Allen vs Wichita Preview, AHL to Start February 5, Allen's Last Goalie of the Week and More

 

A rivalry born in the days of the Central Hockey League (CHL) and solidified when the Allen Americans came from behind in a game seven overtime win in the 2013 CHL championship final. There is nothing that matches the rivalry between the Allen Americans and Wichita Thunder. Two teams that play a similar style which always involves physical play will take on each other three times in just over 48 hours. Game one is tonight at the Allen Event Center with a 6:05 pm CST puck drop. The teams will head to Wichita after the game tonight where they will play on Friday and Saturday.

 

- This rivalry has sustained itself despite Allen dominating on the ice since these teams joined the ECHL in 2014. From line brawls to pregame fisticuffs this rivalry has had it all.  Allen's ECHL record against the Thunder is 42-15-7-5. Last season the Americans record against Wichita was 8-1-3-0. Allen has two Kelly Cup championships while Wichita has only made the playoffs once since 2015.  

- What has happened in the past doesn't predict much about this season. Both teams will bring to this series a combination of skill, toughness and outstanding goaltending which should make for very entertaining hockey. Both teams are playing well. Allen is on a four game winning streak during which they have outscored their opponents 17-6. Wichita is one of only two ECHL teams (Indy the other) that are still undefeated. Wichita has only played two game thus far (both on the road) beating Tulsa (3-2) on December 11 in a shootout and Kansas City (3-1) last Saturday. The bottom line is this three game series will be a good test for both teams.

- As always special teams will play a big part in this series. You can expect there will be plenty of power play opportunities for both teams if the games goes as normal. The last time these teams played (February 29, 2020) there were 15 penalties, 47 penalty minutes, 10 power plays and five power play goals. Allen won the game 6-2 and out shot Wichita 52-19 with both Thunder goals coming on the power play. 

The Americans have not had a good start on special teams. After five games the power play is 2-18 (11.1%) and ranked #10 of 13. The penalty kill is 3-16 (81.3%) and ranked #11 of 13. With only two games played Wichita has had excellent special teams play going 1-5 (20.0%) on the power play and are perfect on the penalty kill (0-5). 

Special teams was the focus at practice yesterday and coach Martinson said he liked the way the power play units worked in practice. 

 

- If you are attending the game tonight you might pay attention to how much communication you hear between the players on the ice. Coach Martinson emphasized communication at practice this week and with the small crowd at the game you should be able to hear if there more communication.

 

- The recent games between Allen and Wichita have all been high scoring affairs with the winning team scoring 6+ goals. The last five games between these teams resulted in five wins for the Americans by scores of 6-3, 7-6, 8-5 and 6-2. In the lone Wichita win the score was 6-1. If this trend continues look for a high scoring game tonight. The counter point to a high scoring series against Wichita is the fact that these two teams rank #1 and #2 in the league in team save percentage. Wichita is #1 (.960) and Allen is #2 (.944). Zach Sawchenko leads the league in GAA (1.33) and save percentage (.966) of goalies with more than one game played. 

- The referee scheduled for the game tonight is #29 Logan Gruhl. The linesmen will be #61 Dan Kovachik and #76 Daniel Barnes. Allen fans may recognize Barnes, a former pro player, who played a few games for the Fort Worth Brahmas, Denver Cutthroats, St. Charles Chill and Allen Americans. At 6'3' and a playing weight around 240, Barnes can handle whatever comes his way on the ice. 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- If you haven't seen the press release issued by the AHL yesterday it was short and sweet saying the Board of Governors has approved the "structural framework" for a season that will begin on February 5. No details were provided as they are still being worked out. Some of the rumors are AHL teams will have to decide if they are going to opt out of the season by Monday, the minimum number of games teams will play could be as low as 24 but they would be allowed to play more if they choose and some teams may choose to play out of their practice rink. The focus seems to be try and play this season but don't stretch it out, minimize the damage and make sure the 2021-22 season is a success. There are many moving parts and decisions that have to be made quickly including opt in or out, division alignments, where to play, how many games to play, negotiations with NHL affiliates and COVID testing protocols just to name a few. A lot is going to happen quickly and the impact on ECHL teams remains to be seen.

- The Florida Everblades are a perfect example of how quickly things can change if you lose NHL/AHL contracted players which is an issue many ECHL teams may be dealing with as the NHL and AHL start up. Florida started the season 5-0 outscoring their opponents 25-7. Then they had five NHL contracted players recalled by their NHL affiliate Nashville. Florida has played two games since losing the five contracted players and lost them both while being outscored 12-7. On Monday the Everblades blew a 3-0 lead and lost to Jacksonville 5-3. Last night they took a 2-0 lead against Orlando and ending up losing 7-4. 

 

- The ECHL teams that will be successful this season are those that can adapt to the ever changing issues from COVID to recalls as the season progresses. The old saying, if you are standing still you are going backwards, will be the mantra for 2020-21. Steve Martinson's many years of experience in AA hockey will serve the Allen Americans well as he navigates all the possible outcomes this season. He is always several moves ahead of the crowd and I know he is already lining up players to have maximum flexibility for whatever happens the next few weeks. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Zach Sawchenko was runner-up as Goalie of the Week last week. I talked about it yesterday that in my opinion, based on the numbers, Zach deserved the award. The last time an Allen goalie was selected as the Player of the Week was way back in November of 2016 and to no surprise it was Riley Gill. Riley won back to back Kelly Cups with the Americans in 2014-15 and 2015-16 but his best season statistically was in 2016-17. Gill was Goalie of the Week in back to back weeks (Nov. 28 to Dec. 4 and Dec. 5 to Dec. 11). He was Goalie of the Month in December and was also the ECHL Goalie of the Year. He led the ECHL in save percentage (.935) and shutouts (7) on the way to a record of 32-7-2-0.  

Practice and Roster Update, AHL Return to Play Decision Imminent, Goalie of the Week Thoughts, Road Records and More

 

The Allen Americans were back at practice yesterday preparing for their three game series against Wichita starting tomorrow night at the Allen Event Center. With three games in three days and a 360 mile (one way) bus trip thrown in for good measure, practices will be adjusted according. Yesterday's drills had a lot of emphasis on communication during games and today will have focus on special teams work.

- Here is the updated Allen roster which now has 24 players; two goalies, eight defensemen and 14 forwards. The number of players on the rosters of the 13 ECHL teams currently playing varies from a low of 23 (Florida, Tulsa) to a high of 30 (Orlando).  

Goalies

#31 - C.J. Motte

#34 - Zach Sawchenko

 

Defensemen

#4 - Turner Ottenbreit

#5 - Phil Beaulieu

#7 - Kayle Doetzel

#14 - Les Lancaster 

#20 - Ben Carroll

#23 - Cole Fraser

#25 - Nolan Kneen

#43 - Matt Register

Forwards

#8 - Joe Garreffa

#9 - Braylon Shmyr 

#11 - Kam Kielly

#15 - Corey Mackin

#18 - Jake McGrew

#19 - Alex Lavoie

#22 - Tyler Sheehy    

#26 - Spencer Asuchak

#27 - Sam Laberge

#28 - Jake Gricius

#29 - Jesse Mychan

#40 - Josh Lammon

#44 - Zane Franklin

#71 - Dyson Stevenson

- The AHL Board of Governors meet today with the expectation they will make decisions on the league's return to play. The speculation is the AHL will return to play in early February and have an abbreviated season of around 38-42 games. There is little doubt a return to play decision, that could be announced as early as today after the BOG meeting, will impact ECHL teams that have NHL/AHL contracted players assigned. If you assume an early February start date, back off a couple of weeks for training camp, a week or 10 days to meet COVID protocols before training camp begins and the ECHL could be 10-14 days away from having contracted players recalled. It is all speculation and it doesn't mean all contracted players would be recalled but you have to assume at least some of them will be recalled. Stay tuned!

 

- One thing you can be sure of is that coach Martinson has players lined up to meet whatever might happen with the Allen roster. This season, more than usual, will likely see numerous roster changes in the month of January. Improving the roster, adapting to the NHL taxi squad and the AHL start up will all have general manager Steve Martinson working overtime.

 

- Congrats to Allen forward Jesse Mychan who was selected yesterday as the ECHL Player of the Week for December 21-27. Here is the ECHL press release announcing his selection: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2020/12/allen-mychan-named-inglasco-echl-player-of-the-week  

- This may be a homer opinion and there is no doubt the Florida goalie (Cam Johnson) was deserving of recognition as the ECHL Goaltender of the Week. He had a 27 save shutout which included stopping two penalty shot attempts. Allen's Zach Sawchenko was runner-up but check out his stats. Zach played in two games, gave up two goals and stopped 80 of 82 shots for a save percentage of .976. Seems like Player of the Week should go to the player that was outstanding in more than one game and faced 82 shots and stopped 80. I doubt these awards mean a whole lot to the players and coaches but it makes me wonder if the league doesn't like to give both awards to the same team. In my opinion Sawchenko had the better week, Johnson had an outstanding game. 

