistics-players-leaders=forwards&tab_standings-groups-leaders-conference-eastern=conference&tab_standings-groups-leaders-conference-western=mountain&tab_standings-groups-leaders=western


- Allen's power play was 0-3 against the Mavericks and to make matters worse gave up a shorthanded goal. The Americans power play is now the worst in the ECHL at 8.9%. They have scored five power play goals in 56 opportunities. You can be assured this will be a point of emphasis at practice this week as it is every week.


- Gabe Gagne had the game winning goal for the fourth time in the 13 games he has played. He leads the ECHL in game winning goals.


- Alex Guptill had a goal and assist in the game and improved his team leading plus/minus to +12. His +12 is the second best plus/minus in the ECHL.


- Allen scored first against the Mavericks which they have done in nine of their 15 games. The Americans record in the nine games they scored first in now 8-1.



OTHER COMMENTS


- Lee Hastings, PA Announcer for the Allen Americans, hit quite a milestone while I was on my trip. Lee announced his 1000 pro hockey game. He was the announcer for the Wichita Thunder before moving to Dallas in in 2005. He has been with the Americans since the beginning of the franchise. Congrats to Lee, the best in the business.


- Another milestone while I was away was Spencer Asuchak taking over the career goals scored lead from Chad Costello and Greger Hanson who were tied for the lead at 98. Spencer is now on top with 100 goals. Of course, Asuchak sets a new record for games played each and every game. His record is now at 317 games which is 70 games more than second place.


- If you are looking for some Allen Americans gear for yourself or holiday gifts stop by the team store for "Black Friday" deals. On Friday (11/22) and Saturday (11/23) there will be deep discounts  throughout the store from noon until the end of the game.


DID YOU KNOW: The Allen power play percentage for each season since joining the ECHL.

Power Play Percentage
8.9%     2019-20 (through 15 games) 
16.7%   2018-19
17.1%   2017-18
24.4%   2016-17
21.1%   2015-16
21.9%   2014-15

  

Barry the Blogger Returns, Allen's Great Start, Roster Update, Concerns, Cautions, Former Player Updates and the Youngest Team in the ECHL

We arrived home yesterday afternoon from our trip to South Korea and Japan and as you might expect trying to adapt to a 15 hour time change had me up early (1:30 am) so what a better time to write a blog. I had a chance to catch parts of some of the Allen games while we were gone as the games were on in the morning and we were taking the bullet train which had great wifi.


- One of the best parts of our trip was the timing as November was peak season for fall colors. Both South Korea and Japan have plenty  of maple trees and to see the reds and yellows in mountainous terrain was spectacular. The weather was great (lows in the upper 40's, highs in the upper 60's) and we had just one day of rain for about 30 minutes. We were visiting a pearl oyster farmer at the time so it seemed appropriate. Here are a couple of photos Nancy took:

- I won't bore you with all of the highlights but during our three week trip we were able to talk to an 86 year old Korean War veteran, a 29 year old North Korean defector/refugee, the head of the famous Baby Box for abandoned babies in Seoul and an 88 year old survivor of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, Japan. They were all profound, captivating, provocative, thought provoking and educational conversations. 


- There was also plenty of  temples, shrines, museums, castles and shopping.


ALLEN'S GREAT START

- Here is my take on what I saw in the stats this morning when I took a long look. Needless to say the Americans are off to a great start with a record of 10-3-1-0 and a winning percentage of .750 which is #2 in the ECHL.


- Allen already has 10 wins in 14 games. Last season the Americans didn't get their 10th win until January 11.


- Based on their 14 games played, which is 20% of the season, Allen is on pace to have 108 points. That would be the second best year over year turnaround in the history of the ECHL, a 52 point increase over last season when Allen finished with 56 points. It is not likely the Americans can keep up their current pace when you consider since Allen joined the ECHL in 2014-15 only three teams have finished the regular season with a winning percentage of .750+.