- In my ECHL Stats and Information post this morning I looked at the combined road record of the 13 teams currently playing. It was a small sample of 29 games but the road teams have done well with a winning percentage of .534. I was curious whether the smaller crowds allowed this season may be of benefit to the road teams. I looked at last season and the same 13 teams had a road winning percentage of .491 in 403 games. At first blush it looks like smaller crowds this season might benefit road teams. It is far too early to draw that conclusion but will be something to look at as the season progresses. 

 

DID YOU KNOW:  Allen has historically been an outstanding road team. In some seasons they have earned more points on the road than at home. Here is Allen's road record for every season in franchise history.  

 
2019-20:   18-7-4-2
2018-19:   10-21-3-2
2017-18:   16-18-1-1
2016-17:   24-9-2-1
2015-16:   19-14-1-2*
2014-15:   24-8-1-3*
2013-14:   19-12-2*
2012-13:   20-8-5*
2011-12:   19-8-6
2010-11:   23-8-2
2009-10:   19-12-1

*Won championship

    

 

Individual and Team Stats Show Allen's Depth, ECHL Players Head to NHL Training Camps and More

 

I keep writing about the depth of the Allen Americans team and decided to look at the individual and team stats to see how they look just five games into the 2020-21 season. Here goes:

 

INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS AND TEAM STATS

Below are the team leaders in various statistical categories with the league rank in parentheses:

Points:
  6 - Jesse Mychan (5th)
 5 - Corey Mackin (9th)
 5 - Tyler Sheehy (9th)


Goals:
 5 - Jesse Mychan (1st)
 4 - Jake McGrew (3rd)
 2 - Joe Garreffa, Nolan Kneen, Zane Franklin (10th) 


Assists:
 4 - Spencer Asuchak, Kameron Kielly, Corey Mackin, Matt Register, Tyler Sheehy (2nd)


Plus/Minus:
+8 - Turner Ottenbreit, Matt Register (2nd)
+6 - Jake McGrew (4th)
 

Penalty Minutes:
21 - Les Lancaster (3rd)
16 - Zane Franklin (7th)
11 - Cole Fraser (15th) 
 

Shots On Goal:
 23 - Jesse Mychan (1st)
 21 - Jake McGrew (2nd) 
 17 - Matt Register (8th) 


Points by Defensemen
 4 - Matt Register (3rd)
 3 - Nolan Kneen, Les Lancaster, Turner Ottenbreit (4th) 


Goals by Defensemen
 2 - Nolan Kneen (2nd)
 1 - Les Lancaster (3rd)


Assists by Defensemen
 4 - Matt Register (1st)
 3 - Turner Ottenbreit (3rd)
 2 - Les Lancaster (8th)


Save Percentage
.966 - Zach Sawchenko (2nd)
.903 - C.J. Motte (14th)




- 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 among the 13 teams currently playing in the ECHL in some critical statistical categories:

Goal differential:  #2 (+10)
Average PIMS per game:  #5 (13.40)
Power play:  #8 (11.1%)
Penalty kill:  #11 (81.3%)
Ave. goals scored:  #2 (4.00)
Ave. goals against:  #2 (2.00)
Ave. shots for per game:  #2 (35.80)
Ave. shots against per game:  #12 (32.89)
Shooting percentage:  #3 (11.2%)
Team save percentage:  #2 (.944)


- Two stats that standout are average goals scored and allowed. A sign of a good team is one that plays well at both ends of the ice. To be ranked #2 in both categories and averaging 2.00 more goals scored than allowed is outstanding. For comparison last season the differential was +0.83. When Allen won the Kelly Cup in 2014-15 and led the league with an average of 4.06 goals per game they allowed 2.82 goals per game for a differential +1.24. It is only five games into the season and  unrealistic to expect the Americans to maintain the +2.00 goal differential but they are off to a great start.  

 

- It is clear the area in need of the most room for improvement is special teams. If you combine the power play percentage and penalty kill percentage anything above 105% is considered excellent and anything below 100% is needs improvement. Allen's combined percentage is just 92.4%.

- The other standout stat above is the team save percentage of .944 which is #2 in the league. Only Wichita, who has played only two games thus far, is higher at .960. Should be fun watching the goalie play when Allen takes on Wichita Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

 

OTHER COMMENTS

 - Kayle Doetzel, who recently re-signed with the Americans, will be in the lineup this weekend against Wichita. Kayle adds experience to a blue line group that has three rookies and two second year players. Doetzel, a stay at home defenseman, brings toughness in front of the net and locker room leadership to the team. He has more AHL experience (68 games) than Matt Register (41), Turner Ottenbreit (34) and Les Lancaster (9).

 

- The Wichita Thunder announced yesterday the arena capacity for the games against Allen this weekend (January 1,2) has been increased to 15% of capacity. Matt Harding from Team Sin Bin reported that takes maximum attendance from 1400 to 2000.

 

 

- NHL training camps are about to start with a maximum of 36 skaters and unlimited number of goalies attending camp. With a 4-6 player taxi squad in addition to 23 players on the roster it creates more opportunity at the NHL level. The exodus from the ECHL has started. Here are the players assigned to ECHL teams that are heading to NHL training camps.

- Nashville recalled five NHL contracted forwards from Florida

Patrick Harper (was leading ECHL with nine points (5G, 4A) in five games

Tanner Jeannot

Cole Smith

Josh Wilkins

Thomas Novak

 

- Boston recalled goalie Callum Booth from Jacksonville 

 

- Washington recalled goalie Zach Fucale from South Carolina 

 

- Calgary was loaned goalie Garret Sparks by Orlando

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW:  It is fascinating to look at the Allen Americans history and compare average goals scored per game. Would you be surprised to know the most prolific goal scoring team in Allen history lost in the third round of the playoffs and the teams with two of the lowest average goals per game in franchise history won the championship? Here are the average goals per game for each team in Allen history with their playoff results in parentheses:

2009-10:   3.28 (lost in finals)
2010-11:   4.20 (lost in third round)
2011-12:   3.21 (lost in first round)
2012-13:   3.18 (won championship)
2013-14:   3.77 (won championship)
2014-15:   4.05 (won championship
2015-16:   3.08 (won championship)
2016-17:   4.08 (lost in second round)
2017-18:   3.26 (lost in first round)
2018-19:   2.89 (missed playoffs)

2019-20:   3.98 (season canceled)

2020-21:   4.00 (thru 5 games)

Allen Wins Fourth Straight, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Allen's PIMS History and More

The Allen Americans extended their winning streak to four games Sunday night with a 5-1 win over the Tulsa Oilers before a crowd of 1797 at the Allen Event Center (AEC). The game had many similarities to the Americans 4-1 win over Tulsa on Saturday night. Allen scored first and had a 1-0 lead after the opening period both nights, they won both games by a comfortable margin and it took outstanding goaltending by Zach Zawchenko, the #1 star in both games, to secure the win.

 

- You would be hard pressed to believe you could give up 47 shots on goal including 23 in the third period, go 0-4 on the power play, give up a power play goal and win the game 5-1. You do it by having the best statistical goalie in the league stop 46 of 47 Tulsa shots for a save percentage of .979. Zach Sawchenko has been the difference maker.

 

- The offensive talent and depth of the Americans is hard to deny. Allen is #2 in the ECHL averaging 4.00 goals per game. When you consider the Americans have scored 20 goals in five games and 10 different players have a goal it shows plenty of depth. Even more amazing is Matt Register, Spencer Asuchak and Alex Lavoie are not one of the 10 players that have scored a goal but they are at the top of the team in assists. 

 

- Allen has struggled on special teams with a power play percentage of 11.1% and a penalty kill percentage of just 81.3%. However, at even strength the Americans have excelled outscoring their opponents 18-7. Four players (Mychan, Garreffa, Kneen, Franklin) have shooting percentages above 20% which is outstanding.

 

- Five games into the season Jesse Mychan leads the team in points with six but there are 14 players with three or more points. Again, an indication of the depth on this team.

 

- There were five different goal scorers last night, Jake McGrew (4), Nolan Kneen (2), Zane Franklin (2), Corey Mackin (1), and Jesse Mychan (5). Here are the video highlights:

 

- Allen Americans game recap: https://allenamericans.com/media/americans-sweep-the-oilers-after-a-5-1-win-on-sunday-evening/  

- Here is the game recap issued by the Tulsa Oilers:  https://www.tulsaoilers.com/strong-second-period-helps-americans-top-oilers/

 

- The Americans are off until Thursday when they start a three games in three days against Wichita. New Year's Eve they play at the AEC and then head to Wichita for games on January 1 and 2. The players have today off but will be back at practice on Tuesday and Wednesday. You can bet plenty of time will be devoted to defensive zone coverage and improvements on special teams.

OTHER COMMENTS

- You couldn't find two players with more different playing styles than Bryan Moore and Les Lancaster but in the strange stat of the day they are #1 and #2 in the ECHL in penalty minutes. Moore leads with 29 PIMS followed by Lancaster with 21.

- Three of Allen's five goals last night were scored by rookies. Half of Allen's 20 goals in their five games thus far have been scored by rookies. There are 16 ECHL rookies with three or more points and five of them play for the Americans. Three of the top seven in rookie scoring play for Allen (McGrew, Garreffa, Kielly). 

- Allen's eight rookies are making an impact and will be a big part of Allen's success this season. The unknown is how many of them will be playing in the AHL after that league gets going. Here are some rookie stats. Jake McGrew is #1 among ECHL rookies in plus/minus (+6) and #2 in goals scored by rookies. Jake has four goals in five games. Kameron Kielly is #1 in rookie assists (4) and Zane Franklin leads all rookies in penalty minutes (16) and is #2 in shooting percentage (40%). 

- The AHL return to play committee met over the weekend and the full AHL Board of Governors is scheduled to meet on Wednesday. Later this week it could be known how and when the AHL plans to move forward. Here is a great article by Patrick Williams and Elite Prospects Rinkside that talks in detail about all of the AHL start up issues: https://eprinkside.com/2020/12/24/around-the-ahl-the-nhls-top-developmental-league-fights-to-save-its-season

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: After 54 games played the average penalty minutes per game in the ECHL this season is 13.70 ranging from 18.80 (Florida) to 7.00 (Utah). As a comparison last season the ECHL average was 12.87 minutes ranging from 16.84 (Fort Wayne) to 8.51 (Wheeling). Here is Allen's average penalty minutes per game since joining the ECHL. Total penalty minutes and ECHL rank are in parenthesis:

13.40 - 2020-21  (67, #6)

12.02 - 2019-20  (745, #18)

23.49 - 2018-19  (1691, #1)

19.60 - 2017-18  (1411, #1)

19.89 - 2016-17  (1432, #1)

16.51 - 2015-16  (1189, #5)*

22.83 - 2014-15  (1644, #1)*

*Won Kelly Cup

 

Allen Wins Third Straight, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Rematch Preview, Steve Martinson's Coaching History and More

 The Allen Americans avenged their only loss of the season with a 4-1 win over the Tulsa Oilers last night before a crowd of 1912 at the Allen Event Center (AEC). The Americans improved their record to 3-1-0-0 and sit atop the Mountain Division standings with six points. 

- Once again Allen got off to a good start scoring the only goal of the first period when Joe Garreffa found himself all alone with the puck in the slot and made no mistake burying his second goal of the season.

- Tulsa tied the score early in the second period on a power play goal but shortly thereafter started giving Allen gifts. Tulsa tough guy, Mike McKee took three straight minor penalties and it was the turning point of the game. After failing on the first two power play opportunities the Americans cashed in on the third. Jesse Mychan, who McKee had cross-checked in the face for one of his three penalties, got the last laugh scoring a power play goal with 99 seconds left in the second period to give Allen a 2-1 lead.

 

- Tulsa put pressure on Allen in the third period after the Americans took a 3-1 lead but goalie Zach Sawchenko came up big time and time again. Zach stopped all 17 tulsa shots in the third period and for the game stopped 34 of 35 shots for a save percentage of .971. Sawchenko has started two games for the Americans and won them both, allowing just three goals. His GAA is 1.50 and his save percentage is .957. 

 

- Goal scorers for Allen were Joe Garreffa (2), Jake McGrew (3) and Jesse Mychan (3 & 4). Matt Register had two more assists and is now in a four way tie for the most assists in the ECHL with four.

 

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

   

- Game recap issued by the Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/media/americans-make-the-most-of-opportunities-in-4-1-win/

 

- Here is the game recap issued by the Tulsa Oilers:  https://www.tulsaoilers.com/oilers-suffer-first-regulation-loss-at-hands-of-allen/

 

- Allen's power play was 1-4 last night and is now 2-14 (14.3%) on the season. The power play looked good last night creating opportunities even though they only scored once. I look for the power play to breakout soon. 

- It is only four games into the season but the hallmark of this team is its depth. Here is the proof. Allen is second in the ECHL in goals scored with 15. If you look at Allen's individual stats four players are tied for the lead but have just four points. Six players have three points and three players have two points. Many teams say scoring can come from any of the four lines but the Americans stats prove it. 

 

- Three of the top 12 ECHL rookies in scoring are from the Allen Americans (Garreffa. McGrew, Kielly).

- Three of the top nine ECHL defensemen in scoring are from the Allen Americans (Register, Lancaster, Ottenbreit).

 

- Here is a post game interview Tommy Daniels conducted with Jesse Mychan;

 

 

 

REMATCH PREVIEW

- More of the same would be the key to victory in the rematch tonight. Allen had a good start, scored first, out shot Tulsa for most of the game, had great goalie play and scored a power play goal.  

- On the downside was giving up 17 third period shots including several grade A opportunities. Allen didn't surrender any third period goals because of the play of Zach Sawchenko. The penalty kill was okay (1-3) and is only 84.6% (2-13) on the season. Two areas to improve upon tonight. 

 

- The referee tonight will be #4 Sean MacFarlane who was also the referee last night.

 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- South Carolina goalie Zach Fucale was recalled by the Washington Capitals yesterday. This was the first of what could be a series of NHL/AHL contracted players currently assigned to ECHL teams being recalled to attend NHL camps. With NHL teams being required to carry three goalies this season they will be the most likely to get recalled.

 

- Three ECHL teams still remain undefeated. Florida is 5-0, Indy 4-0 and Wichita is 2-0. Florida continues to be the class of the league. In five games the Everblades have scored 25 goals and allowed just seven. They are #1 in average goals scored (5.00) and also #1 in average goals allowed (1.40). 

 

- There are just three ECHL games scheduled today with Allen the only one playing a night game. Greenville is at South Carolina (3:05 pm EST), Indy is at Wheeling (4:10 pm EST) and Tulsa is at Allen (7:05 pm CST). 

 

 

- Saturday night COVID restricted ECHL attendance with season average in parenthesis:

3915 - Florida (3527)

2210 - Greenville (1921)

2169 - Kansas City (2169)

1912 - Allen (1942)

1636 - Indy (1874)

 

ECHL average last night was 2368. After 24 games the overall average is 2340.

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Steve Martinson has coached in four leagues during his 25 year coaching career. He has won championship in all of them:

 

Taylor Cup - won five championships with the San Diego Gulls (West Coast Hockey League)

Colonial Cup - won once in three seasons with the Rockford IceHogs (United Hockey League)

Presidents' Cup - won twice in two seasons with Allen Americans (Central Hockey League)

Kelly Cup - won two Kelly Cups with the Allen Americans (ECHL) 

 

Allen vs Tulsa Preview, Americans Re-Sign Kayle Doetzel, Top Line Center on the Way and More

 

The Tulsa Oilers are in town to take on the Allen Americans tonight and Sunday. The game tonight will be Tulsa's first since they beat the Americans 4-3 at the BOK Center on December 12. The Oilers had two games against Utah postponed last weekend because of the COVID safety protocols and haven't played a game in 14 days. 

 

- Allen enters the two game series with Tulsa on a two game winning streak, leading the Mountain Division teams with four points and a record of 2-1-0-0. The Oilers, with a record of 1-0-0-1, are in second place with three points. 

 

- What you can expect from Tulsa is a team that always takes a lot of shots. Tulsa is one of the best teams in the league in shots on goal. Last season they were #1 in average shots per game (36.59) and they are #1 thus far in 2020-21 averaging 38.00 shots over their first two games. The last five times Allen has played Tulsa they have been out shot. The Americans have given up 35+ shots in nine of the last 11 games against the Oilers going back to the beginning of the 2019-20 season. 

 

- The good news for the Americans is after three games they are ranked #2 in average shots per game (36.00) just behind Tulsa. If the Americans expect to win tonight they will have to keep the shot differential close.