WHAT ALLEN IS DOING WELL

- The team has proven to be real good under pressure. Allen has earned 11 of their 21 points from overtime games. They have the best overtime record in the league at 5-1.


- The Americans have the best record in the league when trailing after two periods at 4-2. The leaguewide record when trailing after two periods is 25-108-8-2.


- Allen is 7-1 when scoring first. Only two ECHL teams have a better record when scoring first than Allen.


- Allen is #6 in average goals allowed at 2.79 per game but this stat is skewed by one game when Allen gave up 10 goals. If you eliminate that one game the Americans are allowing an average of 2.23 goals per game.


- Allen's goalies are playing great. The team save percentage is .916 which is the fourth best in the league. If you take out that 10 goal game the team save percentage is a lofty .939 which would be the best in the league.


- The Americans have cut way down on penalties this season and are ranked #25 averaging 10.07 penalty minutes per game. Last season they led the league averaging 23.49 minutes per game. Allen has three major penalties and no 10 minute misconduct, game misconduct or match penalties. No other team in the ECHL has fewer.


CONCERNS AND CAUTIONS

- Allen has had a home heavy schedule the first six weeks of the season. After this weekend they will have already played one third of their home schedule for the entire season. Starting on Sunday in Wichita the Americans schedule through the end of December will have 13 road games and just four home games. Allen is 2-1-1-0 in their four road games thus far and have historically been a good road team. To keep the season going the way it has gone thus far will require playing well on the road.


- Allen has a great record despite a dismal power play. They are ranked #25 in power play percentage at 9.4%. The power play is just 5-53. If the Americans can get the power play percentage to average (18%) they will be hard to beat.


THE ROSTER

- You can't accuse Steve Martinson of standing pat despite the good start to the season. Allen has already used 30 players if you count Josh Brittain who was just signed. There is always a risk when you move high end veteran players like Mike Hedden and Shawn O'Donnell who are counted on for production and leadership.


- The acquisition of Jared VanWormer was a key move by coach Martinson to go along with all of the young talent from Iowa and players Martinson signed in the off season. You have to think VanWormer influenced the recent signing of forward Corey Durocher as they played on the same line in Kansas City.


- The movement of players to and from the AHL is always important as the season progresses and injuries mount up. Allen has four players on AHL PTO's. Jake Doty is in Ontario while Les Lancaster, Matt Register and Josh Atkinson are in Iowa.


- Martinson did some great work in getting goalie Zach Sawchenko assigned to Allen by San Jose. There were several issues that had to be dealt with behind the scenes. In addition, carrying three goalies presents problems if everyone stays healthy and nobody gets called up to the AHL. After Allen struggled last year with goalie injuries and call ups, Martinson made the decision to go with three goalies. Sawchenko has been lights out in his four start for Allen with a GAA of 1.77 and save percentage of .946. Zach is two minutes shy of qualifying for the leaguewide stats but with his next start will qualify. His GAA and save percentage would be #2 in the ECHL if he had played just two more minutes.     


FORMER PLAYERS

- Casey Pierro-Zabotel leads Adirondack in goals (4).

- Chase Lang leads Jacksonville in goals (6) and points (11).

- Braylon Shmyr was just waived by Norfolk and claimed by Jacksonville

- Mike Hedden has seven points (1G, 6A) in four games since being claimed by Jacksonville. He had a goal and four assists in one game.

- Miles Liberati is Tulsa's second leading scorer with 11 points (4G, 7A) in 13 games.

- Chris Crane leads Wichita in goals (9) and points (14).

- Dante Salituro, after a brief stint in Finland is now playing for the Indy Fuel.



DID YOU KNOW: As of this morning the website eliteprospects.com shows Allen as the youngest team in the ECHL with an average age of 23.64. With such a young team, the Americans should only get better as the season progresses. FYI, the oldest team in the league is Toledo at 26.32.