 

- Special teams will be another key to the games against Tulsa. Both teams have struggled thus far on the power play though they have had limited chances. Allen is 1-10 (10.0%) and Tulsa is 0-5 (0.0%). 

- Defenseman Kayle Doetzel has re-signed with the Americans and is eligible to play tonight but it remains to be seen if he will be in the lineup. Coach Martinson has also come to terms with a top line center who is expected to be with the Americans when they travel to Rapid City for games on January 6, 8 & 9. 

 

- Here is the game preview issued by the Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/news/press-release/americans-open-a-two-game-weekend-series-against-tulsa-tonight/

OTHER COMMENTS

- Some NHL training camps start as soon as Thursday with all camps starting by January 3. If NHL/AHL contracted players currently assigned to ECHL teams get recalled to attend NHL camps you should see those transactions showing up as early as today.

 

- There are meetings this weekend on the AHL return to play effort and a Board of Governors (BOG) meeting is scheduled midweek. There is a chance announcements on the AHL return to play procedures could be made after the BOG meeting. One big question will be the plans for teams that can't have fans in attendance or the number of fans allowed is extremely limited. How and when will AHL teams opt out of the 2020-21 season? Needless to say, how the AHL moves forward will impact the ECHL so something to keep an eye on this week. 

 

- There are five ECHL games on tap tonight and the teams are staying close to home, playing opponents in their geographical area. Here is approximately how far the visiting teams have traveled to play tonight:

200 miles - South Carolina at Greenville

200 miles - Wichita at Kansas City

230 miles - Tulsa at Allen

300 miles -  Wheeling at Indy

300 miles - Jacksonville at Florida

The short distances won't last long for Allen. In a couple of weeks the Americans will take the long 1100 mile trek to play Rapid City. 

- Here is ECHL Today with a game preview of all five games being played tonight:  https://www.echl.com/en/news/2020/12/echl-today-dec-26

 

DID YOU KNOW: In 2010-11 Chad Costello, Jack Combs and Gary Steffes were teammates on the Tulsa Oilers. Chad led the team in scoring with 84 points (34G, 50A), Jack was second with 82 points (40G, 42A). Gary was a rookie that season and had 43 points (19G, 24A). Tulsa lost to Bossier-Shreveport in the second round of the playoffs and Allen lost to Bossier-Shreveport (the eventual champions) in the third round of the playoffs. 

   

 

A Christmas Message From Barry the Blogger

On this special day of love, compassion and hope, I want to say Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to all from Barry the Blogger. This Christmas is like no other for so many dealing with the death of friends and relatives, illness, loss of jobs and economic devastation. This pandemic is so widespread we all know someone who has died or gotten seriously ill from COVID. I lost my first cousin and a neighbor is still trying to recover after weeks in the hospital.  It will be difficult for many to have empty chairs at Christmas dinner, some will be filled next year but sadly some will never be filled again. More than ever we should appreciate every moment we have together with family, even if it happens to not be in person this year. 

 

- My thoughts are also with those in the military, first responders, health care workers and essential workers who will be working today. Our daughter, Erin, is a RN at Parkland Hospital and we are doubly blessed as she has the day off (she gets every other Christmas off) and she received her first COVID vaccination last week on the second day they were available. 

 - To say it has been a strange 2020 for the Allen Americans would be a gross understatement. With the team trying to isolate themselves as much as possible because of COVID, covering the team and providing the latest information has been a challenge. It goes without saying the access I have been given by Steve Martinson is what is unique about the blog. Between his duties as a coach, general manager and a dad he is very busy. Whether early in the morning or late at night he is always willing to return a phone call, answer questions and share information on and off the record. And he does this win or lose. 

 

 - Finally, thanks to all of you for your support over the years. The blog is a labor of love with the sole purpose of sharing information with you. A special thank you to those that take the time to acknowledge what I write each day. It probably talks to my insecurities but a like, a share or a comment on Facebook, a retweet, a quote tweet, a like or a comment on Twitter is like a pat on the back. The emails, text messages and comments are all read with great interest and much appreciation.

-  In closing I can speak for myself that the pandemic has created uncertainties, fears and anxiety but it has also provided the opportunity for growth, empathy and positive change. We are all capable, resilient and through hope, strength and caring for others we will get thorough this stronger and better. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

A Visit to the Allen Americans Video Archives - Guaranteed to Make You Smile

 

I thought today would be a good day to have some fun with the blog by looking back into the video archives and find a few of the favorites that are guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Just sit back and enjoy the personalities of players from the past and the creativity of the game operations staff. Whether you have watched these videos a bunch of times or never seen them they will make you smile. 

 

- The most popular video ever produced by the Allen Americans, starring Bryan Moore. This video currently has 6,257,869 YouTube views:

  

 

- This one from 2013 is appropriately called, "Smile"  

- Poking fun at long time rival Mavericks, "Santa's Naughty and Nice List"

- The lip sync battle series produced a lot of great videos. Here is Jame Schaafsma - Stay

- Jamie took on Ice Angel Julia in his lip sync battle. Here is her video:

 

- By far the most viewed of the lip sync videos was the Garrett Klotz's "Wrecking Ball"

- Klotz also did this video to Wrecking Ball. Tom Manning from game ops was playing the Denver player and produced this video. He told Klotz to make the hit "real" which was a mistake if you know Garrett Klotz. He destroyed Manning.

- A new game on one of those long Big Red bus trips:

 

 

- Darryl Bootland and Jamie Schaafsma - Hashtags

- The famous Martinson vs McCelland flex-off during game two of the 2013 CHL finals against Wichita on the way to Allen winning their first championship.

- Jarret Lukin's 2012 video of the Americans bus breakdown 10 minutes after they left the Allen Event Center on an 18-20 hour drive to Arizona. 

- Players reading mean tweets:

 

 

- No better way to end than my favorite video all-time from the Allen Americans. Always puts me in  a better mood and I have watched this dozens of times.

Americans Trade Co-Captain, NHL Changes Offside Rule, ECHL COVID Testing Protocol, AHL Season Start Up, Allen Captains and More

 

Allen traded co-captain Jared VanWormer to the Jacksonville IceMen yesterday for future considerations. The hardworking forward was acquired by Allen in a trade with Norfolk at the beginning of last season. He has played 57 games for the Americans and scored 38 points (23G, 15A). It has to be a difficult choice to trade a player that wears a "C" and is known for his hard work and always playing the game the right way. I am sure there are many factors that go into a trade like this. Coach Martinson has mentioned that after he was assigned all of the contracted players from San Jose and Iowa there was an abundance of wingers on the team who could play center but it wasn't their natural position. Martinson has also told me he expects additional wingers to be assigned by Iowa once the AHL gets going. Last week Martinson waived winger Corey Durocher and signed center Jake Gricius to address this position imbalance. 

 

-  Other factors Martinson would have to consider when making a trade like this is how does the player fit into the current lineup, what are the budget/salary cap considerations and are teams interested in trading for the player. 

- As I mentioned yesterday there is no Christmas freeze on roster changes this season. With so many different scenarios coach Martinson has to plan for, there is no doubt additional changes will take place. Some NHL training camps start a week from tomorrow, talks on the AHL startup are underway, the deadline for players returning from Europe is 10 days away and there are still good AHL/ECHL level free agents still looking for jobs. It all spells change will continue on the Allen roster. 

 

- COVID protocols are another issue ECHL teams deal with every day. So far eight ECHL teams have placed a total of 41 players on the Commissioner's Exempt List. Matt Harding from The Sin Bin recently interviewed ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin and included the discussion they had about the ECHL's COVID testing strategy in his Monday Headlines story. It is clear from Crelin's comments the league is doing everything they can to keep the players safe but it is also clear it is just a matter of time until all 13 teams currently playing will have players on the Commissioner's Exempt list. Here is a link to Matt's story: https://thesinbin.net/monday-headlines-week-2/    

- The NHL announced a change to the offside rule yesterday so a player's skate doesn't have to be on the ice, as long as the skate is in the plane above the blue line the play is onside. Here is a story about the change with some interesting commentary:  https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/2020/12/22/22196378/nhl-changes-offside-rule-nhl-new-rule-for-offside-skate-breaking-the-plane-nhl-replay-review  

- I saw some social media banter that gave me another perspective on what could possibly happen when the AHL training camps start up which is likely to be in the middle of January. I assumed because of NHL teams taking 4-6 players off their AHL affiliates roster to fill their "taxi squad" the AHL teams would turn around and recall all of their players that are currently assigned to ECHL teams. But another possibility is some AHL teams opt out of the 2020-21 season and need to find roster spots on AHL and ECHL teams that are playing for some of their players. It could be rather than losing the contracted players ECHL teams already have, additional contracted players will be assigned. This should all shake out over the next couple of weeks. It is clear many issues must be resolved before the AHL moves forward with their season. The biggest issue is how many of the teams will play and how many will opt out given the COVID restrictions where they play. 

 

- How does this all relate to the Allen Americans who currently have eight NHL/AHL contracted players assigned? Depending on what happens with the AHL season start up, Allen could lose all or some of their contracted players or be assigned more contracted players. That is why Steve Martinson is playing chess right now, always looking three or four moves ahead.

 

DID YOU KNOW: Jared VanWormer is one of nine players that have worn the "C" as a captain in Allen. Only four played their last professional game with the Americans. Here is the captains list. Those with an asterisk played their last pro game as a member of the Allen Americans:

2019-21 - Spencer Asuchak, Jared VanWormer

2017-19 - Joel Chouinard*

2015-17 - Chad Costello, Gary Steffes*

2014-15 - Jamie Schaafsma

2013-14 - Mike Berube

2011-13 - Jason Deitsch*

2010-11 - Tobias Whelan*

2009-10 - Jarret Lukin

 

Allen Americans Stats - A Tribute to the Goal Scorers

 

At the beginning of each season you look at the Allen Americans roster and wonder what players will lead the team in points and goals when the season ends. The most important factor is how many games will a player play. As coach Martinson always says scoring goals will get you noticed by AHL teams so a good start means the likelihood a player will get recalled or loaned to an AHL team. The other major factor is injury. If a player doesn't stay healthy for most if not all of the season it is difficult to lead the team in points or goals. The best example is Chad Costello who averaged 33 goals and 117 points per season in his three years with the Americans and never missed a game.

 

- Here are a few examples of great stats that could have been record breaking if the player had played the full season.

 

Tyler Sheehy - Tyler led the Americans in points (70) and tied for the lead in goals (26)  in 2019-20 but only played in 47 games because of injuries, call ups and the canceled season. Based on his scoring over 47 games, if he had played 72 games he would have had 107 points (40G, 67A).

Gabe Gagne - Gabe got off to a big start in 2019-20 scoring 24 goals in 36 games before the AHL came calling. His pace over a full 72 game season would have been 48 goals.

Gary Steffes - In 2014-15 Gary Steffes set Allen's all time record for goals in a season at 44 but missed the last nine games of the season when he was loaned to Milwaukee (AHL). He scored four goals in nine games with Milwaukee. Had he stayed in Allen and played the last three weeks of the season, based on his pace of 44 goals in 63 games he would have hit 50 goals. There has only been one 50 goal season in the ECHL in the last 20 years. Kevin Baker had 57 goals playing for Florida in 2008-09.

Scott Howes - In 2012-13 Scott started the season in Allen and got off to a phenomenal start scoring 21 goals in the first 22 games of the season before leaving for the AHL never to return. This was in Allen's CHL days when the regular season was 66 games so Scott was in Allen the first third of the season. Had he stayed in Allen all season and kept up the pace, Howes would have finished the season with an eye popping 63 goals. 

Jack Combs - In 2014-15 Jack started the season in Allen and played in 32 games before leaving to sign in Europe. In 32 games Jack had 56 points (22G, 34A). Had he stayed in Allen the entire season and kept up the same pace he would have ended up with 126 points (50G, 76A). He also would have played in the ECHL All-Star (he was selected just prior to leaving for Europe) and won a Kelly Cup.

Bryan Moore - In 2016-17 Bryan had 27 goals for the Americans but only played in 44 games. His first game for Allen wasn't until the end of November when he was acquired in a trade from Orlando. Between injuries, suspensions and AHL loans he only played in 44 games. Based on his goals per game average, over a full season he would have had 44 goals.  

The examples above are just few that are fun to look at and conjecture what could have been. Here is what actually did happen,  a salute to the top three goal scorers in each of Allen's 11 seasons:

2019-20 - Tyler Sheehy (26), Jordan Topping (26), Gabe Gagne (24)

2018-19 - Zach Pochiro (34), Dante Salituro (22), Braylon Shmyr (20)

2017-18 - Bryan Moore (21), Alex Guptill (20), Casey Pierro-Zabotel (19)

2016-17 - Greger Hanson (35), Chad Costello (33), Bryan Moore (27)

2015-16 - Chad Costello (24), Gary Steffes (22), Chris Crane (21)

2014-15 - Gary Steffes (44), Chad Costello (41), Greger Hanson (28)

2013-14 - Jonathan Lessard (28), Alex Lavoie (25), Greger Hanson (21), Jamie Schaafsma (21)

2012-13 - Jamie Schaafsma (24), Darryl Bootland (22), Scott Howes (21)

2011-12 - Bruce Graham (26), Colton Yellow Horn (24), Jim McKenzie (20)

2010-11 - Bruce Graham (34), Nino Musitelli (34), Colton Yellow Horn (33)

2009-10 - Bruce Graham (31), Nino Musitelli (23), Justin Bowers (23)

 

DID YOU KNOW: Here is some Allen trivia on the top goal scorers:

- Only one Allen team had three 30 goals scorers in a single season (2010-11) and that was a season when the CHL played 66 games compared to the 72 games in the ECHL. 

- Chad Costello is one of two players that scored 40 goals in a season but the only season he led the team in goals (2015-16) he scored 24 goals.

- Bruce Graham is the only player in team history to lead the Americans in goals three seasons.

       

A Christmas in the Bubble, NHL Start Up Potential Impact on ECHL Teams, ECHL Attendance, Revisiting 2010-11 CHL Season and More

 

- It will be a different Christmas week around the ECHL this week, another adjustment to COVID-19. The league usually has a three or four day Christmas break where teams do not play and aren't allowed to practice. Players typically go home, take a trip to Las Vegas or Mexico or use the days off to relax and spend time with family and friends if they are in town. Not the case this season as there is no Christmas break and players are expected to stay in their quasi bubble. The Americans will practice this week as they prepare for two games this weekend at home against Tulsa. My guess is coach Martinson will give the team some time off other than Christmas day but will practice on Monday and Tuesday for sure.

 

- There was big news yesterday regarding the start up of the NHL season as an agreement was reached to start the season on January 13 with training camps starting as early as December 31 for the seven teams (including San Jose) that did not participate in the qualifying playoff round last season. The other 24 teams start training camp January 3. Teams will be divided into four divisions with a 56 game regular season. The teams in the East, Central and West Divisions will play the other teams in their division eight times, it will be nine or 10 times in the North Division. The regular season runs through May 8 which is interesting since the ECHL 72 game schedule runs through June 6. Here is a map I found on Twitter that shows the four NHL divisions.

 

- Here is a good article about all of the details related to the NHL start up. It is written from the perspective of the LA Kings so items such as attendance will vary from location to location but this story covers a lot of issues if you are interested in more details:  http://lakingsinsider.com/2020/12/20/2020-21-season-details-quotes-division-roster-schedule-training-camp-more/

 

 - The question I have is what will the agreement the NHL just worked out have on the ECHL and specifically the Allen Americans? There should be little impact when NHL training camps start because teams will be limited to 36 skaters, fewer than typically attend NHL camps. Goalies attending NHL camps could be an exception because their is no limit on the number of goalies brought to camp.

 

- What will likely lead to an impact on the NHL/AHL contracted players assigned to ECHL teams is tied to a 4-6 player taxi squad each NHL team will carry. Also part of the agreement is a requirement all NHL teams will travel with three goalies. The NHL is trying to create a safety net with the extra players who are able to practice with the team, travel with the team but do not count against the 23 player roster or salary cap unless they are "recalled."

 

- It is not clear yet what impact the new NHL rules will have on the AHL. The AHL will likely start training camp in mid January to prepare for their tentative February 5 start date. Just like the ECHL, it is expected some AHL teams will opt out of the 2020-21 season because of COVID-19 restrictions. San Jose has already said the Barracuda will play even if they have to relocate out of California for the start of the season. FYI, the San Jose Sharks will have training camp and start the season in Arizona. 

 

- This is just my opinion but you could see a worst case scenario for ECHL teams where AHL teams have 4-6 players taken for the NHL taxi squad, they will recall most if not all of their contracted players currently assigned to ECHL teams in mid January when AHL training camps begin. 

 

- You could also see AHL teams needing to sign free agents to fill up their rosters so they may come after ECHL players like Dyson Stevenson, Turner Ottenbreit, Les Lancaster and Sam Laberge who have AHL experience and could sign with any AHL team. 

 

- Another scenario would have a bunch of AHL teams opt out of the 2020-21 season and the market become flooded with even more players looking for jobs.

 

- What this means for Allen is coach Martinson has to be planning for all eventualities. I think the most likely of all of the possibilities is most of the eight NHL/AHL contracted players on the Allen roster (3 San Jose, 5 Iowa) will be recalled when AHL training camps begin.

 

- Coach Martinson has always made changes early in the season and even with all of the uncertainty this season you can be assured he is trying to improve the roster every day. Contract player assignments, signings, waivers and trades are not suspended during Christmas break as in the past so anything can happen at anytime. The only certainty is there will be changes, if not this week in the next couple of weeks.

 

- After three games the Americans leading scorers are Sam Laberge with four points (1G, 3A) and Les Lancaster with three points (1G, 2A). Proving Allen's depth, 10 players are tied for third in scoring with two points. 

 

- It is still very early in the season but here is how Allen ranks among the 13 ECHL teams that are  playing:

#5 - Average penalty minutes per game (15.33)

#8 - Power play percentage (10.0%)

#5 - Penalty kill percentage (90.0%)

#2 - Average goals scored per game (3.67)

#4 - Average goals allowed per game (2.67)

#2 - Average shots taken per game (36.00)

#8 - Average shots allowed per game (32.00)

 

- The Americans shooting percentage so far is 10.2% compared to 11.9% last season. The team save percentage is .917 compared to .909 last season.

 

- From my ECHL Stats post today:

Average COVID restricted attendance for all 10 ECHL teams that have had one or more home games: 

3393 - Rapid City

3333 - Florida 

3011 - Jacksonville 

2631 - Tulsa 

2575 - South Carolina 

2169 - Kansas City 

2111 - Indy 

1957 - Allen 

1777 - Greenville 

902 - Wheeling 

2333 - ECHL Average

 

DID YOU KNOW: Here are some names from the past you will recognize. Ten years ago today Allen played Bossier-Shreveport at home and beat the Mudbugs 6-2. Here were the goal scorers with assists:

Scott Langdon (Nino Musitelli, Bruce Graham)

Dave Bonk (Judd Blackwater)

David Nimmo (Tobias Whelan, Judd Blackwater)

Kip Brennan (Colton Yellow Horn, Erik Adams)

David Simoes (Dave Bonk, Scott Langdon)

David Simoes (Erik Adams, Bruce Graham) 

 

The 2010-11 Allen team dominated the regular season with a record of 47-16-3. The Americans 97 regular season points was the highest in the league (CHL) by 14 points and they won their conference by 20 points. The dominant regular season turned into disappointment in the playoffs as the Americans lost in five games to Bossier-Shreveport in the conference finals. The Mudbugs went on the win the CHL championship against the Colorado Eagles but two weeks later ceased operations citing low attendance and financial issues.        

    

Allen Sweeps Rapid City, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Riley Gill Night and More

 

Allen beat a shorthanded Rapid City team 3-2 last night before a crowd of 1882 at the Allen Event Center (AEC) in a game that will always be remembered as the night Riley Gill's #30 was retired. The Americans out shot the Rush 41-27 but had to score two third period goals to claim victory. Tyler Sheehy scored the game winner with 3:58 left in the game. A win is a win but taking on a team that was playing four players short and  playing with several others who were just signed this week, you would have expected Allen to have an easier time sweeping the two games against Rapid City this weekend. It is early in the season and with the talent on Allen's team they will only get better and to be fair the stats show the Americans are #2 in goals per game (3.67), #4 in goals allowed per game (2.67) and #2 in shots per game (36.00) in the ECHL. The power play continues to struggle going 0-2 last night and is now at 10% (1-10) over the first three games.

 

- Goal scorers for Allen were Sam Laberge (1), Nolan Kneen (1) and Tyler Sheehy (1). Here are the video highlights with the goals, some great saves and a couple of scrums:

  

- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/media/game-recap/americans-sweep-rapid-city/

 

- Here is the Rapid City Rush game recap:  https://www.rapidcityrush.com/en/news/2020/allen-steals-game-late-against-rush-for-weekend-sweep

 

- Allen's depth continues to show as the three goals scorers last night all scored their first goal of the season. After three game the Americans have scored 11 goals by nine different players. After three games 16 players have at least one point. 

 

- Allen's sweep this weekend vaults them to a tie for fourth place in the standings with a record of 2-1-0-0. Florida leads the league with a 4-0 start. It is early in the season but Florida already looks like a team to beat after having the best record (tied with South Carolina) last season. The Everblades have scored an average of 5.25 goals per game, the next closest team is Allen at 3.67 goals per game. Florida has allowed only seven goals in four games for an average goals allowed of 1.75.  

 

- The Americans put together a nice tribute to Riley Gill last night as they officially retired his #30 during the first intermission. A video from many of his former teammates and coaches was a nice touch as was the framed jersey presented to Riley. It was good to see and hear from so many of Riley's teammates from the Kelly Cup championship seasons. 

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW:  All time games played (regular season and playoffs) by Allen goalies, another record owned by Riley Gill by a wide margin:

175 - Riley Gill*

112 - Chris Whitley

75 - Aaron Dell*

60 - Bryan Pitton*

*won championship

Allen Wins Home Opener - Game Recap, Interviews, Game 2 Preview, Riley Gill's Special Night and More

 

The Allen Americans beat an undermanned Rapid City Rush team 5-2 last night before a crowd of 2032 at the Allen Event Center. The Rush had only 14 skaters (18 are allowed) because they have so many players on the Commissioner's Exempt List. Five of the 14 skaters were playing in their first game for the Rush. One of the keys to the game for Allen was a good start after being out shot 18-7 in the first period in their season opening loss to Tulsa last Saturday. Mission accomplished last night as the Americans out shot Rapid City 17-8 and outscored the Rush 3-0 in the first period. Rapid City was able to close the gap to 3-2 early in the third period before the Americans pulled away for the 5-2 victory. It was the second straight season Allen beat Rapid City in their home opener.

 

- Goals scorers for Allen were Jared VanWormer (1), Jesse Mychan (2), Les Lancaster (1) and Joe Garreffa (1). Zach Sawchenko stopped 32 of 34 shots (.941 save percentage) in the win.

 

- Here are the video highlights:

 

 Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/media/game-recap/americans-prevail-in-home-opener/

 

- Here is the game recap issued by the Rapid City Rush: https://www.rapidcityrush.com/en/news/2020/rush-fall-in-first-road-game-of-the-season-to-allen

 

- Here is Steve Martinson's post game press conference:

 

 

- Special teams sometimes need time to get going. It has only been two games so stats don't mean much but this is an area that should improve. Allen is ranked #7 on the power play at 12.5% (1-8) and #11 on the penalty kill at 83.3% (1-6). In a 13 team league these are not stellar numbers but this early in the season one game can turn things around. 

 

- One observation I noticed as watching the game last night was how quickly teammates jumped in to mix it up whenever there was a cheap shot. I saw so many guys sticking up for their teammates which wasn't always the case last season. That is a good sign going forward with Allen being a more physical team this season. 

 

- Watching Zane Franklin last night I was reminded of a quote I saw about him from his WHL days,  "Franklin is a pain-in-the-ass player that every team in the league would love to have." Zane was hitting and yapping all over the ice last night and the 5'9' was even willing to drop the gloves with 6'6" 250 pound Garrett Klotz until Cole Fraser stepped in to take on Klotz. I was impressed with Franklin's zeal and also with how Fraser jumped in against one of the toughest guys in the ECHL. In addition to leading the team in penalty minutes (14) Franklin is tied for #3 in points with a goal and an assist. He is going to be a fun player to watch for Allen fans. Here is Tommy Daniel's post game interview with Zane:

 

 

 ALLEN VS RAPID CITY GAME TWO PREVIEW

 

Riley Gill

 

- The game tonight will almost be overshadowed by the retirement of Riley Gill's #30 jersey. His #30 will join the Gary Steffes #12 in the AEC rafters. Here are few highlights of what I have written over the years about Riley:

Riley was always good for Allen in the regular season winning Goalie of the Year, leading the league in save percentage and leading the league in shutouts. Gill had two 30 win seasons during his time in Allen. With all of his success during the regular season he was made for playoff hockey. During his career he was in three Kelly Cup finals and won all three, winning his first in 2013 with Reading when he was also the playoff MVP. 

It is clear Allen's two Kelly Cups in 2015 and 2016 had something in common. A Hall of Fame coach in Steve Martinson, a Hall of Fame goalie in Riley Gill and a Hall of Fame forward in Chad Costello. During those years coach Martinson would talk about how Gill would be at his best in the playoffs. This quote from Martinson captures what Riley brought to the Americans. "It's nice to know you have a veteran back there who can step up when you need him, he gives you peace of mind." In 2015 Gill won game seven in the Western Conference finals over Ontario and game seven in the Kelly Cup finals over South Carolina.

The retiring of Riley Gill's #30 will be the first of other accolades to come his way in the future. In my view he is a lock to become an ECHL Hall of Famer. It will be difficult to beat his ECHL playoff records. Here are the ECHL career goalie playoff records that Riley ranks #1 all time:

90 - most playoff game appearances: Allen (51), Reading (20), Kalamazoo (19).

5094 - most playoff minutes played: Allen (2771), Reading (1274), Kalamazoo (1049)

53 - most playoff wins: Allen (30), Reading (14), Kalamazoo (9)

11 - most wins in Kelly Cup finals: Allen (7), Reading (4) 

 I want to add my congratulations to Riley and Angie (who has been there as a team with Riley the whole way) on this well deserved honor!  

 

 - As for the game itself Allen needs more of the same against to Rush who will again be shorthanded. The Americans had a great first period last night but seemed to let up in the second period and gave Rapid City a chance to get back in the game. Sometimes when a team gets ahead 3-0 early in the game, scoring becomes more important than playing a 200 foot game. Special teams will be another area of emphasis tonight. If the Americans play a smart, consistent game they should have no problem sweeping the Rush in this two game series. 

 

- One of the strengths of Allen's team is their depth. Case in point is the top line from game one, who had six of nine points, didn't have a point last night. All four lines are capable of scoring and it can be a different line each night. After just two game 15 different players have at least one point. 

 

- Early in the season coach Martinson typically likes to get the rookies playing time so I would expect Jake Gricius and Nolan Kneen, who sat out last night, to be in the lineup tonight. For Gricius it will be his first pro game.    

- The referee scheduled tonight is #25 Andrew Bruggeman who was the referee last night. He disallowed one Allen goal after a long video review, ruling goalie interference on the play. It was clear coach Martinson disagreed with the call. 

 

OTHER COMMENTS

- Zach Sawchenko has now played a total 14 games for Allen and has a record of 9-2-2-1 with a GAA of 2.32 and save percentage of .931. 

 

- Coach Martinson's relationship with the San Jose management allowed him to get three players assigned to Allen (Zach Sawchenko, Jake McGrew and Joe Carreffa). These are three excellent players that have played great thus far for the Americans.  

 

- The NHL and the player's association have a tentative deal to start their season on January 13. Training camps for the seven teams that did not participate in last season's playoff bubbles would open Dec. 31, and camps would commence Jan. 3 for the other 24 teams. It remains to be seen what if any impact this will have on ECHL rosters where up to eight NHL/AHL contracted players are assigned. Here is a story with the details of this tentative deal: Training camps for the seven teams that did not participate in last season's playoff bubbles would open Dec. 31, and camps would commence Jan. 3 for the other 24 teams.   

 

- Two teams have jumped out to the ECHL points lead. Florida and Indy are both 3-0 and have double the points (6) of any other team. Florida has scored 16 goals and allowed six in their first three games to pick up were they left of last season when they led the ECHL in points when the season was canceled. 

 

- There are just four games on the ECHL schedule tonight (Tulsa at Utah was postponed). Jacksonville is at South Carolina, Florida at Greenville, Orlando at Wheeling and Rapid City at Allen. One advantage if you have FloSports Hockey is how easy it is to surf all of the games quickly. I was able to checkout Greenville's game a couple of times last night to see former Allen players Bryan Moore and Jack Sadek. Moore leads the ECHL in penalty minutes with 21. Here is the ECHL Today with a preview of all four games on tap tonight. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2020/12/echl-today-dec-19 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW:  A good start to the season has been predictive of just how the good the Americans will be for the full season and the playoffs.  Here is Allen's record after 10 games for each season since they joined the ECHL with playoff results in parenthesis:

2020-21:  ????

2019-20:  8-2-0-0  (season canceled)

2018-19:  3-6-0-1  (out of playoffs)

2017-18:  4-4-2-0  (lost in round 1)

2016-17:  4-6-0-0  (lost in round 2)

2015-16:  7-3-0-0  (won championship)

2014-15:  7-3-0-0  (won championship)

 

Allen vs Rapid City Preview, Allen's Home Opener History Has Memorable Games and Commissioner's Exempt List Stats

 

It has been a long time coming, since March 7, 2020 to be exact, for game day at the Allen Event Center (AEC) but it has finally arrived. It has been a long and difficult journey and the game experience will be very different but when the players take the ice the hockey will be the same and that is exciting. There are several subplots in this two game series (Friday & Saturday) against the Rapid City Rush.

 

- Playing the Rush always brings out the intensity that started way back in Allen's first season in 2009-10. Rapid City beat Allen in the finals of the Central Hockey League championship and a rivalry was born. When Daniel Tetrault, who won his only professional championship as a player in 2013-14 with Allen, became head coach in Rapid City (2017-18), it added another dimension to the rivalry. Tetrault's teams play a similar style to Steve Martinson's teams as evidenced by the fact in 2018-19 Allen was #1 in the ECHL in penalty minutes (1691) and Rapid City was #2 (1541).

 

- Rapid City arrives in Allen with much turmoil on their roster. In the last four days they have added 11 players to the Commissioner's Exempt List (Covid related) with one coming off the list (Garrett Klotz). Prior to their road trip to Allen the Rush added seven new players to their roster including Corey Durocher who they claimed off waivers after Allen released him. Corey will be a player to watch tonight as invariably when this happens the player does well against his old team. 

 

- Last weekend Rapid City opened their season at home and split two games with Utah winning 6-4 on Friday and losing 3-1 on Saturday. Allen opened on the road in Tulsa and lost 4-3. 

 

- Since joining the ECHL, Allen has a record of 32-11-1-0 against Rapid City. Allen's first game at home last season was also against Rapid City, a 3-2 overtime win. Jordan Topping tied the game late in the third period and then scored the game winner in overtime.

 

- Forward Josh Lammon and defenseman Cole Fraser will be in the lineup tonight after sitting out against Tulsa. They replace Dyson Stevenson who is injured and rookie Nolan Kneen. Zach Sawchenko will get his first start in goal. Last season Zach had an 8-2-2-1 record in Allen with a GAA of 2.35 and .930 save percentage.

 

- Coach Martinson, as promised, has made some line changes for this game. I would expect the only line that will stay intact is the Lebarge-Lavoie-McGrew line that accounted for six of Allen's eight points (2G, 4A) in the opening game loss in Tulsa.

 

- Special teams, scoring first and a good start are always keys to any game and it will be true tonight. Allen scored first in their opening game loss to Tulsa but were out shot in the first period 18-8. They will need a better start tonight. Last weekend Rapid City fell behind 2-0 against Utah in game one and came back to win the game. The Rush scored first in game two and lost the game. So combined, Allen and Rapid City are 0-3 when scoring first this season. I will go out on a limb and predict the team that scores first tonight will win the game. 

 

- Special teams stats are sparse given Allen has played just one game and Rapid City only two. The Americans were 0-2 on the power play and 0-1 on the penalty kill. Rapid City was 1-6 on the power play and 2-9 on the penalty kill. The Rush gave up two power play goals to Utah last weekend but they also scored two shorthanded goals so Allen will have to be aware when they go on the power play tonight.   

- If there is one thing that distinguishes a Daniel Tetrault coached team it is how hard they work. They always seem to over perform.

 

 OTHER COMMENTS

 - If you are attending the game tonight the Allen Americans and the AEC are doing everything in their power to create a safe environment from limiting the number of attendees (no more than 2150) to make sure you can be socially distanced, mandating masks, cashless payments, digital ticketing and enhanced sanitation to name a few. If you haven't read the COVID-19 Road Map issued by the team you should check it out before attending a game. Here is the link: https://allenamericans.com/covid-19-roadmap/  

- Yesterday the Utah Grizzlies postponed their two games with Tulsa this weekend, per league safety protocols. Here is some information on what has happened in the ECHL thus far related to COVID-19.

The Commissioner's Exempt List is for players ineligible to play based on the ECHL COVID-19 and return to play protocols. Players on the exempt list could have tested positive, had close contact with someone who tested positive or are symptomatic and awaiting test results. The Commissioner’s Exempt List first appeared on ECHL transactions on 12/9 when 13 players were added. Here is the daily activity for players going on and off the Commissioner’s Exempt List. All information is from ECHL transactions reports:

 

12/9 - 13 on, 0 off

12/10 - 0 on, 0 off

12/11 - 0 on, 0 off

12/12 - 0 on, 0 off

12/13 - 0 on, 0 off

12/14 - 5 on, 4 off

12/15 - 4 on, 2 off

12/16 - 4 on, 2 off

12/17 - 13 on, 0 off

 

 

- Ten of the 13 ECHL teams are in action tonight, South Carolina at Jacksonville, Florida at Greenville, Orlando at Wheeling, Indy at Kansas City and Rapid City at Allen. Here is the preview of each game issued by the ECHL:  https://www.echl.com/en/news/2020/12/echl-today-dec-18

 

  DID YOU KNOW: When you consider how good the Allen Americans have been since their inception the home opener record is a mediocre 5-6. The good news is they are on a win streak having won the home opener last season. I posted the season opening game recaps last week and some of these are also on that list but a recap of all of the home openers will bring back some very memorable games both good and bad. 

2009-10 -  Allen started on the road the first season because the Allen Event Center was not completed. The Americans played their first seven games in franchise history on the road. They returned to Allen after those first seven games 5-1-0-1. The home opener was memorable even though the Americans laid an egg, losing to Corpus Christi by a score of 4-1. Two of the goal scorers for Corpus were Chad Costello and future NHLer Ryan Garbutt. That game is mostly remembered for a melee that broke out after the game was over that ended up with 72 penalty minutes being called. A crowd of 5808 witnessed the first home game in team history. 

2010-11 - Allen opened at home against Texas, scored three goals (Alexandre Quesnel, Dustin Donaghy, Judd Blackwater) in the first four minutes of the game and coasted to a 5-2 win. Similar to the year before there were 66 minutes worth of penalties called at the 18:29 mark of the third period including four fighting majors and four game misconducts. Allen got the last laugh as Erik Adams scored an unassisted, shorthanded, empty net goal with under a minute remaining to seal the victory for the Americans. 

2011-12 - Allen's home opener was against Tulsa and the Americans got beat 4-1. Jim McKenzie scored the Americans only goal with just over a minute left in the game. Most notable in that game was a Gordie Howe hat trick by Tulsa's Gary Steffes who had a goal, an assist and a fight with Allen's Scott Langdon.

2012-13 - Allen's home opener was against Arizona and they shut out the Sundogs 4-0. Scott Howes had two goals in the game. The other goal scorers were Adam Pineault and Darryl Bootland. Steve Silverthorn was in goal and the backup was a rookie by the name of Aaron Dell. Dell would play sparingly the first few weeks of the season but eventually take over the starting role and lead the Americans to their first championship.

2013-14 -The home opener was an exciting game but the Americans lost to Wichita 4-3 in a shootout. Ironically the two teams had played the season opener the night before in Wichita and Allen had won by an identical score of 4-3 in a shootout. The home opener was a Sunday afternoon game and Allen took a 2-0 lead into the third period only to allow the Thunder to score three unanswered goals to take a 3-2 lead. Tyler Ludwig got the equalizer with less than three minutes remaining n the game. The game would go to a shootout and Allen would manage just one goal (Kale Kerbashian) in seven rounds before Wichita got the game winner.

2014-15 - The worst home opener ever for Allen as they got beat by Tulsa 9-6. Greger Hanson was the lone bright spot for Allen with a whopping 11 shots on goal, four points and a hat trick. Aaron Dell was in goal for the Americans and gave up seven of the nine goals. It was Dell's only regulation loss in the 12 games he played for Allen that season. By the end of January he was in the AHL on his way to the NHL.

2015-16 - Another home opener loss as the Quad City Mallards came to the Allen Event Center and beat the Americans 2-1. Allen's lone goal was scored by Garrett Clarke with assists going to Justin Courtnall and goalie Joel Rumpel. You didn't see those three in the boxscore very often let alone on the same play.

2016-17 - It was a home opener win as Allen beat Missouri 6-3. Kale Kerbashian had two goals. The other goal scorers were Chad Costello, Greger Hanson, Chris Crane and Eric Roy. Riley Gill had a big night in the win as he was peppered with 47 shots including 19 shots in both the second and third period.

2017-18 - After two big wins on the road in Rapid City the Americans opened at home against Orlando and beat the Solar Bears 6-2. Zach Pochiro had two goals, David Makowski and Casey Pierro-Zabotel each had three points (1G 2A). This game will always be remembered as the game that ended goalie Riley Gill's career. With just over six minutes remaining in the game Riley was injured.

2018-19 - The Allen Americans lost their home opener 4-1 to the Wichita Thunder. The game was a penalty filled affair with 33 penalties and a total of 112 penalty minutes. When the dust settled there were two roughing calls, 10 fighting majors and two game misconduct penalties. The #1 star of the game was Wichita captain Dyson Stevenson who scored the first goal of the game, the game winning goal and had a fight.    

2019-20 - Allen opened the season at home against Rapid City and came away with a 3-2 overtime victory. Jordan Topping tied the score 2-2 with 91 seconds left in the game and then got the game winning goal at 2:58 of overtime.

     

Allen Americans Stats - A Tribute to an American Out for the Season

 

Didn't plan on writing a blog today but came across a press release from Chad Costello's team in Norway that confirmed what most thought when they heard about his recent injury. Here is what Chad's team said as translated from Norwegian by Google translate:

 

"Chad Costello came to Stavanger from the German top league as the last 

signing before the season and made his debut against Sparta on October 22. 

Furthermore, 11 games and a total of 14 points before he suffered a knee

injury in the match against Manglerud Star on 3 December.

The injury turns out to be of such a serious and complex nature that 

Chad is unfortunately finished for the season. He will stay in Stavanger

with his family until further notice to start rehabilitation. We wish Chad

good luck and hope he will look back on the ice on a later occasion."

 

In honor of Chad, today's blog is titled "Allen Americans Stats" because whenever you post Allen stats Chad is very prominent. With the home opener for the Americans tomorrow night you wonder which player on the current roster might enter the record book this season. Here are few stat leaders from the past to appreciate. These are the best single seasons in various categories since the Allen Americans joined the ECHL at the start of the 2014-15 season:

 

Most Points

125 - Chad Costello (2014-15)

122 - Chad Costello (2016-17)

103 - Chad Costello (2015-16)

76 - Greger Hanson (2016-17)

73 - Gary Steffes (2014-15)

70 - Tyler Sheehy (2019-2020)

 

Most Goals

44 - Gary Steffes (2014-15)

41 - Chad Costello (2014-15)

35 - Greger Hanson (2016-17)

34 - Zach Pochiro (2018-19)

33 - Chad Costello (2016-17)

 

Most Assists

89 - Chad Costello (2016-17)

84 - Chad Costello (2014-15)

79 - Chad Costello (2015-16)

50 - Casey Pierro-Zabotel (2017-18)

48 - Aaron Gens (2014-15)

44 - Tyler Sheehy (2019-20)

44 - Alex Breton (2019-20)

The Ironmen (nine players have played in all 72 games in a season since 2014-15))

Chad Costello (2014-15)

Chad Costello (2015-16)

Chad Costello (2016-17)

Joel Chouinard (2016-17)

Joel Chouinard (2017-18)

Spencer Asuchak (2018-19)

Casey Pierro-Zabotel (2017-18)

Aaron Gens (2014-15)

Jamie Schaafsma (2014-15)

Plus/Minus

+47  Joel Chouinard (2016-17)

+43  Chad Costello (2014-15)

+35  Greger Hanson (2014-15)

+31  Gary Steffes (2014-15)

+28  David Makowski (2017-18)

+28  Bryan Moore (2016-17)

Average points per game (minimum 40 games)

1.74 - Chad Costello (2014-15)

1.69 - Chad Costello (2016-17)

1.49 - Tyler Sheehy (2019-20)

1.43 - Chad Costello (2015-16)

1.31 - Greger Hanson (2016-17)

1.19 - David Makowski (2016-17)

 

DID YOU KNOW: In addition to having the top three seasons in points and assists for the Allen Americans, Chad led the entire ECHL in points and assists all three seasons he played in Allen and it wasn't even close. Here are the ECHL players with the most points and most assists in a single season since 2014-15. It gives you an idea of how dominating Chad's three seasons playing for Allen were, which included two Kelly Cup championships.

 

Most Points

125 - Chad Costello (2014-15)

122 - Chad Costello (2016-17)

103 - Chad Costello (2015-16)

88 - Casey Pierro-Zabotel (2016-17)  (Colorado)

86 - Shane Berschbach (2016-17) (Toledo)

 

Most Assists 

89 - Chad Costello (2016-17)

84 - Chad Costello (2014-15)

79 - Chad Costello (2015-16)

68 - Shane Berschbach (2016-17) (Toledo)

64 - Casey Pierro-Zabotel (2017-17) (Colorado)